Page 20 of Slaying the Shifter Prince
I let my skirt fall, leaving only my undergarments and the boned bodice.
His eyes narrowed as he unbuttoned his fly. I wouldn’t look at what he revealed—I wasn’t interested in the contents of his trousers. But I wouldn’t turn away or blush like he wanted me to.
Instead, I pulled loose the bows at my shoulders and reached back to unhook the bodice. It was a task easier said than done, and I bit my tongue against a curse.
That won a smirk as he stood there, trousers unfastened and clinging to his hips. Above the waistband, the hint of deep auburn hair and the base of a thick cock showed. “Do you need a hand, pet?” He didn’t say it low and husky, like Eric might’ve when he was trying to seduce me, but with a teasing, playful lilt that said he was as unaffected as I was.
I wasn’t sure if that pissed me off more.
I fiddled with the hooks a moment longer before clenching my jaw and turning my back to him. It felt less like defeat if I didn’t say it out loud.
His feet were silent, like all fae, and it was only the fact his chuckle grew louder that told me he approached. With or without words, I’d invited him into my space, and now I waited, breath held. He hadn’t hesitated in touching me all day. Was he now going to take this as the opportunity to escalate that?
My stomach knotted. I wouldn’t back down, but that didn’t mean I’d like it.
Something warm grazed my back, then the sound of tearing fabric ripped through the room.
I spun on my heel. “I only meant to unhook it, you—!”
His broad smile silenced me.
I wasn’t supposed to be speaking to him. I wasn’t giving him that pleasure. I bit my tongue and peeled away the tattered remains of the bodice. Should’ve known a monster like him would be incapable of treating the garment with the respect it deserved.
With a smirk, he followed my movements and let his gaze trail over my breasts. Like when he’d presented me with the collar—now the only thing I wore besides my underwear—I lifted my chin.
This was no show. Iwasproud of my body. I’d worked at it, honed it over a decade. It had earned me money. I looked after it and it looked after me.
No way was I going to cower under the bold gaze of some arsehole prince.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he made a faint sound as he turned away, like I was only faintly interesting.
Damnation was he tedious. I suddenly found myself eager to sleep, even if just to escape him for several hours.
As he walked away, he let his trousers fall and stepped out of them, every move powered by feline grace. The stripes continued over his arse and thighs, fading down his calves. His tail swished side-to-side. “You’ll sleep there.” He tossed a cloud-grey blanket on the foot of his bed.
Notinhis bed, but on its end, like a favourite lapdog.
I gritted my teeth. No backing down. No begging. I nodded to myself and slid under the fluffy blanket. The bed was as soft as a cloud, better than any I’d experienced, and I had to bite back a sigh as I sank into it.
He gave a huff, and I closed my eyes, refusing to even glance at him in a questioning manner. There was the scrape of pen on paper, followed by a faint ripple of magic that danced across the hairs at the back of my neck.
Despite the curiosity tugging on me, I kept my eyes screwed shut and pretended I was already asleep.
A few minutes later, the door clicked open and a soft female voice crept into the space. The tone he took as he welcomed her and her answering giggle told me all I needed to know—this was a lover. Perhaps the one he’d fucked last night.
There was a whisper of cloth, then her muffled moan suggested they were busy kissing, so I dared a peek. Tall and willowy, it was one of the women who’d been at the party. Her long, pale hair curled like a cascade of clouds over her bronze back as the prince’s hand trailed down and squeezed her backside. She didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered that I was in the room. It wasn’t as though I was hidden, so she had to know.
Claws scraping over her skin, leaving pink lines in their wake, he pulled her thighs around him. He carried her closer.
He was going to fuck her on the bed.
As he teased her arsehole with one finger, his golden eyes landed on me. He didn’t pause his kiss, but amusement glinted there.
Not just a murderer, but also a prize prick.
He’d failed to embarrass me with his undressing, so this was a fresh attempt.
Good luck with that.
