Page 46 of Mortal Blood
“You seem very obsessed with games today, pet. Has your beloved mate been neglecting you?”
“No, he has not. Not that it’s any of your business.” I felt my cheeks growing hot. Great. Now I was thinking about what I gotup to with Cole last night…while Davorin was standing right in front of me.
He chuckled, and the sound did weird things to my body. Because I was still thinking aboutCole. Nothing at all to do with his elegant high cheekbones, lean physique, flawless complexion, long blond hair that begged to be touched… Nope. I was definitely just thinking about last night with Cole.
“And yet, you still haven’t allowed him to claim you.”
“Says who?” I demanded, carefully avoiding answering.
Davorin’s stardust flecked eyes narrowed the smallest amount, and then his lips twitched in amusement. “Are yousureyou’re not fae, pet? No-one said, but there’s no trace of the bonding magic on you. There’s no sense in trying to deny it…even if you could.”
“I. Am. Not. A. Fae,” I ground out.
“No, you’re not. At least, not any kind of high fae.” I saw the malice darken his eyes. “If you were, I couldn’t make you do this.Kneel.”
Compulsion dripped from the word and my legs gave out beneath me, sending me crashing painfully to my knees.
The chuckle that spilled from his lips was low, throaty. “I’ve missed this, pet.”
“That makes one of us,” I growled.
“You’re the one who wanted to play games,” he said, his self-satisfied smirk warring with something else. Something predatory.
“You should get your hearing checked,fae.”
“And you should remember that you speak with more thanwords, pet.”
“I’m not your damned pet!”
“You are whatever I say you are. And such an obedient little pet you are, too. Shall I have you pant like a good little girl?”
I clamped my mouth shut, and shook my head, my cheeks burning at the thought. Because if he compelled me, there wouldn’t be a damned thing I could do to stop myself doing exactly what he wanted. And whether we were alone in this corridor or not, I had zero doubt that it’d be round the academy by morning. The dhampir kneeling at the fae prince’s feet, panting? Yeah, I didn’t need that getting around.
“No? No, I suppose you wouldn’t enjoy that much, would you? What to do then,” he mused, “that my little petwouldenjoy…”
“You could try just leaving me alone.”
“I could…but no, I don’t thinkIwould enjoy that. Darkveil can be a dreadfully boring place, and I do need some form of amusement.”
I snorted. “Boring. Right. Good one.”
He reached down and took hold of another lock of my hair, letting it fall through his fingers as he watched me with interest. “No, I imagine your experience truly has not been boring. How fascinating. Perhaps that’s why you intrigue me so.” He straightened, and his lips twisted with malice. “Or perhaps it’s merely how you tremble.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll try not to do that again. Are you done?”
“In such a hurry to leave me?”
“Always,” I said acerbically.
“Careful, pet.”
“Or what? You’ll lurk around in the hallways, waiting to make me kneel and humiliate me?”
I glanced meaningfully at my legs, and Davorin waved his hand airily.
“Fine. You may rise.”
I felt the compulsion wrapped around me fall away, and scrambled to my feet before he could change his mind—or someone could see.
