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CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

D id you behave yourself today?

Cael’s silky voice reverberated through Xenia’s body thanks to the cuff around her wrist.

“Always, pterodactyl.” She yawned against the back of her hand, balancing a plate of food in the other as she walked toward her room. “You’ll never believe what I learned in the library tod?—”

Where are you? Cael asked, and Xenia’s heart soared. Was he going to come fetch her? Had he returned from his trip to Typhon Mountain?

“Staff hallway,” she said, crunching on a glazed carrot.

Cael grunted. It’s late. We’ll speak tomorrow. I’ll come find you in the library once your shift starts. I had an interesting day as well.

Xenia sighed, shucking off her disappointment. She hadn’t spoken to him in person, only via the cuff, for the past few days. He’d been too busy doing the High-Gods-only-knew what for his father, plus had been dragged into several wedding planning meetings with Zosime, Petra, and Elodie.

“See you tomorrow, then,” she said, a bit more petulantly than she was proud of.

Sleep well, Cael purred, his voice lush and dangerously sexy. Her limbs shivered so violently she nearly dropped her plate. Bastard wasn’t playing fair.

So she wouldn’t either.

“You sleep well, too, my lord .” She imbued the title with all the want his voice had inspired.

He chuckled, that deep, low rumble that was pure Cael. Rolling storm clouds and distant thunder. Take the cuff off and hide it as soon as we’re done. I don’t want anyone seeing you with it. You should’ve waited until you were in your room to use it.

And just like that, indignation replaced her desire. “Why? Everyone’s asleep.”

He sighed, exasperated, but not without a hint of mirth. As if he liked it when she talked back. Just do it, Blondie. For me. Please.

She smiled, hoping he could hear it in her voice. “Only for you.” She tapped the stone, cutting off another of his rumbling chuckles, then slipped the cuff into her apron.

It was late, nearing midnight if she had to guess. And though her eyelids drooped and her limbs were heavy, her mind buzzed with everything she’d learned today. She could hardly wait to tell Cael.

As she approached her door, an unmistakable moan emanated from the room across the hall.

She snickered. She’d seen those stolen glances between the pretty kitchen assistant and the handsome stablehand over staff breakfast this morning. She was happy they’d found some little spot of joy in this place. Though High Councilor Zephyrus strictly forbade relations between his human staff and the Fae, he didn’t seem to care if the humans were fucking each other.

A piercing cry arrowed past the stablehand’s door, followed by a laughing shhhhhh.

Xenia’s thighs clenched, remembering what Cael had done to her in his room last week. Thinking about how badly she wanted him to do it again. Thinking about how she wanted him to do so much more.

He hadn’t touched her since. And she knew he wouldn’t risk that final step, either. Any Fae on the estate would be able to scent him on her afterward. But sweet Amatu, she couldn’t help fantasizing about how it would feel to have Cael inch his perfect, and frankly enormous, cock inside her. How he might talk her through it…

Heat rose to her cheeks as she opened the door to her room, then froze.

Her plate fell from her grip, meat, gravy, and carrots splattering across the plaid rug.

She turned to run, but Tomas was too fast. He snatched her arm and pulled her into the room, then pushed her up against the door, closing her in with his bulk.

He dipped his nose to her throat, and when she tried to scream, he slammed a rough hand over her mouth. “High Gods, what were you thinking about? You smell fucking incredible.” He sucked down a deep breath and Xenia was horrified to feel her lust increase as he began to feed from her.

She kicked his legs, shoved his chest, but it was like trying to fight a statue. He slammed her head against the door and spots swirled in her vision.

“Do not fight me, you little human slut,” he growled, pushing his hand up under her dress. “If you obey, I might even make it good for you. It’s been a while since we had such a pretty mortal on staff. Has no one tasted you yet?”

She bucked and thrashed, and his hand at her mouth slipped. Enough for her to get her teeth around it and bite down. Hard.

“Fucking cunt ,” he yelped, slamming her against the door again and holding her in place with his hips. “The more you fight, the worse this will be for you.”

Unwanted heat pulsed in her veins as Tomas drew out her lust. She bit her tongue against the involuntary moans threatening to push past her clenched teeth. Like fuck would she give this bastard any kind of satisfaction.

“That’s it,” Tomas crooned, his face buried in her neck. “High Gods, there is nothing sweeter than fresh human lust.”

She slackened in his arms, pretending she’d given up the fight, then slipped her hand into her pocket. Her fingertip brushed over the mentrite speck, and the cuff warmed as she said Cael’s name in her mind.

Tomas heaved and grunted as he sucked down her stolen lust. “You wanna be my pretty pet?”

Cael’s voice exploded into her ears, fierce and savage and guttural. What the fuck is happening right now? Is that Tomas?

Xenia stayed perfectly still and silent, not wanting to give Tomas any hint of what she’d done. Who she’d summoned.

Another unwanted wave of sensation rattled Xenia’s body, and a shuddering whimper slipped through her lips.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? Needy bitch.” Tomas laughed.

A snarl ripped through Xenia’s mind before the door behind her swung open and she toppled to the floor, rolling away as Tomas crashed down next to her.

Cael’s handsome features were twisted with ferocious rage. Xenia silently begged him to wipe the look away, terrified of what it might reveal to his brother.

Cael snatched Tomas’s arm and pulled him to his feet. “What. Are. You. Doing ?”

Tomas tried to shove his brother away, but Cael held firm. Tomas’s years of gluttonous excess were no match for Cael’s powerful, Vestian-trained body.

“What do you care?” Tomas hissed, his gray eyes flicking between Cael and Xenia. “What, have you already claimed this morsel for yourself? Thought you didn’t feed from humans.”

“I don’t,” Cael snapped. “Just get the fuck out of here and leave the staff alone. Father doesn’t want any incidents while we have so many guests staying with us for the wedding.”

Xenia pulled herself upright, then stumbled into her room and onto her bed. Her limbs trembled as the false lust faded, leaving her cold and empty and numb.

Tomas raked a hand through his golden strands. “You can’t protect her forever. It’s my right as a male of this household to take whatever I want from any human I want.”

Cael spun his brother’s shoulders, then planted a booted foot in his ass. Tomas stumbled down the hallway, out of Xenia’s view. “Fuck off, Tomas. And don’t think I’m not going to tell Father about this.”

Tomas’s response chilled Xenia further. “I could say the same. Seems you’ve gotten a bit too soft on the humans while you were in the colonies. Or maybe you’re just soft on one in particular…”

Tomas’s footsteps faded, and Cael watched his brother go with a look promising swift and violent death.

Xenia sat upright, whimpering as she brought her hand to the bump on the back of her skull.

Cael’s eyes darted right to her, his face softening. He gripped her door frame so tightly that his knuckles whitened. “Use the cuff in five minutes,” he whispered. “The other stone, the opal. You know how it works right? Just picture where you want to be.

“And come to my room.”