“It matches your eyes,” he tells me, his fingers sliding down the front of the gown in such an intimate way that I find myself shivering from the thought of his hands against my body.
What is wrong with me? Was the soup actually poisoned with stupidity? Get a grip, Bella!
He hands it to me then, and the fabric alone has me rubbing the sleek feel of it between my fingertips. I’ve never worn something so gorgeous. I was a mess my last two years of school. After the Sand Man incident, I didn’t try anymore. I secluded myself. I didn’t make friends, and I definitely didn’t attend prom.
What does it feel like to be the girl in the pretty dress? To have the guy gaze at you like you’re a princess come to life?
A gaze... that’s nothing like the hungry look Synder is sending my way as he leans against the table, arms crossed, waiting.
“Turn around.” I lift my head high at the demand. He cocks his head in confrontation.
“Why? Think I might see something I haven’t already?” His long fingers tap against his bicep, and I want to punch his pretty face until that cruel smile finally fades away.
My lips purse, but before I can release the pent-up anger on my tongue, his smirk parts with a long, melodious laugh. And then he turns around, facing the door rather casually.
He listened to me. Should I sneak back to my bedroom at the castle for a Reality Ripper? Maybe that will fix all this weirdness between the two of us.
I rush as I undress. It’s a race to shove out of my leggings. It’s almost like I’m afraid he’ll change his mind last minute, and I’ll find myself trying to fight him in just my underwear.
Again.
But he doesn’t attack me. He doesn’t peek over his shoulder or make me uncomfortable at all, really.
“I’m not a spy, by the way.” His voice carries along the walls, and I look up as I’m stepping into the puddle of pretty material at my feet.
“What?”
“You were suspicious of the information I have on the Fae Kingdom. I’m not a spy.”
“Oh,” I say. Because what can I do but wait for more? It’s like he feeds me. He’s giving me little pieces of this broken, psychotic man, and all I want is to have all the jagged parts all gathered up in my arms to keep safe from anyone else.
“My mother is Fae. So are my brothers. They send me messages every day. Even when I don’t reply.”
Why wouldn’t he reply?
“What do the messages say?” I ask, my arms sliding into the fine jade lace.
His throat clears harshly. Seconds pass in the dimly lit room, accompanied only by the heavy tapping of the rain.
“They say they’ve heard the rumors of the great darkness that’s coming. It has made them anxious. They say the Fae won’t hesitate to strike The Kingdom of Carnal down if Leavon marries.”
“Why?’ I breathe out.
“Because Carnal was once on the brink of prosperity. A Dragon King far stronger than Leavon was rebuilding what centuries of poverty had destroyed.” His head shakes hard. “Poverty kills. Enough time has passed to show that our race is dwindling, hanging by a thread. The Fae hope that thread snaps. And then they won’t have to think about the tainted race of Monsters they abandoned to this island such a long time ago.”
I’m blinking at his lithe silhouette. The hurt in his tone is rawer than I’ve ever heard. The Fae are his family. And they’re not kind to him.
“Um—” I pause with uncertainty, and he peers just slightly over his shoulder at me. “Could you lace up the back?” I nod toward the back of the heavy gown that’s hanging loosely at my shoulders.
Starry eyes take me in for a long, drawn-out moment. My thighs shift from the heat of his stare. My heartbeat storming in my chest doesn’t sound like the weak heart my mother always warned me about.
It sounds powerful and demanding.
I turn as he crosses the room, and anticipation thrums all through me. Seconds pass with the firelight dancing across the wall.
Still he doesn’t touch me.
I’ve never wanted to feel someone’s hands on my body as much as I do right now.