Page 15 of The Faebound Trials (Mates and Madness: The Phantom Prince and The Bloodweaver #1)

A cocky smirk was on his face, a display of pride. He tilted his head in arrogance.

He knew he won. And I lost this time.

He wore a condescending look. As his eyes twinkled in entertainment. I could swear I saw his eyes dilating as he took every inch of me.

“Why am I here?”

My eyebrows raised as I composed myself. I soaked myself in pride and ego.

Never let a man put you down, let alone someone with ears as pointed as the blade of Raan.

“I let you live to entertain me. You were a magnificent creature. You have managed to make me interested enough to let you breathe a second more.”

He tried to mask his laugh as he mocked me.

I held in a snarky retort.

If I kept him entertained, he might want me more.

If I showed him how boring I was, he might let me go.

So, I remained silent.

“Now, now, aren’t you a bundle of joy?” I wish I could smack the sarcasm out of him. Why is he like that?

How I wish he was as ugly as the muddy plains of Boreor.

“I am not one to parade myself as a whore.”

He winced as if I had offended him. I hid the annoyance crippling my bones.

“Well, I didn’t bring you here for that. I have taste.”

He almost rolled his eyes at me. My jaw fell on the floor, embarrassed.

“Well, I’m not one to keep a fae entertained. You have a boring life, I get it. Can I go now?”

The corners of his lips twitched as he struggled to keep a chuckle from coming out.

“You plan to sleep in that barn? I won’t stop you then. It would bring me such joy to see you suffering breathing in the smell of urine and manure, you may go now.” Every word, every moment dripped with sarcasm.

I wanted to bash my head against the floor.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep in this place?” he asked again, more playfully this time.

What is wrong with him?

“If I had to sleep with you. No! I have self-respect. I don’t fuck every pretty face I see.”

He chuckled.

“You admit I’m beautiful.” He nodded and he radiated with cockiness as his eyes gleamed in amusement.

And I swear I shouldn’t have told him that.

“Ah. You know you’re beautiful. Everyone knows it. My opinion shouldn’t make you smile that much,” I teased.

He shrugged. I had never met a man as devilish as him. His arrogance almost made my jaw drop.

“But no offense. You’re not my type. I might have found you entertaining enough to bring you here but I won’t ever let you touch even the ends of my bed using your dirty hands. I might die from some disease.”

I felt my nose flaring at his words. And he watched me as I writhe in annoyance, a chuckle finally escaped his lips.

“You’re so fucking annoying.”

“Did I get on your nerves?”

And he laughed.

He laughed heartily.

I felt like I was losing an inch of my life the longer I stayed around this exasperating fae.

“First of all, I like women who take baths. So why don’t you take one right now? I might change my mind and let you seduce me.” The hollows of his throat bobbed as he raked his eyes all over me. “I want to see you try. And watch as you fail miserably at it.”

I closed my eyes to calm myself. But I felt my temples twitch.

“Who would want to seduce you? And try? Please, I would struggle. But you knew I would win.” He chuckled and slightly tipped his head. “But well, do you have warm baths?” I slightly hid the itch as I pressed my palm against my arm.

“Everything you ask for, I can offer.”

I had thought about the boys who were tightly packed in the pigpen. I had seen their wounds. I felt bad that I could be treated like this while they were suffering.

Until I remembered their words, that the pigpen was a strategically perfect location for their plans. There were no knights around the place so they could sneak out and map out the forests beyond. While this place was too far from the forests they plan to scout. Besides, there were eyes here.

“Then can I ask you to bring the rest of the boys clean water so they could wash their wounds? Some clothes so they could change into. And food to regain their strength?”

His brows raised at my demands.

“Very well.”

I exhaled a sigh of relief, fighting a smile.

“Thank you.”

I saw the faintest action of how he flinched when I said that.

“Do it for me too? Bring me some food and new clothes?”

He must have found me a source of amusement as he let out a roar of laughter.

“I will have my servants attend you,” he said, a twinge of cockiness laced his tone.

I fought a thank you from coming out of my mouth this time. I wouldn’t want him freaking out at the smallest gratitude I’d give him.

The fair lady guided me through halls of forests-like pathways inside the Prince’s Court. And that was it. That was why she was used to navigating through the forests before, the Prince’s Court was a labyrinth itself.

When we reached a huge door made out of wood slapped through a molten rock covered in gray I almost gasped.

The fair lady hadn’t spoken as she led me inside the chamber. I took small awed steps as I took everything in. The room was almost blinking like the stars in the sky and the walls were made out of solid rock.

There was a chair and a small table at the sides. To my right there was a bed that could fit three people, that was how big it was. But my eyes narrowed as an image crossed my mind.

And tears suddenly brimmed my eyes as I saw the bath at the end of the room.

Food and shelter were my top priorities growing up, having to take a bath wasn’t a necessity. Growing up in Enara, we were forced to choose and give up other things. That includes conserving water for drinking.

I could only take baths if we were able to gather enough rain water but even rain was scarce in the mortal realm. If I could count last years’ days of rain, I was sure it only rained about 14 days in total. And some of them were thankfully enough to fill our bin and wash our body and some of our clothes.

But half of the bin I had filled, I had to sell in exchange for medicine when Lera had gotten sick.

That was why my heart leapt in joy when there was enough water I could use to clean myself.

The bath had no walls, no doors. It was as if you took a bath there, you would be taking a bath in the middle of the forest.

As I looked up it was open and water came from somewhere like how a waterfall works. The walls were made out of unpolished rock and it had the hue of light brown that reminded me of the deep caves of Janare.

It was beautiful.

The fair lady had left. And I didn’t waste time taking off my clothes and stepping into the bath.

Naked, I waited for the water to fall.

And when it hit my skin a moan escaped my lips. I savored it.

I stood there for minutes just letting the water hit me. Then I started scrubbing the dirt and it felt good to feel clean. I felt lighter.

When was the last time I had taken a bath? Too long. I couldn’t even remember when was the last time I drank clean water.

A smile formed on my lips. I guess Silver wasn’t as bad as I wanted him to be.

I started drinking the water too as I let the rest of the water slide down my body.

“I can give you drinking water if you like.”

My heart leaped out of my chest as my back hit the walls, my hands went to cover my body.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

His eyes raked my body. And I saw the slight twitch in his jaw. But his face remained passive and cold.

Then a smirk lit his face up as if the cold expression he had before was a figment of my imagination.

The sudden change of his expression made my eyes narrow, it was unnerving and slightly spine-chilling.

“You don’t have to cover your body. I am no man—”

“And I am no fae.”

He nodded and took a step forward, his eyes wandered around the room as if he hadn’t seen this place before, as if I didn’t have his full attention on me.

He could feign his attraction to me all day and I wouldn’t bat an eye.

His problem, not mine.

“Correct. We are designed differently—”

“And I don’t care. You can keep telling me you don’t feel anything while your eyes travel down my body, and make up enough excuses for today and I still wouldn’t care. So. Fuck off. And let me have my peace.”

His rushed footsteps made his silver hair dance on his back as he met the distance between us in a blink of an eye.

The next thing I knew, his hand grabbed my jaw in a possessive lock and my back rammed the cold walls.

I gasped at the impact and my heart hammered wildly against my chest.

I could feel his hot and heavy breaths against my naked skin. And I never felt vulnerable and exposed until he touched me, until he slammed me against the wall, until he openly stared at my body, all skin and bones.

My blood rushed in my face as his eyes studied my body.

His eyes caressed every inch of my body and I watched him as he took in every detail.

His eyes raked the hollows of my cheeks and the protruding of my ribs, marveling the mounds of my breasts, the rise and fall of my breathing.

Then his jaw tightened as his eyes narrowed down to the deep scar on my left side as a long blade once skewered me, his brows slightly met at the little burns at the right side of my back, wondering, musing an endearment under his breath in a sweet-toned language I couldn’t understand.

And while he watched, unbeknownst to him, his fingers brushed the edges and the roughness of my skin.

And I was left breathing heavily every time his fingers would brush at the sensitive blemishes of my skin.

I felt ashamed at first at how exposed I was but when he looked at me, he didn’t see me as something filthy, he didn’t question the rawness of my skin.

He only looked at me with revering curiosity— that was what made me let him touch me.

When I slightly pushed him away, he blinked. As if he just woke up from daydreaming.

And as if he had no recollection of when he first touched me, how it happened, what made him close the gaps between us—he jolted, suddenly awake, realizing his hands wandered way down, reaching the curve of my hips.

He took a step back as if I burned him. He looked away for a second to collect himself but he wouldn’t let me out of his sight.

He opened his mouth to speak but he was lost in thoughts.

And I just watched as his beautiful face contorted in agony as he turned his back away from me.

He walked tall and proud as though I hadn’t seen him crumble down, defeated. He knew he wanted me.

But why?

How could he look at me like that?

My face wasn’t bad, but my body? My body was marred with trauma, ragged scars, blemishes and flaws and little burns I once tried to scrub off.

How was he breathless, marveling at my body when all I could see in the mirror was how ugly I looked without clothes covering my past?

I shook my head and let the water hit me like rain, drowning my thoughts as I focused on the coldness of the water hitting my face.