Page 76 of Born in Depravity

My face flamed.

Fuck.

Before I could really react—and thankfully, since I was half considering throwing the cake at his face—he picked up the plate and forked a small piece for me.

“Open,” he said.

I bit the inside of my cheek, contemplating, before opening my mouth. I thought I saw his eyes shift to something darker.

He fed me the cake.

Flavor instantly exploded on my tongue. I didn’t think I had ever tasted something so good.

Sweet without being nauseating, with just the right amount of tanginess.

My eyes must have gone wide, because Damien cracked a small smile.

My breath caught.

Was he—

He schooled his expression, and fed me another bite.

And he continued to do so until the very last bite was gone and I thought it was probably one of my favorite treats. I wanted more.

Damien put the plate back on the nightstand and watched me while I fidgeted a little. Now that I wasn’t eating anymore, tension moved in the space between us, along with awkwardness and a hint of apprehension.

My fists tightened around the sheet.

I was wary of Mikhail, but I realized now I’d much rather have him here with me than Damien. Much rather have woken up with him … and admittedly, I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t the case.

Damien’s eyes moved over to the eReader and the tablet Mikhail had gotten me. The urge to move over and hide them from his eyes came over me.

I didn’t want him to look at them …

I didn’t want him to take them away. He wouldn’t … right?

It was weird, and obviously, I didn’t have my priorities straight if I thought him taking away these gifts would be worse than anything else he had ever done to me.

I looked away.

“Tell me something, pet,” Damien said suddenly.

I turned to him and cocked my head to the side.

“Can you speak?”

I paused. I wondered what they had heard. They were all from the same world I was. The same world my father was in, and he had made sure I was known by his associates.

The fucking Mute Princess.

The more I stayed silent, the more I tried to stay hidden in the shadows, the more curious they got about me.

By trying to not draw attention to myself, I’d made it so that everyone wanted to know who I was.

My father’s greatest treasure, he liked to boast.

We both knew what I really was, since the very moment I took my first breath in this world.

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