Page 49 of The Serpent Prince

“Why should I be grateful when you’re getting something out of it, too?” There was no dark sarcasm in her voice now, just a steady-eyed stare and the slight lift of her chin.

“Because I still own you.” He let go of her face roughly. “Which means shutting that beautiful fucking mouth up every time we do this and never, ever doing this with someone else until our deal is over. I don’t share. Understood?”

Her chest was moving rapidly up and down. She wanted to ask why he shared whores with his brother then, but she clamped her mouth shut. He was being an even bigger bastard than usual.

His mocking smile was nowhere to be found, his eyes not even showing one glimmer of amusement like they sometimes did. Although she was sure the mercurial prince would show himself at some point that night.

When she didn’t respond, he grabbed her arm. “Just do what is expected of you,” he snarled softly.

“Trust me; as soon as I can find a suitable alternative, we’re done. And can I expect the same from you? Exclusivity?”

He backed away. “No. I have a mate I need to keep happy,” he said with a glint of satisfaction in his eye.

Imani’s lip curled in disgust, and she glared at the fire, too irate to even look at him. She loathed his words. Every single one of them felt like a dagger to the chest, but she shouldn’t have been surprised. He was treating her like a whore so he could distance himself from their arrangement as much as possible.

Fine. Let him. It hurt her, but she’d never let it show. If he thought she was weak enough that she couldn’t distance herself like him, he was sorely mistaken. Imani absently rolled her wand across her fingers, watching the shadows flow around her hand and dance off into the corners of the tent.

“Look at me.” His voice was low, soft.

“I’m not one of the whores that you pay to order around.”

“Shut up,” he snapped while removing his belt, “and look at me.” Kiran undid his pants and stalked closer to her.

In the light of the fire, she saw his pupils were hugely dilated. Never careless with where he left his wand, she saw he’d put it in close reach. Imani needed to be just as prudent with her own wand—they weren’t fully trusting each other at all tonight.

He began unbuttoning his shirt slowly, never taking his eyes off of her. Imani’s core clenched, and she felt a delightful shiver run through her. But this sex was a business arrangement and nothing more. Kiran certainly looked businesslike. He watched her with an unreadable look on his face as he slipped off his shirt.

Covered in markings and bindings, his broad chest moved up and down like he was also breathing heavier. Leaner than his older brother, lines and ropes of muscles covered his arms and legs. Saevel was bigger, but Imani felt like Kiran was more of a threat. More dangerous.

Eyes still locked on his, Imani stood up and stared up at him. With one hand, she tugged on the hem of her dress and slipped it off her body entirely. She held her wand in her other hand and, with a flourish, ripped off the echo shield. Magic skittered across her limbs as she shifted into her true self. Her skin glowed, heated from her arousal, and she could feel her signature pulsing her soul draw outward with each exhale.

A flash of surprise lit up his green eye.

She didn’t let him get away with it. “Ah, not as unbothered as you pretend to be.” Chuckling darkly, Imani meandered across the room to drape her nightgown over a chair, relishing the feel of the warm fire on her naked body. She kept her wand in hand, still flipping it between her fingers. Like Kiran, she didn’t trust herself to have it away from her touch.

When she turned to him again, his skin was glowing, too, and she felt that tug. He had let his soul draw out like hers. It was a heady drug to her system. She tipped her head back, unashamed, and breathed deep.

“So, where do we start?” Imani murmured.

He tipped his head to the side thoughtfully. “A kiss, perhaps?”

When she made a face, his shoulders shook in silent laughter. “Oh, you and I have a lot of work to do.”

Her mouth thinned as a serious look settled over his face.

“Lie down and don’t speak,” he commanded, layering a bit of the binding in his voice.

Asshole, Imani thought since she had no choice but to obey. Her hunger radiated off of her as she watched him take off his underwear.

Imani openly admired his naked body.

“Does the sight of my bare skin get under yours? Did you have lustful thoughts about me last night?” He gave Imani another taunting grin.

Godsdammit.

Kiran moved over her. Imani turned her head to the side, holding her breath, waiting for him to touch her the way she craved.

He didn’t.