Page 26 of Collared by the Vampire Prince

I slowly push myself upright, returning to the seat opposite him.

The gag may be gone, but I feel worse than before.

My tongue feels strange in my mouth.

My jaw still throbs.

And my knees…

I can feel the phantom ache of them pressed against the floor.

But I can speak now. That changes things.

Chapter 5

Nathaniel

She is exhausting. A truly wild wolf shifter. Getting her to follow orders is like drawing blood from a stone, and as for those teeth…

I had not expected this level of defiance—or to find it so compelling. That might be why I let my guard down. My arm still aches where she bit me, a dull, persistent reminder beneath my sleeve.

The Academy will handle her. Whatever rebellion remains in her will not survive long there. Yet, I had hoped to make more progress before delivering her—for her sake as much as mine.

I wonder how far she would push me. How far I would let her. It should have been satisfying, seeing her kneel before me. Instead, the sight of it sent a treacherous thrill through me, low and disquieting.

And unacceptable. Satisfaction, I could have allowed myself. This was something else, however, and I crushed it before it could take shape.

The important thing is that she yielded. She has been easier to manage ever since. She finally ate and drank, though not before twisting me around her little finger. I am not accustomed to being someone else’s food taster, yet she would not touch a single thing until I had taken the first bite. It ought to have annoyed me, but I approved of her caution, and it felt less like forcing my charge to eat and more like sharing a meal with her. I nearly remarked upon it, if only to see what expression it put on her face, but I thought better of it.

Now she sits in silence, her demeanour suspiciously agreeable and bordering on pleasant. I do not trust it in the slightest.

“Shall we get to know each other better?” I suggest, lounging back with my arm draped over the backrest.

“Yes, I’d like that,” she replies, smiling ever so politely. “Right after you remove my collar.”

I huff a laugh. “I think not.”

Her smile fades.

“Take it as a compliment,” I add. “I won’t risk you shifting again. You’ve succeeded in complicating my evening rather spectacularly.”

“I’ve complicated your evening?” she exclaims, her calm vanishing as outrage flares to life. Something in my chest heats in answer, yearning to match it. “It was your trap!”

“On the contrary, it was no trap. I was at the Academy when you breached the clearing. I was settling down by the fire with a good book and a fine wine when Barbara alerted me to your presence—”

“Alerted? How?”

I smirk. “Why, with magic, of course.”

“The portal?” she prompts.

“Possibly,” I say, picking at an imaginary fleck of lint on my lapel. She guessed correctly, but knowing that won’t improve her circumstances. “You know, I’m rather surprised you found your way into the cottage. Impressed, even. Care to explain how you managed it?”

“I suppose I just walked in,” she says with a shrug.

“You suppose,” I repeat sceptically.

“Yes.”