Page 42 of Royal Captive
“Then that means that the king—”
“Gave Cassus his life only to ruin it,” Alihandro finished, eyes glowing fiercely in the darkness.
Oh man. Fennis was adick.
And it meant Cassus now had every motivation to stick it to Fennis and help me, and there was nothing left for him to lose. At least that made sense why he’d helped Shyllon get me out of there.
Not a very smart corner to back an enemy into, Fennis.
That covered Shyllon and Cassus’s motivations.
“And what are you?” I asked Alihandro.
He snorted. “I don’t have nearly as much leeway as Shyllon or Cassus. I am … technically a prince, but not.”
His breath puffed against my cheek, the vehemence in his voice at odds with how the hand around my neck loosened, fingers curling as they gently stroked the flesh at the hollow of my throat.
“Technically a prince?” I breathed out, but I wasn’t really listening. I’d never seen fae eyes this close before, and it was mesmerizing. The silver in his irises wasn’t just silver—it was a kaleidoscope of blue and violent streaks that were only visible this close.
His lips ghosted over mine, my mouth parting on instinct. He lingered there, our breaths mingling as our chests heaved in time with each other.
“I am lower born, from one of my father’s trysts. My mixed blood gives me more freedom than Shyllon in a way, though dear Father does take me to task when he catches me outright. Luckily, I like a bit of punishment,” he breathed out.
Before I could process that, his lips lowered to mine. It wasn’t demanding like I had expected from a fae male. Instead, his kiss was hesitant and soft.
And after everything I’d been through, I wanted a moment to just cede control and let someone else dictate things. I wanted a release. I needed a release.
Or at least, that’s what I told myself that’s when I moaned into his mouth and kissed him back.
The sharp scrape of his fangs against my upper lip barely gave me pause. Ellis wasn’t here to save me. I wasn’t there to save him. Maybe this time, the bad guys would win. Would it be so bad? I wanted to hurt. I wanted to bleed.
Dying wouldn’t be so bad,I thought, going limp against the wall.
“Oh no, Princess, we can’t have that.”
He bit down on my throat, pinning my hands over my head. A flare of irritation shot through me, stronger than my brief boutof despondency. On the balcony with Ellis, I had been in control. I wouldn’t let myself be taken by this fae like a goddamn slave.
I twisted my head to the side to break his assault of my throat and attacked his mouth, my teeth clinking against his as we fought for dominance with our mouths and tongues. My body struggled to get as close to him as I could to feel his heat, writhing against his grip on my wrists. A moan left my lips as a hand curled into my hair and pulled.
Alihandro’s nostrils flared, silver eyes closing for a moment as they went hooded. Then they snapped open, and a grin showed me his brilliant white teeth, complete with fangs.
“Even though you’re a princess, I’m not your prince. You’re a whore plucked from a whorehouse,” he growled in my ear. “You want me to fuck you?”
His words didn’t sting like I thought they would. Maybe because it was nothing but the truth? I didn’t mind. I knew who I was: labels from the fae wouldn’t change that.
“Well, Shyllon certainly isn’t going to,” I quipped, Calten’s smug face rearing in my mind.
A loud, throaty laugh erupted from him, delight shining in his eyes. In the space of a breath, he undid the tie of his breeches and freed his swollen cock, and pushed up the hem of my shift.
“No, he certainly fucking won’t,” came his rough grumble.
I threw a hand on his thigh and squeezed, stopping him.
“What will it get me?” I grit out.
The glint in Alihandro’s eyes turned feral. “You little minx. You know what you’re doing.”
I barked out a laugh of my own. “Hardly. I just need protection and a damn good reason.”
