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My tailor clears his throat. “My lady, do you have a, uh, more suitable gown you might be able to wear while we’re preparing your other garments?”
I look down at my clothes. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Not a thing,” Prince Cobar says smoothly. “You look more beautiful than any woman I’ve seen in my life, and I’ve seen the finest women from the four kingdoms.”
Lifting a brow, I study him. “You know flattery won’t get you anywhere.”
He smirks. “We’ll see.”
The tailor rises from measuring my legs. “Prince Sulien simply suggested that it’d be… good to give you something to wear for now, so I’ve placed a few gowns in the changing area, if you will.”
I bite my lip, debating about whether I should tell them all to go to hell followed by me simply stomping out of the room. But that’d be pointless. If things go as planned, I’m still going to marry Prince Sulien and have to get used to all of this, so why not start now?
“Alright,” I say.
Prince Cobar offers me his hand, and I reluctantly take it. But he surprises me by pulling me into his arms. I gasp, my hand on his chest, and our eyes meet. My heart races, and his smile falters as his gaze moves to my lips.
I jerk away from him, my legs feeling wobbly, as I head for the changing area. Ducking inside, I draw in several shaky breaths. I hate that I’m this woman, like all the others, charmed by the beautiful fae princes. I thought I was better than that, but it’s like everything changed the night of the ball, and now I can’t seem to escape them, both in real life, and in my thoughts.
“Do you like the choices I left you?” the tailor asks.
Right, the dresses.I turn looking away from the changing screen and see half a dozen dresses hanging from the wall. Most are far too fancy for me. One is covered in feathers. Another in gems. A third looks so low-cut in the front that I’m sure my boobs would be popping out left and right. The dress on the end, however, is a blue-green color that reminds me of my eyes. It’s simple. Short sleeves, silver along the bodice, and has a corset back.
When I touch the material, I sigh. It’s soft. Criminally soft, and now I desperately want to wear it.
I struggle out of my dress, hanging it from one of the hooks, and then slip into the dress. I’m not sure how it looks, but it feels divine. Unfortunately, I can’t tie the back.
“Uh, can I get a little help?” I ask.
In seconds, someone is behind me, and I shift my hair over my shoulder to give them better access to pull the laces tighter and tie it. The person’s touch is light and gentle, and I find it strange to need someone’s help to dress, but I guess this is my life now. Fancy, soft dresses and servants tying my clothes.
“It’s beautiful.”
I whirl around and find Prince Cobar there, staring down at me, and my heart leaps into my throat. “You shouldn’t be in here.”
He doesn’t smile. “I know, but I couldn’t help it.” His gaze heats as it moves over my dress, and then he reaches out and strokes the fabric at my stomach. “It’s soft. Like you.”
I snort and speak without thinking. “I’m not soft, you are.”
He raises a brow. “Cassia, one thing you’ll learn about me is that I’m never soft around you. Want to check?”
My jaw drops open, and despite my best intentions, my gaze moves lower. Sure enough, the bastard is hard and ready to go. I wonder if he’d be this eager if he knew I was only a human, a human who tricked him with a potion. That big dick of his would be limp as a noodle before I even finished my explanation.
“Soft or hard,” I tell him slowly. “It doesn’t matter to me, because you won’t be getting anywhere near me with that thing.”
He tosses back his head and laughs. “How long are we going to play this game, my little mate? Just crawl into my bed. That’s where you’ll be from now on anyway.”
It’s irritating. These men. They think they want me as a wife because of a spell, and they think they don’t need to work at all to earn my heart because I’m their mate. But even then, shouldn’t I deserve better? Is this how they’d really treat their mate?
I shove him a little, and either he was off-blance, or my action completely caught him off-guard, because he stumbles back into the changing screen, and it goes toppling down. My cheeks heat as I see the tailor and the servant staring open mouthed at us, but I can’t take the time to care.
“Don’t follow me!” I say, pointing at Prince Cobar.
Then, I storm away, disappearing out into the hall… where I run smack into a big body. My gaze moves up, and Prince Zane is there. His eyes wide with surprise.
“Cassia, my lady.” He bows, then rights himself, still too close to me.
I step back, then around him, racing down the hall, to who the hell knows where. Unfortunately for me, he has much longer legs, so he manages to match my stride with ease. Several times I glare over at him, but he doesn’t seem to notice, just keeps pace with me.
