He runs his nose along my jaw. “I could have your tongue, but I’d much rather have it on my cock, so I will pretend you didn’t just threaten my peace treaty,” he purrs.
I snort. “You’ll never have it again.” I’d rather bite my tongue off and swallow it!
“Protection can come in many forms, Selene.” His warning is clear. I’m granted many freedoms here, but he’ll take them away if needed.
“If you cage me, I’ll show you the animal hiding inside.”
He flashes his teeth. “Taming wild animals is my speciality.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“And you make the suffering of the crown so much more enjoyable, wife.” He spins me, his hand dipping to the curve of my ass as he presses me tighter to him. “Some days, I think you want my hate more than my love.”
“Says the man who is forcing me to hate him,” I admit in a hushed whisper.
The stop in our dance is sudden, jarring me as he lowers his lips to mine. It’s another test as he pushes his tongue into my mouth.
I kiss him back. I have to, since his whole court is watching. But when I open my eyes, his are already watching mine. Daring me to fall into line or else.
Life is short. Sometimes it pays to pick the other option.
Bite! I trap his tongue between my teeth. Hard. The taste of his blood hits both our lips, but he licks it away, ensuring no one notices my attack. I watch as he runs his now-bitten tongue over his teeth, satisfaction gleaming in my eyes.
A smirk tugs at his lips, torn somewhere between attraction and retribution. “I know you are upset about tonight, but this little stunt worked in my favor.”
“It was not a stunt.”
His lips pull into a cruel, mocking grin. He presses his lips to mine again, but this time, he bites my lip. I want to pull back, but I hold my ground as he proves yet again he’ll drink my blood. He swipes his tongue over the cut, causing a sting before he pulls away.
He smiles, shoulders wide and worthy of the weight of the crown on his head. “Your father and the fae will learn of this. They will not see me as a monster who praises your brother’s killer. I’ll be seen as a man who is willing to risk myself in order to protect you. So please, my beauty, pluck all the roses you’d like. Bleed. Play games against me in front of my court, but Selene, remember that if I choose to screw you over in front of my court, it will be actual fucking. Weigh the cost before you make the move, my beauty. The game of a crown is long, and the road only grows more bloody and narrow.”
My bones shake with fury. He holds my hand as he guides me off the dance floor and to his table. Instead of allowing me tosit in my chair, he places me on his lap. Fingers dance over my shoulders as he pushes back my hair, exposing my neck.
What is he doing? He wouldn’t bite me!
“I am not the monster you think I am.” He presses his lips to my skin. “But I will be the monster you make me, Selene,”he croons.
“Another warning.”
“You should heed it.” One second, two, three, he holds my stare before he looks away and grabs his goblet, drinking down the rest of the blood.
“You want my heart, yet you give the man who killed my brother a title.”
“What would you have me do?” Galen sets the goblet down firmly. “He helped end this war.”
“When you recognize my sorrow, then and only then you may have my heart, Galen. Until then, you continue to crush it.”
He’s too stubborn to call this off now. “Stay and eat. Once you are finished, leave. I will wait to honor him with the title once you have left.”
“How gracious of you,” I sneer.I’m pushing him to every limit. It’s foolish, but I have nothing else to lose. Everett was everything to me.
Galen’s sigh sounds as heavy as an old ocean wave that’s tired from the repetition of the tide. Soon, it might break free, swallowing land from the map, or perhaps it will continue the natural ebb and flow. One never knows what nature—or a mad king—will do.
Galen’s hand reaches out to turn my neck. His touch is gentle. “I lost men who were like my brother, too,” he admits as he cups my cheek.
His eyes dip, taking note of my trembling bottom lip. “And what would you do if my father held parties for the men who killed them?”
His honest answer remains unspoken. Only the lie is told: “I would remember this was war, and now we have peace, and I would do everything in my power to make sure that peace lasted.”
