Page 49 of Given

“You didn’t know that?”

She shook her head. “Queen Amantha punished the servants if they even uttered my mother’s name. My nurse told me a few things here and there, but it was safer to say nothing. Then Rolund came into power and there weren’t any servants left who had known my mother.”

Anger flooded me. “He could have hired some. Instead, he allowed you to starve, depriving you of both blood and knowledge.”

“He was busy running the kingdom.” Her cheeks colored slightly. “And trying for an heir. His failure in that regard has slowly consumed him.” She flashed me a guilty smile. “I probably shouldn’t tell you that, but I’m guessing you already know.”

Gods, she was lovely. I couldn’t resist touching her. I untied her cloak and draped it over my arm. “I do. But I don’t need spies to tell me of your brother’s struggles. No matter how powerful he is, every king feels the pressure to sire an heir.” I tucked a pale strand of hair behind her era. “My Lady of Lar Satha.”

The blush in her cheeks deepened. Without the cloak, her breasts pushed firmly against her bodice. She cleared her throat. “Did you order all these repairs?”

“Yes. I wanted you to see where you came from.” I tangled my fingers with hers and pulled her toward the stairs. “Come see the living quarters.”

We climbed the narrow spiral staircase, which smelled of fresh timber because it was. It had taken quite a bit of bribery to convince craftsmen from Lar Katerin to work in the shadow of the Thicket. The forest wasn’t as close as it looked upon approach, but the trees were near enough to make even the toughest males squeamish.

The second floor held two large bedchambers. As I pushed open the door to one, she let out a happy gasp.

“It’s furnished!” She went to the bed and sat on the mattress, bouncing once like a child before standing and continuing to explore. She trailed her fingertips over a chest of drawers and bent to sniff at a vase of wildflowers.

I pointed. “That bench is original to the estate. We found it in the attic.” We was a bit of an exaggeration. The servants I’d sent to clean the place had reported back with a list of salvageable furniture, and I’d ordered them to distribute it among the rooms.

But when she turned a broad, delighted smile on me, I was fully prepared to take all the credit. She came to me, rose on tiptoe, and kissed my cheek. “Thank you, Your Grace. This is so much more than I ever expected.”

I eased an arm around her waist. “I’m pleased you like it. We can station men-at-arms here if you wish. It would only take a few servants tending the fields to make the estate profitable again.”

Her breath caught. “You mean it?”

“I never say anything I don’t mean, Princess.” I smiled. “Like when I promised to punish you when you use my title instead of my name, I definitely meant that.”

The tiniest hint of fear sparked in her eyes. “Laurent—”

“Wed me.”

The charming blush drained from her cheeks. “What?” she whispered.

“Be my wife. My queen.” I traced my thumb over her bottom lip, pressing just hard enough to make her open and reveal the tips of her little fangs. “Embrace who you are, Given. You aren’t meant for the south.”

“You can’t…” Her smooth brow furrowed. “You don’t mean it.”

I laughed softly. “Didn’t I just get done saying I always say what I mean? You’re a princess with royal blood. Rolund of Sithistra’s sister. What better way to cement an alliance between our two countries?”

For a moment she just stared at me in frozen disbelief. Then she came alive, pushing at my chest until I released her. “I can’t marry without my brother’s permission.”

I’d anticipated this argument. She was right, after all. No sister of mine would have wed against my wishes. But I didn’t have a sister. I had someone else’s—and he’d been a fool to give her to me in the first place.

“You’re in Nor Doru,” I told her. “Rolund is all the way across the Rift. He can’t stop you from marrying me. But he can make your life miserable if you go home. Return to Sithistra and you’ll always be a thrall. You’re deluded if you think otherwise.”

Her delicate brows pulled together. The air between us shifted. Tension sprang up, turning us into adversaries who faced off across the small chamber.

“I’m not deluded,” she said. “A wife is still a thrall, Your Grace. Whether it’s a ribbon around my wrist or a ring on my finger, you would own me either way. Marriage is just another kind of slavery.”

Gods, she was cute. And so easy to rile. I wanted to fuck her while she was angry and hissing like a cat. But I also wanted her soft and purring. Mostly, I just wanted her. Maybe it was time to make that clear.

After all, I was running out of time.

“Marriage is a contract, Princess. Fucking is a different matter entirely. I want the first from you, yes, but I want a lot more of the second.” I ran a languid gaze down her body, lingering on her fantastic tits and her nip of a waist. “Trust me, you’ll enjoy being a slave in my bed.”

She made a huffy little sound, and it was obvious she thought she should be angry, but she was mostly aroused. She tried to hide the latter by scowling, which only made her look more appealing. But her scent gave her away. Her desire bloomed like a flower in the little room. Her nipples poked hard against the front of her gown, and her pulse fluttered rapidly in the long column of her neck.

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