Page 13

Chapter twelve

D imitri remained seated as Astrid wet a washcloth in front of the mirror. A grin tugged on his lips. The spoiled princess scrubbed herself like his cum might stain her if she didn’t remove it immediately.

She finished cleaning herself and lifted her pauldron.

Most females would have covered themselves with a towel or fled the room.

His neva stood, inspecting the damage to her golden costume piece, completely bare.

Well, not completely. She’d bargained for the jewels dangling from her dark sweeping curls.

“I need clothes.” Her demand dragged him from his musings.

“You need a meal,” Dimitri corrected before getting to his feet and rinsing off.

Astrid shot him a withering glance and snatched the peacock silk off the floor. She regarded it, then the golden pauldrons that once held it and unceremoniously dropped the blue-green material.

Winter was thick in Ledivion. The thin silk wouldn’t keep her warm and the intricately woven gold that was more jewelry than armor wasn’t imbued with heat by a fire weaver. Her garments served no purpose beyond showcasing her station—which had fallen considerably these past few days.

His vicious neva was the displaced princess of a conquered kingdom and more importantly, his.

Astrid stalked toward the linen shelving and yanked out a rolled towel.

Such a hostile creature , Dimitri mused as he turned off the faucet. He snapped his wings in a sharp motion, flinging thin arcs of water against the marble tile. Astrid’s head whipped toward the sound and by the blood, a tempest of rage coiled behind her midnight eyes.

His magic sang for her, famished for the honeyed heat of her vibrant soul.

The shadows unraveled and Astrid regarded them, taking a step back.

Not out of fear, but calculation, Dimitri realized.

He knew the E’lan Vital could see his death magic, just as he could see souls. His little neva was studying him.

He pulled the hunger back and his shadows retracted. Astrid said nothing and wrapped the black cotton around herself before exiting the bathroom.

Dimitri dried off and idly called after her, “Don’t try to escape, Princess.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Astrid answered sardonically, on the heels of his warning.

He bristled, stepping into his bedroom. Astrid walked the perimeter of his space, stopping at each of the arching floor-to-ceiling windows. Was his little stray searching for a way out?

Dimitri moved to his closet, retrieving a fresh suit. “Stay here,” he said as he dressed. “There are fates far worse than me waiting for you.”

A metallic click sounded between them and midnight eyes met his.

Astrid stood before the furthest window and rested her fingers against the handle.

Dimitri pulled his boots on and shrugged into a maroon dress shirt.

His garden, like most green spaces in the palace, were walled in, and his little neva didn’t possess the wings to scale the thirty-foot walls.

If she wanted to play in the snow barefoot, he would give her a few minutes before he dragged her back in.

He casually fastened the buttons of his shirt as he ambled toward her. “You belong to me by right of conquest. Do you have any idea how many males would line up to fuck you just because you’re mine?”

Astrid pushed the window a few inches, as though she could outrun him in nothing more than a towel .

Does she think she could make it to the stables and flee on horseback? That she could ever escape me?

“In here…” Dimitri said, gesturing to his grand space, “you only have to deal with me. If you’re captured?” He gave her a sympathetic look. “You can expect to be tied to a sawhorse and given to the legion.”

Astrid gripped the window lock tighter, her knuckles turning bone white.

“If you took them three at a time,” Dimitri said with a shrug. “It would still take more than a year for all the soldiers to have their turn.”

He turned to leave.

“This is a palace, not a fortress,” Astrid said to his back. “One of your soldiers could fly in while you’re gone.”

Her distinction had a grin pulling at his lips. He opened the door into the hall and glanced back at her. “You’ll be safe here, I assure you.”