Page 71 of Pawn of the Cruel Princess

She jerks her hand away and lurches off the chair, teeth bared. “Yes, yes I am! Don’t you understand? I am all that she said.”

My heartbeat stutters.

I am all that she said.

All that she said…

Vienne accused her of a vendetta against thralldom. Of murder.

It cannot be true, because Ruelle doesn’t kill. She tortures. She can’t have killed anyone.

But I was asleep when Keb was murdered. He was raped by Bazra and left in some clearing—perhaps Ruelle killed him as a kind of twisted mercy.

My Princess was sitting at the table when Jilleen showed us her thrall’s cock cage and forced him to take the alteredcinnarblend. Could the Princess have mixed something into that? No, there was no time. But maybe—

The sun potion.

She handed Jilleen and Lombard their sun potions. After she’d been speaking with Ward and examining his supplies. She could have added some toxic substance to the mixture.

“Bodies are unique,”she said. “Two people of different composition may react differently to the same stimuli.”

Maybe she poisoned them both, and Jilleen simply took longer to die.

My soul ices over as I remember her words just a short time ago, about our visit to Arawn’s shrine tomorrow.

Death rituals are conducted in threes.

21

Ducayne is staring at me. He looks horrified.

He already knows I torture prisoners. And now he knows about the incident with my father. He knows that I am, as Vienne said,a strange, morbid, creepy little bitch who collects knives and skulls and worships the death-god. I bring pain and ill fate wherever I go.

He is right to recoil from me.

Ducayne swallows and forces out words. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Mostly I like the skulls of animals and birds,” I mutter. “They have such interesting shapes. But I do collect human skulls as well.”

“Human skulls,” he says slowly.

I peer at him. “Are you all right?”

“Me?” He laughs shakily. “I’m perfectly fine. Come, let’s get you back to your bed. I’ll read to you until you need to prepare for dinner.”

No one mentions my bandaged hand at dinner. In fact, the other nobles barely speak to me at all. Clearly my sister has circulated her theories about me, and they all think I’m a murderer now.

After the meal, we retire to a large parlor where Khal plays the piano and Yenna plays the harp. Khal demonstrates Yenna’s ability to orgasm on command, and everyone claps. Bazra makes Nonni suck his cock while my sister watches. Once she places her hand on Nonni’s head, forcing her to take Bazra deeper. I hate the gagging sounds that result.

Luthia and her thrall Sherad have tucked themselves into a curtained corner, where he massages her feet while she reads quietly to him. Imrissa leans across the arm of a sofa so her thrall Gem can comb out her shiny black hair.

I approach Umari tentatively, where she sits with a few other nobles whom I don’t know that well.

At first Umari pretends not to notice me, but at last she looks up. “Your Highness.”

“May I speak with you?”

“Of course.” But her face expresses the deepest reluctance, and possibly a hint of fear.