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“Need of me?” Her voice rose in disbelief. “What could you possibly need frommeof all people?”
Rush lifted his chin and looked down his nose at her. “For now, I need you not to make a nuisance of yourself.”
“You do realize this court originally belonged to my family, don’t you? I should be a princess here and I demand you take me home.”
“Whatshould beand whatisare two different things. Your family nearly brought this court to ruin and look at it now,thriving. Because of dragons. Because ofme. If you tell anyone who you are and where you’re from, I’ll bring your sisters here and lock them up in cages. Understand?”
Aura inhaled sharply but nodded.
A pair of guards—Tanix and Laird—rounded the curve of the garden. Rush flicked his gaze toward them, the guards accustomed to seeing him bare after a shift, and signaled them over with a nod. Tanix, the higher ranking of the two, was twice as wide as Laird, but what the younger man lacked in muscle, he had in height.
“Meet my new pet.” Rush purred, his stare pinned on Aura. Her mouth parted, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. While the guards were loyal to Rush, feared the dragon fire he would use on them if they betrayed their king, servants talked amongst themselves. It was best for everyone that they think she was his latest fuck. Just until he and Astor completed the spell needed for his revenge. “She’ll be entertaining me for now, doing a bit ofdamsel in distressroleplay. Show the little kitten to the room adjacent to mine and make sure she doesn’t escape. If she tries, strap her to the bed.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Laird said, and Tanix reached for Aura’s arm.
“Don’t touch me,” she snarled, stepping back to avoid him.
“There she goes, getting into character.” Rush chuckled. “If she doesn’t follow you willingly, you have my permission to use the rope. She likes to play rough.”
Aura threw him a scathing look. “If any of you lay a hand on me—”
“You’ll what?” Rush cooed. He waved a dismissive hand at the two guards and they each grabbed her by an arm. No one in the palace would ask Aura her name unless she or the king gave it—the staff knew better. He turned his back on them, walking away, as Aura shouted obscenities more colorful than he expected. He wasn’t sure which of them she thought was arutting bastard, but Rush suspected it was him. Loathing one another would make things easier.
Rush entered the palace and two of the servants eyed his naked form with lustful gazes. But he ignored them before navigating the halls while his mind was focused entirely on his plan. The most important element to creating his spell was now under control. A finishing touch was all that stood between him and casting it.
His feet were quiet against the dark stone steps leading to the cellar once he passed a door left ajar for him. A chill ran up his spine the farther he descended, pebbling his skin.Fuck.He should’ve spared a minute to grab trousers, but, instead, he knocked on the wooden door.
Astor opened it and a fireplace held a crackling flame, greeting Rush with a wall of heat. “You look rather smug. The mission was a success, I take it?” the shifter said as he walked to a long work table covered in various glass vials filled with potions of reds, greens, or blues. A few bubbled and fizzed while others stood still. He then ground a mortar and pestle together, prepping a concoction.
Rush lifted a stained apron from a hook on the wall and wrapped it around his waist. “Of course it was.” Sauntering across the room, he trailed his fingertips along a row of spell books on the wide shelves. He glanced toward the red velvet curtain hanging in the corner of the room, shielding his masterpiece from view.
“You can grab a princess from her wedding, but not a pair of trousers?” Astor grumbled.
Rush chuckled. “If you don’t like my ass, don’t look at it.”
“How did Aura react to you bringing her here?” Astor tapped the heavy stone pestle against the side of the mortar.
“Screamed at first.” If she was plotting an escape, Rush trusted his guards to thwart her plans and strap her to the bed.
Opening the lower doors of the cabinet, Rush pulled out a large, teardrop-shaped hookah. He gave the black glass a shake, the slight slosh of water still inside echoing.Fuck.It hadn’t been cleaned out after his last use. The flavor would be terrible now, but given the long day he’d had, Rush couldn’t bring himself to care.
“Already got a clean one packed and ready to go,” Astor told him with a smirk. “Figured you’d need it after the long travel.”
Flying for so long after fucking the night before.The trip back to Moonstone tested all of his physical limits, his joints aching, muscles humming from exertion, but it was worth it to fuck with Pax on his wedding day. Rush flopped down on the worn leather chaise where he slept on nights when his research went on too late.
“It’s right next to you.” Astor nodded toward the side table as he tapped grounded powder into a tin.
Rush groaned, leaning over to grab the blue glass. While his whole body ached, his mind raced with anticipation. There was so little left to do, to prepare, and for the first time in two years, it felt as if everything were within reach now that Aura was his. Settling back into the cushions, Rush released a long breath, a smile curling his lips.
“It’s ready,” Astor announced after an hour of brewing the potion.
The King of Sin allowed the hookah to fall from his hand as he pushed off the chaise. The hawk shifter held up a small tin container with a clear paste inside and Rush smiled. In two strides, he yanked the curtain back to expose the spinning wheel. He unfastened the spindle from the back and twirled it between his fingers.
“Hand me the potion to make her sleep,” he told Astor.
“Why? Once you cast the spell she’ll fall asleep anyway.”
“Because I’m not going to risk pricking myself when she fights me.” Rush took the tin from Astor and dipped the tip of the spindle into the concoction. “The kitten has claws.”
