Page 59 of Caged By Dance and Desire

Tortured.

“You understand that, yes? Had I not been monitoring my people, they would have attempted the execution of some shoddily conceived plan and when it went poorly, in their panic they would have killed you—and not cleanly, perhaps.”

He quieted, and I realized he was actually waiting for a response. I rallied. “I was told my survival was unlikely.”

“Ah. The Heir will be in my debt, of course.” He chose another grape. “I will not make it onerous for him. He's young, and he must learn these little lessons himself as well. The young ones always think controlling a woman is as simple as snapping their fingers and growling orders.”

Ashlyun focused his gaze beyond my shoulder. “Your Lord has arrived. Remain silent, Lady, and listen. You may learn something useful.”

He rose. “Remain here.”

Chapter

Seventeen

ANDREIEN

Iglanced at Mathen as I shut the door. “She has ten minutes to herself. Don't disturb her.”

My skin crawled each step I walked from her. Knowing that the one Lord above all others I hadn't wanted her anywhere near had slipped under my watch set my teeth on edge.

Dartanyon. . .epitomized issues. He was also known to steal others’ toys and break them, but for some inexplicable reason no one had ended the blight of his miserable existence yet.

No, not an inexplicable reason. We pitied him. Pitied the early tragedies that had shaped his madness, and kept him alive as an example of what happened when the one you loved too deeply was weak.

But if he touched my Anah one more time, his survival streak would end. Perhaps I’d give him to Miahela. She was growing restless and would welcome someone deserving to torment.

My baby sister was so creative.

Constin met me on the threshold of the ballroom, his gaze going over my shoulder. His entire body tensed.

“Drei, where is Anah?”

I glanced behind me, controlling the urge to turn on my heel and storm back to the sitting room and retrieve her. I’d promised. Ten minutes. The problem was I understood what could go wrong in ten minutes. She was far, far too naive and it made protecting her complicated.

“She requested a few minutes to compose herself,” I said. “Mathen is guarding her.”

Mathen Mathen Mathen.Who’d missedDartanyon.I wouldn’t be swayed to mercy by his large soulful eyes either. He would be punished for his mistake, if I had to blindfold myself to do it.

My mother had warned me for years I was too soft on my lovers. But then, she’d executed her own husband, so I tended to take her opinion on the matter with some reservation.

Constin’s gaze snapped back to me. “I don't want to tell you how to handle your consort?—”

“Don't.” The harsh denial should be warning enough, but he was luudthen, and worse, had changed my diapers, so he would always push push push.

“She's already known to Dartanyon. There's no telling how many others are watching her. Go get her, Andreien. I don't like this.”

“I don't like it either.” I swore at him. “But I also don't want a miserable female on my hands when all it takes is a few paltry minutes to satisfy her sense of independence.”

“You know better than that, boy. A few minutes are all it takes to tear out her throat and leave her dying in a message written with her own blood.” His eyes glittered with rising temper.

I whirled away from him and stalked in the opposite direction before I did something rash.

“She has five more minutes. I will not break my word to my consort.”

She already had massive trust issues.

It was a testament to how on edge we all were to descend to this level of argument over a ten-minute break.

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