Page 21 of Love Me Forever

“We share food and stuff. I told her she does have to do her part because I can’t feed two mouths forever with what I beg, and odd jobs here and there aren’t enough either.”

“Oh, yes. I’m sure you protect her. By slapping her and doing other things I won’t say out loud.” Making sure he had a good grip on the girl, he stood, and she tightened her arms around his neck. “Tom, stay here with him. He’s under arrest, and I need to ask her a couple of things.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Tom drew his sword.

“Hey! You don’t have proof of anything! You can’t arrest me!”

“If he keeps talking, punch his teeth out.”

“With pleasure, Your Majesty.”

Sébastien was so furious, he wanted to beat the man’s head against the stone wall, and if he heard one more lie, he might. The girl sniffled as he carried her through the alley to stand near the main street and set her down. Whisper followed, and she stared between them as she wiped at her face.

Sébastien kneeled to be at her eye level while he tried to get his own emotions under control. If he didn’t appear calm, it might stress her out more.

“Can you tell me your name?” He wished he’d caught it last time. She’d already returned to her Mother before he realized he hadn’t asked.

“Éloïse. I don’t want to go back with him. He’s m-mean.”

“You’re not going back to him.” He pulled his linen hanky from his pocket to dab at her wet cheeks. “How did he snatch you?”

“I was eating from the midden behind the general shop.”

Damn it. Considering a stranger had her, he’d figured. Her words made it more obvious she was alone now.

“If you were eating from the midden, I guess you’re on your own?” She hadn’t been nearly so dirty the last time he saw her, and while it was obvious her Mother wasn’t rich, she’d been properly fed.

Éloïse nodded. “Mama got sick and couldn’t get up.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, Éloïse. And your Father?”

“I don’t have one.”

He wasn’t around or he had died, and she didn’t remember him.

“You don’t know that man at all, right?” he asked, and she shook her head. “When did he take you?”

“This morning.”

That didn’t mean he hadn’t done anything else despite only having her for a short time. The scene in front of the tavern was over, but an older man stopped to gawk at them. It’s not every day the King of Soleil is talking to a grubby child in the mouth of an alley.

“Fuck are you looking at?” he snapped, not in the mood for anyone’s shit. The man hurried along, and he focused on Éloïse again as he lowered his voice. “I’m going to ask you a couple of things, and I need you to be honest with me. Did he touch between your legs or under your skirt?”

If he had, Sébastien might cut off a certain part. She shook her head.

“Did he lay on you or make you touch between his legs?”

“No.”

“Did he put anything in your mouth?”

She shook her head again, appearing confused by the questions.

The bastard still needed to be dealt with because he had been about to attempt a disgusting act since she’d had a bad day at begging for coins. If Sébastien had decided to stay in, linger at the scent shop, or take a different way home…if the street hadbeen less crowded, and he’d simply ridden by without looking…the thought made him utterly sick.

He took a deep breath. “What did he do?”

“He told me that he was going to protect me, and I had to pay him. I didn’t like him, and I wanted to go. He said I had to stay with him and do what he said. He yelled at me and said I'd be sorry if I ran because-because he'd find me and burn my wings.”

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