Page 4 of A Bride for the Winter King
His purple eyes dance. “Not if I kill you first.”
Nell paws at the lace of her wedding dress with her free hand, her voice hoarse and croaky. “What do you want?”
The wedding dress… Seth has seen it. Fuck-fuck-fuck.
Seth holds both palms up in front of him in a carefree, halting motion. “Hey, I’m not the one leading with threats. I just want to chat.”
Cece abandons her post by the window, the reapers all but forgotten in favor of the immortal piece of eye candy. “What’s your name?” She raises her hand in greeting.
“Seth. What’s yours, darling?” He presses his lips to her knuckles with a wink, and a deep red flush brands her cheeks.
“We’re done here.” Nell grabs her sister’s arm and hauls her away with a grimace.. “I’ll get Damian. Come on, Cece.”
The young teenager stumbles behind her, her eyes never leaving the Fae prince.
Seth offers them a wave goodbye. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Cecelia.”
“Likewise,” Cece squeaks before disappearing from view.
After they’re gone, Seth licks his lips, and his brutal, erotic gaze travels up and down my body. The curve of his lips reeks of sex, but the bite of power rolling off him—the taste of his magic—is desperate. “Alone, at last.”
My eyes narrow, my daggers ready to draw blood. “I thought you wanted to talk to the Shadow King.”
The prince’s chuckle floods the empty room like heavy summer rain—warm and baring. “Oh no, Lori. You misunderstood. I want to chat withyou.”
Chapter 2
Got a Secret
LORI
Wolves that march in with their teeth bared are dangerous. Snakes that lure you in are worse. Seth Devine is definitely a serpent. He’s a particular beast, even for a Fae. He possesses both the charisma and mystique of a dark Fae coupled with the raw, blinding beauty of spring.
His mother is Freya Heart, the ruthless Spring Queen. The woman responsible for archers and love arrows… And my brother’s doom.
I raise a blade to the fucker’s nose despite the pain in my side. “I warn you. You’re not my type.”
“Oh, Lori. I’m everyone’s type. That’s the beauty of being me.” He bats his eyelashes a few times, and the dangerous grin from before vanishes into a warm, boy-next-door type of smile. “You don’t have to pretend otherwise. Where are you from, anyway?”
I blink and keep a straight-face, unmoved by his gigantic ego. “You of all people should understand what a trick question that is.”
“Who are your parents, then? Maybe I know one of them.”
Names and magic go hand-in-hand. I certainly won’t help this Fae get more information on me by revealing my heritage. “I doubt it. My parents are dead.”
“Ooh, mysterious.”
“You’re the prince of nowhere at all.” I show my teeth. “Well… I’m Lori of everywhere at once.”
The mention of his illegitimacy doesn’t ruffle him one bit, and he slithers closer. “Since we met, I’ve done my homework, and I’ve got a proposition for you, Lorisha Pari Singh.”
My smile falters.How in the seven hells?
“I heard your brother was wasting away in my mother’s court…” he trails off like we’re talking about something as mundane as the next storm he plans to brew.
My pulse drums at my temples, and I flee toward the mirror. “You bastard! I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I’m not listening to another word?—”
“Too bad. Ayaan told me you’d hear me out.”
