Earlier he’d worshipped my body with the same hands crushing my windpipe. For years I’d tried to imagine what kind of lover he was. I never dreamed he would be so attentive, that he’d give himself over so completely, that he could be corny and turn giddy, like a little boy unwrapping presents at Christmas. It all felt like a beautiful dream now.
I didn’t fight him. It would be useless. Instead, I met his eye and asked, “Have you ever killed a woman before?”
The pressure around my neck eased up, though Liri’s hands remained wrapped around me like a scarf or a noose—it remained to be seen.
After several intense seconds, he released me.
“You are lucky Aerith is fond of you,” he said in a bored tone as he wiped his palms over his pants as though touching me had dirtied his fingers. “But you must be punished. You will stay, standing here the remainder of the day repeating the phrase: ‘I will obey my one true king, King Liri.’” He took a step back and folded his arms. “Now begin.”
All the warmth and desire I’d felt for him turned to steam that hissed from my hot angry head. He’d already made me crawl to him on my hands and knees, and lick his damn boot. He should be punishing Sarfina, but I supposed it was more entertaining to humiliate the poor, defenseless human.
“I will obey my one true king, King Liri,” I said bitterly.
He hadn’t told me to say the words sweetly. King Liri grinned, as though delighting in my tone.
“Again,” he commanded.
“I will obey my one true king, King Liri.” I snarled the words, causing his eyes to light up. I shouted the sentence next—over and over while he watched transfixed.
Go away! My mind screamed. Leave me be.
My throat burned as I repeated his cursed phrase over and over again. Still he stayed and watched as though he was the one who’d been compelled to remain standing in place. Desire shone through his eyes. I didn’t even think he was aware it had surged into his gaze—not when he had such amusing entertainment before him.
Loathing twisted my insides like poison consuming my once blindly obedient self. I wanted to do the exact opposite of my words. I’d loved him. Not many did. Aerith certainly didn’t. I’d done her a favor by drawing his attention away. And I’d offered him something no one ever had. Love and affection weren’t something to be stomped on, even if they were offered by only a mere mortal. All hearts were of equal value. I’d never offered mine to anyone until Liri.
“I will obey my one true king, King Liri,” I rasped as my voice began to fade.
What if it left me altogether? Would I simply mouth the words like a guppy in a narrow glass vase filled with marbles?
“I will obey my one true king, King Liri.” My voice turned into barely a whisper. “I will obey my one true king, King Liri.” My shoulders sagged. “I will obey my one true king, King Liri.” I sounded like a broken, scratchy record beyond repair. All emotion left my voice. I barely had any volume left. “I will obey my one true king, King Liri.”
“Stop,” Liri commanded.
Tears of relief threatened to spill from my eyes.
He stalked over to where I stood. I avoided looking him in the eyes, not wanting to have to speak in his presence ever again.
“Did my brother Cirrus ever bed you?”
The question took me so by surprise my gaze flew to his. The anger had left his eyes, replaced by mild curiosity.
“No.” The answer rasped out of my lungs.
Liri narrowed his eyes. He took a step closer and spoke slower. “Did you sleep with Cirrus?”
Each word wrapped around my vocal cords and strangled out the truth. “Yes,” I gasped, feeling the soreness of my throat ease up.
Liri smiled, his eyes brightening like sun breaking through gray clouds. “I knew he didn’t save you merely to become a servant of the realm.”
I squeezed my hands together in front of my skirt. My heart beat frantically. “It was before he met Aerith.”
“And after?” Liri drawled.
I had a hard time not staring at his lips, the source of his beautiful voice. It was like watching an instrument produce a hypnotic tune.
“I refused him after he was spoken for.”
It was the truth. After Cirrus brought the lovely blonde elf to Dahlquist to be his bride, I’d told him I could never lie with him again. Aerith was like a sister to me, and I’d be no man’s mistress, not even a Fae prince’s.
But what about a Fae king’s? my mind taunted.
Liri’s.
With Cirrus, the sex had been good. Better than good. Mind-blowing. But I’d never felt like I mattered much. Why would I, a human, matter to a Fae prince? Cirrus had spent more time staring at his own reflection in the mirror when we were together, as though intent on making love to himself.
I had not joined with Liri, but what we’d done together had been all-consuming and intimate on a deep, personal level. Liri had given me his full attention, worshipped my body, watched every orgasm he gave me as though he prized my pleasure above his own.
Only because he’d believed I was Aerith.
Liri’s eyes were fully bright now, a wicked smile lifting the corners of his lips. “You are comparing me to my brother,” he said knowingly.
“No, I’m not,” I answered breathlessly. He’d released the compulsion from my tongue.
Liri’s smile widened. “There’s still more to compare. Get on the bed.”
Horror and excitement crashed through me. His words were enough to heat my thighs. “My king, please,” I said weakly.
His lips pursed into a smug smile. He said nothing as he waited.
My body didn’t move. He had placed no compulsion over me. As dawning cascaded up and down my body, warming my cheeks, one of his brows hitched in challenge.
He made no move for me, but already my body was reacting, heart thumping, breath rasping, breasts aching, and nipples tightening into sharp peaks.
I opened my mouth to tell him to go, but no sound emerged. I wanted to blame his earlier compulsion of forcing me to repeat his cursed statement for stealing my voice, but it would have been a lie. He must have somehow eased my vocal cords because my mouth had worked fine when he questioned me about his brother.
“Get on the bed,” he said again. Still no compulsion, and his voice promised wonders beyond the human imagination.
I backed up to my small bed slowly. Our eyes remained locked like two dragonflies intertwined in flight. Once the backs of my legs bumped the bed, I crawled back, stopping in the center. My chest rose and fell rapidly as Liri stalked toward the bed.
“Cirrus never impregnated you?” he asked.
I shook my head. “He had a tincture sent to me afterward.”
“Pull your skirts to your waist.”
Don’t do it, Hensley. There’s still time to save your dignity.
But I’d damaged his that morning. If opening my legs for him spared me the dungeon, death, or banishment from Faerie, I would count my blessings.
I gathered my skirts and pulled them to my waist. Liri watched every inch of cloth, including my shift, as I gathered the material above my thighs. His eyes seemed to reflect sunlight and beam it back over my body.
“Open your legs,” he said.
My neck burned as I did what he asked, exposing myself fully to him. I was consumed by a force more powerful than compulsion—true, unadulterated desire.
Liri’s pale fingers went to his trousers, loosening them before joining me on the bed. I closed my eyes as he positioned himself over me.
“Look at me, Hensley. Look at your king.”
At least he hadn’t called me “human.”
“Look into my eyes as I besiege you with my royal dick.”
My heart thudded against my chest. Was he attempting to joke? Was all forgiven? He wanted me? Me! No glamours. No faerie wine. Just a Fae king and the human girl who loved him.
I looked at him straddling my legs and moaned, my hips arching.
&n
bsp; There were worse punishments, and I’d wanted this last night, had ached when he hadn’t given me more. I was not Aerith. He no longer had to wait for an improbable wedding night. I was his to plunder.
Once he entered me, the world turned to stardust and the laws of gravity no longer applied. He had me on the bed, against walls and the armoire. At one point, we ended up at the window, him behind me thrusting at inhuman speeds. I screamed his name across the valley and thought I heard it echo in the hills.
We finished where we’d started. On my bed. On my back, legs spread apart. When he finished, I was as wet and limp as the bedsheets below me.
Liri hadn’t even broken a sweat. He straightened his tunic over his trousers, a satisfied smile on his lips as his eyes roamed my body where I lay spent on the bed. I didn’t even have the energy to pull down my skirts and cover myself.
“My king,” I said hoarsely. “Will you send me a tincture?” I didn’t feel like speaking, but I also didn’t want him to forget.
His smile was radiant and cruel. “No, sweet Hensley. I shall not.”
My stomach bottomed out, and my heart lodged itself inside my throat in shock. I mustered enough strength to sit up and stare wide-eyed at my king.
His lips twitched as though holding on to an unspoken secret. The glow in his eyes seemed to brighten. I’d never seen Liri look so pleased. He looked me over one final time, as though deciding something, then started toward the door, but not before saying, “I will make my family rue the day they laughed at me. I shall make you their queen.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Aerith
The calm of my sitting room would be temporary, but I appreciated it all the same.
My mind whirled, feeling as sick as my stomach had earlier. Jhaeros’s continued indifference. Hensley’s public confession. The possibility that I was pregnant!
The queasiness had abated once I got away from all the breakfast smells. Now my stomach tied into knots of worry about what would become of Melarue, Hensley, Jhaeros, Devdan, and me.
While waiting for Liri, I sat in front of my campaigne board, playing against the onyx king in an endless game against myself.
At midday, lunch was delivered to my room, a meal of crusty bread, sliced cheese, and sliced turkey. At least the smell was minimal since it hadn’t been recently warmed. I chewed the food slowly, giving my stomach time to digest each morsel bit by bit.
I paced the length of my apartments.
Played another game of campaigne against myself.
Waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
The sun descended over the distant hills.
A dinner of stew and crusty bread was delivered to me to eat once more in silence. I lit lanterns as night spread across the lands, stretching its way to the windows of the castle. I changed into a night slip and lay in bed. It took hours to fall asleep, but finally, slumber came.
The following day, my first meal was delivered to my room again. Folas brought it in, and this time he stayed behind and watched as I poked at my eggs and bacon—the same breakfast as the morning before. He stood in my sitting room, arms folded, while I sat with the plate on my lap.
“How much longer does Liri plan to keep me locked in my rooms?” I demanded.
“Eat your breakfast,” was Folas’s reply. I stuck my tongue out at him. He shrugged. “I’m not leaving until you eat.”
“Where’s my sister? Was she returned to Pinemist, or is she locked in the castle?”
“Your sister is fine,” Folas said. “She’s allowed to move about the castle, just not the royal wing.”
“No, of course not,” I said moodily.
“Luckily the castle is made of stone so she can’t burn it down.”
When it became clear Folas truly wouldn’t leave until I’d eaten the food he delivered, I stabbed at the eggs and swallowed them down, barely bothering to chew first. I grabbed the bacon with my bare hands. My nostrils flared and my stomach roiled at the smell, but I stuffed each piece in my mouth, chewing it into gritty bits before gulping it down.
I set my fork on my empty plate. “All done. May I leave my room now?”
Folas pursed his lips.
With a sigh of exasperation, I got up and shoved my plate in his hands. “Then you best be on your way.”
He followed me from the sitting room into my bedchamber. As I led him to the door, my stomach turned, yanking me toward the waste receptacle where I heaved up everything I’d just eaten.
Folas stood watching the whole time, not even offering a washcloth. Instead, he stated what was appearing to be a pattern. “Morning sickness.”
I was left alone to ponder my predicament. I glowered at the door. It might as well have been a set of bars.
I wanted to run to Jhaeros, tell him the news. But he was with Queen Naesala.
Had she slept with him? Kissed those handsome lips of his? Placed her bony fingers on my male?
More bile rose to my lips. I stormed to the receptacle and spit into the bin.
There wasn’t much I could do besides wait for Liri’s judgement. He had not sounded happy when I suspected I might be pregnant. And that was before he found out it had been Hensley, not me, who’d spent the evening entertaining him.
Maybe this would help him realize we weren’t good for each other, but I doubted he’d let me off that easily.
At midday, I found out my answer when Folas returned with two footmen. He’d knocked then entered without awaiting my permission. I folded my arms from where I stood in front of the window, taking in the sight of the footmen. At least he wasn’t accompanied by guards ready to haul me off to the dungeons.
“You are being moved to a new room, Princess Aerith,” Folas announced.
“Where?” I immediately asked.
“The footmen will move your things,” Folas said, ignoring my question. “Come with me. You don’t have far to go.”
Curious as to what Liri was up to, and more than ready to leave my rooms, I followed Folas into the hall. He led me toward the doors leading to the open hall. I followed right behind him, wondering which wing I was being moved to. My old room? Doubtful. No matter what, Liri wouldn’t want me in the chamber I’d shared with Cirrus.
But Folas didn’t lead me to the open hall. He stopped outside Hensley’s door, which his twin stood guarding. They nodded at one another before Galather pounded on the door.
“Time to go, Miss Allen.”
I looked at Folas. “What’s going on?”
He ignored me altogether.
The door to Hensley’s room opened slowly. She didn’t step into the hall. All I saw was her brown head of hair bent in defeat, shoulders sagging in her cream-colored gown.
Anxiety swirled through my chest.
What had Liri done to her?
I started toward Hensley to give her a tight hug and try to reassure her everything would be okay. This was Sarfina’s fault, not hers. But before I could reach my friend, Folas stepped between us.
“Are you ready, Miss Allen?” Galather asked. He sounded oddly patient and courteous.
She nodded and took a tentative step into the hallway. I tried to catch her eye, but Hensley had yet to look up.
“This is to be your room now, Princess Aerith,” Folas announced.
All mental sensation momentarily left me. I gaped at him, my feet as immobile as the flagstones.
Was Liri punishing me as though I were a child? Moving me to a smaller room? Taking away my few private comforts?
My heart clenched. If this was my punishment, what was to become of Hensley? Did he think to banish her to the dungeons?
“What of Hensley?” I demanded. “I refuse to take her room if she is being sent to the gallows.”
Folas and Galather exchanged a look and snorted.
“Miss Allen is being moved into your old rooms,” one of them said.
I didn’t see which twin spoke. I was once more gaping, my mind floating away,
sucked into a tornado of intrigue and treachery.
Hensley looked up, her lower lip quivering. “Aerith, I am so sorry.”
“Hensley, what’s happening?”
“That is for your king to share with you,” Folas said gruffly, pushing me toward the open doorway into Hensley’s room.
Galather didn’t have to force Hensley. She followed behind him, dragging her feet slightly.
“King Liri will speak to you soon,” Folas said before giving me a final shove and closing me in.
Trapped again. My cell had just become much smaller. My nose wrinkled. It stank of sweat and sex. I spun around, lip curling at the sight of the rumpled bedspread. The servants hadn’t bothered to change them before forcing me to trade chambers.
What kind of sick game was Liri playing?
I’d find out soon enough. Soonish.
As time wore on, it became apparent Liri was in no rush to explain his plans for me. Perhaps he was in my recently vacated chamber fucking Hensley on my old bed.
Sick, twisted bastard.
I walked up to the door and kicked it.
When Liri finally decided to make an appearance, he arrived with a footman who carried in the game of campaigne he’d gifted me.
Liri wore the golden crown atop his pale head. It was the only thing golden on him. The rest of his body was covered in fine black clothes with a collar that shimmered like bits of starlight had been plucked from the night’s sky and sewn into the cloth. He looked deadly, unearthly—like a king not to be trifled with.
He waited until the footman left to speak. “Folas tells me you are most certainly with child,” Liri began, taking a stance near the door as though he didn’t mean to stay long. “Congratulations, Sister.”
I folded my arms and narrowed my eyes. He didn’t sound angry, but I didn’t trust him for one cold second.
“What have you done to Hensley?” I demanded.
“Nothing she didn’t want me to do.” Liri smirked. “Don’t worry about Miss Allen. She has been made quite comfortable in your old chambers. I do apologize for the hasty rearrangement, but it is only fitting that my future queen takes the largest rooms beside mine.”
Stolen Princess Page 31