Page 72 of Crown of Briars
A fresh wave of fury rippled over me.Of courseTislorainvited her. She was probably laughing at the idea of this human showing up at a revel and expecting a stuffy human ball.
“You are not unseelie,” I said.
“No, but I am your wife, aren’t I?”
I closed my eyes for a moment to keep my rage in check. “This event is for the unseelie to be themselves. With you, a human, interrupting that, it defeats the purpose.”
Her brows knitted together, and she glanced around the room as if just now noticing she was surrounded by unseelie fae. She frowned slightly, and I waited for her to realize her mistake.
Then, she said, “I don’t see anyone’s enjoyment being interrupted. Do you?”
Anger swelled in my chest, and my grip on her wrists tightened. “Sybelle,” I ground out.
Her eyebrows lifted. “Varius.”
I exhaled a breath through my teeth. Mother of Shade, this human would be the death of me.
“It seems the only one distressed by my presence here isyou, husband,” Sybelle said. “Are you going to haul me out of the room by force?”
A few of the fae were watching us curiously. I knew Icouldcarry her out of the ballroom, but it would certainly cause a scene. Already, we were attracting attention.
How would it look for the king to treat his wife in such a way?
It was something my father would have done. The thought soured my stomach, ebbing my anger slightly.
I allowed my gaze to sweep over the room, noting the dancing fae and the couples writhing together along the floor. On the opposite side of the room, a naked fae male lay with his arms and legs spread while a crowd of fae groped and licked him.
Sybelle was right. While her entrance had elicited shockfrom the fae, as soon as she began participating alongside them, their concerns had melted away. It was as if she wasn’t even here.
Sybelle continued to watch me, waiting for my response.
I bit back a curse, then released one of her wrists. She tugged her other arm, but I held fast.
“You are here as my wife, are you not?” I asked.
Her eyes narrowed. “Yes,” she said, drawing out the word.
I tugged on her arm, dragging her back toward the sofa I’d been sitting on. She stumbled, then yelped, protesting as she struggled to keep up with my loping strides.
When I reached the sofa, I sat on the cushion, then pulled her onto my lap. I noticed Enzira gaping openly at us, a glass of faerie wine in her hand. She took a few steps toward us as if to intervene, then thought better of it.
“Varius,” Sybelle hissed, wriggling as she tried to extricate herself. Her movements did sinful things to me, sending unexpected heat straight between my legs. I stiffened, trying to leash the sudden and feral need sweeping through me.
She went rigid as she no doubt felt it, too. Slowly, she turned to look at me, one eyebrow arched in accusation.
I huffed a laugh. “Don’t flatter yourself, human. It’s natural to be aroused at a revel, regardless of whoever is draped across my lap.”
It didn’t help that I’d already had a few drinks.
Still, she looked at me with a smugness that made my blood boil. “I’m not hearing a denial.”
I clenched my teeth, my jaw tensing. “Fine. If I were to seek someone out for a moment of pleasure, it wouldnotbe you. Is that clear enough for you?”
“If that’s the case, then kindly remove me from your lap.” Once more, she tried sliding off my knee, but I clamped my hand on her waist, pinning her against me. I suppressed a groan as her backside ground directly into my arousal.
“You are the one who is intent on attending this revel,” I murmured against her ear. “If you insist on being here as my wife, then it’s only fitting that you play the part.”
She turned her head to glare at me, her eyes flashing. “Is that what you did with the other human brides—parade them around as your plaything?”
