Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
I can’t imagine a world in which Liam Castle wants me dead. With a hard swallow, I shift my gaze and catch the reproach on Landon’s face, accompanied by a barely discernible shake of his dark head.
Let it go, he’s saying. Let Liam go.
Vance clears his throat, gaining the attention of everyone at the table. “Before we move on to dessert, I’d like to present the queen with my gift.” He signals to a woman who stepped into the room as the main course ended. As she closes the distance, I remember she was present during the medical exam three months ago.
With a smile, she sets a tray in front of me, and I muster a friendly curve of my lips in return because she was kind to me, even holding my hand during the examination. This stranger winced through the invasion with me, making sure I wasn’t alone since the Brotherhood hadn’t allowed my ladies to attend.
Vance’s assistant vanishes as fast as she appeared, leaving behind a perplexing offering of a silver spoon and a small decorative bottle made of frosted glass.
I raise a brow at Vance. “What is this?”
Instead of answering, he picks up the spoon, his lips tilting into a smirk of a grin, and hands it to me. “Take three teaspoons and find out.”
“And if I don’t?”
“If you don’t, you’ll miss the opportunity to choose the attention of any man at this table for the rest of the evening.” He leans closer, his voice lowering, though I’m sure everyone hears him. “And the best part?” Another pause, another smile. “Whoever you chose will have no control over you.”
I feel the doctor’s words low in my belly, tumbling around in triumph, and for the first time since I took my seat, I sense the lion’s movement to my left. Every shift of his jeans steals my focus, whereas thirty seconds ago I could ignore him completely.
I was proud of my feigned indifference to Sebastian Stone.
But now I’m achingly aware of how close he is—the closest I’ve sat to him during dinner. And yet the more I move in Sebastian’s direction, the more the distance from Liam grows. I hate that I can’t trust the chancellor, that my father’s letter has made me doubt the first man to make me feel safe in this tower.
I eye the spoon dangling in front of me, and my heart sinks with realization. It’s a clever offer, the dream of spending an evening without being under the control of a man. What a novel concept.
If only I believed it to be true, because taking whatever’s inside that bottle isn’t a request. The doctor’s gift is as much a demand as Liam’s request that I prove myself while on my knees. It’s as much an order as Landon telling me to stay away from the chancellor.
My life has become a series of demands disguised as choices.
As I grab the spoon, Elise sucks in a nervous breath, her blue eyes wide with alarm. If the dynamics were different, she’d beg me not to give in.
But things aren’t different. Elise and I are on foreign soil, trapped by duty and a society that views us as subservient creatures. Before I can question the wisdom of what I’m doing, I pour the syrupy liquid from the bottle and watch it fill the spoon.
It’s tasteless going down, and so are the next two doses. I set the spoon back on the tray next to the bottle. Expectation cuts through the air. If I didn’t know better, I’d think everyone was holding their breath.
The moment snaps when servants appear with slices of berry-garnished cheesecake. Conversations resume as forks scrape dessert plates. Steady hands replenish emptying glasses of wine. I make it halfway through my dessert before the oddest feeling hits me.
Intense heat radiates from low in my belly, spreading down my legs and all the way to my toes until they curl. I press my thighs together, but the sensation only amps hotter until it’s a persistent pulse at my core. Biting back a whimper, I bring a palm to my left cheek, surprised to find it cool to the touch.
Vance places a hand on my knee, his caress warm through royal blue silk, and gently tugs until my thighs part by an inch.
“What are you doing?” My voice shakes, humiliation creeping onto my face as I glance at the men around the table. No one is paying attention to me…until I catch the knowing eyes of Sebastian. A smirk taints his expression, and I try to press my legs together in response.
Vance brings my gaze back to him, his grip tightening on my knee. “Don’t fight it.” He leans close, mouth heating my earlobe, and I shiver. “The throb between your legs isn’t going anywhere for the next few hours.”