Page 104 of The Veil of Blood and Magic

I take stock of him, swallowing hard and hating that such an evil bastard can look as good as he does. Because hedoeslook good. But even pretty packages can contain rotten goods.

“Every time I come in here, I find you reading,” he says.

“How should I be spending my time in your opinion, my prince?”

He strides over to me, and I don't bother standing, just arch my neck to look up as him as he leans over me. He braces one hand on the armrest, bending to trail his free hand down the center of the book that I have open in my lap. His eyes are onme, an intensity crackling there that squeezes the breath out of my lungs.

“I have several ideas on how you should be spending your time,” he says. “But I can't say I'm mad you're enjoying my books.”

My eyes widen, shock fluttering through me. I cast my gaze around the room, noting the black silk sheets on the bed, the dark comforter, the dark artwork...it'shim.

It radiateshim.

I return my eyes to his. “This isyourroom.” I don't ask, because I don't need to.

“Clever pet,” he says, stroking his fingers down the middle of the book again, the one that lays in the middle of my lap. If the book were gone, he'd be strokingme. The notion sends chills bursting along my skin.

He holds my gaze a bit longer before whirling around, striding across the room to lean against the wardrobe near the balcony.

“Why am I in your room?” I ask, gently closing the book and setting it on the table next to me. “Why am I not in a glass cage in the Collector’s wing?”

Gray folds his arms over his chest, silent. He rarely answers my questions, and I’d rattled off at least a dozen when we went on our too-quick tour.

“I need you to get dressed,” he says instead, turning to open the wardrobe and fingering through the array of fabric there.

I glance down at the silk nightgown I'm in, royal blue this time. “You haven't asked me to wear anything else other than these since I arrived.”

He furrows his brow, looking at me over his shoulder. “I never asked you to wear anything,” he says.

“These are the only clothes provided to me,” I fire her back. “What else am I supposed to wear?”

Gray pulls out something from the wardrobe, showing it to me before tossing it on the bed. It's a gown fit for a queen, or at least what Iimaginea queen would wear, complete with layers of lace and silk and intricate beading in colors of red and black and gold.

“When did that get in here?” I ask, despite knowing that even if Iknewabout it, I wouldn't choose to wear it.

I walk over to the edge of the bed, examining it.

“I have my ways,” he says like that's supposed to explain everything.

I scoop up the gown, holding it against my body while looking up at him, arching a brow. “Why dress me up like this?” I ask, shifting the gown and laying it back on the bed. I motion to the silk nightgown I'm wearing that barely covers my breasts or butt. “Aren't I supposed to be a pretty pet to look at, to lust over?” I lift my chest ever so slightly just to see if the unresponsive Gray will finally provide some sort of reaction.

His dark gaze falls to my breasts, to the cleavage peeking out of the silk, then moves lower, all the way down to the tips of my toes before meeting my eyes again. The gaze feels like a threat, sizing me up in a way I'm not used to.

The smallest taste of spun sugar and citrus tickles the back of my throat. It's just a whisper of desire, but it's there all the same. I knew the prince hadsomephysical interest in me, especially after his reaction to watching me feed with my Linked a few days ago, but I can't tell if I'll be able to use it to my advantage or not. It's nowhere near palpable in a way that feels useful.

“Get dressed,” he says instead of answering me, spinning to stride out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

I do as I'm told, mainly because I know if I don't, he's just as likely to drag me out in the palace in this nightgown again, and I really don't want all the eyes on me like they were when we went on our tour. Even the collector core broke their stoic guardingstances as I walked by. Andyes, I’m proud of my body and the way it looks wearing anything, but having the eyes of so many I hate on me left a terrible taste in my mouth.

The gown slides over my body like it was made for me, hugging my curves in all the right places. It’s sleeveless, showing off my neck and arms and the top of my chest. I survey myself in the mirror in the bathing chamber, only able to let my hair fall down in waves over my shoulders because there are no supplies in here to even attempt to pull it up.

A pet all dressed up, I think as I look at myself in the mirror.

I look like royalty. I look like one ofthem.

I hate it.

Gray returns to the room moments later, as if he has some unique ability to know that I’ve fully dressed. I triple-check my mental shields just in case, finding them perfectly intact.

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