AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My cheeks flush and I drop my gaze to the floor.
“Are you always like this?” he asks.
“Like what?”
He reaches forward, placing a finger under my chin and forcing me to look him in the eyes. “Skittish?”
I start to lift a shoulder in a half-shrug, but then his words about being strong come back to me. I decide to instill a little backbone and give him the fight he’s searching for.
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” I swat his hand away.
“And why not?”
I gesture toward him. “Because you’re—fae.”
“And?”
I wave a hand around. “Look at this space. Look at you. You’re a prince. A leader. You want for nothing.” My words come out rushed, and I realize it’s the opinion of him I’ve been biting back.
He pauses, cocking his head at me. “And you assume my life came easy simply because I’m a faerie? That I’ve had no struggles of my own?”
“You have freedom.”
“Debatable.”
“I’d do anything to have the privileges you have,” I mumble.
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I know it was the wrong thing to say. His sympathetic look immediately dissipates, his icy eyes narrowing.
“Be careful what you wish for. You don’t know the cost of my life, and I doubt it’s a price you’d be willing to pay.”
My mouth goes dry. My first instinct is to reign it in, to apologize to him. I’m not normally confrontational, and didn’t intend to create conflict. But apologies aren’t received well around here. So, instead, I keep up the fight I started.
“You don’t know what I’d be willing to do for my freedom.”
“And you know nothing about my life.”
“I might not. But you know nothing of mine either. Yet you insist on poking me, insulting me. And, yes, I might be timid, but I’d rather be that than be an ill-mannered barbarian like you!”
The words tumble out.
I fight the urge to recoil into myself, but when amusement dances in his eyes, it gives me an inkling of satisfaction. I know it’s the type of response he was hoping for.
“Barbarian?”
“Savage,” I confirm.
“Keep going.”
“Brute. Bastard. Arse.”
“Careful, little rose, your thorns are showing.” He cocks his head at me, a smirk playing on his lips. “Are you going to apologize for such harsh words?”
He’s baiting me.
I shake my head, refusing to give in. “I only came to this wretched realm for a chance to survive, to live. I hoped for freedom. Instead, I got stuck with a brooding prince who uses manipulative, magical tactics to keep me against my will.” I pause and take a deep inhale.
Whew, it’s nice to speak my mind without fear of punishment or retribution. That alone is a liberation I’ve never had before.
