you just rub it on her for a show?‛ a female
voice asked from somewhere near the head table. She was short, with an
unnatural looking buzz cut. It set her apart from all the other tiger women
in the room.
‚Fi’on, shall I prove it to you?‛ he asked, turning to his left. He was
talking to one of the women at the head table.
He stalked to the cage. The men holding it sat it on the floor. Alycia
eyed him warily. Did he expect her to just let him touch her? He was
55
The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown
freaking lucky she agreed to put on the new clothing. But that's where her
cooperative streak ended.
He walked over to her. She did not run around the cage to avoid
him. She would wait until he made his move. He snaked his hand between
the bars. Alycia jumped to the other side of the cage.
Several of the onlookers gasped in surprise. His eyes narrowed. He
walked around to the other side of the cage and tried again. This time it
was harder to avoid his fingers. One skimmed against her elbow but fell
just short of its goal.
This time there were open chuckles and smirks. She watched the
lines around the side of his mouth deepen and his lips thin out. He stalked
around the cage several times before he stopped in front of her. This time
she didn’t try her luck. The second she saw him moving his hand, she
jumped to the other side of the cage.
Laughs echoed through the room, none louder than Fi’on’s. Many
of the guests who had turned around were no longer paying them any
attention.
‚You will not make me a laughingstock,‛ he growled at her.
‚I did not make you a laughingstock. You did that on your own.‛
She whispered the words at him. Chuckles erupted nearby. It seemed her
words traveled to other ears.
‚You need to train your pet better,‛ Fi’on yelled from the head table.
The prince let loose a roar. The nails on his hands elongated into
claws. He reached through the bars and, before she could move, he slashed
one arm and then the other. Pain seared through her. She bit her bottom lip
and held back the scream that burned her throat. Tears pooled in her eyes
but she refused to let them drop. Her future would be short-lived in this
place. She refused to act like a good little pet and it seemed the prince had
no problem rending her flesh from her body.
A roar sounded from behind them. It shook the floor and quieted
the room. She wanted to turn around but to do so she would have to give
her back to the prince. She would never give him that much power over
her.
‚It seems that one of you has kidnapped my mate.‛
56
The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown
Barrick. He had come. A smile blossomed on her face as she saw
fear in the prince’s eyes. He quickly recovered, hiding it with a look of
disdain.
‚Mate?‛ the king asked.
‚Yes,‛ Barrick growled. ‚It seems that one of your ships got a little
excited and shot her ship down inside the Neutral Zone.‛
‚None of my soldiers would do that. Call the guards,‛ he said to
one of the men at his side.
Barrick’s voice came from nearby. ‚I suggest you back away from
that cage.‛
The prince backed away from her. He was close to the head table
when Barrick rounded the cage. It took several kicks to break the lock. It
fell to the floor in broken chunks. He looked pissed.
‚She’s not your mate,‛ the prince announced to the room in general.
‚How do you figure that?‛ Barrick asked as he pulled her through
the door of the cage.
She winced as his hands squeezed on her arms. Barrick looked
down at her and zeroed in on his hands. He bared his teeth at the sight of
the blood oozing through his fingers.
‚She’s not of our world,‛ the prince stated and walked away.
‚Who has marked my mate?‛ Barrick thundered.
‚It’s not my fault she can’t follow simple instructions. She needs to
be trained.‛
‚I couldn’t let him touch me,‛ she whispered, looking up at Barrick.
‚I just
voice asked from somewhere near the head table. She was short, with an
unnatural looking buzz cut. It set her apart from all the other tiger women
in the room.
‚Fi’on, shall I prove it to you?‛ he asked, turning to his left. He was
talking to one of the women at the head table.
He stalked to the cage. The men holding it sat it on the floor. Alycia
eyed him warily. Did he expect her to just let him touch her? He was
55
The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown
freaking lucky she agreed to put on the new clothing. But that's where her
cooperative streak ended.
He walked over to her. She did not run around the cage to avoid
him. She would wait until he made his move. He snaked his hand between
the bars. Alycia jumped to the other side of the cage.
Several of the onlookers gasped in surprise. His eyes narrowed. He
walked around to the other side of the cage and tried again. This time it
was harder to avoid his fingers. One skimmed against her elbow but fell
just short of its goal.
This time there were open chuckles and smirks. She watched the
lines around the side of his mouth deepen and his lips thin out. He stalked
around the cage several times before he stopped in front of her. This time
she didn’t try her luck. The second she saw him moving his hand, she
jumped to the other side of the cage.
Laughs echoed through the room, none louder than Fi’on’s. Many
of the guests who had turned around were no longer paying them any
attention.
‚You will not make me a laughingstock,‛ he growled at her.
‚I did not make you a laughingstock. You did that on your own.‛
She whispered the words at him. Chuckles erupted nearby. It seemed her
words traveled to other ears.
‚You need to train your pet better,‛ Fi’on yelled from the head table.
The prince let loose a roar. The nails on his hands elongated into
claws. He reached through the bars and, before she could move, he slashed
one arm and then the other. Pain seared through her. She bit her bottom lip
and held back the scream that burned her throat. Tears pooled in her eyes
but she refused to let them drop. Her future would be short-lived in this
place. She refused to act like a good little pet and it seemed the prince had
no problem rending her flesh from her body.
A roar sounded from behind them. It shook the floor and quieted
the room. She wanted to turn around but to do so she would have to give
her back to the prince. She would never give him that much power over
her.
‚It seems that one of you has kidnapped my mate.‛
56
The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown
Barrick. He had come. A smile blossomed on her face as she saw
fear in the prince’s eyes. He quickly recovered, hiding it with a look of
disdain.
‚Mate?‛ the king asked.
‚Yes,‛ Barrick growled. ‚It seems that one of your ships got a little
excited and shot her ship down inside the Neutral Zone.‛
‚None of my soldiers would do that. Call the guards,‛ he said to
one of the men at his side.
Barrick’s voice came from nearby. ‚I suggest you back away from
that cage.‛
The prince backed away from her. He was close to the head table
when Barrick rounded the cage. It took several kicks to break the lock. It
fell to the floor in broken chunks. He looked pissed.
‚She’s not your mate,‛ the prince announced to the room in general.
‚How do you figure that?‛ Barrick asked as he pulled her through
the door of the cage.
She winced as his hands squeezed on her arms. Barrick looked
down at her and zeroed in on his hands. He bared his teeth at the sight of
the blood oozing through his fingers.
‚She’s not of our world,‛ the prince stated and walked away.
‚Who has marked my mate?‛ Barrick thundered.
‚It’s not my fault she can’t follow simple instructions. She needs to
be trained.‛
‚I couldn’t let him touch me,‛ she whispered, looking up at Barrick.
‚I just
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