Page 23 of The King of Frost and Shadows

“I got what I came for.” He placed the jar in his pocket and smirked. “So don’t speak a word, or your family will die. Do you understand?”

“I do.” Even though I wanted to tell Tavish what had happened, I had no doubt that Eldrin would injure my family. “Now leave.” I held his dagger tighter, ready for him to request it back.

Instead, shadows swirled around him, and he disappeared.

The door didn’t open, but the moment he left, I knew. The chill in the air went with him as did my sense of safety. Not even in Tavish’s chambers was I safe. Had the guards watching the entrance allowed Eldrin in, or could he hide from them too?

Unsure what to do with his dagger, I held it tight. There was no way in hell I was putting it down. I went back to the tub to wash Eldrin’s spit from my face and clean the wound he’d made. I felt dirty again.

I drained the water before refilling the tub. This time, I washed myself quickly, trying to scrub the memory of Eldrin’s touch from my body. My skin tingled more noticeably when the water flowed over the cut, reminding me of peroxide from back home.

No matter how many times I rinsed myself, I felt cold and violated. His strategy to attack me in here had been sound.

I climbed from the tub and wrapped the towel around myself. Glancing down at the wound, I noted that it was nolonger bleeding. I sighed in relief. I wasn’t sure how I could have kept it from Tavish.

Desperately wanting clothes, I hoped that the servant had brought them. Otherwise, I’d be forced to put my jeans back on, and they’d seen better days.

I grabbed my dagger as well and studied the weapons. I had to put them somewhere, or Tavish would see them as threats. I wondered if that was why Eldrin had left his with me, hoping I’d get caught with it. I refused to allow another one of his plans to come to fruition.

There was only one place I could hide them—in the toilet water tank. I doubted that Tavish went anywhere near that, and later, I could move them somewhere else.

I hurried over to the toilet and sighed when I realized that it didn’t look like the ones back home. There was a small water chamber up top, so I opened it and put the daggers into the water. The fit was tight, but I pushed them down enough so the lid could close once more.

Satisfied, I exited the bathroom and glanced around. Even though I couldn’t see the fae cloaked in shadows, maybe I could sense them. I would never again assume I was alone and safe.

I waited for something to indicate that I wasn’t alone. Each second that passed allowed my breathing to get slightly easier until I could focus on getting dressed.

My attention landed on a flowy gray dress laid out at the bottom of the bed. My stomach tensed.

This had to be a joke. I despised dresses, especially with people waiting to attack me around every corner. I grumbled and considered putting on my jeans and shirt again. But the last thing I needed was for Tavish to get mad at me. If I wanted a chance to escape before he and his buddies determined the best way totorture me, I had to play the part of an obedient prisoner.

Pouting to myself, I dropped the towel and lifted the gown from the bed. I expected it to be scratchy, but the material was soft and smooth to the touch. I pulled it over my head just as the door to the bedroom opened.

I squealed, and my pulse pounded as I tugged the dress down, but with my body still slightly damp, it stuck to my stomach, not completely coming down, and I couldn’t get my head out of the hole.

A deep laugh caused a lump to form in my throat.

“Oh, Lira.” Finnian broke out into louder laughter. Footsteps headed toward me, making me desperate to yank the dress down. Somehow, I got my head out of the top of the dress so I could actually see what I was doing.

And boy, I wished I hadn’t.

The dress was completely bunched at my waist, leaving everything from my ass down on full display. As if my night … day … whatever time it was, seeing as this place was always cloaked in darkness, could get any worse.

“I must say I never expected a water fae to have issues with moisture.” A tear leaked from the corner of his eye, and his words were breathless. He didn’t flinch when I glared at him but laughed even harder, holding his sides.

Water fae?

I wanted to ask more about that, but after my ass was covered. Tugging on the hem, I got the fabric down a little more, but not nearly enough. The material stuck to my skin, and I realized the dress was about a size too small.

Even better.

“Let me help.” Finnian reached for me.

I took a step back and landed on my right foot. Pain flared up my ankle. I lifted a hand, blocking him fromgetting any closer to me. Cold air hit my ass, reminding me that another man had reached me while I was damn vulnerable. Now, I wished I’d kept the daggers with me.

Finnian’s head tilted back. “Did something happen to you? You weren’t this jumpy earlier.”

I swallowed, hating that this man could read me so easily. I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t get myself to sayno—like, I physically couldn’t. My throat worked, but my mouth wouldn’t make the shape, nor could I make a fucking sound.

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