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“Take her to court and see what she’s made of. My girls will be delighted. She has the kind of flesh ripe for the picking, but there’s energy in her to resist. I’m curious to see if she wins against them or if they will tear her to shreds.”
Sapphire tensed, her polite expression gone. Klaus spoke before she could answer.
“No, you may not take her nor play with her. Your lovers can find other forms of entertainment, Seneco. My bride isn’t one of them.”
Seneco hummed. The sound had his hair standing on end, and the other guests shared the sentiment as they stirred into defense mode. Then the Fae blinked and the trance was gone as Seneco trailed back to his table with a nod and a cloud of sparkles.
“What was that?” she blurted out, incredulous.
“The maniacal part rearing its head. I find it’s much easier to pretend it doesn’t exist and respond as if it’s a normal conversation. Last one.”
And the last one had just arrived, ignoring all the other guests and marching straight for the platform. It took every ounce of his willpower not to react to this one’s presence, which reeked of self-importance and victory. His fur coat was larger than Lia’s, stitched together from different hides that had Sapphire’s gaze narrowing.
“Klaus!” he bellowed, his voice a cheerful boom in the otherwise subdued atmosphere. “I would apologize for being late, but we both know that’s not true when I just finished the greatest hunt of my life.”
“Gunther,” Klaus greeted. “Congratulations on your hunt and it’s nice of you to make it.”
It wasn’t, especially when he knew what kind of hunt this man partook in. As if to cement his thoughts, Gunther patted his chest, where the coat stitching boasted a new patch of the spine-covered hide.
“Thanks. When I got the invitation, I thought it was a joke at first and I had to see for myself.” At that, the man turned to look at Sapphire. “A magic user, you say?”
“Yes.”
“I suppose you earn my congratulations for bagging yourself a powerful being. She’s not bad-looking, either, but I must say…what did it for you?” At Klaus’s continued look, Gunther leaned forward, lowering his voice so the rest of the guests wouldn’t hear. A mischievous glint arose in the man’s eyes. “Is it the stupendous sex? Does she scream when you rail into her? You know I can offer you more with my clan. I have just this girl who’s still not ripe with age and will be a good, obedient wife. She will also let you do whatever you want with her.”
“Gunther—”
“But if that’s too plain for you, there are others. We just discovered a clan housing slaves for entertainment and I can offer you a few. They will be reluctant about it at first but I’m sure you will find a way to get them to cooperate.”
His blood ran cold. His mind already jumped to a plan to find that clan and those slaves, which was why he didn’t realize that Sapphire was already speaking.
“You’re disgusting.”
Her voice matched the coldness inside him, but they also sparked with an energy that had the guests behind Gunther—who hadn’t heard a thing—perking up.
“I beg your pardon?” Gunther spoke up, unsure what he was hearing. Sapphire cleared her throat.
“I’m assuming you’re talking about offering an underage girl as well as sex slaves as a gift. In that case, you are a disgusting piece of—”
“That’s enough,” Klaus interrupted, voice louder than he had intended and filled with steel. Her spine snapped in shock as she reared back. “Gunther, thank you for coming and you may take a seat down there. Dessert will be served soon. Sapphire—”
“I’m not hungry.” She pushed off the table, but he placed his hand on her leg and squeezed. When she would have grabbed his wrist and twisted it off, he squeezed more firmly until blazing blue orbs were on him.
Don’t leave.
Indignation thrummed under his fingers, but her face didn’t show it. Her mouth clamped shut and the anger unfurled once more…but she stayed, giving in to his wordless pleading. Relieved, he turned back to Gunther, who had leaned back on his chair and was observing them with insolence.
“Klaus, are you going to let her speak to me that way?” he mused. “That kind of talk deserves a slap or two. Maybe even a higher form of punishment.”
The beast inside him rioted, wanting nothing more than to grab the man’s throat and tear it. Instead, he shook his head and masked his emotion.
“You were late to my ritual.”
“That doesn’t excuse her—”
“Any other dragon would take it as an insult and raze you on the spot.”
The amusement fled from Gunther’s expression when he registered Klaus’s response. Underneath his hand, he felt Sapphire braced for an attack. But after a long silence, Gunther reluctantly jerked his head.
