Page 44 of The Beast King's Bride

11

ASH

His back is like a map—hills and valleys of powerful muscles, shifting as he turns around in the water that’s lapping at his hips. I lift the long braid over his shoulder—I have to rise on tiptoe to reach it—and realize that there is a symbol drawn between his shoulder blades.

No, I realized when I pass the wet sponge over it, not drawn. It’s been inked into his skin, and in its middle lies a dark gem that seems to be embedded in his flesh.

I heard of pirates who put ink in their flesh and black gems in their teeth. I hadn’t realized that the king—that Talen was so vain, though it shouldn’t surprise me. Warrior or not, he is after all an aristocrat and a Fae, and both are known for their vanity.

“I saw it last night,” I say, passing the bar of soap over the sponge to work some lather. It smells of thyme and wildflowers. “I saw one of your monsters.”

He says nothing but that broad back stiffens. He shifts in the warm water, his firm buttocks clenching, and I find myself staring at that part of his anatomy, fascinated, the burning need inside me returning.

I know what this is. Desire. I want him. He’s beautiful and powerful, and the sight of his body lights me up, sets me on fire. I want to press myself to him, run my hands all over him, kiss his mouth, give him pleasure. Demand pleasure back. Once, I fumbled around with one of the farm hands who come to bring the grain and other provisions to the kitchens, I’m not a complete innocent, but we never kissed.

Through the buzzing in my ears, I hear myself say, “The beast’s hide was striped and black. It was big like a bear perhaps, but I think it was a tyger. I saw a picture once of the striped beasts. It was huge.”

“And hideous,” he says, his voice quiet.

I frown. “No, it wasn’t.” The image of the beast returns to my mind. It was frightening because of its size and strength, its claws and teeth. “It had horns. They looked much like yours.”

“And that’s not hideous?”

“I like your horns. I—” I clamp my mouth shut, astounded at myself. Familiar heat seeps into my cheeks. “I mean…”

“What do you mean?” He has turned his head a little, his handsome profile clear against the dark backdrop of the wall, the clean line of his jaw so strong and perfect, his lips parted.

“They are… elegant.” I gulp.

What’s happening to me?

He stares at me. “Elegant,” he repeats, his voice flat.

“Why would you have horns like that beast? The Greater Fae don’t have animal features. That’s what the Lesser Fae are known for.”

He says nothing.

“Well, they suit you.” Determined not to shrink and drown in the pool, I pass the sponge over his sides, over old scars of various shapes and lengths, and I find myself drawn to them, too, feeling this strange urge to touch them, to explore his body.

“You were right,” he says. “What you saw last night was a black, horned tyger.”

“A Fae beast,” I whisper, lowering the sponge to the water. “They roamed human lands thousands of years ago. Are there many kinds of monsters roaming the palace at night?”

A tight nod, his eyes glimmering, transparent and yet dark, shadowed by those long lashes.

Gods, why do the Fae have to be so pretty? Pretty and strong and magical and all the things a woman shouldn’t desire but can’t resist, right there with sweets and cuddles and kittens.

At least this woman.

Focus, I tell myself. What is wrong with you? This is the man who kidnapped you, the Fae who carried you away, the one whose clutches you’re trying to escape.

“How did you find me?” I ask, struggling to keep my voice calm and devoid of the conflict inside my head. “It seems I was the woman hinted at in your riddle, but the human world is as vast as the Fae world has to be. It would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.”

“The birds told me,” he says, sounding kind of faraway and distracted.

“The birds? What…?” I blink, stop with the sponge pressed to the back of one of his arms. “Ravens?”

“Ravens, yes. Pigeons, too, but they don’t focus enough. You talked often to a raven and I happened to hear things that made me think you’d be the one.”

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