Page 31 of Bound and Beguiled

“Keep talking like that and you’re gonna get another spanking.” Kynan’s voice was casual, but I had no doubt he meant what he said.

The little thrill I got in response was something to think about later.

“Fiiiine.” Right off the bat, I wasn’t excited about the dress Emyr held. I’d learned that I didn’t hate dresses so much as I hated being uncomfortable. Stiff, pokey bodices, itchy lace, scratchy beading, all that drove me up the wall. His dress was beautiful, but the corset-style top looked like misery.

The dress Mared had...didn’t look like anything. It hung shapelessly from the hanger, but the unadorned fabric looked soft, and there wasn’t anything there to dig into my ribs. It was a pretty red, at least.

“That one.” Raising my arms as directed, I shivered as the silky fabric—guided by magical hands—slipped over my body. It stretched oddly as it settled, but didn’t squeeze, and if anything the material was softer than it looked.

It was far and away the most comfortable dress I’d tried on. As long as it didn’t look hideous, this was definitely my pick.

The others hadn’t said a word—none of the oohs and aahs I’d come to expect in my one-woman fashion show—and a pang of worry hit me.

Please, don’t be ugly, I prayed desperately as I turned to the mirror. My eyes widened.

“Godsdamn,” Mared whispered.

The woman staring back at me didn’t look like a model. She didn’t look like a princess. She looked like...me. But there was nothing mousey about her—nothing flinching or hesitant. This was a woman who knew what she wanted—even more, who knewshewas wanted.

Holy shit. I might actually be beautiful.

Chapter Fourteen

“Aw, thanks, Mouselet. Tell Sid to get you a drink on me. And, hey? Maybe after your shift is over, you and me can share one. Get to know each other better. How does that sound?”

I balanced the last empty glass on my tray—something that was becoming more instinctive and less of an active puzzle—and shook my head at the Rider. I didn’t want to give the wrong impression, but I couldn’t stop my lips from curving at the hopeful look on her crocodile face. “All I’m gonna want at that point is a shower and bed, I’m afraid.”

“Oi, Cordie, you hitting on my baby sis? She’s working. You know the rules.” Mouse was suddenly behind me, a mountain that appeared out of thin air, blocking out the light.

Cordie grinned, unfazed, showing off an impressive number of sharp-looking teeth. “Only a little. Friendly offer, Tereza. Not that I’d complain if you were interested in more.” She winked, fluttering her butterfly wings at me coquettishly.

“I’ve got more than I can handle already,” I laughed, shifting beneath the weight of the heavy tray. “But yeah, it’d be fun to hang out sometime. As friends.”

Cordie saluted me with her glass, stuck out a long tongue at Big Brother Ogre behind me, and turned back to her tablemates.

“Overprotective much?” I muttered, bumping Mouse with an elbow as I walked past. “Cordie’s a sweetheart, not to mention your friend. Hey!” I reeled, trying to find my balance as the tray of empties was plucked unceremoniously from my grip.

Mouse held it out of my reach, leaving me to follow empty handed in his massive wake.

“Cordie could fit your entire head in her mouth, and she goes through bed partners like tissue,” he grumbled.

“Pot, kettle.” The day before, I’d gone to see if Mouse wanted a drink, only to find him “entertaining” three people in his booth. “Hold on. Mouse, stop. What’s up? You’re not usually a hypocrite.”

The big Ogre seemed to deflate. “Shit, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be an ass. I’m just worried about you.” Mouse’s eyes shifted to the bar and his hands tightened. The metal tray groaned, glasses clinking together as it warped and twisted.

Fenn stood at the bar, talking to Sid in a circle of unoccupied space. In the standing room only hubbub that was the Broken Crown tonight, that emptiness was a clear indicator of Fenn’s shitty mood.

“He’s here for me, isn’t he?” I saw Mouse nod out of the corner of my eye, but I was already moving. Fenn and Sid were both here. Where was my cousin?

“Fenn!” There had only been about fifteen feet between us, but I was panting when I skidded into him. “Where’s Katarina? What happened? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She was called outta town.”

I sagged. At the same time, the strain behind his thickened accent sent foreboding shivering through me.

Emyr burst in from the storeroom. A single look between the werewolf and I had him vaulting over the bar and catching me close. Mared followed behind him looking ready to murder somebody.

As if by magic, Kynan and Efa emerged from the crowd to stand watchfully at my side.

---