Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 131875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
And on and on. So many questions about her talents. Her beauty. Her heritage.
“You’re sure she’s not a Doma?”
“No magic that I’ve discerned,” Flavia assured the older gentleman. “She’ll be easily handled.”
Kerrigan almost snorted at that.
The man pinched her arm and then her cheek. It took every ounce of strength not to lay the bastard on his ass.
“Well, she still has some youth to her cheeks. My son might enjoy her.” The man nodded at Flavia. “I’ll have to bring him by. Tomorrow would work?”
“Of course,” Flavia said with a bow.
So many of the men with self-important interests. Her skin crawled at every touch and inspection and question. It wasn’t as bad as she’d thought, but it wasn’t comfortable. The only thing that helped was imagining how she’d cut them down if they laid another hand on her. And how she was going to get the hell out of this place tonight with all haste. She wasn’t going to be back when the man to brought his son by.
Finally, she’d made her pass of each of the men. Some had left, deciding they couldn’t or didn’t want to meet whatever Flavia’s opening price was. Kerrigan wasn’t aware of what it was, but by the way some of the men blanched, it had to be obscene.
Kerrigan was ready to retire to her room and prepare for her escape when the door to the inn opened one more time, and a young man stepped inside with all the pretension of a self-important prick. He had dark hair, long to his shoulders, and thin lips. He strutted rather than walked and wore more gold and jewels on his fingers than most of the men in the room, combined.
In fact, for a moment, Kerrigan was forgotten in the mayhem of the man’s entrance. The other men rushed forward with a quick smile and handshake to welcome him.
It was Flavia’s reaction that had Kerrigan standing up straighter. She looked like she had just scored a jackpot. Everyone else in her field of vision was forgotten as the man staggered through the crowd with a smile and quick word to each of the older men.
Finally, he stopped before Kerrigan and ran his eyes up and down her. He tilted his head. “Well, is she intact?”
Flavia bowed deeply to him. “Senator Tarcus, what an honor to have you here tonight.”
“I heard about the Doma enough. I had to come see for myself.” He walked a tight circle around Kerrigan, who had her back up.
Immediately, she felt like prey, trapped by a predator. Like she was going to need to claw her way out of this situation. The other men had been nothing compared to him. She hadn’t realized where she’d stood until he entered and sucked the air out of the room.
“She does have the appearance.” He grazed her ears. “Other than these.”
“Fae-touched,” Flavia explained. “You know that’s all the rage.”
“I’ve had a Fae. It wasn’t what everyone made it out to be,” he said dismissively. “However, I’ve had a Doma, and it was. Are you a Doma, sweet?”
Kerrigan said nothing, just stared into his haughty brown eyes with derision.
He laughed. “Ah, you didn’t tell me she was spirited.”
“I assure you that she is well trained and will be obedient to you.”
Tarcus forcefully snatched up her chin in his hand. A jolt of magic buckled through him, but she refused to flinch. She met him stare for stare. “Will you be obedient?” She said nothing, and he barked, “Answer me!”
“No,” she told him truthfully.
He laughed and released her, pushing her back a whole step. “I thought not. That’s okay. I break in my own stallions,” he said with a licentious grin. “But I wasn’t answered. Is she intact?”
“Yes,” Flavia said at once.
Kerrigan arched an eyebrow at him. She had a feeling she knew what intact meant, and she was far, far from a virgin. That ship had sailed long ago.
And he must have seen that on her face. He looked furious at Flavia’s deception. A man not to be trifled with. She hoped she had pissed him off. She wasn’t going anywhere with someone like this. She cut men like this to their knees back home.
“How dare you lie to me,” he snarled, turning on Flavia. “Was she not checked beforehand?”
“I …” Flavia gasped as he circled his hand around her throat.
Not a single person moved to intervene.
“I could kill you right now for your deception, and no one would care. You are nothing. You are no one. You are a worm under my shoe. I should take her as my own for your lying to a senator,” Tarcus bellowed.
But finally, he released her by throwing her down onto the ground at his feet.
“Kiss my feet for your disservice.”
He put his foot out, and Flavia actually crawled before him and pressed her lips to his dirty feet.