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When the king stood, I swallowed. Prince Gervais had planted something in King Magnus’s mind, and I felt certain I would be on the receiving end of whatever it was.
“Silence!” Magnus bellowed, belligerent from the many glasses of wine he’d indulged in.
The chamber quieted, and all eyes fell upon the king. At his side, Prince Gervais looked delighted. Dread swelled inside me as the king crooked a finger at me. “Come here, the mysterious Lady Neve.”
I scooted my chair back, but Prince Vale stopped me. “Father, what are you—”
Magnus shook his head. “Do not question your king, Prince Vale. I wish to speak with the lady.”
“It’s fine,” I whispered.
I had no power of foresight like Saga, though I didn’t need such magic to recognize that he would humiliate me.
But I could handle it. I’d undergone far worse as a slave and would soon be gone. These fae could do nothing to hurt me that I had not already experienced. And if a little verbal humiliation threw the king off my trail for even an hour longer, it would be worth it.
So, I approached the king, who placed a soft hand on my shoulder as his son had done. I fought the urge to recoil and, in doing so, caught the queen’s eye. Hesitation swam in her lovely features.
“Not all of you may have heard, but hear it now, from your king. Lord Roar has committed treason!” The king raised his voice to shout across the entire room. “And his union with Lady Neve has been severed by royal decree. Many of you have asked about the enigmatic lady since then, and as your ruler, I wish for you to know what you are getting.”
Know what they are getting? What—oh!
Magnus’s magic lit up around him, as cold and white as the snow outside. The bottom of my gown sliced off, leaving my calves and part of my thighs bare. That would have been bad enough, but I also began to levitate in a vortex of snowflakes. He put me on display like a whore to be bought.
Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to shed them, refused to give the king anything he wanted. As my heart thrummed, I grew warm, my skin tingling as I raged over the injustice.
Some fae in the crowd gasped and pointed. Some looked away, but most appeared not to be able to. Many laughed, and males viewed me lecherously.
“Now we see why Lord Roar would take in a commoner, don’t we, my lords and ladies? She is well-formed, is she not?” The king’s lips split into a wide smile. “Perhaps the top shall go now?”
I swallowed, and the heat inside me spread, running from my core down my arms. I blinked when I caught sight of a faint silver-violet light around my fingers. But it vanished so fast I had surely imagined it.
The king approached me and his vortex created an opening for him and his finger tipped with his magic as he touched my breast, readying to rip open my neckline and expose me. “She is quite bountiful, isn’t sh—”
“Stop this at once!” Two powerful arms gripped me from behind and ripped me from the vortex. Prince Vale pulled me to his chest. I gasped and hid my face, embarrassed and furious all at once. They would not see me cry. Not here. Not ever.
“You dare speak to me that way?” The King of Winter rounded on his son, his eyes flashing with fury. Magic sparked behind him, terrifying in its might and potential, but his son did not flinch.
Prince Vale glared his father down. “This is no way to treat a lady.”
“She is no true lady.” King Magnus spat out the words like venom. “We extended a courtesy to Warden Roar, and now he does not even want her.”
The Warrior Bear shifted me behind his bulk and got closer to his father, close enough to stand chest to chest and whisper. “I said enough.”
“You forget your place, son.”
“That does not change the fact that if you touch her again, Father, it will be the last time you have hands.”
I stifled a gasp. The prince had spoken so softly that I was sure only those closest, those at the head table had heard. But still . . . to threaten the king. Father or not, it was madness.
For a moment, the king stared at his son, fury blazing in those ice-blue eyes. After what felt like an age, his mouth opened and a hard, almost manic cold laugh burst out. Nothing about the sound or the forced smile settled my nerves.
The king’s chin lifted. “You wish for your toy to remain unharmed while you play with her? Fine then, take her away, Vale. Do what you will with her. But tomorrow, and from that day forward, she is mine to command.”
My throat tightened at the many implications those words held. Had the king just referred to his harem? Or did he intend for my public mortification to continue? Or did he want to use me as a bargaining chip?
From the way some jarls in the crowd salivated, I suspected my value had risen dramatically. Not only had I ‘captivated’ a warden, but a prince stood up to the king for me. And the king himself . . .
I shuddered as King Magnus’s attention shifted back to me. He licked his lips. No matter if the king sold me off to a lord for a favor or soldiers or an act of powerful magic, I was certain he intended to see what all the fuss was about first.
