“Well, I was kidding. I’m just frustrated because he’s holding me against my will.” I didn’t need Albedo’s spies to convey threats. As soon as I recovered, I would deliver them myself.
“Oh no,” Gem said, long lashes fluttering beneath her pixie cut. “King Albedo only wants to take care of you.”
“He is so sexy,” Magnolia gushed, squeezing her slender brown arms around her middle.
“I would give myself to him if he would have me,” Heath spoke up from his post near the door.
“Me too,” Lulu said with a blush.
Ew!
How much had he paid these fools to sing his praises? Oh wait. Faeries couldn’t lie. Maybe he’d interviewed the servants before assigning them as my attendants with one question and one only. “Do you think I’m sexy?”
I thought of the bare chest he’d displayed for me at breakfast and shuddered.
“What about you, Gem? Do you think Albedo’s se—” Ugh, I couldn’t even finish the word. I gagged before finding a less choke-worthy word. “Attractive?”
Bleh! Ick! Gag!
Gem grinned. “King Albedo is a benevolent master. I am happy to serve him.”
“So, no?” I raised a brow.
Gem frowned.
Pounding at my door had me cursing inside my head.
Pit! That better not be Albedo, who, for the record, was so not sexy.
Heath cracked it open. I sat up, but I couldn’t see who was on the other side or hear what Heath was whispering. He shut the door and turned to face me. “Prince Ryo requests an audience, my lady.”
“Let him in,” I said impatiently.
Heath opened the door. Ryo stormed straight up to my bed, two females hurrying behind him. As soon as he stopped, they clung to his sides like half-naked leeches. Actually, calling the faeries half-naked was being generous. The tops of their breasts were on display above turquoise metallic cups molded to each boob. I didn’t know how the cups stayed on since there were no straps to be seen. At their necks they wore golden chokers with a little blue dewdrop gem dangling down. A panel of shimmery blue-and-gold fabric stretched from the underside of their breast cups, covering their navels before wrapping around their crotches. The only other covering they wore was a puff of blue feathers at their backs and short, sheer skirts that draped from their backsides, opening wide over their front legs. Gold cuffs circled their upper arms and tinkled with charms around their ankles. They had white hair streaked with light blue highlights that started out thick on top before feathering into long, thin wisps down to their navels.
I blanched at the sight of them rubbing against Ryo.
“What the pit is this?” I couldn’t contain the screech from my voice. It looked like faeries in heat.
Ryo tried to turn away from one, only to find himself pressed against the other. “Ladies, can you please wait in the hall?” Ryo asked with exasperated desperation.
“We aren’t allowed to leave your side except during mealtime,” one of the females purred.
The other giggled and rubbed her boob cups against his upper arm. “You know what you need to do to make us stop.”
Nostrils flaring, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, sucking in through clenched teeth as my tender toes slammed into the floor. “What does Ryo need to do to make you stop?” I demanded in a voice that boomed against the walls.
The females giggled, which only infuriated me more.
“We don’t answer to you,” one of them informed me.
I lifted my right arm, curling my fingers. “Yeah, well, maybe you’ll answer to my fist.”
Gem jumped in front of me as I started toward the tramp team. Her eyelids stretched apart. “My lady, you’ll hurt your other arm.”
“I want those hussies out of my chamber.” I glared around Gem.
They each placed a possessive hand on Ryo’s shoulders and lifted their pert noses.
“We go where Ryo goes.”
One of them smirked at me as she began grinding against Ryo’s hip.
My nostrils flared and burned. I felt like I was inhaling fire.
“Did they bathe you?” I pushed past Gem.
When Ryo grimaced, my insides twisted violently.
“Every inch,” one of the females said.
“And every millimeter,” said the other.
“He’s well endowed, our prince.”
They ran their hands down his chest toward his nether regions. Ryo pushed them away, but they came right back like inescapable boomerangs.
“Ladies, please. Give me a moment with Mel.” Ryo groaned in frustration, attempting to shake them off.
The tramp team slid around Ryo, one pressing against his chest, the other against his back. The one in front of him walked her fingers up his torso.
“We will grant you all the space you desire after you fill us with your princely blessings.”
Princely what?
“The hell he will,” I snarled. “Heath, can’t you kick these two out?”
Heath winced and stepped forward, not meeting my eyes. “I apologize, my lady. We are not allowed to interfere with the prince or his escorts.”
The two white-and-blue-haired females smirked triumphantly.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Ryo said, snatching a skinny white wrist before it could grab his crotch.
Not like she hadn’t stroked him beneath warm soap bubbles already. This was some new fucked-up kind of torture. I wasn’t sure which one of us it was supposed to annoy the most.
“A healer is coming in from town to attend to our lady,” Gem informed Ryo. “You and your escorts should leave and allow her to rest.”
“No way, they’re not going anywhere,” I said. I wasn’t letting Ryo get dragged away and raped on my watch.
“But my lady, it will be extremely difficult to relax if they stay,” Gem tried to reason.
It would be worse if they left. The thought of the tramp team taking turns with Ryo made my brain want to explode into a million trillion pieces.
“Who hurt you, Mel? What happened last night?” Ryo’s voice rose above the others, and his heated gaze burned a trail through the servants.
I recounted the events that had unfolded that evening. Trying to have a conversation with six servants vying for our attentions was ridiculous, but I managed to catch him up and assure Ryo that the pain in my arm and toes was minimal. That didn’t stop him from cursing.
“What happened with you and Albedo?” I asked.
Ryo pursed his lips. “He said he was happy to finally meet me and wants to make up for lost time.”
One of the Fae tarts turned in front of Ryo and rubbed her feathered ass against his crotch.
“Cut it out,” Ryo snapped, shoving her away.
There was no warmth in her laugh. “We like it rough,” she said in a voice that was more demonic than sexy.
“Oh yeah?” I asked, starting for her. “Do you like it scorching?”
“My lady, no!” Gem yelped, once more getting in my freaking way. “You are not permitted to hurt Ravensburg’s servants.”
I swung around and snarled at her. “Or what? Will Albedo hurt Ella?”
Gem bit down on her lower lip and nodded.
This bastard didn’t let up.
“Fine, I’ll walk Ryo and the trollops to the door. No scorching, I promise.”
Gem exchanged glances with Lulu, Magnolia, and Heath before nodding. “Thank you for your understanding, my lady.”
Oh, I understood all right. We needed to get out of this brothel right away. Somehow, I had to get to Ella. First, I needed that healer. But most importantly, nothing, and I mean nothing, would stop me from keeping those Fae bitches off my prince. Okay, not really my prince, but close enough. Right?
Imagining their pasty hands on his family jewels made me want to rip their fingers off one by one. That wasn’t for them to touch! Clearly they were making Ryo miserable. This was harassment.
I forced myself to stay calm and n
ot tear the females off Ryo as they hung from him like howler monkeys on the shuffle to the door. Wordlessly, I opened it, my eyes connecting with Ryo’s. I glanced at the two females then into the hallway. He nodded then grabbed one and tossed her out, followed by the other. Together, we slammed my door shut. I leaned against it while Ryo fastened the deadbolt.
It shook in its hinges from the pounding on the other side.
“Hey!” a female yelped. “Let us back in.”
“Or send Ryo out,” the other yelled.
Ryo squeezed his head between his palms. “They’re driving me insane,” he whispered.
My four attendants stared at us wide-eyed, but none of them made a move to the door. Gem had said they weren’t allowed to interfere with the escorts. I guess that meant they couldn’t help them either. Good thing.
“Um, what do we do now?” Heath asked Gem.
“Our lady still needs her rest.”
“I don’t need rest. I need a healer,” I snipped.
“Shall I chant?” Lulu asked.
“No,” I said.
“Should I fetch a tonic?” Magnolia wondered.
“No one’s leaving this room until mealtime,” I all but snarled.
The banging and yelling continued on the other side of the door. I made a rude hand gesture at it and huffed my frustration.
“Unbelievable,” I said. “What is Albedo playing at?”
Ryo glanced at the servants before walking to a far window. When I joined him, he lowered his voice. “I get the feeling that Albedo doesn’t want us to be together. Not that we are,” he rushed to add. His eyes dropped to my lips, settling for a moment. Then he blinked and looked out the window.
“We need to get out of here,” I whispered.
Ryo nodded.
I knew when to admit defeat. Infiltrating the castle was a no-go. For the next attempt, I was thinking invading army. Maybe I could borrow Keerla and her troops from Pinemist—not that they didn’t already have their hands full with the ogre aftermath. Perhaps we could arrange a trade. Elves help retake Ravensburg in exchange for faeries helping to rebuild Pinemist.
“My lady, you really should lie down.”
I gave a start as Gem’s voice hit my back.
“Would you like to put on this comfortable robe first?” Magnolia came at me from the side with a long, plush, cream robe.
I narrowed my eyes at the faeries. They were tramp teaming me, weren’t they?
“No, I feel like playing a game,” I said, waving them off.
“A game?” my servants asked.
“It’s from the mortal realm, called charades.” I did my best to explain the rules and perform a demonstration with an example of riding a horse as the correct answer.
“Ryo, Heath, and Magnolia will be a team; Gem, Lulu, and I another.”
I swear I saw the servants visibly relax when I paired Ryo and myself on opposite teams. Everyone seemed to be on Albedo’s scheme to keep Ryo and me apart. He probably didn’t want us plotting together. I couldn’t think of any other reason. He could have forbidden us from seeing one another. I couldn’t figure out what all the nonsense was for except to annoy the crap out of us.
We sat in a circle on the rug. Gem grabbed a pillow for me. I told Lulu she could go first.
“Me?” She clapped her hands several times in excitement. “Okay, here goes. I hope I’m doing this right, my lady.”
She scooted into the middle of the circle and lay on her side. Then she pressed her legs together and swished them around while making swimming motions with her arms. A smile yanked up my lips when she wrapped her arms around a large invisible object and held on.
“Lulu, are you a mermaid stealing a dragon’s egg?” I asked.
Lulu’s eyes widened. “Yes, my lady!” She squealed and clapped.
Gem turned to me with a beaming face. “Well done, my lady.”
One brow hooked over Ryo’s forehead like the curved top of a question mark.
“It’s from a song Lulu sang for me earlier,” I explained.
A fresh round of pounding went up at my door, followed by a shrieking female screaming Ryo’s name.
“Can I go next?” Magnolia asked.
“Go for it,” I said with an encouraging smile.
Magnolia jumped to her feet and danced in the center of our circle.
“Dancing!” Heath cried out.
“Yes!” Magnolia cried with glee, pointing a finger at Heath. She did an extra little jig.
Um, way too easy and obvious, but whatever. The servants were having fun, and it was helping distract me from the tramp team right outside my door. Sometimes I heard them yelling and pounding in unison. Other times it sounded like they took turns. It would go quiet for a while only to start back up. It was almost easier to block out when they kept going. It became background noise. When they stopped it reminded me of how nice the quiet was—until they started back up.
When lunch—finally—came around, I accepted Heath’s offer to carry me to the dining room again. Ryo narrowed his eyes as Heath lifted me into his arms. At least he wasn’t trying to grope me. The moment my door was unbolted, the tramp team spilled in and plastered themselves against Ryo in a fit of sobbing.
“It’s been hours since we felt your warmth, my prince. Hours of agony. Hours of aching, wanting, needing you.”
I rolled my eyes. One of the females glared at me and hissed before returning her attention to Ryo. They cooed over him every agonizing step of the way to the dining room. Heath led the procession, so at least I didn’t have to watch Ryo getting mauled while I got carried like some damn damsel in distress. This had to be one of the most irritating days of my entire life.
“Let us have you after lunch. We can go for hours,” one of the females said huskily.
“Hours,” the other hussy purred.
I was too annoyed to even snap at them. They were ridiculous, and Ryo was clearly uninterested.
I studied the bland gaze on Heath’s face as he moved steadily down the hall carrying me. How could he keep a straight face? I could feel my own puckering as though I’d sucked down a glass of lemon juice.
“Want to pick up the pace, Heath?” I suggested.
“I must be careful with my lady.”
Arg.
“Stop!” Ryo snapped behind us.
Looking over Heath’s shoulder, I saw Ryo jump back and cover his crotch with his hands. The tramp team giggled and started for him again.
Okay, enough was enough.
“Hey,” I said. As soon as Ryo met my eyes, I spoke to him directly. One of the females jumped on his back, wrapping her legs around his torso and her arms around his neck. Ryo scowled but maintained eye contact with me.
“I’ll meet you in the dining room as soon as Slowy the Snail here gets us there. In the meantime . . . Run, Ryo!” I shouted the last two words.
His eyes expanded, then turned slanted and devious right before he shook the female off his back and pushed aside the one going after his crotch. He took off running through the corridor—a dark blur followed by fluttering blue feathers and jingles of ankle bracelets as the tramp team ran after him. Ryo was too fast for them. When he disappeared around a corner, the females shrieked and propelled themselves forward in pursuit. They looked too ludicrous not to laugh. I burst into hysterics, shaking so hard I had to hold on to Heath’s shoulder with my right hand to keep from tumbling from his arms. My attendant frowned.
“Really, Heath? Not even a smile?”
“Giselle and Jana are only following orders,” he answered with a critical tone I perceived meant for me and not the tramp team. I’m sorry, I mean Giselle and Jana. I mocked their names in my head. Orders or not, they looked way too gung-ho over their assignment.
The amusement leaked out of me like a deflating helium balloon. How long could Ryo fight off the incessant females? What happened when he collapsed from exhaustion or tried to sleep? Would they rip off his pants and take turns riding him until they
’d milked out his blessings and wrung him dry?
A wide pit opened in my stomach.
We’d shared one searing kiss, and it had been enough to know I didn’t want to let Ryo go. I didn’t want to lose Devdan either. And Lyklor . . . I felt so mixed up about him too. Sorting through my feelings was difficult enough without fighting battles every other day.
All I knew was I couldn’t let those hussies succeed. Ryo was mine. His blessings were . . . Mine?
Heat flared between my thighs. Um. Did I just think that?
Yep, you totally did. Those bitches better back the fuck off because we’re taking what’s ours and we don’t share.
We?
You know what I mean. We is you. Why don’t you admit it? You want some elf-on-Fae action. Specifically: Mel on Ryo.
Don’t be crude. I scrunched my nose.
Don’t try to deny it.
Saucy Mel voice faded away as the dining room came into focus. Heath set me down gently. Still annoyed with him, I gave him a nod rather than a thanks before limping in for round two as Albedo’s mealtime “guest.”
“Finally, a moment of peace and quiet,” I grumped as I entered.
Albedo immediately swooped around the table and pulled out my chair with a smile. Ryo stood across from me, arms folded, looking seriously put out. Once I’d taken my seat and allowed Albedo to push me up to the table, he returned to his spot at the head and sat.
“I understand that my staff is behaving in an overly assiduous manner.”
I snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“Are you unhappy with your servants, Melarue?” Albedo pressed his palms together, the tips of his fingers reminding me of an arrowhead.
“They have been helpful and courteous,” I said. I looked at Ryo and raised my brows.
He pulled back his chair and sank into it, his entire body slumping against the table. He said nothing. If he admitted the tramp twins were driving him insane, Albedo would probably be delighted or, worse, suggest he give in to their needs.
“I would, however, like to lodge a complaint about Ryo’s attendants,” I threw in.
“Oh?” Albedo asked, studying my face. “Have they offended you in some way?”
“They’re out of control. I don’t know much about court life, obviously, but isn’t it disrespectful for a prince to be accosted against his wishes? Do the servants have more control than the royal family?”
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