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His muscles tightened and flexed. When I finally dipped between his thighs to where the sponge lay wedged, the back of my hand grazed something long and hard. His cock twitched. I smiled innocently. “Like this,Your Highness?” My fingers grazed the hardness of his length enjoying the way he pulsed and tensed.
If they wanted to play their faerie games with me, then I needed to show them that I could play them, too, and win. I was a faerie, too, even if they didn’t see me as such. I wasn’t one to shy away from a man’s touch. I enjoyed sex, and knew my way around a man’s body. I just needed to keep my head clear and remain focused. Maybe if they found me useful, I could inch my way into their good graces. Maybe I could find a way to have some semblance of freedom in Faerie.
“Perhaps you can forget the sponge and use your hands instead,” he suggested. Licking his lips, his eyes flared just a bit brighter.
Grabbing the sponge, I resumed washing him without entertaining his taunting. He was tense, and he still watched me, even as Haelo and Cadoc began a separate conversation between the two of them. They were discussing the hunt they’d just returned from, chasing down some poor soul from the primal court who hadn’t been paying his gambling debts. I only listened halfheartedly. Making sure to scrub every single inch of Riven’s body.
When I was finished, I discarded the sponge, picking up the bucket of water to get rid of it…only I didn't know how or where. Sensing my confusion, Haelo paused mid-sentence and snapped his fingers. The water rippled and when I looked down, it was brand new and freshly steaming. Grumbling under my breath about the laziness of faerie magic, I made my way toward the pale-haired prince.
"I'm afraid I'm already squeaky clean.” He gestured to himself, and sure enough, there wasn’t a speck of blood anywhere, just unblemished skin dripping with steaming water droplets. The ends of his long hair were wet, turning a darker silver color. “Though my skinisfeeling a bit dry now. Why don’t you be a good pet and fetch that bottle over there. The glass one with the petals." I followed his gesture towards the small table topped with glass vials and bottles. I plucked up a corked bottle with clear liquid, opening it as I returned to his side. The oil smelled like roses.
As I turned back around, I blinked at Haelo in shock, realizing he was no longer sitting in the pool. He was laid out naked across an emerald green velvet chaise that seemingly materialized out of nowhere. Either that or I just failed to notice it earlier. His head was propped on a pillow, his arms folded under his chin. I stared at him in all his glory, utterly relaxed and without a care in the world. What a luxury it must be to be so in control.
"Work it in well," he instructed with a deep yawn. "I have a particular ache at the base of my spine that’s been bothering me for weeks.”
Erix, who lounged in a wingback chair sipping wine, was trying his hardest to keep his expression stoic.
“Sure. I’ll work it in…straight through to your fucking heart while I rip—”
“What was that?” Riven called out.
I stiffened. I thought I’d whispered the words low enough that they shouldn’t have heard, but… “I said right away,Your Highness.” My smile was so fake that I was surprised he didn’t call me on it immediately and force me to apologize. On my knees. Probably naked.
I applied a drop of oil onto my palm, warm to the touch. Haelo moaned deeply when I pushed in on the tight muscles under his shoulder, letting the oil seep into his skin, taking my time as I rubbed it in small circles to massage every inch.
"Fuck, Princess…" he moaned, smooth and deep.
Haelo was perfect. Even the scars that sliced through his skin, just like Cadoc. They were brothers, possibly twins aside from their hair color, so they must have seen the same violent history together.
The Wild Hunt was centuries old, and in the human world, more of a myth than anything. They were the shadows that raced through the woods and answered your call when you screamed for your life. They were the wraiths in the night that snatched you from your bed and dragged you away. I supposed I should be grateful that I wasn’t among those hanging in cages from the tree branches.
I thought about what Drystan was doing right this moment. Was he alright? Was he safe? Did he remember what I told him in the moments before my desperate escape? I liked to imagine he found Neera and Zephyr, or even Dane. He had to know that all of this was for him.
"Is this what my life is now?" I asked after making my way down his now very shiny, oil slicked back. Silence met my question, so I continued. “I’ve never heard of the auction house before. I guess I never really thought enough about what happened to the ones that were taken…” I was rambling. Speaking my thoughts out loud as if they had any interest in hearing them.
“You know, some faeries would slit your pretty throat for the chance to be in your position right now. I’ve seen it happen before. They clamor to be close to us, and yet, you try so hard to fight it. Your position here is entirely temporary. After bidding day, who knows where you’ll end up.”
“Somehow, I doubt that,” I said dryly, pushing down even harder into his muscle, oil slicking under my fingertips. “Fear and adoration are two completely separate emotions. I guess an all-powerful faerie prince might not understand the vast difference between the two.”
Haelo froze, his body going taut. I knew right then that I’d spoken out of line because he pivoted on the chaise. I backed up, my knees rolling painfully on the floor. His bright eyes took me in, unsettling and too knowing. “Do you have the faintest idea who I am?”
I stood to my feet, trying not to let my hands shake or my knees wobble. “You’re a prince of the Hunt,” I said flatly, as if there was anyone alive who wouldn’t know who he was on sight. “Once upon a time, you were arealprince. But that was before my time.”
“That’s right, and what does that make me?” He placed a hand on the curve of my hip and pulled me toward him. I sucked in a breath as I moved closer, coming to a stop between his parted thighs, trying not to stare down at his cock. His words were slow, as if talking to a simpleton. Irritation swelled within me.
Luckily, Cadoc cut in before Haelo could reprimand me for staying silent. “It means we have the blood of gods in our veins. It means we’re immortal in the truest sense of the word. You’ve never met a faerie more powerful than the ones in this room. You’re lucky we’ve chosen to give you a roof over your head instead of mounting yours to it.”
“Simmer down, brother, she’s just curious,” Haelo said with a smirk at Cadoc, who was still glaring at me. “Isn’t that right? You want to know what we have planned for you now that you're ours?” His thumb made small circles on my hip, and the warmth of his palm had sweat beading on my skin.
Ours…
I was no longer my own person, but a slave. A concubine. No matter how many times I repeated it to myself, I knew I’d never get used to the thought. I met Haelo’s eyes, letting him see the acceptance in mine, but before I could speak, he gestured to his torso, raising his chin high and giving me a wink.
Gritting my teeth, I moved out of his hold and poured some more oil into my palm before returning to my spot between his parted thighs. The position was too intimate, and I could smell his scent like a cloud around me.
“Is it so wrong for me to be concerned about my own future? I’m a faerie, too, in case you decided to forget that. That means I won’t have a mortal lifespan. If my centuries are going to be spent on my knees serving you, I think I have a right to ask questions.”
He raised a brow at my choice of words and I cursed myself internally. Heat flared in my cheeks, and I couldn’t help but flit my attention downward, where his cock was visibly hard against his thigh. My mouth watered at the sight of him.
