Page 171 of Fated or Knot

“Beautiful li’l female. Delicate but curved in all the right places.”

Floris practically started salivating as he nodded in agreement. My amusement with him and this game swiftly left.He’s aroused by my mate at her weakest. Disgusting.

I was ready to see him squirm. “She said she was scared of something back home. I don’t make such things my business, but it sounded like she was running from some unwanted male attention.” I eyed him, letting my usual scowl fall into place as I grunted, “You know anything about that?”

He scoffed. “You know females, they’re fickle sorts.”

“Areyouthe male she’s been running from? Is that why you’re asking about her?”

“She’s my mate. She signed a contract.” There was a hint of a slur in his words, like he was several pints in, rather than a few big gulps.Not too much longer.

“Oh, did she now?” I bared my fangs in a decidedly predatory smile.

He tried to say, “She’s mine by rights.” But the poison Fal had slipped in his drink made him sound unintelligible. A good thing, because I was about to tear out his throat with my teeth if he continued implying that he had any “rights” to Lark.

“My, my, too much to drink already,” my brother remarked, his tone dangerously close to a furious growl. “Where are you staying nowadays,friend?”

“Out in the forest,” Floris slurred.

“Your pack is in the forest?” he pressed.

“That’s right.”

“Call them.” His bark threaded through the order, compelling him. Fal had trained extensively to turn his bark into a persuasive whisper, though he couldn’t lay it on too thick. It was quite noticeable above a subtle thrum of encouragement.

But Floris, whose mind was already addled, was guaranteed to obey. After a moment, he said, “They won’t come. They already said I’m on my own if I get caught.”

“What a shame. No matter what?”

“That’s right.”

I wasn’t too surprised. It would just make hunting the other bark brothers slightly more interesting, once they started to feel the pain we inflicted on this male. Floris would agree to anything, including a deal to lead us to the rest of his pack, with the right encouragement applied.

Fal flashed his fangs, unbothered as well. “Well, in that case, this has been fun, but you’re coming with us. Don’t put up a fuss. We have plenty more questions for you to answer.”

We practically carried Floris between us to a carriage we’d had waiting to take us home. The barkfolk acted for all the world like a real drunkard, even catching a short nap on the journey. I ripped the hooded cloak off of him, revealing his true form.

He seemed alien to me, an ambulatory tree fae with vines for hair. He was covered in bark over most of his body, though the majority of it formed smooth whorls over his limbs and face. Theshingles across his chest stuck out, though. Did he have flesh and blood under those layers of bark? I’d have to pry some pieces loose and see for myself.

We took off our disguises and dragged him through a back entrance to the palace and straight into the dungeon. He woke from our rough treatment and gained enough of his bearings to realize he was undisguised and being dragged along by a pair of Unseelie. He shrieked like a banshee until I slapped him, full force. The smooth-looking bark across his cheek had filled my palm with stinging splinters.

“Shut the fuck up,” Fal said for me, while I gritted my teeth on a vicious curse.

The barkfolk shut his mouth, cringing. I’d cracked his cheek, actually, revealing two inches of broken wood and a trickle of blood.Interesting.He was more fragile than I thought.

We hauled him to the first interrogation room, just to nearly collide with Rennyn, who was on his way out. “Well, well! If it isn’t my sunshine lad and wild boy,” he said, recovering first. His ruby red gaze landed on the male struggling between us and his easygoing manner morphed into a rare glimpse of a bloodthirsty smirk and closed-off, calculating stare. He switched to speaking Theli. “But who’s this?”

“Floris of Osme Fen,” I said.

The barkfolk stopped trying to free himself to turn and stare at me. “How did you?—”

“Floris of Osme Fen!” Rennyn exclaimed. “No way. I’m a big fan.” I could feel Fal rolling his eyes through our pack bond.

The barkfolk blinked owlishly. “You are?”

“Certainly. Of the absolute faesteel balls you must have hidden…somewhere in all that”—Fal’s father looked over his body while Floris tensed—“to have the nerve to come all the way here with a piece of paper as your only protection.”

“My brothers and I haven’t even done anything wrong!”

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