As if reading my mind, Cinder’s eyes widen, pupils dilating with a fresh wave of desire. I’m not alone in this strange, exhilarating dance of wills and wants.
Taking advantage of her shift in mood, I lean against the doorframe to her bedroom, forcing her to look up at me. Cinder’s arousal and blood sing to me in delicious notes, and my fangs lengthen a little. Her mouth is perfectly poised for me to dip down and plunder.
“So are you going to let me in?” I ask in a low voice.
Her breathing turns shallow as her gaze slowly drops to my lips.
Oh yes, my little tattooed treat. Let me in and I’ll show you all I want to do to you with my tongue.
“Unless you get fang extraction, that would be a no.”
Her bedroom door slams in my face. My hips jerk back only in time to not get slammed in my vulnerable protruding state.
Witchtits.
“Can I at least get those panties back?” I call through the door with a hopeful lilt. “No need to wash them, I’ll take them as is.”
A whistle catches my attention. Down the hall, I’m heralded by a vampire who, by all rights, should not be here.
I stalk toward the skinny vamp in a red shirt and green cap. “What the fuck are you doing here, Jack?” I glance wildly about to see if anyone else is around. “I should have never shown you the secret passage in and out of here,” I grouse.
Jack’s serious face is rough with stubble and his hair is limp and dirty. The scent of sweat mixed with dirt clings to Jack's body, as if he hasn't had a chance to properly clean himself in days. He’s as out of place in this grand hallway as a child's fingerpainting over a masterpiece.
Not that I care about his fashion sense. Grabbing his arm, I haul him into my bedroom and shut the door behind us.
“If you get caught?—”
“I won’t,” he grits through his teeth. “I made sure.”
Walking to the window, I lift the edge of the curtain to see if the guards are scrambling on the grounds to catch an intruder. It all seems calm, but I’ve lost my cool.
“What are you doing here?” I ask again. “I sent a note.”
Jack shakes his head. “I had to come see you. There’s a lot of talk.”
I’ll bet there is.
“That’s what I was hoping for,” I say dryly. “Do they believe me now?”
Jack holds his hat in his hand and shifts his weight from one leg to the other.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” I say, scrubbing a hand through my hair. Realizing I still have the damn gloves on to cover up my tattoos, I peel them off with an almost violent fervor. “What do I have to do to prove to the Mice that I am serious? That I want the King off the throne as much as them?”
Jack scowls. “It’s not that simple.”
Of course it’s not. The rebellion has been running so far underground, they are known as Mice. No matter how many times my father or the kingdom has tried to exterminate their presence there is always another creeping out from a crack in the wall.
Despite my ire, I know the only reason their network has stayed active is because they have been so careful about who they trust. The son of the fairy King they hate the most is definitely not at the top of that list.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I relax into the mode that can handle bone-crushing pressure. “I took a human for my bride. Doesn’t that count for something?” Despite my attempt to be at ease, I can hear the ice in my own words.
Jack’s brows drop over his eyes. “There are still questions.”
“Questions?” I draw out.
“She is the daughter of the King’s favorite familiar.”
“For cripes sake.” I throw my head back in frustration. “That’s the only way I could get away with such a move. Had I tried to propose to a human servant under thrall, do you think I could have gotten away with it? No. She’s the only human that could get in under the line and even just barely at that.”
