Page 36 of The Book of Legends
He pauses, arches a brow, and then slowly grabs a piece of cheese. “I didn’t tell him to.”
The prince of darkness keeps a pet dragon. But how is that possible? Do the humans control the dragon gods?
“I can see your mind is spinning inside that head of yours,”he says between bites.
I hesitate, my fingers wrapping around a red apple, but my focus stays on him, waiting for the dagger beneath the invitation.
“How do you have a pet dragon if they’re gods? I thought gods were the creation of a world. They are usually dead and usually can’t be told what to do.”
He eyes me curiously for a few seconds, as if my question baffled him, a tiny frown appearing between his dark brows. “There is more than one, and he’s not a pet.”
“Then what is he?”
“I don’t have to answer you,” he says in a clipped tone. “Eat and go back to your room.”
My jaw tightens, a flare of defiance bubbling to the surface.“You don’t own me, and I’m not a fucking child.”
His expression shifts to something raw and unyielding. “No, you’re a lying, pathetic woman who allows herself to be used by a tyrant to deceive others.”
The room feels smaller, the walls closer, his words weaving through the air like a noose tightening around my neck. “And you’re a sick bastard who uses women.”
Flashes of what I saw in his bedroom cause something foreign to twist in my stomach. Jealousy. I don’t know how that is possible when this man has been nothing but evil to me.
“That is one thing I don’t have an issue with: women. You’re the exception.”
“You sleep with a harem,” I scoff, dropping the apple on my plate. “Have you no respect?”
“I didn’t force them, and for the record, they prefer to sleep with me.”
I push away images of him naked and fucking. He’s no different from most of the guys I’ve encountered. Cold. Unfeeling. “That’s disgusting.”
“Yeah, well, no one else thinks so but you.”
“I don’t think you’re the kind of man who gives anyone a choice.”
His eyes darken. “Everyone has a choice.”
“Then let me go,” I demand. “My choice is to leave. I do have a life to get back to.” Even if it’s a nightmare right now, he doesn’t need to know the details. I’m positive wherever this place is, an alert for me missing wouldn’t apply. “They will be looking for me.”
“I’m afraid once you’re on my land, that is not an option until I say it is, and that is exactly what I want: for him to come looking for you.”
I pull the hem over my exposed thigh and blow a puff of air in frustration. There is no arguing the point further. He’s stubborn, and it’s not going to be easy to change his mind and see the truth.
“Is there a problem…” he pauses, takes a bite. “With your dress?”
I slide my tongue over my teeth to keep me from throwing the apple at him. “Are you calling me fat?”
First, it was the barb about my glasses in the courtyard, but I let it slide because there was a fire-breathing dragon that could turn me into ash, and surviving was more important.It’s not like he’s the first to make fun of them. I’ve heard it all before—coke bottle lenses, four eyes, all the countless shitty nicknames that make you wish you could fade into the walls. But Kainen’s taunts cut deeper, his words sharp and deliberate, aimed to wound.
There comes a point where I draw the line.
I get that I’m not perfect like his precious Nymphs, all ethereal beauty and soft curves, but I’m not his toy to break.
His gaze travels over my thighs, then to my chest, slow and deliberate,like he’s peeling back layers to find the weakness underneath.
His eyes return to my face, a storm clouding over gray irises, his mouth curling with a subtle sneer. “That’s not what I said.” The sun streaming from the windows dances across his features, casting shadows that warp his beauty into cruelty.“A word of advice,” he continues, his tone like crushed glass,“I think it’s best you cover up. You don’t have to go to all the trouble he’s putting you through. I’m not going to fall for it.”
A flicker of confusion edges into my anger. “You think I’m trying to seduce you?”
