Page 86 of Song of the Shadow Prince
All four of us froze, though none of us were brave enough to look back.
“What is it, my lord?” the woman standing beside him nervously asked.
I noticed she addressed him asmy lordand notHis Highness. Did she not know who he was, or did she not want to reveal who he was in front of us?
“Her,” he said. I didn’t know who he was addressing since our backs were to him, but I had a pretty good guess. “I want her.”
There was a momentary pause before the woman stuttered, “B-But my lord, you never want anyone! If you’d like company, I can—”
“No,” he growled. “I said, I wanther!” he practically yelled.
“Very well,” the woman murmured. “You! In the pink,” she called out.
I glanced at the three musicians dressed in sky blue, then down at my pink garment. I closed my eyes and cursed.Fuck.
The other three quickly hustled outside, leaving me with Damien and the woman who had joined him on the other side of the curtain. Slowly, I spun and faced Damien and the woman who was obviously pissed that he had paid attention to me.
“Come here.” He motioned for me to join him on his side of the filmy curtain.
Thank God my face was covered, but even so, it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who I was. I tentatively pushed past the curtain and approached, stopping a few feet away.
If looks could kill, the woman standing beside the Dragon Prince would slaughter me without remorse. Her beautiful face scrunched in distaste. “I don’t believe I requested a dancer for this room. What are you doing here?” she demanded, annoyance lacing her tone. “Speak!” she shouted.
I cleared my throat and opened my mouth to answer when Damien cut in. “I requested this dancer,” he offered nonchalantly. “I saw her from afar when I entered The Gilded Serpent and was instantly entranced.” He watched my every move, his dark eyes roaming every inch of my exposed body.
I frowned.Does he know who I am? No way. He couldn’t! My tattoos are covered. They…fuck… my tramp stamp.When I turned to leave the room, he must have noticed it. Could he have seen it through the sheer curtain?
“My lord?” The woman whipped her shocked gaze to him. “You never—”
He held up a hand to stop her. “Lysandra, you can leave now.”
The woman’s face crumpled. “B-But—”
“Leave.Now.”
Lysandra’s mouth fell open in dismay. Before storming out of the room, she sent a nasty glare my way, then punctuated her departure by slamming the door behind her. I had to be careful when I left here. She might very well kill me for stepping on her toes.
The instant we were alone, Damien’s eyes hungrily roamed my body as he approached. I stood as still as stone, but he didn’t circle me to inspect the tattoo on my lower back.Thank you, baby Jesus!I wasn’t ready to be found out just yet.
“Do you need anything, my lord?” I asked sweetly. As a pretend-worker here at the brothel, my primary job would be to keep him happy. But there was only so much I was willing to do.
With a devilish smirk, Damien took a few steps back and sat down on a broad, plush lounge chair, spreading his legs wide. “Dance for me,” he commanded.
My eyes widened as I looked at him. He wanted a… a lap dance? The fuck? How the hell was I going to hide my tramp stamp? “There’s no music, my lord,” I whispered breathlessly.
He smiled. “No worries; I’ll sing to you,” he said confidently. “Tell me, beauty. What song would you like to hear?”
There was only one song I knew. “The Song of the Shadow Prince.”
He grinned. “Very well.”
Damien hummed the melody with a surprisingly smooth baritone. I nervously scanned the room and began to sway my hips. My eyes lit on the sheer curtain and I had an idea. Sashaying toward it, I snatched it down and wrapped the fabric around me like a shawl to cover the tattoo on my lower back, then began to dance in earnest. I sauntered toward Damien, stepping between his wide legs as he sang the first notes of the song.
“Hear the song of the Shadow Prince,
Through the alleys where shadows wince.
A dragon’s blood with no flame to dance,
