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She lifted her fork and arched a brow at me, finally admitting freely, “I’ve been anxious.”
It would be stupid to ask why. I knew why. She’d been torn from her home to become the mate of the enemy.
Mate. I hadn’t thought of her that way. Or had I? I’d never considered her a concubine, even though a wraith king’s mizrah was essentially the most important of his harem, but a part of his harem, nonetheless.
As if she could read my thoughts, she asked, “Will I be meeting your other concubines at some point?”
A trace of annoyance and even anger threaded the question. Though I wanted to smile, I kept it hidden.
“If I remember correctly, you requested that I lay with no other woman while you are my bed partner.”
“I did. But I’m aware a wraith king would have concubines. I want to be sure and meet them so I can be wary of them.”
“Why would you be wary of them?” This was entertaining.
She squirmed in her seat, still poking at her food, not yet tasting it. “That is obvious, Goll. I am a foreign princess, invading their home and taking the king’s…attentions.”
A purr rumbled in my chest without meaning to. I couldn’t help the pleasure that warmed me at her concern for other women coming between us. For even though she claimed she needed to know for her own safety, it seemed that envy colored her pretty face with tense anger and frustration.
“I don’t have any concubines, Mizrah.”
She paused then finally met my gaze across the candlelit table, the soft glow flickering on her sweet face. “I read that all wraith kings have a harem of concubines.”
“As you know, I haven’t been king long. I haven’t had time to assemble a proper harem.”
I didn’t plan on having one. She was the only one I wanted in my bed. And thewantwas killing me slowly.
Una stabbed her food again. “Oh,” was all she said. “I thought perhaps even when you were in hiding you might have…lovers. Someone you might’ve brought to the palace.”
It had been many weeks since I’d killed my father, and I certainly could’ve filled a harem easily enough if I was so inclined. I wasn’t.
That heavy tension weighed between us again. I tried to lighten it.
“You’ve been reading about wraith kings?” I quirked a brow and took a bite of the juicy venison.
She dropped her gaze to her plate, still poking at the vegetables.
“Eat, Una,” I commanded.
She actually obeyed and took a bite of the small, orange squash that the cooks liked to roast in hog fat, salt, and sprinkles of hot spice.
Una’s eyes closed as she hummed with pleasure. My cock jerked at the sound.
“Good?” I asked.
“Yes.” Then she actually began eating rather than simply stabbing her food with her fork. “I’ve been studying your culture for a long time actually,” she admitted amiably.
Another slide of warmth trickled down my body. “Indeed?”
She paused to chew and then swallow another bite, which put me at ease. “I was curious after I’d been taken here.” She dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “The first time, I mean.”
I sat back, my hand on the goblet of wine on the table. “Of course, you’d be curious.”
She’d want to know about the fae who’d taken her prisoner, who’d tortured her near to death.
My own curiosity was piqued. “And what did you discover?”
“Many things.” She smiled before taking a bite of the roasted hog.
