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She crosses her arms over her chest, chin lifting defiantly.
“I’ll strip you naked to search for them if I have to.” And I’d enjoy it too.
After a beat, she bends down and pulls a knife from her boot. Thinking better of throwing it at me, she holds it out to me handle first.
“I have to say I’m impressed. Truly.”
She scoffs. “I’m not looking for your approval.”
“I suspect not. You got farther than I thought you would.”
Her eyes narrow on my face, and her fingertips dig into the skin of her arm. “How long have you known?”
“Since you asked the kitchen maids for comfrey, cinnamon, and…what was the other one?”
“Mint,” she says through gritted teeth.
“Mint. That’s right. I only needed to ask what you were in the kitchens for to get an answer. Though, to your credit, they were hesitant to give up your secret.”
“If you hurt them—”
“Don’t insult me. I wouldn’t hurt the souls in my realm for being kind to you. How were they to know what you planned to do with them?”
Her body visibly relaxes, and she drops her arms to her sides, eyes looking everywhere but at me.
“You can’t keep me here forever. I figured out how to get out once. I’ll do it again.”
“You got out because I let you.”
I don’t mean to make the confession. Why not let her think she was capable of escaping me if that made her feel better? But the words are out now, and I can’t take them back.
“What do you mean, you let me?”
“I was born hundreds of years before Acaria even existed.” I take a step forward, a grin tugging at the corners of my lips when she takes one back. “I maintain this entire realm with my power and barely a thought. I can walk into any Acarian city and force mortals to their knees with a snap of my fingers. And you really think I accidentally left a gap in the wards meant to keep you exactly where I want you?”
It takes her a moment to piece my meaning together, but when she does, she jerks upright, green eyes darkening and narrowing to slits. She lunges forward, drilling her finger into my chest. If looks could kill, I’d be dust under her heel.
“This entire time you’ve been playing me for a fool. Letting me sneak into the kitchens for herbs and tricking me into thinking I’d found a chink in your shield. And for what?” she snarls. “To amuse yourself?”
“Something like that.” I smirk. “It was fun watching you try, impressive watching you nearly succeed.”
I grab her wrist again when she draws her hand back to strike me, trapping it against her thigh and wrapping my arm around her waist. When I yank her onto her tiptoes, her chest brushing mine, she stops struggling.
“But you should absolutely stay away from the River Axan. I’d rather not have your death on my hands.”
“No. You much prefer being my captor.”
Her eyes dip down to my mouth, and she swallows. Anger still rolls off her in waves, but there’s something else there—desire, maybe—and I can’t help but grin.
“Careful, little one. Or you’ll make me think you don’t mind being stuck here with me as much as you say you do.”
“You arrogant son of a—”
I silence the rest of her words with my lips, as eager to taste her as I am to shut her up. Her fingers grip the edges of my robes, and I expect her to shove me away, but she doesn’t. Instead she pushes higher onto her toes and tugs me forward, her teeth biting into the flesh of my bottom lip.
I release her wrist in favor of wrapping my hand around her throat. Using my thumb to angle her head back, I take the kiss deeper and slide my tongue against hers. She sighs in a way that arrows straight to my cock, and I urge her back until her legs hit the back of the brocade couch in front of the fireplace.
I want her under me and begging, and I’ll take her on whatever surface I can get her. She doesn’t fight me when I lift her onto the rounded curve of the feather-stuffed cushion. If anything, she pulls me in closer, her back arching when my hand skims down her side, tracing the shape of her breast.
