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An arrogant grin carves into his angular jaw. “Because there’s absolutely nothing in this world that will make that happen.”
“Have you read it?”
“Of course not.”
Arrogant dickwad. I reach for the book but he jerks it just out of my reach.
“First,” he says. “Some questions. What did the orc say to you?”
Shivering, I shove my gloved hands into my coat pockets. “That he wanted to eat me . . . but he couldn’t.”
“Why not?” Asher asks, too quickly.
“He wanted to bring me to his master—no, he called him something in another language. The Dom . . . something.”
“Dominus?” the prince finishes softly.
I nod.
Mack gasps, and the muscles flex in Asher’s jaw as he lobs the prince a worried look. Even Ruby begins to shiver inside my pocket.
“Who is the Dominus?” Part of me doesn’t want to know. For some reason, everyone is looking at the prince.
“Every court has different names for him,” Ruby offers. “My fellow sprites call him Blackheart.”
“Who?” I press.
“The Darken,” Mack whispers in a low voice, as if he might hear her.
“King Oberon?” I brush back a strand of my violet-streaked hair from my face. “I thought he was dead?”
“Never mind that,” the prince growls, his expression dark. “Why didn’t you tell me what the orc said when I found you?”
I shrug, hating how stupid I suddenly feel. “I thought it was an orc hierarchy thing, like, on How to Train Your Dragon . . .” My words trail away as his face goes blank with confusion. “You know the movie where the dragons took food to the master dragon?”
Yeah, keep digging yourself a hole of stupidity. Mack grinds her elbow into my ribs and I remember Asher is a real-life dragon.
“No offense, dragon boy,” I add.
He gives me a panty-dropping wink. “None taken, human.”
I almost smile . . . until my gaze wanders to the prince and his sour expression. I can’t understand why he’s so angry. Especially if King Oberon is dead.
“This isn’t a joke,” he finally says. “You need to take our world seriously if you’re going to survive it.”
Hot anger blooms over my cheeks. “I’m trying. All I do is study until my eyes cross. I’ve made A’s on all my tests . . . I practice with Eclipsa until my body is black and blue. What more do you want from me?”
His nostrils flare. “I want you to be safe.”
I wasn’t expecting that, and for a heartbeat, I’m speechless.
How dare he claim the high ground. How dare he try to pretend that all of his cruelty is for my benefit.
Jaw clenched, I close the distance between us. “Safe? If you wanted me safe you would have never brought me to Everwilde.” I yank the sleeve of my coat up until his mark shows, moonlight sparkling inside the metallic lines. “And you would have never branded me like an animal.”
Hot tears sting my throat. Tears I’d rather die than shed in front of him. I hate the control he has over me; I hate that his mark embeds my skin; and I especially hate the knowledge that all it would take is one kind smile, one apology, and my anger would melt away like snow beneath the sun.
Mack takes my gloved hand in hers. Asher finds a spot on the wall to stare at.
