“Something is wrong with him.” She gives me a wary glance before her eyes dart back to the slave. “What did you do to him?”
Ah. It would seem my little prisoner is unfamiliar with the fae practice of using glamoured slaves. With a dramatic sigh, I nod at the slave, and he scurries into the corridor. Before he’s able to close the door himself, I send a frigid gust of wind to slam it shut.
“That was rather rude,” Helena says.
My gaze swivels to her. “I beg your pardon?”
“I said, that was rather rude.” Her eyes narrow. “He was just doing his job. Now, are you going to tell me what’s wrong with him? He seemed like he was in a mindless daze as he performed his tasks.”
“In the Winter Court, and the other courts as well, if a fae commits a grave crime, particularly a crime against a highborn fae, they are sometimes sentenced to a lifetime of slavery rather than death.”
“Yes, but he…”
“We don’t usually keep our human slaves glamoured, so long as they don’t prove troublesome, but we always glamour our own kind and castrate the males as well. It prevents rebellion. Don’t feel sorry for that particular slave, Helena. Long ago, he attempted to kill my uncle.”
Her expression darkens with worry. “If I prove troublesome, will you… glamour me?”
I lean closer to her, take a deep inhale of her enticing scent, and allow my fingers to trail over her curved, human ears. She makes a light choking noise before clearing her throat.
“I would never glamour you, darling human,” I finally say. “You are far more fun like this. Brave yet a little scared, trembling yet strangely curious. And bold. Let’s not forget howbold you are. More than once, you’ve made a comment that’s shocked me.”
“I am not strangely curious about you in any way.” Her face flushes.
Then I smell it. The sweetness of her arousal in the air.
I can’t restrain a growl. Fucking fires, how will I resist tasting her? Her slickness is the most tantalizing scent I’ve ever inhaled.
I rub my thumb over her earlobe, and a shiver runs through her. Her cloak slips, and I see the evidence of goosebumps near her wrists. For the first time ever, I’ve finally given her goosebumps.
And not from the cold…
From my touch.
From my light caresses of her ears and hair.
“Please, you-you promised.” She suddenly appears alarmed, and she jerks away from my touch.
I drop my hands and lean back, giving her space as she shoots to her feet. She places her hands up in a defensive manner.
I mimic her gesture, in a way, as I hold my hands up in a show of peace. “I am not going to harm you. Come, dinner is waiting.” I stand up and offer her my hand.
She eyes me dubiously but eventually places her tiny hand in my much larger one. I thrill at the trust she just displayed. How could she know I didn’t plan to pull her close and harass her?
Perhaps it’s because you’ve been too accommodating with her thus far.
I nearly growl at my own thoughts. Logically I know I am showing tremendous restraint around Helena, in a way that is not typical of my people, yet I still cannot imagine hurting or scaring her.
I help her into her chair before taking my own place at the table. I uncover both plates and set the lids aside. Ah, oneof my favorites. Maple-glazed salmon and a medley of roasted vegetables native to the Winter Court. I pick up a utensil, more famished than I realized.
“Please, Helena, eat your fill.”
She picks up a utensil and pokes at the salmon. “Um, is it safe? I mean… I’ve heard that fae food can be dangerous to humans.”
“I promise it’s safe. There are some fruits that can make humans intoxicated if consumed in excess, but my personal cook has been informed of your arrival, and he will refrain from using any ingredients that might cause you trouble.” Yes, before I’d returned to my bedchamber, I visited the kitchens so I could give careful instructions to my cook.
She takes a cautious bite of the salmon, and my cock stiffens further when her tongue briefly darts out. Gods, perhaps I shouldn’t have gone over three hundred years without having a female. A short while around Helena, and I feel as though I would sacrifice my beating heart just to kiss her. A proper kiss, one filled with passion and intimacy.
Gods. Fuck.
