“Lu, Loren will be back soon. Maybe you should come back, or you can wait on the porch until then,” I respond, walking closer to the door.
“But see, I want to speak to you alone.”
Of course, she did. “Well, I can hear you just fine through the door.”
Silence. Was she going to try to knock this door down? Could she?
“But I want to see you. I will not harm you. You are Loren’s property, and he is my friend. I simply want to know more about who he has risked so much to capture. I need to protect him.”
I bet she did. I walked back to the kitchen and grabbed a large knife from the drawer. Holding it behind my back, I walked to the door. I really needed Luca to be home soon. I did not want to have to stab a random faerie. I would, though.
I opened the door a crack and faced a tall woman staring down at me with an icy smile. She was over six feet tall, with pale skin as smooth as glass. Her long, dark green hair hung to her ass in loose waves. Her eyes were orange orbs, no pupils or whites. Beneath her black corset top and wide-leg black trousers, I could see a muscular body. She was intimidatingly gorgeous. And scary.
I knew this bitch. She was the one who captured me and knocked me out. I gripped my knife tighter and contemplated risking it all and stabbing her.
She assessed me with those light-beam eyes, and I felt a bit small and inadequate under her snobby gaze. “I’ve seen you before. You’re the ice faerie we captured. What is your name?” She said it more as a demand than a question.
I wanted to be a smart ass, but I wasn’t in the best position to make enemies and get Luca in trouble. I flashed my teeth in a combination of a grimace and smile. “I’m Lila. And you?”
“Olivia. I am very close to Loren and heard tales of him taking a Prinathian faerie to his house to use personally.”
I really despised how she framed things.
She narrowed her eyes, leaning forward slightly. “It’s not uncommon to do, but he’s never done that before. I figure you must be special. I’m sure you’re having a wonderful time with him. He is fun.”
I could feel a growl rising from my chest. What the hell was wrong with me? This was not my man, and he had every right to hook up with women whenever he chose. Hell, for all I knew, I was the other woman that got in the way. If she was icy to me, I didn’t blame her. At least, that was what my logical head was saying. My body, however, was still rumbling with annoyance.
“I’m not his sex slave.”
She sniffed the air. “You’re his cook then?”
She reached over and ran a finger over my curls like I was some animal she could touch at a petting zoo. “Don’t get too comfortable here. We can sample and borrow, but we can’t keep unless given special permission. Loren killed three prisoners to grab you. I hope you are showing him thanks, but his saving you was only momentary.”
I gave her a curt nod, not wanting to continue this discussion. “Thanks for the warning. I’ll make the best of it then. Goodbye,” I replied before closing the door.
She stuck her foot in the opening, preventing me from shutting the door. “You Prinath are always so arrogant. Even as prisoners. Your time here won’t be easy, and you’ll know your place sooner rather than later.”
I shrugged. “Okay.”
Olivia sneered at me and pushed the door open with such force that I stumbled back. She took a step inside the house, her face twisted in a mask of annoyance. “You should be scared, you Prinath scum.”
This bitch. She was really testing my patience for the day. I was trying to be as nonconfrontational as possible, but she was making it difficult. “What is it that you want from me? Are you jealous or something? Mad that he’s here with me instead of you? Did I take your place?”
She appeared in front of me in one blink, grabbing my left wrist and bending my arm back so far that I was sure it would snap if she continued. I winced, hunching forward in pain. She wasn’t about to break my arm. I pointed my knife at her throat. “Let go of me, you Nodoorian bitch.”
When the knife was out, there was no longer any point in playing nice.
She smirked at me and grabbed the knife by the blade before ripping it out of my hand and tossing it across the floor. She didn’t even flinch as the knife bit into her skin. These unseelie fae were hardcore.
She reached out her hand and grabbed me by the throat, digging her sharp nails into my skin. I grabbed her hand, but the bitch was stupid strong.
“I can’t wait until we wipe out all of you Prinath. We have an ally that will annihilate you. That’s how we got away with kidnapping you. You will lose this fight because you’re too stuck up your own asses to see your weaknesses. The only reason I’m letting you live is because of Loren. He will tire of you, and I will be right back here. There is no good outcome for you. Remember that.”
Her orange eyes widened, and she let go of my throat, pushing me backwards. I touched my neck and winced at the cuts on my skin. Before I could decide whether reaching for the knife and making another go at her was a wise idea, I looked up to see Luca standing at the door, his ocean-colored eyes filled with rage.
“What the hell!” he bellowed.
Olivia was clearly affected because her eyebrows raised, and she spun around, hands behind her back in a defenseless pose. “Just teaching this Prinathian prisoner her place. I think your playtime is over, and you should send her back. She is getting too comfortable.”
