Page 149 of Wolfkissed
Gossip. Caution. Isolation. And he called mewife. The reality of what I’m about to do, link my life to this man’s, become a married lady, stuns me.
“You aren’t to be around other men,” he continues.
A last spark of rebellion pushes me to say, “But you spent breakfast with that woman, and then went upstairs with h?—
“You and I are not the same!” he snaps. “First of all, I am a man, and you are a woman, and second, and just as important, you’re here because I made allowances, but don’t you dare act as if you’re above me, as if you’re some sort of princess!”
Princess.I almost hear Valen’s deep voice curling around that nickname, and my eyes burn. Now the word feels sullied.
I realize my hands are curled into fists. “I don’t think I’m above you. I think we’re equals.”
“I beg your pardon?” He glares. “This is my manor, my lands. You’re a disowned girl desperate for my help.”
I can’t speak. Can’t deny that he’s right. It’s just that I had thought… hoped for something else. Something more.
“The stepdaughter of a man who works with the House of Fireflies,” he mutters darkly. “With Lord Sinen, who has his eye on the throne.”
“That’s the debt they owed him?” I gape at Lord Eorl. “What could Stepfather ever do to aid such a plot?”
“There’s always a plot or another to grab the fae throne.” He waves a negligent hand. “Our king is secure on the other side of the Central Sea. I hope the fae turn on one another and return this world to us.”
I’m still staring at him, and that seems to annoy him.
“Was I clear?” he asks. “Was there anything else?”
He’s asking, at least. That’s worth something.
“I wanted to spend time with you, my lord.” I swallow past the lump in my throat, and the disappointment burns. “Get to know each other before the wedding. See if we are a good match.”
“Nonsense. Who cares whether we’re matched or not? It’s a done deal.”
“Still, I’d like to find out more about you,” I whisper. “What you like, what you need. What you expect of me.”
He gives me a once-over, his gaze moving from the top of my head to my toes and back up. “I see.” He approaches me and I hold my breath, expectant. “You want to obey me.”
“I… No.” I frown. Valen’s voice fills my mind, and although I don’t want this, I feel obliged to try. Swallowing bile, I say, “I want to be a good wife to you, my lord. Learn how to please you in bed?—”
“I have harlots and mistresses for that.”
My brows shoot up. “What? But I?—”
“If I desire intimacy with you, Rosamund, I will inform you in time. If I decide I want an heir for my estates, for instance. But let’s get something cleared up: I don’t find you desirable.”
“You don’t?”
“Is this a joke?” A gasp escapes me when he shoves me back a step. “Do you think your family hasn’t told me about you? Think I’m blind and can’t see? You’re scarred. Hardly a thing of beauty. Nobody else would have you.”
“I…”
“One scar on your face, that’s bad enough. You have no shame, showing the one on your chest?” He grabs the neck of my dress and pulls, almost ripping it. “This. Would it have killed you to wear a higher collar or a shawl to hide it? Instead, you let everyone see I’m taking a scarred creature as a wife?”
I lift a hand to my chest. I’ve always worn high collars, but after my journey with Valen I thought… Foolishly, I thought my scars didn’t matter, that they weren’t that ugly.
Because Valen had said so.
Valen lied to me.
About everything. About the way I look and my scars. About men wanting to find pleasure with their mates. About my betrothed wanting me to know my way about his body.
