Page 106 of The Gilded Fae (Royal Fae of Rose Briar Woods 2)

I feel the magic slacken when my lips are only inches from his, but Ian hasn’t set me free. He’s not drawing me any closer, but I cannot move away.

“We both know you’re stronger than I am,” he whispers. “I’d never be able to overpower you if you weren’t bound. Tell me, how does it feel to be helpless? Is your skin crawling with humiliation? Or perhaps…do you like it?”

I manage a guttural scream, every muscle in my body shaking as I try to fight him. Ian chuckles, delighted.

“Forgive me for interrupting,” Lord Cavinder says, sounding bored and a little impatient. “But we do have things to discuss.”

Though Ian nods, before he lets me go, he says, “We’ll play later, Sabine. We’ll have all the time in the world soon.”

What does that mean?

The moment he sets me free, I leap at him, intending to do bodily damage however possible. But Elgin catches my arms, roughly pinning them behind my back.

Breathing hard, I stare at Ian, promising he’ll regret toying with me. He merely steps back, smirking in a self-satisfied way that angers me further.

Lord Cavinder steps between us, making me meet his eyes. “Are you a wildcat or a princess? It will be easier for everyone involved, yourself included, if you can control your temper.”

“You are a wretched human,” I breathe.

With a sigh, he turns toward the doorway and walks through. “Elgin, bring the princess.”

Still holding my arms behind my back, Elgin prods me, being none too gentle. In my ear, he whispers, “I thought you said if we met again, I’d regret it. So far, I’m enjoying myself. You’re not good at following through with your threats.”

Angry tears blur my vision, but I hold them back, willing the sting to subside.

“Sabine, if you’ll please take a seat,” Lord Cavinder says when we reach a sitting room.

Elgin releases me, pushing me toward one of the settees. I glare at him over my shoulder before I shove my hair out of my face and sit.

Lord Cavinder stands at the front of the room. He turns to us, clasping his hands behind his back. “Elgin, you may fetch tea. Sabine sounds a touch scratchy. We must protect her voice for poor Alex’s sake.”

“Yes, my lord,” the wretched henchman says before he disappears through a side door.

“Let’s begin our negotiations,” Lord Cavinder continues.

“We have nothing to negotiate,” I say hotly. “I have no intention of partnering with you.”

“You’re far too rash, Your Highness.”

I stare at him, refusing to relent. He can kill me if he likes. I will never give in.

“Haven’t you even considered Alex’s fate?” Lord Cavinder says. “Are you so cold you’d turn your back on him?”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with Alex.”

“I believe I can bargain with my property if I choose.” Ian laughs as he lifts his arm, plucking at several golden strands on his wrist. “Which one is it?”

I stare at the illanté tethers, breathing a little harder. I feared Lord Treald willed Alex to his son, but there was a chance he could have passed him to one of his daughters, or even someone who wasn’t a relative.

Anyone but Ian.

“If he belongs to you, why didn’t you fetch him sooner?” I ask.

“And leave your mother’s side so someone else could weasel their way into her good graces? I think not.”

“She would have killed you just like all the others,” I say scathingly. “What made you think you would be different?”

Ian raises a brow. “And what makes you think I wouldn’t have killed her first? If I sensed my time was coming, I certainly wouldn’t wait for death to knock at my door. After all, it’s not difficult to take care of a threat when she sleeps next to you.”