Bad Fae | romantasy | Bad Fae #1

Chapter Fourteen

It must have been midnight when dinner was finally served and, by then, I'd completely forgotten about anything outside Dain and me.

That was, until Dain span me to the side of the room, and I was about to ask him why when tables appeared through the room. Great long, wide tables with chairs running down either side, and they were laden with food and drink. The sex daises were replaced with sexual centrepieces, which went equally ignored as the fae took their seats.

I looked to Dain for some idea of what to do or where we were supposed to go. His eyes were pinned to Dhuschane as his hand went to the small of my back and he led me to a table upon which sat his king. The other Shaden were already taking seats there, leaving two in the middle right across from the Vodreylian king himself. Dain pulled my chair out for me and didn't take his eyes from his king as he helped me sit then sat himself.

"Well, isn't this pleasant?" Dhuschane said with a smile.

I was pretty sure it wasn't pleasant. I'd never felt Dain as tense as he was in that moment. His back was rigid and his fingers stiff as he picked up his wine glass.

Something tugged on the back of my mind and I took my eyes off Dain to glance at his king. Dhuschane's eyes were pinned to me and what I saw in them made my blood run cold. I was starkly reminded who the predators were and who was the prey.

"Your family, Yana," he said while he ate.

"My family?"

He nodded and waved an encouraging hand at me. "Tell me about them."

I doubted it was a request. I also doubted I was going to be able to answer without pissing someone off, so why bother holding back? "If you're asking from where my fae blood hails, I cannot help you. All I know is my mother was a halfbreed, raped, bred, and murdered by the king of Aclad."

"Oh, Dain. You didn't tell me I was entertaining mortal royalty."

"My halls are full of books enough to hold the things I do not tell you, Dhuschane," Dain answered as though bored.

"I would order your obedience, Shaden, but where's the fun in that when I can pry it from the..." He ran his tongue over his teeth. "...the delectable lips of your plaything."

Dain's leg shifted slightly, bumping mine. I didn't know if it was intentional or not.

"By all means, try," Dain answered with a shrug. "See if you can get anything more out of her than defiant impudence and weak insults."

"Weak insults?" I exclaimed. "Says the man who chooses to insult me to another rather than to my face!"

Dain snarled, taking my face in his hand as he leant into me. "I will insult you to your face...or your back. Depending on how I'm taking you."

Heat engulfed me. If all fae could really sense all desire, then that was just the second reason Dhuschane was humoured by our exchange.

"As entertaining as it is to watch you struggle to control your toy, Dain, I grow bored. You are a daughter of Aclad, Yana?"

I gripped Dain's wrist and took his hand off me, glaring at him before turning back to his king. "If my ownership is determined by who happened to nut themselves in my mother at the right time of the month, then yes."

I felt Venali's and Phin's amusement, but Dain was not impressed. Dhuschane, though, was. Impressed and amused.

"Oh, her mouth." He licked his lip obscenely. "What would you say if I asked to bury myself inside it, mortal?" I didn't doubt the 'asking' would be mere formality and I bristled.