Two Wicked Courts

Chapter 14

I had dried off and put my undershirt back on by the time Casimir returned, followed by the maid carrying our meals. I was warmed through because of the bath, and my extremities were in no danger of falling off thanks to Casimir, but I was still incredibly sore from a full day of riding.

The maid set the tray on the small table. She eyed my state of undress and glanced at Casimir, the speculation unmistakable.

"That will be all," Casimir said roughly, tossing our packs onto the bed.

She scurried out.

"That wasn't very kind," I remarked as I crossed the room to rifle through my pack. I withdrew the tub of Raiden's salve with a grin.

"She will gossip."

"About the half-naked human in the Unseelie King's room? Oh my," I winked and set about smearing the ointment across my skin, wincing at how cold it was from being outside. "You didn't strike me as someone who cared about idle gossip."

"Mostly naked," Casimir corrected disdainfully.

"You didn't seem to mind my lack of clothing before."

He ignored me, taking off his cloak and hanging it on a peg on the door. "I dislike people knowing of my private affairs."

"Fair enough." I rubbed the salve onto my thighs, using my thumbs to apply pressure to the muscles underneath my skin. A slight prickle of power ran down my back and I straightened, pulling the undershirt back over my thighs. I slipped into a fresh pair of underwear and leggings from my pack and pulled the old undershirt off, my bare back facing him. More of the salve was massaged into my lower back, and again, I felt his gaze flicker to me. I grabbed a clean undershirt and said, "shall I pretend I don't feel your eyes? Look freely, if you wish. It's not like I haven't been ogled by your kind before."

I pulled the shirt over my head and turned, sneering at how he had averted his gaze. "What is it about humans that your kind find so fascinating? We're so pathetic and distasteful, yet we're all you desire. At court, they marveled at how delicate I was, how easily I could bruise, and how little force they needed to inflict pain. Would you like to know these things, too?"

"Yes," he admitted in a soft whisper.

"Too bad," I remarked. "I don't plan on ever being delicate again."

Casimir had taken off his boots and started eating, entirely focused on the hot food in front of him.

I gathered my things and moved them to the floor as my stomach growled. I shook my cloak out and hung it beside his on the door before joining him at the table. I wolfed down the food, roasted dark meat and gravy with withered, late season vegetables. It was nothing compared to Aisling's cooking, but I was too hungry to care.

His eyes followed the movement of my hand as I raised each bite to my mouth, growing increasingly unsettling. I paused to take a drink of water, but he watched that too.

"What?" I snapped.

"You seem to be eating well," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You look much healthier than when I found you."

"Yes, well, the princes seemed to think we could survive off nothing but Fae wine and their attention."

"How did you?"

"You know I was forbidden from attending Leander's studies and Lys was always too involved with Alana to notice my absence. I used the time to explore the palace and found the kitchens. I would eat there, take food back to Alana." I pushed the empty plate away.

"And you weren't stopped by guards?"

"No. I always thought they assumed I was sent to perform tasks for Leander. Glamoured humans aren't very threatening."