No one is watching us anymore, and he looks at me through half-moon eyes before ducking and drawing my mouth toward his. The whisper of breath on my lips seconds before our mouths meet is intense.
“Still think I am beguiling you?” he whispers and pulls away.
I am left wanting for my first kiss. For some reason, that hurts. My life before feels small outside of caring for Mikal, like I was defined by fear instead of what I could enjoy. It was wrong, and now I am not resisting. I only want.
Want him. His touch.
The crystal in my chest hums so furiously that I jerk back, elbowing him in the arm. He straightens up, blinking furiously.
The trance is fully broken, and I look at him with enough fury to melt his circlet right off his forehead. More games.
"What was that supposed to prove? That your songs don't control me?" I spit on him, wiping my mouth. "You are making me want you!" The words are lies, and heat creeps up my neck.
The song stops, and the cavern remains quiet. Watching us all with wary gazes as the king's eyes narrow to slits. One of his warriors steps forward, his hand on his hammer. A zing of fear shoots through me, but I stand my ground.
The king holds out his hand, holding back the warrior. "That is enough," the king grunts, his gaze never leaving mine. For a second, I glimpse that disgust that I saw so frequently in front of my masters.
Does he hate me now? Good. Much better to be hated than to taste his breath on my tongue. If I make him angry enough, surely he'll cast me out. I will be free of giant and Enduar alike.
He grabs my hand, pulling me away from the prying eyes all around the pavilion. Dread drops low in my stomach. This is the moment I've been waiting for. The moment when he becomes frustrated enough with me that he will take his time and have his way. The moment he'll take what others spent my whole life fighting for.
I'm shaking and sweating by the time shadows surround us. He turns to me. I yank my hand away and ball my fists as tight as they will go. His expression is surprisingly gentle despite his obvious frustration.
He's a liar.
"I do not know why you resist so ardently. You must..."
The second he nears me and touches my back, alarm bells are ringing in my ears. Instinct reminds me of the way that Keksej had held me close. I let my right arm fly, hitting him squarely in the jaw.
Pain explodes over my knuckles, and I double over to cradle the injured limb against my chest. The pain is familiar. I remember trying to kick him in the crotch and breaking my foot. My breath starts getting faster and faster.
Malditos Enduares.2
The king spits on the ground beside him and steps back, rubbing his jaw. "You hit like a warrior.”
Tears are falling down my cheeks as I continue to cradle my arm. "Not well enough to keep you away from me," I say through my hyperventilating. He watches me. What a pitiful creature I must appear to be.
Then he lets out an exasperated sigh and reaches for my hand. I yank it away and wince.
"Stop touching me!" I yell. Grateful, so grateful we are away from everyone else.
The king growls,actually growls, and grabs me. After one futile attempt to wiggle away, I release myself to his grasp. He’s warm and solid.
"Stubborn human. Why must you make everything so challenging? We treat your people well. Save you, feed you, clothe you. We do not have to be enemies," he rants, his voice thick with emotions I don't understand, while he slips off one of my rings and holds it to my aching knuckles. “We stole the other humans from your masters to free them, not eat them.”
I narrow my eyes and look up to study his face. “Then where are they?”
He raises an eyebrow. “We gave them supplies and let them leave. We did not yet have Arlet to tell us the Ardorflame is a good substitute for sunlight.”
His words ring true—they are too similar to what Arlet said, but I’m not ready to trust. “Freedom was a dream whispered in the forests. I used to think I would know how to act if I were freed from obligation and assault, but I had no idea until I was left behind in this mountain after bleeding on a trail for four days. Until I was separated from Mikal. When I had a choice, I chose him. The rest of this is a means to the end.”
“I have offered to help you with your brother—” the king starts.
“Yes, yes. The contract is signed. From what included in our deal, it never required me to like you.”
“Hold still,” he murmurs. His mouth is dangerously close to my ear. It would be so easy for him to bite me. My nipples harden under my dress. Being surrounded by him is intoxicating.
The gems on both of our chests start to glow as he whispers a few words that could pass for some sort of song. My Fuegorra grows brighter, and the pain subsides. Without thinking, I lean into his chest. He stiffens as a deep rumble comes from somewhere near his heart.