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Chapter Four
Sure I had to have misheard, I frowned. “What?”
He didn’t answer as he tore off another piece of bread and pointed it at me. “Hungry?”
“Don’t change the subject. What do you mean I’m bait?” My voice had risen to a panicked octave.
He shrugged and popped the piece of bread in his mouth before he stood and approached the cage. I backed up, his imposing frame drawing closer. He pulled out a dagger from his belt, and I whimpered. “Get away from me!”
His shoulders dropped before he arched a dark eyebrow. “I was going to cut your restraints.” He nodded toward my hands, where they were still bound. “Unless you prefer to stay that way.”
Huffing out a breath, I slowly approached and held out my hands. He seized my wrist in one of his large palms, and I exhaled a pitched screech but didn’t pull back. This close, I could get a better look at him.
The only Fae I’d ever seen were those who came to visit once a year to ensure we were conforming to their unjust and numerous laws. But those Fae were very different. Their hair was light, usually so blonde it was white or silver. They had pale blue eyes, and their skin shimmered like starlight. They spoke in dulcet tones like they were trying to hypnotize us and moved through the castle as if they floated on gossamer clouds.
This Fae was entirely different with his dark olive skin and his black eyes. He didn’t shimmer so much as he hummed with a sort of leashed energy. His face was pleasing if you looked past the fact he’d just stolen me from my home and was pla
He sawed through my restraints, letting them fall free. I rubbed my sore wrists and backed away again.
“I’ll let you out to eat something,” he said. “But don’t do anything stupid. You can’t outrun me, and I know every corner of this forest intimately. Do you understand?”
The last thing I wanted was to share a meal with this beast, but my stomach growled in protest and it seemed my physical needs overruled my desires. Though I wasn’t sure why he was feeding me, given he apparently wasn’t keeping me here very long.
He was already unlocking the door, his eyes never leaving me. After opening it, he stood in the doorway. He was huge. At least a full head taller than me and nothing but tendons and muscle. It was obvious he was right when he said I couldn’t outrun him. He moved like an apparition, all sinuous grace and lethal coiled energy.
“Your Highness,” he said in a sarcastic tone, gesturing me to a chair at the table. I hesitated for a moment, but the simple fare looked delicious, and I was so thirsty. Brushing past him, I picked up a glass and drank the entire thing without pausing.
Dropping into my seat, I filled my plate with bread and cheese and meat and started eating with my hands. This was hardly the meal I was used to, but right now, it tasted like heaven.
The Fae sat down across from me and watched me eat.
“Rowan, was it?” he asked, picking up his glass and taking a sip of water.
“Why? Like you said, I won’t be here long.”
He snorted and placed the cup down. “Fair enough.”
“What’s your name?” I asked. “I’d like to know who I’ll be cursing when the ogre is devouring me.”
“Wicked,” he said, and I burst into laughter and slapped my hand over my mouth. His eyebrows drew together, his intense gaze sparking.
“Is something fu
“That’s not your real name. That’s ridiculous.”
His smile was cold as he leaned forward. “Well, it’s the only one you’re getting.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine,” I said, stuffing bread in my mouth. “Wicked, it is.” I made his name sound as absurd as it was, and his lip curled in a snarl.
“Watch it, Princess. You’re alive at my mercy.”
I leaned forward, baring my teeth. “You’ve already told me I’m ogre food. What incentive is there for me to behave, Wicked? If I’m perfectly sweet and docile, will you change your mind and let me go home?”
He pressed his lips together, anger flaring across his expression. Oh good. I’d gotten under his skin. At least I’d accomplished that.
I sat back and folded my arms. “I didn’t think so.”
He glared while he pulled his plate closer and finished devouring his di
“Why do you want to catch the ogre?” I asked casually. Maybe I could figure out his plans and how much longer I had to live.
“None of your business,” he said, not taking his eyes off me as he chewed. He sat so still it was u
“I do think it’s my business,” I said in retort. “If you’re pla
He leaned forward, and I mimicked his movement in expectation. “Get used to disappointment, Princess.”
I growled low in my throat. “Asshole.” He chuckled at that, and the sound was so human, so normal, it plucked my already stretched nerves.
Another minute passed before I tried again. Tracing a pattern into the wood of the table, I asked, “Then how about telling me when you plan to use me as bait for the reason that is none of my business?”
He didn’t even humor me with a snort this time. Instead, I was rewarded with a resonant growl. “Keep this up and I’ll make you sleep outside.” His mouth stretched into a feral smile. “And what lives out there is much less friendly than I am.”
Shivers climbed up my scalp at the menace in his expression.
“You just said you need me,” I whispered, not sure who I was trying to convince. “You can’t let anything happen to me until you get what you’re after.”
“I just need your blood, Princess. The rest of you is expendable.”
I gaped at him, hoping he was just being dramatic, but there was only truth in his words. The room suddenly felt very small.
“You finished?” he asked, and I blinked in surprise, looking at my empty plate.
“Yes,” I said softly, wondering how I was going to escape this nightmare. I thought of Ellis and Margaret and my parents. They must be beside themselves with worry. I thought of my soft, warm bed and my airy room in the castle. Of the feast I should have been enjoying after a betrothal to my oldest friend today.
Instead, I was here in this drafty, awful tomb with this cruel, wild Fae, about to become a snack for some monster I couldn’t even imagine. The creak of the iron door of my cell roused my attention. Wicked held it open, his head tipped as he waited for me.
“In you go,” he said.
“Can’t I sleep there?” I pointed to the worn sofa in front of the hearth. “I’ll even take the floor. Please don’t make me sleep in there.” I willed as much docile subservience into my voice as I could. If he locked me inside, there would be no hope of escaping.
But if I thought Wicked had a compassionate bone in his body, I was sadly mistaken because he let out an evil chuckle that reminded me of the rattling bones scryers used to predict the future.
“Nice try, Princess. I’d like to get a good night’s sleep without worrying about you trying to slit my throat and escaping.” I bit my bottom lip. I hadn’t even thought of the first part. Now I eyed the dagger hanging from his belt, mentally adding a new task to my list. He watched where my interest went, and it was obvious he knew exactly what I was thinking.
I bared my teeth in an attempt to look menacing, but he just rolled his eyes. “You can do as you’re told, or I’ll put you in there myself.”
Wavering, I wished I could tear out a fistful of his hair and feed it to him. I couldn’t fight him. I couldn’t outrun him. My only hope was to find some way to outsmart him, but the cu
Slowly, I stood, my skirt clutched in my hands. My arsenal consisted of this wholly impractical dress, my cloak, and a pair of thin slippers. Basically, I had nothing.
With a withering glare, I glided into my cage and spun around to face him as he slammed the door in my face and locked it.
“Sweet dreams, Princess.”