Bad Fae | romantasy | Bad Fae #1

Chapter Eleven

During one particularly brutal training session, Phin accidentally revealed the reason Dain had demanded I start training in the first place.

"The king's court will not suffer your failures, Yana!" she yelled at yet another of said failures, then instantly looked horrified.

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

Phin swallowed. "What?"

I shook my head. "No. What did you say?"

"Nephinae," came Dain's cold voice. "Leave us."

Nephinae, who was usually so happy to give Dain as much shit as me, simply looked relieved to be dismissed and hurried out. I didn't turn to Dain as I put my hands on my hips and breathed deeply. Nephinae assured me I was improving, but it was the speed of those improvements that frustrated not only her, but Dain as well.

I felt him standing behind me. Strong and silent and immovable.

"The king's court?" I said to him, the question obvious.

"Two weeks," was his clipped reply. "He is throwing you a ball."

Was he, now? I nodded. "And were you going to tell me?"

"When it was relevant."

I wondered exactly when that would have been. He'd had me training with Phin for two weeks already. Was he just going to have forced me to the ball and somehow hope I didn't notice what was happening?

I scoffed as I unwrapped my hands and wrists from the straps of supple leather Phin made me train in. "I see."

"Do you?" he barked, and I wasn't going to take offence at the tone. I was too tired and bruised, and things were even more strained than usual after the other night in my room.

"Of course, Dain. I am nothing but a whim, an amusement, a slave to you. What should it matter what your plans for me are? You control me, after all."

As if it was a perverted reminder of his control over me, he made me turn to face him. He was standing on the other side of the room, wearing his armour, his wrist resting on his sword as usual. The same armour Phin wore to train me. The same armour Phin insisted I wear as well. Dain's eyes roved down my body and back up again, making me flush along the path they took, until he was looking into my eyes again.

"It suits you."

I rolled my eyes. "A compliment?" I huffed. "Oh, this must be serious."

He snarled and strode towards me. "I compliment you often. And mean it. That you choose to be awkward and offended by my admiration of your body is not my failing. But, yes, it is serious, Yana."

He stopped in front of me, and I prepared for him to heal my cuts and bruises as he had every night after my soaking bath. He had never seen me in the armour, that I knew of. He'd stayed away from Phin's work. I didn't know if he didn't trust himself – whether to not interfere or keep his hands off me – or if she had told him to let her work in peace.

Instead of healing, his leg snaked out and swiped mine out from under me. I was thrown backwards. As my arm hovered above my falling body, his hand darted out and wrapped around my wrist, halting my fall at the very last moment. I felt the thick lump of my ponytail between my skull and the floor beneath me. My other elbow grazed the floor and I struggled to get my breath back after the surprise of it all.

Dain was staring down at me, fury in his eyes. "Have you learned nothing?" he snarled. "You are more useless than a newborn."

"Just hand me over, then, Dain," I snapped. "Let him break me and I don't have to be your problem anymore." Which was, perhaps, the worst thing I could say to him.