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I had called Cass my boyfriend just the night before. But something about the way the Prince said “boyfriend” made me bristle.
“We don’t agree on this particular issue,” I replied.
“I’ve heard that you have shown some aptitude for shielding,” he continued to press.
I had thought about it over and over again. How Stefan had lunged for me. How he had been inches from me. I should have felt his hands wrap around my arm, but instead, he had fallen back,hard, like he had run into a wall, an invisible wall…a shield. But I had only told Luke, and maybe Rhett, about what had really happened with Stefan that day. Not even Cass knew.
“How did you hear about that?” I asked, too curious to be irritated.
“How do you think Jay was able to get to House Mouchard so quickly and search for that piece of filth?” the Prince said, answering my question with his own.
I knew the Prince had traveled himself and Jay to House Mouchard that day. They had been the ones who discovered Stefan and Lila Tragon were missing. I didnotwant to talk about Stefan.
“Then tell me how Cass came to get his wings,” he ordered casually, seeing that I was not going to offer more on that subject.
He didn’t raise his voice. He barely showed any emotion at all around me except for the occasional slight amusement at the irritation I couldn’t seem to hide around him. He had the kind of commanding presence where he didn’t need to yell or try to intimidate. His bulky, carved physique, too big to be pure high fae, was intimidating enough, especially when combined with his cool command, which came from the certainty ofknowinghis orders were going to be followed.
I calmed myself, reminding myself that this was my first day on my new job. Maybe the Prince’s demeanor was some way to throw me off, to test me. If that was the case, then I had probably failed. I had definitely let him get to me. But what he was asking was a bit of a personal story, especially to tell the Prince of Valencia, who had done nothing but act like a prick since the first time I had spoken to him.
“Cass and I went hiking. He got his wings. Then he flew us home,” I replied succinctly.
A muscle in the Prince’s broad jaw fluttered, and I felt a small sense of satisfaction rise in me at managing to irritate him as much as he irritated me.
“And what wereyoudoing when Cass got his wings?” he asked.
He pulled a red apple out of a dark shadow to his side and took a big bite, waiting for my response. I stared, wondering where the apple had come from. He threw the half-eaten piece of fruit up in the air next to him and it disappeared into darkness again.
Show off.
“You might as well cut to the chase, princess. You won’t leave here today until I know the full story,” he said.
“That’s not my name,” I replied crossly.
“Then whatisyour name?” he spat. “Alarie? Mandy? Al? Any of the names your throng of little lordlings call you?”
I pursed my lips into a straight line, thinking of all the names the men in my life called me. He was awfully informed about my personal life already.
“I don’t care. Call me whatever you want,” I retorted. “You can call me sugar tits for all I care.”
I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth. I was failing miserably at maintaining the High Court mask I had perfected over the last year. Already, my potty mouth was showing. Something about the Prince galled me. He stepped closer to me, purposefully staring down at my breasts with an appreciative gaze.
“You don’t seem that sweet to me,” he mused, rolling the words around in his sensual mouth, aglimmer of amusement crossing his face.
“So just tell me,” he demanded, all signs of amusement gone. “What were you doing with Cass,princess?” he added.
I huffed out a resigned sigh. “I was underneath him.”
He looked at me expectantly, waiting for more detail.
“I was naked. We were, ya know, in the middle of doing somestuff,” I said generically.
“And his wings appeared before, during, after?” the Prince asked, not missing a beat.
“You want the blow-by-blow detail?” I asked sarcastically.
“Yes,” he answered crisply.
I breathed a big, beleaguered breath.
