Page 54 of Slaying the Shifter Prince
I eyed him as I sat. “Do you haveextramagic or something, because you’re a prince?”
He stretched himself along the blanket, looking every inch of his great size. Somehow, being here under the open sky and not contained by the proportions of anything as mundane as walls or a chair, he seemed both larger and freer. “Different fae have different amounts and kinds of magic.”
His shoulders bobbed as he closed his eyes and tilted his face to the sun. It gilded his skin, caressing his features like a lover. “It’s generally hereditary, but great power isn’t confined to the royal families.”
I arched an eyebrow. This had to be the most he’d said to me without making a joke or ordering me to do something for his own amusement. I waited for him to tell me to serve him food from the basket.
But he seemed content to lie on the blanket, fingers interlaced behind his head, a peaceful smile on his face.
I waited. Eventually, I had to peel off the velvet gown. It wrapped around me, like a dressing robe, so it was easy to remove. He’d definitely planned this. The light sea breeze breathed through my chemise, cooling the sweat that had gathered on my skin.
I fiddled with the gown’s hem, frowning at Sepher. Still, no instructions came.
“What are we doing?”
One yellow eye opened and turned to me. “Well,I’mrelaxing. But you appear to be…” His eyebrows screwed together, and he opened the other eye as if he needed to get a better look at me. “I’m not surewhatthat is. Your jaw is horribly clenched, though.”
“Because I’m waiting to find out what you brought me here for.” I huffed and re-folded the gown, careful to keep it away from the sand. “I’m waiting for something todo.”
He scoffed, white teeth flashing. “Thisisthe thing.” He gestured at the beach, the blanket, claws catching the light.
“What? Just… sitting here?”
“Good gods, woman.” It was his turn to huff as he sat up. “First you ruin sex, now you ruin a day at the beach.” Eyes closed, he drew a long breath and exhaled. “We’re here to relax. Both of us. I know some of my court have perhaps taken my instruction on how they should behave with you to heart. And… perhaps I’m partially responsible for that.” His expression darkened. “So I’m not keen to let you out of my sight, or Celestine’s, at the palace. Or to let my guard down, where you’re concerned. But here, we’re away from all that.” He shrugged and lay back down. “Enjoy it.”
I frowned at him, not a scowl this time, but that screwed up face I pulled when utterly baffled by this fae prince. If I didn’t know better, I’d have said he was regretting ordering his court to treat me like a pet. And I’d have said he was concerned for my safety.
But both those things were impossible.
As was his command toenjoy it.
Every day for ten years, I’d worked. Exercise first thing in the morning. Fuelling my body with breakfast, followed by travelling between towns and cities. Setting up for performances. Rehearsing. Treating my hair and skin to ensure it looked its best.
Since arriving here, I’d kept up my workouts and fuelling, and I’d treated Sepher’s instructions as a new kind of work. Assessing what response would best piss him off had become a job in itself.
But this?
What the fuck was I supposed to do with this?
One golden eye flicked open. With a sigh, he closed it again. “Lie down, Zita.”
I pursed my lips at him. I wasn’t about to let him tell me to…Urgh.
Malicious compliance.
Defiance would only please him and get me punished.
Fine. I gathered a selection of cushions and lay back against them. They were soft and cupped around me, almost an embrace.
“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He flashed me a grin before going back to his relaxation.
My fingers tapped on my belly. “Now what?”
“Feel the sun.” He didn’t look at me this time, just basked in the warm light. “Listen to the sea. Enjoy their gifts.”
“I noticed it’s unusually sunny for this time of year.”
“Iama prince of Dawn Court. The sun always smiles on us.”
