Page 5 of My Princeling Brat (Tales from the Tarot #2)

He chuckled heartily, and I rather liked the sound of it. “Not as far as I know, but if that was her plan, she probably wouldn’t tell me anyway.”

I smiled at his cynicism. “Perhaps you could warn me if the plan changes?”

“Perhaps,” he said cryptically.

I liked this playful, teasing side of him. I wanted more of it.

“But in order for this to work, I think we need to have an honest conversation about what we both expect. Our rules of engagement, if you will,” I suggested.

He sat up a little straighter. “I’m listening.”

“Before I make any demands, I want you to know that I will be honest and direct with you at all times. Contrary to what you may believe, I do not seek to manipulate or coerce you into anything. However, if there is an attempt to control you, I can assure you that it is not for diplomatic reasons or anything having to do with your mother.”

“Then what is it for?” he asked, clearly confused.

I wasn’t entirely certain he was ready for this admission. But if we were to share a fortress and possibly bedchambers too, then I needed to be transparent with him from the beginning.

“Control is how I derive pleasure,” I admitted while studying him closely. At his befuddled expression I added, “In bed.”

“Oh,” he said as if he understood, but I wanted to be certain.

“Dominating my lovers, manipulating their bodies for my own gratification, and giving or denying them sexual release, all of that excites me,” I told him. There were other idiosyncrasies to my bedsport, but we needn’t delve deeper into it just yet.

“Ohhhh,” he said again as realization dawned. I admired the flush of his face, a soft pink that stained his cheeks and the tops of his pointed ears, the way his breath went shallow and his eyes fluttered.

“Do you have any questions?” I asked.

“Um. Not at the moment.”

“Fair enough.” I credited him for absorbing the information without any blatant judgment. “And in exchange for my hospitality and guidance, I’d like to make a few rules for you too.”

“What sort of rules?” he asked, now sitting at attention. His pulse quickened, calling to me. I had a suspicion as to where his blood was flowing, but I did not endeavor to look.

“One of the rules for your health and safety is that you quit drinking, at least for now, until you’re sure you’ve got it under control.”

He chewed on that for a spell, working through the arguments in his head. “Alright,” he finally said. “Anything else?”

“I’d like to know where you are at all times, especially if you intend to leave my fortress.

And I expect you to follow my security protocol that is designed to keep us both safe.

As you may know, there have been multiple attempts made on my life, and there is inherent danger in being my betrothed.

My duty is to protect you above all else. ”

His lips pursed. “Your duty to who?”

“My duty to you, Cedrych.”

“I have a rule for you too, then,” he said, gathering himself.

“Please proceed.”

“I don’t want you fucking anyone else.”

After my initial surprise had passed, I attempted to peel back the layers surrounding that demand. “Explain to me why that’s important to you.”

He sighed as if aggrieved by the request. “If you’re to be my betrothed, even temporarily, and you’re going to give me guidance or whatever, seeing you fuck other people will erode my trust and my confidence in you. And I’d find it humiliating besides.”

“Why is that?”

“It would appear to others as if I couldn’t satisfy you.”

His blush at that admission was so fetching that I wished to capture it on canvas. “The others you speak of are my servants and my guards, all of whom know to be discreet.”

“They’re still people. I wouldn’t like it. I’d end up resenting you for it, even if you don’t intend to fuck me.”

I was proud of his ability to articulate his reasons, all of which made sense to me, but I wished to press him further. “You make it sound as if you have no agency of your own to bed me.”

He gave me a droll look. “If control is what excites you, then I imagine you’ll be the one orchestrating the bedroom activities, my lord.”

My canines descended, startling me, and I licked their knife-like edges slowly while considering my response. I tried not to dwell on how much I liked the title, my lord. How I’d like to hear him say it, brokenly, while begging me in the throes of passion for release.

“You’d be right,” I said into the pregnant pause between us, heavy with promise, tense from our negotiation.

“Well?” he persisted.

“I can agree to that, but I would have the same rule for you,” I replied.

Jutting out his lower lip, he nodded. “And as far as your safety protocol goes, I won’t be kept a prisoner.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t enjoy that?” I teased, unable to resist temptation.

His neck strained as he swallowed, but he didn’t take the bait.

“And if it’s just the two of us in your fortress, then you have to spend time with me or give me something to do.

I don’t like to sit around all day and stare at the walls.

I need to be active, especially if I’m not going to be drinking. ”

“Noted. You’ll have a daily schedule to follow and much of your time will be spent with me anyway, since we’ve established you’re not an assassin.” I waited for him to confirm it.

“Or am I?” he said with a rakish grin.

How I longed to smack his impertinent ass, but I resisted his provocation. “Now, there is the matter of your retinue and your guardsmen. Do you wish to bring any of them along with us?”

“No, even those who are loyal to me will soon turn into spies for my mother, and neither of us wants that.”

He was a clever young man, able to anticipate his mother’s next moves. “Then you will be truly alone.”

“I’ll have my summoner,” he said, referring to an enchanted mirror that allowed us to converse with others at a distance. “Besides, I thought I had you.”

I nodded slowly, my entire being responding to the vulnerability in his voice. “Indeed. You do have me, Cedrych.”

He studied me closely, perhaps to determine if I was being deceitful. I was not. I greatly preferred this cunning version of Cedrych to the dolt he’d been attempting to sell me during our last encounter.

“You’ve changed,” he said at last.

“So have you.”

“The reason I bothered you so relentlessly when we were younger was because I hated being excluded. And when you came to visit, all you seemed to do was push me away in favor of my brother.”

“Godfried and I are closer in age,” I reminded him.

“I don’t care. I didn’t like it and I wouldn’t stand for it.”

I envisioned him adding a little foot stomp that he’d been so fond of employing when he was younger and didn’t get his way.

“It wasn’t my intention to make you feel lesser,” I told him.

“I wanted you to notice me.” He lowered his eyes, then turned toward the window again. “I hate feeling invisible,” he said quietly.

Cedrych was the middle child, often forgotten and easily swept aside, especially after his father died. But it’d be impossible for me not to notice him, then or now. I laid a firm hand on his knee. “I see you, Cedrych, and I’ll do my best to make you feel seen while we’re together.”

He shrugged but gave the hint of a wry smile. “I suppose I’ll find out soon enough if you are a man of your word, Lord Vasil.”

“Challenge accepted,” I said and silently added, brat.