Page 45 of Caged By Dance and Desire

She stilled.

“No, you haven’t.” I tightened my fingers on her chin, just short of pain. “And unless that’s the fate you secretly yearn for, I’d suggest you heed my warning. Stay away from Dartanyon. Stay away from any Lord you might encounter.”

Her eyes flashed. She tried to veil the spark of temper by lowering her lashes over her eyes. “And how am I supposed to know a High Fae from a High Fae Lord from a Low Fae Lord from a frog? You don’t come with flashing signs or name badges!”

“You’ll learn.” I released her chin. “Now I'll have to handle him in haste because he publicly questioned my ownership over you.”

Anah stiffened. “Your ownership.”

I suppressed a snarl, though I shouldn’t bother with that much consideration, since she clearly wouldn’t reciprocate by taking basic security precautions. “That’s right. You're mortal, and you're mine.”

“Like your pet? Like—like your coach? Something you keep well-maintained and shut away in your garage until you’re ready to ride it? I don’t belong to anyone but myself!”

I wrapped my hands around her upper arms in an effort not to wrap them around her neck. “Are you challenging me, Hasannah?”

She needed to learn. She needed to understand the danger of flouting me, of dismissing me. She still didn’t believe she was mine.

I’d been too gentle, perhaps. It wasn’t in me to frighten a female, but a touch of judiciously applied intimidation would rein her in enough that I could protect her from herself.

“I’m not challenging you,” she said in that scathing, contemptuously soft tone. “Whatever that means. I’m saying that I’m not a toy or a pet.”

Was the Dark mocking me? Testing my resolve to be the one High Lord in the Court who didn’t slowly destroy their lovers? I understood the impulse now. Understood the need. I would never look at the others with scorn and contempt again.

I hadn’t known. Hadn’t realized howdifficultit would be to suppress the need to crush her beneath me. Obliterate her defiance, drink down her spark and warm the frozen core of my soul with it.

Cage it like a faeling would cage a glowbug, obsessed with its light and fragile beauty.

“I don’t believe we understand the word challenge in the same way, my Anah.”

“Maybe we should return to the party,” she said, attempting to push me away. “Andrei, let me go.”

No, I don’t think so.I tightened my arms on her, the feel of her soft curves against my body enflaming my anger, my need. For all her strength and grace, any Fae could take her and savage her at will and she pranced through the city as if she wassafe.

Anah stopped fighting abruptly, sagging against my chest, her bottom lip trembling before she firmed it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to argue. I hate arguing. It’s just been. . .a long week. I’m tired, and my feet hurt, and I think I’m actually hangry.”

She nestled her head on my chest, shuddering.

It was enough to slap me back to myself.

How could I even think of hurting her? She rested in my arms with an ease no Fae female would ever demonstrate. My Anah still didn’t understand how easily she could be shredded into bloody strips. Her trust frightened me, reminded me of my promise. IneededCon and Math. Without them standing between us, I feared what I could do to her.

I closed my eyes, orienting myself, and gentled my voice, my grip. “Another Lord approached you and you didn’t come to me. My lack of response emboldened him. Either he believes you’ve rejected my claim and will therefore welcome another, or I’m too weak to enforce it.”

Anah looked up. “I’m sorry. I understand now. I won’t make the same mistake again.”

I almost laughed because that implied she would make others. She was so young. Three decades of life was nothing, and in humans, so easily snuffed out. But her earnestness soothed more of my edge. I drew a thumb along her bottom lip, wanting it to tremble for a reason other than hurt or fear.

“There’s a partial remedy,” I said, lowering my voice to a purr. “My scent on your skin. It's faint. Too faint for one I've said is mine.”

Her pupils blew out. “I don’t understand.”

Not only had she disregarded me, but the lack of my scent on her skin told a plain truth—that she was mine in name only.

Of course Dartanyon thought her free for claiming.

“My scent should be so embedded in your skin that there's never doubt to whom you belong.”

Of course the puny upstart thought himself worthy to advance his own stake.

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