“Do I look like a fucking bird?” I scowl.
His amethyst eyes travel leisurely down my body, right to my toes, before coming back up just as slowly. As they meet mine once again, they are practically glowing.
“Yes.”
I fold my arms in front of my chest, then instantly regret it as the Lord’s eyes fall to my breasts. I drop my arms.
He leans in close, then. My breath stutters of its own accord, and I feel myself tremble as he nears. He takes a deep breath in, his eyes not once leaving mine, before exhaling slowly and leaning away.
“No,” he says, and I blink stupidly. What was he talking about? He smirks and tilts his head again, this time his crown tilts dangerously. “Not compensating.” He says with a wink.
Lord Draekoh steps back, then.
And drops a fucking stone into my well and truly filled pot.
Chapter Ten
After the High Lords leave the clearing, we are instructed to sit and stay, like fucking dogs. And we do just as we are told. They even give us treats. Firsts and Seconds walk amongst us, distributing plates of fruits, cheeses, and crackers, and ice-cold cups of water. I down mine greedily, regretting it instantly as the sun continues to bear down upon me like a great, imposing beast.
Pairs of female fae walk amongst us too, though these groups stop and count our stones. At least that’s what I think they are doing. When a pair gets to mine, they tip it out unceremoniously, their smirks growing as my pile continues to rise. How many fucking stones did I get? And what were they even for?
As the females sort through them, I realize each stone is unique. The colors, shapes, and sizes all vary, though I know instantly which ishis. It’s white, yet pearlescent, so that it shifts to the color of his eyes at certain angles. The females gasp when they spy it amongst the others and chatter urgently to one another. They look excited.
The females record the stones in their little books. It takes a while, what with the quantity of them. When they have finished, one of them pockets Draekoh’s stone.
“Hey!” I say, before they can move even a step away. “That’smine.”
The female is pissed. She opens her mouth, likely to hiss at me some more, but another female nearby says something to her. She swears loudlyand tosses the stone at my face. It hits me just below my left eye, and I cry out, knowing full well it has split the skin and would undoubtedly leave me with an ugly bruise for the next week.
Bitch.
I force myself to smirk at her, however, because we both know who really won this round. The stone wasmine.
As the females turn and move on, I plop back down to my butt and pocket the stone without letting myself ogle it any further.
The sun is setting by the time they herd us back into our tents. I’m fucking exhausted and burnt to a crisp. A lot of the other women are similarly pink and parched.
I don’t bother waiting in line for food and water. As hungry and thirsty as I was, tempers were rising quickly, and I sure as hell didn’t want to be a part of some stupid brawl, which I had no doubt I would evidently cause.
So I head straight to my bean bag and fall into an undignified flop. Soon after, a loud groan and the sound of a human collapsing into a bean bag beside me alerts me to Akari’s arrival.
“What aday!” The poofy lump beneath her muffles her moans.
“That was only one fucking day?” I exclaim sarcastically back, my voice also muffled from the bean bag I am currently face-planting. “It felt like a fucking eternity!”
Akari huffs a half-hearted laugh.
“Up you get , ladies,” Anya’s voice says from beside us. “Let’s get you both fed and hydrated.”
My head rises quickly from the suffocating bean bag, and my senses are immediately enveloped with the aroma of roasted meat, vegetables, and-
“Is that gravy?!” I gasp.
Fuck yes! Faerie had gravy!
I stumble like a newborn foal as I try to get out of the damn bean bag’s embrace. I hear Akari struggling in a similar predicament.
“Thank you, Anya!” I exclaim. “You are my guardian angel, I swear!”
