Free Claiming the Prince: Book One by Cora Avery Page B

asked.
    “I told you,” he said, hovering in the midst of his cell, frowning down at the rats. “I refused to be claimed by Lavana.”
    “But how did she come to capture you in the first place?”
    He was grim. “I don’t know. Ever since I came of age, I’ve taken care to stay hidden from”—his green eyes darkened—“Raes. But somehow she discovered me. I think she used some Elf magic.”
    She chewed her lip, keeping one eye on the door. “Why do you think that?”
    “She told me she’d given up too much to gain the means to locate a Prince, and I heard her telling one of her servants that she owed the Elf King too much to back out . . . whatever that means. I only assumed she used Elf magic. I can’t imagine how else she could’ve located me.”
    “Anyone who knew you would know you were a Prince,” she said. “You can’t hide a face like that.”
    A flush spread over her cheeks as soon as the words left her mouth, but she kept her eyes on the door. And then she recalled how he had been shrouded in shadow when she’d first arrived.
    “Except you can,” she said, looking at him again. “You can obscure yourself, can’t you?”
    His eyes narrowed, the deep shadows of his brow closing in around the bright green lights underneath.
    “That’s a neat trick,” she said, gaze flicking back to the door, “and very useful for a Prince who doesn't wish to be one. But I suspect Lavana was only keeping you in here until she began to Shine, then you would’ve begged her to claim you. Lucky for you, she found a new Prince before that happened.”
    “I’ve heard about this Shine . . .”
    Her tongue flicked over the smooth spot where her tooth had been. All the while, the rats scratched and scurried, bolts rattling in their moorings.
    “But I can’t believe it is as impossible to resist as I’ve been told,” he said.
    She glanced at him. “You’ve never experienced it? You’ve never even seen a Rae who’s been claimed during her Shine?”
    “I’d never met any Rae before Lavana.”
    “Well, no wonder you have such a poor opinion of them,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s impossible to resist or not. I’ve never met a Prince who’s tried.”
    Though hooded, she could feel the weight of his gaze on her. “You’re not in your Shine now, are you?”
    She snorted. “No.”
    One of the bolts clattered loose and rolled towards her, tapping against the toe of her sneaker, but she didn’t move right away. She remained in the middle of her cell, feeling the pressing presence of the iron without being sapped by it in any way. Whatever Kaelan had done, it seemed almost as good as ichor-gold. But she’d never heard of a Prince who was able to give his Rae protection against iron, not even temporarily. Her thumbs skimmed over her fingers as she gazed down at the bolt. She had the strangest urge to pick it up. Was it possible he’d lent her so much protection that she could actually touch the stuff with her bare hands?
    She met Kaelan’s gaze again. “Why don’t you wish to be claimed?” she asked.
    “I told you—”
    “Yes, you don’t wish to be owned. I know,” she said. “Is that all?”
    His face darkened, which was to his benefit, hardening all the lines to chiseled perfection. “Is that not enough?” he asked.
    She didn’t believe him. There was something more to it, but it wasn’t her business to pry, though it was difficult not to interrogate him further. How could such a beautiful, powerful Prince be so willing to forsake everything he could gain by being claimed on principle alone? It was just unheard of.
    “Well, I have to say,”—she inched closer to the door of the cell, attempting to hear over teeth scraping and softly breaking stone—“you are the most unusual Prince I’ve ever met. And I’ve met my fair share.”
    “And do you have one?” he asked.
    “I did,” she said, “but I never claimed him.”
    “Why not?”
    “I met him in exile. I had no