Page 14 of Slaying the Shifter Prince
Shoulders back, he commanded the room with a dazzling, spiked smile that matched the glinting crown atop his head. His audience leant in, eyes wide, flicking from him to me and back again. A hundred held breaths sucked the air from the room.
Anticipation scraped over my skin, raising the hair on my bare arms.
He touched my shoulder, making me flinch. He made a low sound alarmingly like a purr.
Jaw clenched, I held still as his hand slid up my neck and into my hair, where it fisted.
“Come now, little bird, say hello to my friends.”
He liked my defiance, and I refused to do anything to please him. “Hello.” My voice piped, lost in the cavernous room.
A ripple of laughter passed through the crowd.
“This is not a matter for laughter.” The prince released my hair and smoothed it down. He turned to his audience. “Last night, this human took an iron blade and tried to kill me.”
Eyes widened. Some returned to me, re-evaluating the tiny human before them.
“Naturally, she failed. But…” He raised his hand. “Her life is mine, in exchange for the one she tried to take. So let it be known, this treacherous creature is mine. You will treat her as my pet.”
My stomach turned, sending bile to burn the back of my throat. The pet comments weren’t just a nasty nickname or a threat. I swallowed, fighting nausea. What did this mean?
“And to ensure she doesn’t forget what she is, she will wear this at all times.” He returned to his throne and beckoned me closer. “Come to your master, pet.”
Something inside screamed for me not to go.
I forced my legs to disobey that survival instinct.
“Good girl,” he crooned when I reached him. He gripped under my chin, the tips of his claws pressing into my cheeks. “You’re learning.”
Beneath my stiff fear, that bubbling sensation started again. I welcomed it, scooped it up, and brought it close. Hells, I even welcomed the icy fear and my earlier nervous anticipation. A catalogue of feelings I’d forgotten how to have.
The prince nodded to a servant, who approached carrying a green velvet cushion.
My stomach plummeted when I saw what glittered upon it.
A ruby-encrusted collar.
When I managed to drag my gaze from it, I found the prince’s mouth curled in a smirk. I must’ve given some outer sign of my horror.
But rather than tightening his grip, ready to hold me still as he fastened the collar around my throat, he released me. A challenge flared in his golden eyes.
He was giving me the chance to pull away.
Daringme to.
He enjoyed my discomfort. My horrified stare at the collar had given him pleasure. Hewantedme to refuse it—or try to.
That was when I realised.
For him, this was all a game.
And I didn’t lose games.
I had only one way to win this one.
I wouldn’t cry or ask for help. I wouldn’t beg him to stop. Whatever he asked, I wouldn’t back down.
And when he least expected it, I would fucking kill him.
