Page 56 of The Sun God's Prize
“But you trust me,” I say.“Sheelan.”
She starts like I’ve just revealed some giant secret that she hadn’t known she’d uncovered.“Oh, I…” her confusion has me sighing in my head.
You’re messing with her, I call out to the dragon.
This isn’t my doing, she says, surprising me by answering right away.The girl has a crush on you.She grumbles something that sounds like,the fire knows why.You’re making a mess of this seduction that’s been handed to you on a golden platter.
I stand deliberately, while Sheelan watches, both hands pressed to her chest.
“I shouldn’t,” she whispers.
“Shouldn’t?”It’s two strides to reach her, to stand over her.I don’t touch her, wait for her to touch me.I can tell she wants to, hold her gaze, let myself smile.The dragon’s wrong about the seduction.This I can handle.
“Trust you,” Sheelan says.Her lips tremble when she licks them, gaze falling to my mouth, flickering back to my eyes again.Her flush darkens further, the soft tremor taking her over.
Before she firmly, if shakily, backs away a step.
I give her that step.I could close the distance again, take her choice away from her.It would take so little, I can tell.A single kiss, a stroke of her neck.She’s ripe and she wants it, but until she comes to me…
I can’t trust her.And I need to be able to do that if I’m going to use her to escape.
“I should go.”She turns and flees, hurrying out, gone behind the door, leaving me frustrated and annoyed with myself, as the dragon sighs in my head.
What?I snap that at her.I don’t see you out here seducing princesses.
She doesn’t comment, gone again, too, leaving me more alone than I’ve felt in a long time.
And feeling very guilty, as much as I’m my mother’s daughter, and Jhanette would be the first to goad me into taking what wasn’t offered freely, if it meant success in this battle or any other.
The problem is, I like Sheelan.She’s proved herself different than her father, her brother.While seducing her isn’t off the table, I won’t force her into it.
There has to be another way.
***
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I scowl down at the plate of food set in front of me, my appetite non-existent, even if I know I should eat to maintain my strength.It’skurrie, my favorite kind, the dark red sauce thick with cream, a mound of rice soaking up the spicy sauce, fragrant and flavorful.I can already taste it just from the scent alone.
Someone giggles on my right, but I refuse to look.It’s probably Vae, seated next to Theille and likely still hand-feeding him from his plate.I’ve had enough of watching her select morsels of food to slide over his tongue, how he sucks her fingers, and stares at her with his childish lust.
She’s the only one who seems at ease, though.When I do glance up, it’s to confirm that the other princesses continue to appear anxious, and I note the bruise forming on Costa’s shoulder, how Vishto’s lips look puffy, Fairmount’s eyes red from weeping.They’re all skittish, too, jumping at the least sound.
Sheelan won’t look at me, her own gaze locked on her plate, though I note she pushes her food around and doesn’t take a single bite while only her brother and Vae appear to be enjoying the intimate dinner I was forced to bathe, dress, and be appropriately coiffed and dressed for.The dark red gossamer does little to hide my body, two diamonds of fabric sewn into the cloth over my nipples and another across my crotch in the same design as the three princesses seated rigidly around me.I don’t think they’ve been gifted with the ability to understand the language, though Vae clearly has, and it’s obvious none of them are comfortable on the cushions that serve as seats, or with eating with their hands.
But it’s more than that, signs of physical abuse about to be verified when Theille speaks.
“Suck me again,” he says to Vae.“Like you did earlier after I fucked the redhead.”
Vae pushes back and lowers her head immediately, the Sun God’s heir leaning back to allow her access.Her hands are busy on the ties at his waist, exposing him to all of us, including his sister, who sits right next to him.Sheelan’s face twists in disgust, and she heaves a sigh, but doesn’t outwardly protest, sipping from her cup while Vae’s lips circle Theille’s small penis.
There’s not much to him to work, so the princess has her job cut out for her, so much so that I’m amused by her enthusiasm and the way she throws herself into the act, moaning as though she’s the one with lips on her pussy.Theille enjoys it enough that he comes just a minute into her thrusting and sucking, his high-pitched cry dying off.
But when Vae tries to sit up, he pushes her down again.“Don’t stop,” he says, going back to his meal.I catch her rage, the flare of it, hidden from him because of her position.The other princesses watch out of the corners of their wide and terrified eyes as she resumes her activity, though she’s no longer moaning.
He’s clearly forced them all into sex they don’t want, probably more than once already.And is oblivious enough to miss the fact that they’re now fearful of him.Or doesn’t care.
Theille doesn’t seem to notice much of anything outside his own pleasure.
