Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
I followed a servant along corridors more opulent than any rooms I’d ever seen as he led me to my chambers. Chambers. Plural. I’d never had more than a single room to call my own and I was one of the wealthiest thieves in The Den.
This whole pageant idea was damn brilliant. Even if Cassius had come up with it. It didn’t matter, I was going to win the tournament and marry the princess and be the emperor one day. And all because I’d found that coin.
I chuckled to myself as I thought back on that beautiful blush which had risen in the princess’s cheeks as I’d forced her to give thought to the feeling of having my cock between her thighs, and I found myself a whole lot more interested in that part of this deal than I had expected to be.
I’d been paying attention to her throughout that entire farce despite my gaze fixing on the gardens more often than her face.
But it was how I worked. When I had a con to run, it always worked best when I gave myself time to study my mark before approaching them.
And much to my delight, Princess Austyn had turned out to be far more than some pretty, delicate flower full of refined grace and empty of intelligent thoughts.
She had a wicked tongue to her and a spark in her eyes which made me think that marrying her might not even be as tiresome as I had initially assumed.
Better yet, she had looked genuinely angered by me, possibly even offended even while trying to hide the glitter of intrigue in her eyes and disguise the leap in her heart whenever I pushed into her personal space.
And I did enjoy the push and pull of attraction when it was tempered with rage.
I reached for the chain at my neck and grinned as I twisted the little coin disguised as an amulet between my fingers. Yeah, everything was looking up for me and I was chomping at the fucking bit to get started on the next part of our plans.
The servant pushed the door open, and his mouth fell slack as he looked inside and found Kyra jumping up and down on the large red cushions which sat in the centre of the wide space.
It was intended to be sat upon, not jumped upon.
Her raven hair spilled down her spine and a look of pure joy was on her face as she bounced on the plush cushions.
She’d dragged her blue skirt into her fists so that she didn’t step on it as she jumped and my attention caught on the curve of her thighs as she exposed them without a care, the wildness in her lighting a fuse inside me as I watched.
I raised an eyebrow at my Blessing as she finally noticed our arrival and looked over at us with a gasp of alarm.
“Is this not okay?” she breathed, her eyes widening in fear as she fell still, her hands still knotted in her dress.
The servant’s mouth dropped open in shock. “What the-”
“No Kyra, it’s not okay,” I snapped as I pushed my way in past him. “Jump higher! I need to be sure there are no snakes in those cushions, or I won’t sleep a wink tonight and you know it!”
“Sorry, Master,” she gasped, and she started jumping more aggressively as I turned back to the servant who stood gaping in the doorway.
“The one time I trusted another man’s assessment about there being no snakes present, I was bitten. Have you ever felt the venom of an emperian cobra sinking into your testicles? That is not a mistake I will ever make twice,” I said aggressively.
“No, of course not,” the servant muttered, glancing at my crotch in horror before lowering his head submissively.
Shit, I don’t think I’ll ever get over how good that feels.
I’d never given much thought to the way servants simpered and bowed to the upper Fae - in part because I’d always refused to bow myself and in part because I’d never once considered having anyone bow to me.
But now that they were, I had to admit I was enjoying it.
I didn’t even care that it made me a hypocritical arsehole because I was riding a power high, and I had no intention of coming down from it any time soon.
“You can fuck off now,” I added as the servant continued to linger.
He backed up quickly, muttering apologies and dragging the door closed behind him, and I turned to Kyra with a grin.
She was still holding her skirt up and I could practically see her arse, my gaze stalling there for several seconds.
A pool of warmth built in my gut, and I took a few steps closer to her, unbuttoning the collar of my tunic and wondering whether she still thought I was ugly.
I didn’t want to admit how much that bothered me.
Especially since she’d revealed her own captivating Fae form and the sight of her kept drawing my eye.
“Did I just hear you telling someone to fuck off?” Cassius growled as he appeared from a doorway on the far side of the room, and I tore my gaze away from Kyra’s flesh somewhat reluctantly.
“It wasn’t Master’s fault,” Kyra said quickly, and Cassius looked up at her where she still stood on the cushions.
I offered her my hand so that she could climb down, and she eyed it hesitantly before shaking her head and hopping down unassisted.
I tried to ignore the flicker of disappointment that minor rejection stirred in me and gave my attention to Cassius instead.
He looked all kinds of irritable, and I heaved an internal sigh at the lecture I could feel coming.
“It was just a servant,” I said dismissively. In The Den I told people to fuck off at least eighteen times a day, so I really wasn’t sure what the big deal was, but Cassius looked about ready to bust a gut over it.
“That is a royal servant who has most likely worked around nobles his entire life. As we speak, he is probably off telling everyone he bumps into about how the Count Nazari is completely lacking in common manners,” Cassius hissed.
“And about his fear of snakes,” Kyra added with wide eyes. “Maybe you should command me to make you snake-proof,” she added as an afterthought.
“What are you talking about?” Cassius asked with a frown.
“The servant caught her jumping on the cushions like some wild creature let loose in the palace, so I pretended she was doing it on my orders because I’m afraid of snakes,” I said with a slight shrug.
The lie had come easily to my lips, I’d worked enough cons to know that thinking on your feet was part and parcel of the deal, and I doubted many people would mistrust a lie that made me look weak.
“Well now if any of the other suitors want to intimidate you, they’ll know to hide a snake in your bed. Congratulations on giving them a piece of knowledge to use against you like that,” Cassius muttered like he thought I was a damn idiot.
“Then the joke will be on them, because I’m not really afraid of snakes at all,” I replied, with a scoff.
The slums were full of snakes who liked to hide in the shadows of the buildings and prey on the many rats which lived about the place.
I’d woken up to find a python in my bed more than once and I had no real fear of the creatures.
Their bites hurt, but not as much as a stab to the gut and I’d sooner come face to face with a snake than a rat who might give me some disease.
“I once bit the head off of a viper,” I added for effect.
Cassius raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but Kyra’s eyes widened with amazement, and I found myself wishing it were true. Though I imagined the act wouldn’t be in any way enjoyable.
“Really?” she breathed, drawing closer to me.
“No, not really,” I admitted, and her tinkling laughter rang out in response. It hadn’t exactly been a joke, but if it made her laugh, then that was fine by me.
“Oh, well if you do turn out to be afraid of snakes then I could come to your bed with you and make sure that none appear in the night?” she offered, and I smiled at the idea of that.
I wondered if she realised that what she’d just said could be interpreted as an offer of her flesh, but somehow, I doubted it.
She seemed a little too innocent for that or at least uninterested in pursuing the idea with me. Which is a damn travesty.
“Maybe we should think about returning Kyra to the coin if she’s going to draw attention with her peculiar behaviour?” Cassius suggested before I could reply.
Kyra recoiled like he’d struck her, scrambling away from him, and moving closer to me as her eyes widened in fear. I ground my teeth as I moved between them, tension lining my posture and my fingers flexing with the desire to ball into fists.
“ No,” I growled.
I wasn’t entirely sure why I cared so much about that point, but I could see that the idea of going back into the coin terrified my little goddess, and I refused to do that to her after everything she’d given me.
I might have been a selfish bastard, but she’d only ever asked me for one thing, and I refused to go back on my word about it.
Besides, I knew what it was to be trapped inside a place you wished you could escape, and I had no intention of forcing her back into her nightmare.
“She isn’t ever going back inside the coin unless she chooses it herself,” I said. “And I don’t want you to mention it again.”
Cassius’s eyes moved to Kyra as she peeked out from behind me, and he sighed as he nodded.
“I’m sorry, Kyra,” he breathed, swiping a hand down his face as he fought to regain his composure.
“I’m just concerned about Magdor realising what you are.
She wanted you for herself and I don’t believe her motivations can be good.
I fear what she planned on doing if she got her hands on you and I am just concerned about her figuring out who you are. ”
“I’ll be more careful,” she promised breathily. “I won’t jump on the furniture again.”
“That’s all settled then,” I said, ignoring the tension in the room and kicking my boots off as I headed for the cushions, feeling the weight of her adoring stare on me once more and not hating the feel of it.