Page 27 of Wolf Caged
He slid an unimpressed look at my neighbour.
Neve just gave him a blank look in return, completely unruffled by his glare, as if she didn’t fear his wrath, and started reading her book, as if he wasn’t there.
Either the dragon was crazy, or she had no reason to fear the fae king.
His power wrapped around me, dark and crushing, making my wolf side shrink back, but I still felt nothing from Neve. Was she stronger than Kaeleron?
The fae king swept his right arm around with a flourish and a silver tray appeared on his upturned palm, filled with a grey metal pitcher and cup and a plate of what looked suspiciously normal food.
What a neat trick. I might have been impressed if the sharp tang of magic hadn’t hit me and his power hadn’t increased to the point of it pressing down on my bones.
I grimaced.
“It is not poisoned.” He eyed the food and then me.
“Wouldn’t matter if it was since I’m being squashed like a bug and will likely be a splatter on the floor any moment now,” I bit out from between clenched teeth and braced myself, upper body slowly inching forwards towards my buckling knees despite my effort to remain upright.
He arched a fine black eyebrow at me.
“Your majesty is not taking into account that the little wolf is delicate.” Neve didn’t even look up from her book as she flipped a page.
Great. Now Neve thought I was weak too.
Both of his eyebrows hiked up.
And then the weight of his presence lifted, as if he pulled all that terrible power into himself, and I could breathe again.
I drew down great gulps of air into my aching lungs and sagged a little, bracing my hands against my trembling legs as I slowly recovered my strength.
He placed the tray down and toed it towards me. “Eat.”
I pulled a face at the meat and vegetables laced with a thick gravy. “It might be poisoned.”
“I said it was not poisoned.”
I was aware of that, and it was the reason I had said it, so I could see that irritated flash in his silver eyes and for a brief moment feel I had some power in this arrangement even if it was only the power to annoy him.
“That sounds like something someone who poisoned my food and wanted me to eat it would say.” I smiled brightly up at him.
“I have no desired to kill you right now.”
Right now.
“Well, that’s comforting.” I toed the tray right back to him. “Not poisoned then. Drugged, so you can get what you paid for.”
Rather than his face darkening with delicious irritation, he smirked.
And it was salacious.
And far too cocky.
“If I wanted that, little lamb, I would not need to resort to drugging you.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. Did he mean he would simply overpower me, which he could easily do, or something that felt far more unsettling and dangerous?
Like seducing me into wanting him.
I wanted to say I wouldn’t fall for it, that I could never want this male, but my pulse picked up as he stood mere inches from me, his dark presence wrapped around me and that scent of wild winter storm teasing me as those stunning silver eyes locked with mine, holding me immobile. That tug I had felt towards him when I had first set eyes on him returned, pulling me closer despite my fears, making my gaze chart his handsome face and wicked smile, and more.
