Page 107 of Dhampira

Lorcan’s sleeve brushed mine. The three of us walked forward.

“Rix,” Vander said. Then he was gone, only the rustle of leaves and a swaying branch marking his departure.

Lorcan grabbed me, his eyes blazing with anger.

“What—?” Shock rendered me temporarily speechless as I fought his grip. “Let go of me!”

He yanked me against him and spoke in my ear. “Struggle.”

I froze, my mind spinning.

His lips brushed my lobe. “You are an exasperating woman, Corinthe Trevil. I’m going to kiss you. And you’re going to slap me.” He reared back, then seized my face and smashed his lips to mine.

His kiss was as thorough and aggressive as it had been at the ball, each plunge of his tongue stealing my breath.

Approaching footsteps made me push at his chest. He let me shove him away, then he grasped my chin and spoke in a tone cold enough to turn water to ice.

“I look forward to taming you, Princess.”

My chest heaved even as understanding dawned. We weren’t alone, and he’d staged a scene to make sure our observer saw what Lorcan wanted them to see.

The footsteps grew louder, and a knight with Rasimir’s serpent on his breastplate emerged from behind a cluster of trees. He stopped, his gaze going from Lorcan’s face to mine.

Lorcan’s instructions rang in my head. Jerking from his grip, I swung as hard as I could, my palm smacking against his cheek. His head snapped back, and I squashed the urge to apologize, instead shouting, “I won’t marry you!”

As Lorcan slowly recovered, shivers coursed down my spine. Grasping my chin once again, he smiled wide enough to show his fangs. “You heard your father. You’ll do as you’re told, you spoiled brat.”

The knight cleared his throat.

Lorcan kept his eyes on me. “What is it?”

“The king asked for you, Your Highness. I believe he wished to discuss the evening meal.”

If the situation hadn’t been so serious, I might have laughed. As far as I knew, Rasimir didn’t consult anyone about the castle’s dinner menu. Unless, of course, he planned on serving another Derryton villager.

My humor dried up, and I swallowed hard.

Lorcan released me. Straightening his jacket, he turned to the knight. “The princess and I—”

“What is your name?” I interrupted, my gaze on the knight.

The man blinked. My legs quivered beneath my skirts, but I squared my shoulders as I stepped around Lorcan. If you would be a leader of men, start right now, Vander’s voice said in my memory. Lorcan had just called me a spoiled brat in front of the knight. If I let him speak for me now, word would inevitably travel back to the Drakhold. My father’s men would forever view me as a child. Maybe I couldn’t reach the werewolves—at least not yet. But the knights were everywhere. If I could make them see me as a viable alternative to Rasimir, I could start building an army of my own. At the very least, I could make them question their loyalty.

The knight looked from me to Lorcan. When Lorcan said nothing, the man switched his gaze back to me. “Sir Hubo, Your Highness.”

I nodded. “The prince and I were already on our way back to the castle. You’ll accompany us.” Lifting my skirts, I moved around the knight and started through the trees. After a second, booted footsteps followed. After another second, Lorcan appeared beside me. Sir Hubo followed on our heels. Lorcan kept his eyes forward, his expression hard in profile. But when the edge of the forest gave way to the paths leading to the courtyard, he caught my eye and smiled.

My heart quickened. Because I’d spent enough time with Lorcan Balauri to know that, for once, he wasn’t pretending.

This time, his smile was real.

22

Lorcan didn’t show the next morning.

Instead, Delphine looked up from doing my hair and spoke around the pins in her mouth. “Master Iggleboddle is coming.”

I blinked. “Iggleboddle?” The odd name replaced my thoughts, which had centered around the knight appearing outside the Everless—and Lorcan’s pretend kiss immediately afterward. Despite Vander’s worries, Rasimir had given no indication that he sent spies looking for us. He’d been cheerful at dinner, asking about my training over blood-wine and roasted duck. After the meal, he kissed my cheek and instructed one of the servants to escort me to my room, ruining any chance of me speaking to Vander or Lorcan.