Page 4 of Lord of Dance and Desire

“What?” He went from friend to sleek predator in a second. “Did he say that?”

I cringed. “You don’t understand. I—I wanted him to hurt me.” I swallowed. “I wanted to use it against him later. For revenge. And maybe a little leverage.”

And because it was so hard to let go of past bitterness, disappointment, and to trust that for once, I could have happiness outside of dance.

Constin studied me. “Because of the punishment?”

I nodded, miserable. “I’m not a very nice person, Con. There’s more than one reason why I’m single.”

He snorted. “Darling. Don’t make me tell you stories about your bonded.” But he sighed, covering his eyes with a hand. “He still shouldn’t have taken you to bed when you didn’t want him.”

Since meeting Andrei I’d had no issues with libido. If only he was the cure for everything else, including my rotten soul.

“I don’t believe he meant to hurt you,” Constin said, lowering his hand. “But he needs to learn to control his impulses better. He could break you without trying.” He paused. “You know you don’t have to protect him, right?”

“I know. I’m upset, but that’s it.”

Constin shook his head. “He knows better than to take advantage, though. If you hear him screaming. . .he’ll live.”

Strange sounds woke me from a doze. I stood, walking to my window. Every room faced the inner courtyard. I looked out, immediately turned, and ran into the hallway to the nearest interior exit.

Walking outside, I stopped, my mouth falling open before I controlled myself.

They were like two sleek panthers, dark angels, classic Greek statues come to life. Naked, hair and skin and eyes shimmering under the moonlight as they fought.

Snarling, teeth and fists and the kind of sheer power and speed I’d seen only in fantasy movies done with special effects.

Andrei. . .barely defended himself from the brutal, methodical beating.

Constin wrapped an arm around Andrei’s neck, wrestling him to the ground on all fours. I winced, thinking of scraped knees.

Constin overpowered the High Lord, shoving his thighs apart. “How do you like it,my Lord? When someone you love and trust overcomes you. You haven’t saidno. Shall I fuck you then? It’s not rape, is it?”

The mockery in his voice curdled my stomach. A ghost of a very particular pain in Con’s voice. Acid, poison, a distilled viciousness that broke sweat along my spine as he struggled with that ghost.

I had to stop forgetting they all had other sides to their personalities. And hundreds of years enduring and inflicting the kind of trauma humans went insane over in just a few decades. No wonder they weren’t concerned with my little dark side.

I stepped forward.

“No, Lady.”

I glanced over my shoulder. Mathen stood a few feet behind me in the shadows, arms crossed over his chest. Watching, his expression resolute. I blinked. My teddy bear was a grizzly.

“Either he will yield, or he will suffer. In any case, he’ll pay the price.”

“This is barbaric.”

“So was bedding an upset, vulnerable consort who can’t withstand a soulbond enough to verbalize an obvious no.”

“No!” Andrei shouted. I whirled back around. “Damn you.” He pounded his fist against stone. “Damnit, Con. No.”

“I should fuck you anyway,” Constin growled, “make you bleed and scream as I betray you with your own pleasure. But the girl is watching and she’d never forgive me.”

He rose, stepping away from Andrei. . .and bowed, a graceful, perfect obeisance to a superior power—who was still kneeling, panting from the exertion of having his ass kicked into the ground. “My Lord.”

I winced again. Youch. Only the Fae could insert that much disdain into a brutally correct address.

Constin crossed the courtyard to the opposite side and disappeared into the house.

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