Page 39 of A Court of Hearts and Hunger
“The other men and women I’ve brought here in the past would cringe and scream every time I opened the door to their cell. You know what I’m going to do to you, and yet you come to me willingly. Is your survival instinct damaged?”
“Maybe. Or maybe my desire for knowledge is stronger.”
“Hm.” The Rabbit casts me a glance over his shoulder, giving me a good look at the slash-mouth in one of his cheeks. His molars are more pointed than a human’s. Those are not the teeth of a herbivore.
But his profile is exquisite. Strong, gorgeous. And his brown skin looks like taut satin, especially across those bold cheekbones. When he tugs at my leash, the upper sleeve of his white coat swells tight with muscle.
We don’t pause at the examination room. Instead he brings me to a room a little farther down the same hall. When he lights the space with a few magical orbs, I can see it’s furnished with a narrow but comfortable-looking bed, flanked by tables covered in the now-familiar detritus of his work—crystals, jars, trays of tools, small bunches of herbs, a glittering knife or two.
“No messy experiments today?” I ask.
He gives me a quizzical look.
“If you were planning to cut me up, you’d use the other room, with the tables.”
“Very good, human. I haven’t yet been able to remove the life-debt bargain you made with Caer, so we’ll do something harmless today. We’re siphoning some of your dreams and memories, and then I will harvest small amounts of your blood and piss as well. Tomorrow I’ll remove your ears, your eyes, your tongue, your toes, and your fingers.”
I stare at him. “And you’ve done this before. To other humans.”
“Yes.”
“Where did you find them?”
“I took them from your world. Usually I select people who seem to be a plague on their kind. A woman I saw beating her children. A man forcing himself on a maid. The occasional highwayman or sneakthief.”
“Don’t the Unseelie do all those wicked things?”
“Yes, because it is our way. Your kind do not approve of such behaviors, and prefer to confine or execute those who perform such acts. So I remove the problem from your society, and use the undesirables to forward my research.”
“What about me?” I hold his gaze. “Am I undesirable?”
His pupils dilate slightly. “Yours is a special case. I took you because you owned the Tama Olc, and because I thought Drosselmeyer might feel pain from your loss, as I felt pain when he stole my brother. And then I realized what a valuable specimen you are. Beautiful, virginal, healthy, untouched by magic.”
“You think I’m beautiful?”
His lip curls slightly. “You know you are. Don’t try to seduce me, kitten. It won’t work.”
“Because you belong to the Unseelie Queen.”
The lip-curl is a full-on snarl now. “I do not belong to her. I fuck her to stay close to her, so I can observe her habits and learn her secrets. I need to find her weakness.”
“So you don’t enjoy copulating with her? You seemed to be in a very bad mood afterwards. I must say, I don’t understand why some people seem to like sex. It looks dull and unpleasant.”
His eyes widen. “You must not have observed it very often.”
“I’ve seen animals rutting. And my parents, once.” I grimace.
The Rabbit’s lips relax, his mouth curving in a smile. He laughs softly, and my belly thrills at the sound. “That explains your disdain for it. Trust me, it can be extremely enjoyable. Like pleasuring yourself, only better, sometimes.”
“Pleasuring yourself?”
His smile drops. “You’ve never touched yourself?”
I shake my head.
“And I’m taking your fingers tomorrow,” he murmurs. He reaches out, collects my hand, and strokes his large, gloved thumb across my slender fingers. “Fuck.”
“Could you take my fingers, and then use magic to regrow them afterward?” I ask quietly.
