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“Well, show me what you can do with your mouth void of magic, little human. Can you raise the dead?” he chuckled, though somewhat somberly.
I cleared my throat, hugging my arms tighter. “I have never done what you’re telling me to do.”
His brow ridges shot up in surprise. “Never?”
I shook my head.
“Are you a virgin?” He blinked at me incredulously.
I nodded. Kyllen and I hadn’t made it that far… Taking a deep breath, I shoved away the dark feeling of loss that thinking about Kyllen threatened to plunge me into again.
“I believe I could be much more useful to you in other ways,” I suggested.
“Like what?” The king now looked exhausted. And bored.
“I can offer you something more interesting than my body. Something more engaging that would entertain you far longer.” His brow twitched. Was he intrigued? “I can tell you a story.”
“A story?” he scoffed, grabbing his goblet from the table again. “What could you possibly tell that would entertain someone like me? I’ve commanded the world’s most victorious armies, forced powerful men to bow to me, known the pleasure of the most beautiful women of every kingdom in Nerifir.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, considering my options. Negotiating with the king was a gamble. But what did I have to lose? There was always the option to die. No one could take that from me. I gambled for one more day to live.
“The story I’m going to tell you isn’t epic. But it may make you smile. Your mind will rest while you listen. And it may help you fall asleep without numbing yourself with wine.” I tipped my chin at the goblet in his fingers.
He flexed his hand, his mouth turning into a thin, hard line. His stare rested on me, pressing on me heavily.
I refused the king. I poked his ego. Maybe I deserved to die for that, but I waited to see what he’d do.
His senties flared into a halo around his head…then rested upon his wide shoulders.
“What is it about? The story that you think is worthy of my attention?” There was a clear interest in his voice this time, and I ventured to take a longer breath.
The king shifted in his chair, yanking his robe closed to conceal his undone pants and his motionless member.
Emboldened, I reached for the knitted orange-and-green throw that was folded over one of the armrests of his chair. “May I, please? If you’re not using it.”
He lifted his arm, staring at the throw as if seeing it for the first time. Frowning, he took it off the armrest, then handed it to me.
Turning away from him, I unfolded the blanket, then quickly wrapped it around my practically naked body. Reaching inside, I discreetly yanked the silly clamps off my nipples and tucked the chain with them in my belt.
“Ahhh.” I turned to face the king again. “This feels much better.” I gave him a smile in response to his curious stare.
“Well, what do you know?” he muttered under his breath. “She can smile.”
His brow was furrowed, but he didn’t seem upset. He looked…expectant.
I sat back on my heels, snuggling into the soft blanket.
“I’ll tell you a story about a little boy,” I said. My voice shook, but I steadied it. “The boy was born and raised in a palace, but his mischievous nature often got him in trouble. It also led him to many adventures. Tonight, I’ll tell you about the time when the boy snuck out of his bedroom, climbed down the great royal tree of his father’s palace—”
“It’s impossible,” the king interrupted with a growl. “The great royal tree trunk is too smooth and way too wide to climb.”
“Oh, but the little boy was nimble as a monkey. He often skipped his classroom lessons to the chagrin of his parents and tutors, but he was smart in other ways. You see, he never agreed with the bedtime his parents set for him. So, he figured out a system that allowed him to escape even the highest room in his father’s palace. He practiced it every night—”
“What kind of system?” the king interrupted. “Because unless he had the arborist equipment, with all the ropes and pulleys…”
I pursed my lips, pinning him with a glare. “Who is telling the story, you or me?”
He blinked, raising both eyebrow ridges at my audacity—I dared reprimand the king. He could order me beheaded if he wished.
Having nothing to lose, however, gave me courage. I held his stare until he snorted a laugh with a shake of his head.
“Fine. What happened next?”
“Well…” I continued.
Back at the menagerie, Kyllen’s stories had given a reprieve to both Kyllen and me. To me, they had held everything new and exciting in my dull life of mind-numbing labor. To him, they were a distraction from the despair of his imprisonment.
Now, telling one of his stories helped me survive the night. I still had a body made of flesh, not of stone. For a human in Lorsan, that alone was an accomplishment.
* * *
