Page 33 of Dark Prince's Captive

First a quetzalcoatlus and now an anurognathus.

How many types of dinosaurs exist on Zerra?

I watch, mesmerized, as the anurognathus swallows its loot.Looking like a cross between a bat and a mouse with cat-like whiskers, it’s the cutest creature I’ve seen.Pip is the perfect name for it.

The anurognathus looks this way and that, no doubt identifying its next steal.For a moment, as it turns its beady black eyes my way, I’m convinced it’s staring right at me.

An ecstatic gasp escapes my lips.I don’t know how I know it, but I’m certain it’s a male.All I want to do is cuddle him, which is probably a very bad idea.I bet he’d find my fingers tasty.

“Don’t mind the pixie dragons,” Tarix says, waving at the anurognathus.“They’re a nuisance, but they don’t do harm.They fly through the open archways into the kitchen and dining hall to nick tidbits of meat.We allow them in the palace because they hunt the pesky sand snakes that like to crawl into beds or beneath piles of linen in search of heat.”

I shudder.If I spend the night here, I’ll need to check the sheets before getting into bed.And it won’t be Aruan’s bed, no matter what he says or how irresistible he is.

The thought of Aruan’s bed alone sends another quiver down my spine, and the sensation isn’t completely unpleasant.

The subject of my thoughts pushes to his feet, towering over the table and the hall with his goblet in his hand.

The people grow quiet.Only the screech of the anurognathus cuts through the space as he spreads his wings, pushes off the beam, and makes another circle through the air.

Next, the king and queen stand, each with a goblet in their hands.While the content of Aruan’s and my goblets is purple, the liquid in theirs is the golden color of the honey wine Gaia made me drink earlier.

“A toast to Aruan and Elsie,” the king says, his voice carrying across the room.“May their mating be rich with offspring and stretch across many prosperous decades.Let it be known that the royals and citizens of Lona bore witness to their vows.”

The people stomp their feet once.

The king and queen take a sip of their drinks while Aruan downs everything in his goblet in one go.When Aruan and his parents have taken their seats again, he puts his empty goblet aside and picks up mine.

I look around in distress.“Is this the part where we say the vows?”

“It’s been done,” Aruan says.

“When?”I exclaim.“Did I miss something?”

“The king has spoken.I drank.”He gives me a dark smile.“Now it’s your turn.”

“That’s it?”I ask, my mouth suddenly dry.“I drink, and then I’ve taken my vows?”

“When you drink the toast, you vow to be a worthy and loyal mate.”

I purse my lips.“I will do nothing of the kind.”

Gaia drags in a sharp breath.“Elsie.”She reaches over and touches my hand.“The infusion is made from the petals of moon flowers.It’s very precious and rare.Only future kings and queens get to taste it on the occasion of declaring their intention to mate.To drink this nectar is an honor and an unparalleled privilege.It’s a powerful aphrodisiac, so it will make your first night all the more memorable.You should drink the infusion.It will make you see everything differently.”

An aphrodisiac.And Aruan just downed a whole goblet full of the juice.

Oh, shit.

My heartbeat quickens for all kinds of reasons.First and foremost, there’s fear, and then there’s indignation.

I didnotagree to this.

But I can’t deny the insistent ache that pulses between my thighs as a mental image of a naked and aroused Aruan jumps into my mind.

“Rejecting the toast will be a terrible humiliation for Aruan,” Gaia whispers with worry.

I don’t want to humiliate a prince in front of his people… per se, but he forced me into this situation when I repeatedly told him I don’t belong here.Being bullied into something I don’t want to do really makes me mad.

Facing Aruan squarely, I offer him nothing but stubborn silence.

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