Page 50 of The Lost Prince
“But he didn’t hurt you?” I questioned, wanting deeply to understand.
“How about I tie you down, rip off your pants, and slap your cock around? And if I don’t like it, have Fireguards take you away and kill you?” she fired back, eyes blazing.
It wasn’t an appropriate reaction, but I couldn’t help the grin that split my face.
“Feel free—”
“You’re fucking rude.”
I snapped back to reality, frowning. “Pardon. How am I rude?”
Shava’s eyes narrowed. “Yourname. Even in the mud quarter people who are meeting for the first time exchange names.”
Had I not introduced myself? I was sure I had.
“Zephyr,” I intoned.
Those lips thinned into an angry line, then opened into a pout.
“Oh, thatisyour name,” she said softly, more to herself than me.
An important detail about the other mud boys came to the forefront of my mind.
“Mud boys have letter names, is that right? Did you think I was a mud boy?” I asked, genuinely curious.
She bristled at this, as though gearing up for a fight.
“You look like a mud boy, just with nicer clothes,” she fired back.
I refused to rise to her fervor. Instead, I crossed my arms over my chest and stood there, smiling at her.
“Getting along well?”
My irritation rose as Vession inserted himself between us. Yet if my mood soured, it was nothing to the storm gathering in Shava’s eyes. She went red as Vession stood next to her, equal parts rage and fear breaking over her face.
Before anyone could react she launched herself at him.
For a moment, I didn’t help; I’ll admit it. Watching Shava throw herself at Vession and take him to the ground was alluring and thrilling in a way I’d never felt before, not even with Clover. I wanted to watch and revel in the chaos and …bad mannersof it all. She straddled him with her own dress hiked around her waist, uncaring of etiquette or propriety as she methodically reduced his face to the consistency of beaten meat, one strong punch at a time.
“Shava! Stop!” I grabbed her around the waist and yanked her back. Or I tried to.
The woman was solid despite her slimness, all lithe muscles belying the hidden strength in her figure.
“Hey! You there!”
I blinked, jolted back to myself as the Fireguards came running. While entertaining, the consequences of her actions were quickly approaching. I bent down and grabbed her shoulder, trying to get her to stop.
“Stop! Shava! The Fireguards—”
She either didn’t hear me through her frenzy, or didn’t care. It was like talking to a wall. I needed to figure this out, or she’d be executed before I barely knew her!
I couldn’t have that.
“There!”
Two Fireguards finally fought their way through the thickening crowd, excited to see some free entertainment. Neither were L. Where had he been lately?
“Let me help you,” I muttered to the one Fireguard, one I didn’t know well, but at least I knew him. He didn’t protest as I helped him pry Shava off of Vession, and drag her out of the room while waving the other Fireguards away.
