Page 196 of The Poison Daughter
I lick my lips and draw away, turning to face my parents, Able, and Kellan. Even Gaven, who has seen me kiss Henry once before, is shocked. They’re all staring at us. The reality and the agony come crashing back at once.
Henry kissed me in front of my family.
The shock on their faces is entirely unmasked. I sense them all holding their breath, waiting for Henry to collapse. But he just brushes a soft kiss to my temple and bends so his lips caress my ear as he says, “Just go with it and I’ll get you out of here.”
The urge to fight him is not as strong as the pain swiftly razing through my head. I need to leave. My stomach turns over violently, and I blow out a breath to avoid vomiting on the dining room floor.
“Divine forgive me, but I simply can’t help myself when she looks so lovely,” Henry says, offering me his best approximation of an indulgent smile.
His aura flashes across my visions in a purple haze that prods at me. He wants to try to heal me. It’s what everyone with a blessing from Elvodeen wants. Something to fix.
“Thank you so much for having this wonderful party for us, but I’m afraid we have to retire for the evening. After such a long day, we need torest.”
The innuendo in the word is clear and exaggerated, but Henry doesn’t wait for a reply. I barely get off a wave to my still-stunned family before he’s ushering me out of the room with an arm around my waist.
I lean against him and let him guide me until we turn at the end of the hallway.
Gaven’s steady footsteps trail behind us. I can’t turn to look at him or I will collapse from dizziness.
It would be wise to wait until we’re in my room to argue, but I may be incapacitated by then. This attack is coming on faster than ever before.
“Bleeding woods, Henry. Why did you kiss me in front of them?”
I know why. It was a flex. He wanted them to know I’m powerless against him. He wanted to fluster me when I was already flustered. He wanted them to be worried.
He pulls me to a stop at the top of the stairs. “We needed a diversion. Now, everyone thinks I’m just a newlywed who couldn’t wait to sneak off to bed with my wife, and your secret pain is safe. You said you couldn’t be weak in front of your people, so I made you?—”
“Sentimental,” I grumble.
“I made youdesirable.”
He sweeps me up into his arms, ignoring my protest as he charges down the hall to my room.
I tuck my face into his neck to block the light from my eyes. At least now, if I throw up, it will be all over him.
A question tugs at the back of my mind. “How did you know? That I needed to get out?”
“You kept looking at Gaven. I just guessed, and then when I took your arm, I could sense it,” he says.
It feels like someone is driving a spike into my brain, and I momentarily black out from the throbbing. When I come to, we’re in my bedroom, and Henry is setting me back on my feet by my closet door.
He waits to see that I’m steady before he steps away. “What do I do?”
“I can do it myself. I don’t need you—” A wave of searing agony leaves me gasping for breath. I press my hands to my temples, trying to brace against it.
“Harlow.” His voice is firm. “Let me take your dress off so you can at least be comfortable.”
I lean against the wall and surrender. I can’t fight him and the hurt at the same time, no matter how I want to shove him out the door, to scratch and claw at him for insisting on seeing me weak.
His fingers deftly work the buttons at the back of my dress, and a moment later, he slides the green silk from my body and unhooks my bra with practiced hands. It’s irritating that I’m in such agony and stillmanage to feel the faint spike of jealousy that he’s had enough practice to be good at removing women’s clothing.
His warmth disappears as he steps into the closet to hang up the dress. He returns a moment later, his finger brushing gently over the scarred skin at the bottom of my spine, before sliding a soft robe up my arms. My skin is too sensitive. Even the gentle touch and soft material set my nerves on edge.
“I already sent for drinks with lots of ice. What else do you need?” he whispers.
“For you to leave,” I snap.
This is too much. Even half-blind with pain, I don’t want him to see this vulnerability. My stomach roils. I’m going to throw up. I need him out now.
