Page 63 of Royal Captive
Guards surrounded him, and that wasn’t unexpected either.
What I hadn’t thought I’d see was the figure on his knees at Fennis’s feet like an obedient dog.
“Ellis,” I croaked out.
On the one hand, I was ecstatic to see him alive and well. On the other hand … I hoped he hadn’t made a deal with the devil on my behalf. That would be such an Ellis thing to do … hopefully not to our overall detriment.
Worry burrowed a hole in my gut, chewing away at my insides.
The king grinned nastily.
Focus on what truly mattered: Ellis looked well—better than well, actually. His thin frame looked less so, his skin not nearly as translucent as it had been during the Royal Hunt. Pink flushed his cheeks as I walked in, but he kept his head resolutely down, staring at the floor and not at me. He was dressed like the other fae in a fine silk tunic and breeches with black leather boots.
But how was he? I had to find out. I couldn’t tell anything from how he stared blankly at the ground, not acknowledging me when I entered the room.
“Ellis!” I rushed forward, but Shyllon caught me around my waist with one arm and held me back.
The king smirked. “Ah, ah. Don’t touch. He’s become my daughter’s favorite new plaything.”
Ellis jerked, but didn’t move otherwise. My jaw dropped, but I quickly closed it. If the king wanted to drive a wedge between us using that, I wouldn’t let him. I’d been getting my kicks with a certain male fae as well.
The king leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. “I know he’s a half-breed, but perhaps the human side is stronger and more corrupted. Tell me, is it a human affectation? You all do seem so terribly lusty.”
Coming from the king with a thousand kids with mixed heritage, that was the pot calling the kettle black for sure.
Shyllon’s hold on me tightened, but I knew better than to let the king’s taunts get to me.
The king laughed at Shyllon’s protection. “Didn’t take long to fuck the first fae to flutter his eyes at you, did it?”
“You forced us into this,” Ellis grit out.
The guards snickered as the king snorted greedily soaked up the attention of the sycophants around him.
“That’s up for debate,” Fennis argued. “Too bad my progeny swooped in and claimed her before the real fun could getstarted,” he drawled, “when my son finally fucked her, it was her choice, and she wasn’t forced. Right, Alihandro?”
My heart clenched as Alihandro stepped out from behind the line of guards, one eyebrow arched in amusement.
Shyllon’s grip was steel around my waist, but the pain of his nails digging into my gut grounded me.
“What were the exact words you used to describe her consent?” the king asked Alihandro, twisting around in his seat with glee.
“ ‘Please. Yes. I want you.’ ” Alihandro repeated dutifully and with no inflection.
Nausea churned in my stomach as Ellis’s face paled. I wanted to blurt out that it wasn’t what he was thinking, but that wasn’t a conversation I could have in front of everyone! And it … It was so much more complicated than that.
“You’re lying,” Ellis snarled at the king and Alihandro. “She was coerced. She had no choice. She—”
“Was inconsolable when she learned of my brother’s preferences,” Alihandro cut in smoothly. “I did my duty to console her as best I could.” He smirked, his face a picture of cold indifference that made him unrecognizable to me.
I tried to take a physical step back, but Shyllon’s broad chest was there, stopping me.
Always stopping me.
“Pity you didn’t know all this before you made your little deal, eh?” the king taunted Ellis. He was so giddy I was surprised he wasn’t clapping his hands together like a little kid.
“What deal?” I choked out, trying to focus on this new information.
The king stood, twirling his fingers around in the air. This must have been a known gesture, because the guards moved in around Shyllon and me.
