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With strong, skillful arms, he lifted me from the floor.
Free from gravity, I wrapped my legs around his torso, my core pressing into his hardness, his pants, which I had admired mere seconds ago, now something I cursed. My hands shot to his waist. I fumbled with his belt, my touch too frantic, too heated, too desperate.
When I heard bootheels coming from the other side of the wall, I pulled my mouth from Von’s.
He growled at me—a big, sleek panther who had just lost his supper.
“Someone’s coming,” I said, panicked.
He lowered me to the floor, but he didn’t let me go. “The king’s advisor, I presume.”
“What?!” My eyes went wide. Lust withered, and reality bloomed—what was I doing? I was going to blow it again. I pushed against his solid chest. “You have to go. Now.”
As I pushed against his torso, my gaze fell to the random tattoo that had suddenly appeared on my arm after my last encounter with him. The bastard had a lot of explaining to do, but this wasn’t the time or the place.
“We will finish this later,” he stated, following my gaze.
“Oh, we definitely will,” I gritted, glaring holes into him.
He spared a glance at my sheer outfit before he vanished.
I blinked at the empty space.
People didn’t just evaporate . . .but something that wasn’t human might.
I shook my head, shoving the thought out. My hands moved to straighten the ridiculous fabric the madame had forced me to wear, but when my fingers touched it, it felt of silk, not lace. I glanced down and gasped. Ribboned around my frame was the black, silk lingerie I had chosen earlier tonight. Unlike the thin, flimsy fabric that filled me with discomfort, that showed too much of my body—this one was opaque, yet still sexy.
But I did not have time to mull over how my outfit had spontaneously changed or, more importantly, what kind of strange magic Von was using because the door swung open and in walked the advisor of the king.
Arkyn strode in, fully clothed, a sword sheathed on his left side, indicating he was righthanded. His tall, lithe body was saturated in the colors of the king—crimson and gold. His pleated jacket looked perfectly tailored, clutching his broad shoulders and cinching in at his narrow waist. A livery collar, a thick, gold chain, draped over his shoulders, dark gemstones evenly embedded throughout. They shimmered dutifully—rubies, I presumed. I could not fathom what something like that must cost, although I had a feeling it could fetch enough coin to bring indoor plumbing to every city, town, village,andlonesomehovel in Edenvale.
“My men are stationed outside the doors. I have instructed them not to allow anyone in or out,” Arkyn stated flatly, his lips pressed into a firm line. His fingers drifted over the pommel of his sword, massaging it as if it were his Curse—waiting, biding for release. “It would be in your best interest to cooperate with me. Am I understood?”
I nodded, feigning my best doe-eyed look. Meanwhile, I reached within, stroking my slumbering water beast—two could play this game.
“Good.” He gestured to the wicker chair beside me. “Please. Sit.”
The way he said it implied he was not asking, so I turned around and plopped in the chair, my shoulders slumping against the scratchy, worn wicker. He stood there in silence, studying me—my hair, my face. His eyes sharpened, and it felt like he was peering in, beyond the layers of my skin, like he was stripping them away to see what lurked beneath. I hated the feel of it. I wanted to slap it away, but I held my tongue as he conducted his search.
Curiosity flickered briefly across his face. The expression changed, shifted to satisfaction, as if he had just fished something out. He broke the silence. “What did you drug me with?”
My eyes narrowed.Shit.
I licked my lips. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Is that really how you want to play things tonight?” he asked, cocking his head to the side, arms crossing over his chest.
I didn’t know what to say, so I held firm in my silence.
“Fine. If you won’t tell me what you used, then you will tell me why,” he stated, his tone growing increasingly annoyed.
“Why what?” I asked, knowing full well what he meant but sticking to my dumbfounded role.
He looked at me pointedly, his expression saying I knew what he meant. He verbalized it anyway. “Why you drugged me.”
“Why do you think you were drugged? You spent a lot of time in the pool, and you drank that night. Are you sure you weren’t just drunk?” I deflected.
He looked like he wanted to laugh. “It is a shame such a pretty thing bears a serpent’s tongue.” He moved closer to me, propping his hands on either side of the wicker chair. “Are you aware what the punishment is for drugging the advisor of the king? Something that could be seen as an attempt on my life?”
