Free Dragon Fae (The World of Fae) by Terry Spear Page B

treat him as a slave, and selling him would give that impression. Most of all, she didn’t trust what her brother might do to him. Stick him in the dungeon, most likely. Only serve him wine, since the human seemed to have an aversion to it. Torture him for having murdered fae just because they were fae, no other reason. Eliminate him, possibly.
    Alton placed his hand on her thigh. She glowered at him, but he did not remove his hand. Before, he’d always teased her mercilessly along with her brother. Now, the way his dark eyes studied her, she saw the interest, but also the warning.
    “He is dangerous,” Alton said, his voice rough.
    She parted her lips to refute his claim. His heated gaze studied her mouth.
    For a moment, she thought he wanted to kiss her. At the dining table. In front of her brother. Cook, who had just entered the dining hall with a tray full of fresh sourdough rolls. And one human prisoner. For one insane moment, she wanted him to. Kiss her.
    She quickly looked away, felt her whole body heat as a quiver of unexpected unease ping-ponged in her stomach. “He won’t harm anyone here,” she assured Alton, unable to meet his gaze. She wasn’t used to this part of the courtship phase—if she had to make up a name for it.
    She didn’t want an audience if Alton wished to kiss her.
    “He killed the fae seers,” Alton insisted, his tone deadly, his hand tightening on her thigh, his whole body stiffening with rage, his intent—to make her see his way in this.
    She removed Alton’s fingers from her leg with a jerk, but he quickly seized her hand and for a moment, she wasn’t sure what had happened. One minute, she was seated at her dining table, and the next minute, inky blackness enveloped her. Then she realized she was at Alton’s keep…now in the gardens.
    Red roses bloomed profusely here and she wished she had someone who might turn her plain all-green garden into something as lovely as this.
    “What do you think you’re doing?” she snapped, her voice rising.
    She didn’t want his servants to hear her, should any be about out here and she just couldn’t see them. She could have just returned to her keep with a flick of her wrist, but his deadly expression made her stay where she was—standing on a red brick path surrounded by roses, the fragrant tea-scent wrapping around her. She stayed, not because she was afraid of him. Because she wasn’t. But she thought he was truly worried about her, and she wished to resolve this right here and now. She didn’t need him and her brother popping in unexpectedly all the time to ensure she was all right.
    Before she realized what he was about to do, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
    She was burning up as he pressed his lips against her mouth, willing her to part them for him. And when she took a steadying breath, he took it as an invitation, his tongue teasing hers. Wicked, delicious, sensuous. His hands cradled her head, kept her from falling back or melting into the brick walk and made her forget about everything.
    Until she heard Alton’s advisor clear his throat.

 
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
    “What are you doing?” Ena shoved Alton away, but only after she had enjoyed the kiss! But she didn’t want Alton’s staff to spread the word that she’d been kissing him in his gardens. The other dragon shifters who might be interested in her wouldn’t like it.
    “Kissing you,” he growled. “You know you wanted it as much as I wanted it.”
    “Not that!” She couldn’t bring herself to say he was right. That she loved the way he had kissed her so tenderly like he really cared for her. But she also knew he had taken her away from her keep and away from the human because—dare she say it?—he was jealous? Would he have kissed her otherwise?
    He clenched his hands at his sides, his eyes narrowed. “He is a human !”
    Of that she was well aware!
    “Yes! And my prisoner. Nothing more.”
    “The others will talk.”
    He was worried about