“Therewereoffers, Aerinne. You are Maryonne Capulette's daughter and youhaveheld your House against Montague for a decade though you are scarce more than an infant.Therewereoffers. There will be no more, however.”
I laughed. “Why?Becauseyou're going to publicly stakea claim? Short of that, let the males beat a path to my door.” Let them not, actually, but I was trying to make a point.
Renaud didn't chuckle, or grimace, or reprimand me for my presumption, his cool stare patient.
I stopped laughing. “You're mad.”
Andyou are not? Interesting.
Quiet, Darkan. You aren't helping!
The Princecaptured my mouth without warning, punishment for my mockery, devouring my will one inexorable moment at a time. No mercy, only that false gentleness hiding ever present danger. His thumbs brushed against my pebbled nipples and I jerked to avoid a moan. Furious with him, furious with myself.
Renaud releasedmy lips, trailing his fire and brimstone kisses up my jaw, along my rounded ear, his breath tickling my insides.
Think. I needed to think. “This can't—”
He slid his hard thigh between mine, his body pushing me against the tree. A growing maelstrom of need heated the light, possessive caresses of his fingertips. IfI let him take me, any hope of denying his claim disintegrated.
The Courts would fling me at him—least of all in the hopes that any urge for violence and mayhem upon fully awakening would be sated inme. It wouldn't be the first timethe Faetossed a sacrifice to a beast and sat back to critique the carnage.
“Renaud,no.”
Brilliant blue slashed me. “. . .No? You aremine.”
Here was the truth under the seduction. Entitlement. Sexual aggression.
Islappedhim. His head snapped to the side with the force of my blow. “That's what I said,HighLord.No.”
It was the most difficult no that had ever left my mouth. The nerves in my body screamed yes, but those wenches needed to finish their drinks and go home. My body hadbetrayed me, spurring resentment.But he knew what he was doing. I was twenty-seven. Not even a half of a percent of his age.
He stepped back. Just a single step.
“Asyou wish.”
The hairs onmy bodyrose at the mild response, and armed themselves. If there wasn’t a tree at my back, I would have retreated, even though I knew better than to run.
“Butwe did not finish our dance.” He grabbed me and spun us in a dizzying whirlwind back into the court clearing.
This time I clung to him with no pretense at coordination or grace. It was a subtle punishment, rendering me helpless in his arms as we returned to the vultures.
“Haveyou forgotten my Vow,Prince?”Even as I spoke it strangled me for three heartbeats, reminding me of the consequences of failure. I was in the arms of the male whose throat I was required to slit.
Even if I wanted him, I couldn’t have him except on his deathbed. Or mine.
His pale gaze travelled across my face, over mylips, down the line of my bare shoulder and tense arm to fingers that flexed open and close.Whenhadhis eyes shifted colors? Hehadturned off the glimpse of wild passion as if it never existed.
“I forget nothing,” he said. “I think if you werearmed, youwouldtry to kill me.”
Cute. “Who said I'm notarmed?”
“. . .I see. I'll speak with my guard.”
“What's the punishment for dereliction of duty these days? Death?”
“Hmm. You told me about fourteen. Tell me of sixteen.”
I captured my hiss and stuffed it back down. I’d controlled myself so far. I could endure this a little while longer. . .a little while.
