Page 26 of The Never List
Pierce is refined in a way I’ve never seen before, all elegance and intelligence wrapped in one gorgeous package. His curly black hair is thick and neatly cut, his smooth brown skin shaping a wide nose and square jaw, but it’s his eyes, brimming with confidence and mischief, that make my breath catch.
I look away and take a fast sip, hoping the sweet wine will calm my nerves. I’ve never seen such delectable men, and I’m baffled by my reaction to them versus their fathers. I don’t feel the fear I felt in the kings’ presence with the Legends. Anxiousness in the face of the unknown, sure, but I can’t deny the innate curiosity tingling beneath my skin sitting among them.
“What happens now?” I ask, twirling the stem of the glass between my fingers. My heart starts pounding when four sets of eyes land on me, flooding me with anticipation and curiosity. I realize I’m waiting for them to grab me and start tearing off my clothes. Isn’t that how this works?
Jax sits up in his chair at the head of the table, leaningforward to rest on his elbows as he studies me before he grins sinfully. My stomach flips. “We’re going to spread you out on this table,” he says, tapping on it. “Peel your dress off and take turns making you come.”
I try not to react, but I can feel my face heat, and my core throbs at his words. Goddess, what is wrong with me? They’re strangers. They’reroyalty. They stand for everything I hate. And if I’m found out? They’ll have me executed.
It hits me all at once: I’m trapped, magically bound to their mercy for an entire month, and even if I leave at the first chance I get, I’m still screwed. If I reject them formally, I’ll be discovered when they pull my records to elevate my social standing as part of my compensation; if I run, I’ll raise suspicions, and they’ll track me down when they learn the truth. My plan for this evening has gone so wildly off course, I’m not sure I could read the map of this foreign world even if I had one. I’m no virgin, but this… What he’s saying, what I’ve gotten myself into, is an entirely new game I’m not sure I’m equipped to play.
But I have to. I must. Because the prizeI’mplaying for is my life, and getting them to fall for me is my only chance of protection if the kings discover who and what I am.
Jax continues to focus on me, and I stare back at him, giving away nothing—not fear or intrigue or submission. He laughs then, that slow, sardonic sound that makes my heart flutter, and leans back in his chair, downing his glass of whiskey. I’m half tempted to ask for one, too, but Kal has already poured me another glass of sparkling wine.
“We get to know you,” Kal says, and I tear my eyes from Jax to him. He tilts his head and smiles a little. “Maybe feed you,” he continues, reaching for a plate and piling itwith fruit and cheeses and bread and chocolates. He slides it in front of me, and I can’t help but stare. It’s more food than I could afford in a week and far more luxurious than anything I’ve ever eaten, but I’m so lost in the emotions of this game, I’m not sure I can actually eat it. But it would send the wrong message to refuse their hospitality, and I can’t afford that.
“Thank you,” I say, reaching for another strawberry and popping it into my mouth. It’s as crisp and sweet as the one I had at the party, and it’s an effort not to moan. Instead, I close my eyes and savor it.
“You’re welcome,” Kal says.
I open my eyes and take another bite. Then another, sipping my wine as I do. With each mouthful, the tension eases just a bit, and I swear I can feel their powers relax around me. I don’t know what they were expecting, but I suddenly realize they’ve been just as on edge as I have.
“Do you need anything else?” Kal asks when I’ve finished my plate.
“I don’t know how to answer that question,” I admit. “I brought nothing of my own. I honestly never thought…” My voice trails off.
“Personal effects are not an issue,” Kal says, frowning in concern. He shifts in his chair, angling his massive body to face me. Goddess, he’s nearly as big as Axl, tall and muscular, maybe even a little broader. “I’m asking if you need anything after your encounter with our fathers.”
The bread turns to paste in my mouth at the memory of Baydel’s hands on me, his powers rendering me helpless. I swallow around the lump in my throat, and I can’t help glancing at Jax. His demeanor changes from infiniteboredom to murderous rage in the blink of an eye, but just as quickly, the rage is gone and his face is as hard as stone. It happens so fast, I could’ve imagined it. I focus on Kal again.
His question hangs in the air, heavy and suffocating. I scan each of them, note the tense set of their shoulders, the flex of a jaw or clench of a fist atop the table.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Kal says. “Telling the kingsnois impossible—”
“No, it isn’t,” I say, unable to stop myself. Blame it on the wine, my frayed nerves, or my inability to control my mouth, but there it is.
“You denied them?” Pierce asks, his tone surprised yet calculating.
I arch an eyebrow at him, then glance at Axl and back at Kal, unable to look at Jax another time. His opinion means the most to me, and I don’t know why. We only danced, for fuck’s sake, and he’s barely spoken to me since, minus his dirty tease a moment ago.
“Of course I did,” I say. “I didn’t consent to being withthem.”
A low rumble rattles from Kal’s chest, and the sound eases the knot in my chest. Just like before, his unyielding protection feels like a sun-warmed stone wall, solid at my back. “Did…” His blue eyes are severe, and his lips clamp together, his curled fist on the table trembling. “Did any of them force you?”
The power in the room rises, a brush of lava over my skin.
“No,” I say, my traitorous eyes glancing toward Jax again. His are on me, his jaw hard-set. In a flash, he slams a knife into the table, the blade sinking in an inch. I jolt inmy seat.
“Tell the truth, butterfly,” he says, harsh and cold compared to how he spoke to me at the party.
I glare at him. “Iamtelling the truth.”
His lips peel back, shifting into a sneer that matches his eyes. “You know what lies feel like to me, butterfly?” he asks. “They’re an irritating vibration.”
My blood goes icy. He can sense lies? I’m so fucked.
“And you’ve beenbuzzingsince the moment I called your number.” I’m trapped in his gaze; it feels like being flayed open.
