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“Leave.”
Fern stands with a huff, storming from the room.
Eoin raises a brow at Rainer, a weird tension lining the room. The two males stare at each other, as if caught in some sort of silent battle. Rainer’s fingers tap out a rhythm on his knee, the only indication that he’s unsettled.
“So, one entertains you in the bedroom—good choice, by the way,” Eoin says. He throws me a boyish grin. “No offense, of course, darling. I find your innocence wholly alluring.” The grin melts off his face as he turns back to Rainer. “But how exactly does the innocent one entertain you?”
I twist my hands around my skirts, frozen there like an idiot. I’m brought back to all those times the lord made me feel small, lesser-than, useless.
Entertainment.
Eoin leans back in the chair, crossing his legs cockily. Ken and Viv busy themselves eating, ignoring the unraveling scene. Rainer studies me, his jaw tense. I swear his eyes flicker from pale-blue to cobalt, then back to their normal pale coloring.
“Are you sure she’s merely your entertainment, Rainer?” Eoin taunts. “It appears you’ve caught a liking to the—”
“No,” Rainer growls.
“I’ve had enough,” I say, finding my voice. “I’m leaving.”
“Leaving where exactly?” Rainer asks.
His fingers pick up their pace, dancing erratically on his thigh. If I wasn’t mistaken, I’d say he’s nervous. On edge.
“None of your business,” I say.
“Surely not back to Dovenak?”
“Let her go,” Eoin says with shrug. “If she means so little to you, Rainer, let her leave.”
Rainer’s jaw tics, but other than that he remains perfectly still.
“What in fae’s sake is going on?” Viv whispers.
Eoin’s gaze bounces between me and Rainer. Ken keeps stuffing food in his mouth, as if he’s fighting the urge to talk.
“You should get your humans under control, Rainer. Unless you view them as equals?” Eoin asks, raising a brow. “Again, no offense, of course, Alessia.” He shakes his head with a tut. “Though you’re accepted in my court, you’ll never be equal to the fae in Umbra’s eyes.”
Tears threaten to fall, so I turn away quickly. A fire burns inside of me as I trudge toward the exit with all eyes on me. Halfway across the room, a sparking warmth crawls up my spine and slides through my veins. Similar to the sensation of the Gleam, or when I accidentally thanked Rainer and bound myself to him.
Magic.
I’ve no time to analyze the feeling, because two familiar figures enter the doorway, pausing me dead in my tracks.
“There you are, my little Dolly,” Lord Edvin says.
My heart stops momentarily and the doughnut I’m still holding slips from my fingers, crashing onto the shiny wood floors beneath me in a heap of crumbs and chocolate.
Impossible.
Rainer brought the lord here.
Has he been training me all this time just to summon the lord and have me fight to the death as a sick form of brunch entertainment?
Grubby fingers extend toward me, and I jump back out of reach. Lord Edvin’s face resembles a tomato—all red and swollen, his eyes swimming with intoxication.
“Such a disobedient creature,” Lady Nilda spits out, patting her husband on the shoulder. “Punish her good for that, husband.”
Turning back to the table, four pairs of eyes lock onto me. Eoin is halfway out of his seat, his eyes wide, but Viv has an arm out, holding him back. Ken watches curiously with raised brows. Rainer’s leg bounces as his fingers drum on his knee, but other than that, his face doesn’t give anything away.
