The fae male frowns. ‘Come, my lady. I had to loiter around that human village for ages for her to appear,’ he complains. ‘But I persevered for your pleasure.’
Fiana rolls her eyes. ‘You wouldn’t have had to if you hadn’t tried to keep her for yourself at the beginning.’
‘I’d never truly have kept her from you!’ Warrior grins at her and then turns, hitting me across the face with a speed that has me reeling.
I stagger back and hear him yowl as he trips over his own feet, falling heavily to the floor in a heap.
Fiana’s tinkling laugh makes me cringe.
'Delicious,' she murmurs as he stands, rubbing his shoulder where he struck it on the stone. ‘But how do I know that you didn’t do that by design? You’re quite the charlatan when you want to be.’
‘Never to you, my lady Fiana,’ Warrior gasps out, looking affronted.
Fiana purses her lips, clearly not believing him. She stands again and approaches me.
'How fortuitous for me,' she says quietly to me, 'that you returned to the village from Kitore when you did.'
'I don't understand,' I say, my hand still on my smarting cheek, hoping she tells me something useful, like who her informant is.
'Of course you wouldn't, silly little human.'
She taps me on the nose gently with one dainty finger, and then her hand caresses down my throat, promising violence but not delivering it just yet.
‘Let’s see how it works, shall we? Bring Tally to me.’
A guard I hadn’t noticed leaves his post by the door and returns a moment later with the human man dressed in a gold cloth around his waist in tow, the one who was feeding Fiana in her hall.
‘Tally, I want you to take this girl, bend her over my desk, and fuck her. Will you do that for me, pet?’
He bows as I take a step back, my heart racing.
He lurches toward me, grabbing me and thrusting me in front of him. He’s strong and his smirk makes my blood run cold. He reminds me of the bulls in that place in Dead City, who tried to breed me in Warrior’s little game.
I turn, balling my fist, and strike him hard in the face.
He lets out a grunt, a look of shock passing over his features before they harden at Fiana’s answering laugh.
‘Come now, Tally, you won’t be bested by this slip of a girl, will you?’
Tally’s jaw ticks and he grabs the hand that hit him, pulling it behind my back as he propels me to the desk. He pushes me over it, holding me with a massive hand over my head so that I can’t move.
I squeal, struggling hard as his hand raises my dress, baring my lower half to the room. I hear him spit into his hand and then feel him touch me. I grit my teeth. He hasn’t hurt me! I need something to happen.
NOW!
A large bird flies through the open window without warning, squawking and flapping, and I hear Tally yell as it goes right for him. His hand releases me and I slither to the floor under the beating of frenzied wings, crawling under the desk as feathers fly through the room, and the human man wails loudly.
Fiana and Warrior simply watch, the fae female in fascination, as the raptor rips at her slave’s face with its sharp talons.
And then it hops to the windowsill and jumps off, spreading its wings and soaring away as if it had never been there, leaving Tally a groaning mess on the floor.
‘Tally, get up.’ Fiana snaps quietly, and the human does as he’s told, his bloody hands covering his face as he snivels.
‘Show me.’
Tally hesitates for a moment but lowers his hands. Fiana’s clearly amused giggle makes me remember all the times the masters hurt me, the other humans I knew, for their own diversions. I swallow hard.
‘Oh dear, Tally. Not so pretty anymore.’
