Page 27 of Slaying the Shifter Prince
He was calling me like a dog. And he knew I understood that.
I was supposed to refuse to come, maybe say something like “I’m not a dog, you know.” Then he’d march over here and haul me out by my arm.
I want to break you.
But I wouldn’t break. I would beat him at his own game.
So I smiled and pushed myself to my feet and started towards him, ignoring the way the room spun.
His mouth flattened. His brows lowered.
I’d spoiled his fun. My smile widened, and I missed my sharp canines at that moment. They would’ve painted a perfectly vicious picture to match my perfectly vicious pleasure.
He raised his chin. “On your hands and knees.”
Celestine huffed out a short breath. “Is that really ne—?”
“Hands and knees.” He ground the words out like he took delight in breaking them where he could not break me.
I sank to my knees and took my time crawling to him, as though I enjoyed every minute. And when I saw the way it made his nostrils flare, Idid.
When I reached his feet, I looked up at him, wide-eyed and innocent, like I didn’t understand exactly how much I’d pissed him off.
His irritation hummed in the tight set of his muscles, the flat line of his mouth, his fisted hands. “Thank you, Celestine.” He inclined his head at her before throwing the door open. “Get up—I’m not going to wait for you to crawl all the way back to my chambers.”
Oh, no. He wanted me on my hands and knees, and that’s where I’d stay. Call it malicious obedience.
I crawled out after him and threw a grin over my shoulder at Celestine. She waved and smothered a smirk behind her hand.
The prince went on a few steps, then stopped and spun. “What the fuck are you…?” He huffed. “I saidget up.”
I kept crawling.
In silence, his shiny black boots stepped into my space and before I had a chance to look up, an arm banded around my waist and hoisted me up. I couldn’t help squealing and hated myself for it.
Especially when I landed over his shoulder and found him glancing back at me with a smirk. That tiny, pathetic sound had been enough of a protest to please him. It wasn’t a sound of me breaking, but for him, it was the sound of a crack forming.
I clenched my jaw against any other noises I might make as he strode down the corridor, hand fastened around my thigh.
“You stink of blackberry wine. What else did she feed you?”
Cheek leaning on my hand, I stared back the way we’d come and refused to answer.
His harsh exhale made me feel a little better.
He asked me a few more questions on the way to his chambers, and I maintained my silence. When we arrived, he undressed with his back to me as though he couldn’t stand to look at me.
That suited me perfectly.
I tugged off my dress, noting the lack of purple stains even though I’d definitely spilled my drink. Celestine must’ve used her magic to clean it. Despite snoozing, my limbs still felt heavy and fuzzy, and I was glad to crawl under my blanket at the end of the bed.
“No. Not tonight.” He had his back to me still. Its muscles were taut, his shoulders square. “You’ve displeased me, so you’ll sleep on the floor. The bed is a privilege for when you’ve been good.”
Sharing his bed was aprivilege? I snorted. Let him wonder what I was laughing at—that would torture him more than any words. I grabbed my blanket and nestled in front of the fire.
Instead of images of his death waiting behind my eyelids, I found Zinnia. Long, chestnut brown hair. Matching eyes. The slight bump to her nose where she’d fallen while learning the silks. A faint scar on her chin from the same accident. It was the clearest I’d seen her in a long, long while.
I’ll kill him for you. I’ll make him suffer.
