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“For now,” he says as he helps me into the carriage and sits down beside me. “The bond has been created, but it must be accepted by both parties for it to truly take hold upon us. I accepted it as soon as it was created. You, obviously, did not. Still, I feel our bond as strongly as if you did.” There’s a hint of disappointment in his tone.
“So I’m not affected by this bond yet?” I ask, trying to ignore how warm I feel sitting beside him, and how that warmth continues to dip lower.
“You are.” He kisses the top of my head as Castor settles opposite us. “It’s just not as strong as it would be if you accepted it.”
“Why are you telling me this? You know I’ll just run away. You told me I won’t be in pain if I go back to my family.”
“I will not let you leave, little butterfly,” he chuckles. “No matter how much you beg.”
“I won’t beg. I’ll just leave.” Tonight. I’ll run away while Lux is sleeping.
He shakes his head. “Your ankle is twice the size it was this morning. You’re not going anywhere, sweetheart.”
“Unless you fancy crawling,” Castor adds as I blush. “Though I’ll admit I would find watching that very appealing.”
I scowl at him, trying not to show how awful my ankle feels every time the carriage goes over a bump. I’ll crawl if I have to. I’ll drag myself all the way to their stables until I can haul myself up on a horse if that’s what it takes.
Because half-fae or not, despite Lux telling me he cares for me, I can’t shake the feeling that the prince beside me is far more dangerous than his honeyed voice would ever lead an idiot princess like me to believe.
And if he saw no issue with tricking me into this ‘faerie bond’, then what else is he capable of doing to me?
Or perhaps, even worse, what else has he already done?
17
EDEN
Prince Lux lowers me onto my floral bedsheets as if I’m made of glass, and when the healer prods my ankle too roughly, he looks as if he wants to launch the bumbling man across the room. Instead, the healer hurries off, muttering something about needing to mix up some herbs, and I’m left alone with the two now-seething princes.
“I’ll request for a different healer next time.” Castor leans against the wall.
“Yes.” Lux glares at my door. “Make sure they’re female. I won’t have another man touching my mate.”
“Of course.” Castor shoots me a filthy wink. I suppose whatever magic Lux cast on me isn’t enough to scare his awful brother away.
“How are you feeling?” Lux asks me as I flinch. “The old fool didn’t hurt you too much, did he?”
“I’m fine. It doesn’t ache any more than it did before.” It does, but I’d rather not see that healer punished because of me.
“Good.” Lux nods before heading towards the door. “I’m afraid I have to leave you for a few hours now, Eden. You must forgive me.”
“What? Why?” I sit up before I catch myself. Lux smiles at my reaction. “I mean, that’s fine. You can both go. I’ll sleep.”
“Castor will watch over you,” he says softly. “I won’t go far. I’ll be just down the hall.”
My stomach sinks, and I decide it must be the ‘bond’ messing with me. That, and the fact that I’ll be left alone with Castor. “He doesn’t need to stay,” I argue. “I really would rather sleep alone.”
“Nice try, Eden,” Castor chuckles. “But I’ll be here.” He saunters over to the chair by my sewing machine and plants himself down. “Your mate will be in good hands with me.” He grins at Lux, who’s scowling as if he knows exactly what Castor means by ‘good hands’.
“Do not touch her while I’m gone,” he growls. “She needs rest.”
“Cross my heart.” Castor taps his chest. “Enjoy your day, brother. I will be in here, behaving myself and enjoying the view.” He gestures at me.
There’s a quiet, heated exchange of whispers between the two men, but I don’t listen as I flop down and pull the blanket over my face.
Eventually, the door shuts behind Lux, but I can still feel Castor’s gaze on me, even through the silky blanket. He didn’t hide his appreciation earlier when Lux forced me to remove my gown so I could rest in just my thin chemise.
Were it not for Lux’s glare, he probably would’ve slipped into bed beside me.
