Page 102 of The Prince's Captive

But why didn’t she feel like it was worse? This was so much more than a brand, but she didn’t…

Why did his vitae feel like it was supposed to be there?

“What—” Marcella gasped, unable to stop tracing her fingers on his skin now that she was blissfully wrapped up in the feeling of her own vitae again. She decided to focus on her vitae instead of his. “What is this?”

“It is…religo.I do not… I do not know how to explain it your tongue, but today I want to try.” Gavril finally looked up, and there was something so fragile in his eyes that made her think this was a terrible idea.

If she did not navigate this perfectly, she was going to lose all the progress she’d made with him.

Whenever her rage set in and she felt everything she was supposed to feel at this violation, she needed to hold it together.

“Why?” she whispered. Logically, she was telling herself she should pull her arm back and come up with some kind of diversion. But as he kept making the lines glow, she could not bring herself to.

He opened his mouth, but she spoke first.

“Why would you take the limiters off me?”

“It is just for now—for while the two of us are here. But I—if I want you to trust me, then… this is fair.”

After she had proclaimed multiple curses on him about how she wanted him miserable for the rest of his life and to be the one to destroy him?

The only two options were: one, Gavril was an idiot or two, after so thoroughly studying her physical fighting abilities and discovering that she knew she was worthless, he was so utterly confident that even with her magic she posed no real threat to him.

Either worked in her favor.

But if it was the second, then she needed to keep up the pitiful, weak act to keep him thinking she was no threat.

“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.

“Then speak not.” Gavril slowly, almost painfully, dragged the pads of his fingers across her skin, pulling his hand away. He reached for the bunch of grapes from the basket, pulled one off and held it out to her.

She took it and bit into it, grateful to have something occupy her harsh tongue to keep it restrained. Just in case her fury decided to finally appear the way it should have already.

They ate—more like as she ate and Gavril watched her with his unnerving, analytical gaze. He laid on his side, propped up on his arm while looking up at her as he asked, “Your people, what was your life like amongst them?”

Oh. He imagined if he took off her limiters, she’d be so distracted and grateful for that, she wouldn’t notice him trying to pry more information out of her.

But surely he realized that after taking her limiter off and doing… that with her arm, she’d realize his vitae was under skin. That would eliminate any goodwill he’d earned.

She shrugged as she picked another grape off the bunch. But instead of immediately eating it, she rolled it between her fingers and said, “It was life. I know of no other.”

“Until now,” Gavril said, something almost of a challenge in his words.

“Yes… this is different,” Marcella conceded, continuing to turn the grape over in her fingers. “In my clan… Well, I certainly didn’t just sit around. Seems to be all I do these days.”

Whatever answer he’d been looking for, by his expression, that wasn’t it. He started to push himself up when a voice ripped through the air, speaking so fast in the Inimicus tongue Marcella didn’t catch anything other than Gavril’s name.

She whipped around as Gavril shot to his feet to see Prince Nikias hurrying out of the peristyle and toward them. He was pale all over but his face was flushed bright red with deep bags under his eyes.

His hands were flying through the air, his vitae lighting up, and Marcella tried to get to her feet in time to dart back, but she slammed right into an invisible wall.

She was trapped.

Gavril darted in front of her toward his brother. He looked over his shoulder at her, throwing his hand out and saying, “I will handle. Steady.”

She kept her hands at her sides.

Maybe this was planned. Maybe this was a test to see if she would even try to fight back.

---