I did not know the time and I did not explain further—not the curse of the well or even the toad, because none of it mattered. None of it was going to change my present or my future.
The beast did not ask.
“Is this what it means to be your prisoner?” I asked. “To never have a moment of privacy?”
“Do you wish to be stoned to death?”
“Do red caps lurk in every corner of your castle?”
He smirked but did not answer.
“I will give you a moment’s peace once you are safely in your room.”
“My room?”
“Your cell, your prison,” he said. “Call it what you wish, but I assume you understand the importance of staying inside until daybreak?”
I glared.
Night itself was dangerous, but night in the Enchanted Forest was a death wish. When I was younger, foolish boys would dare each other to spend the night in the woods, never to be heard from again no matter how close they stayed to the border.
Sometimes the bodies were found in the daylight, beaten and broken or stripped to the bone. Others were not found at all, and I often wondered if they had been whisked away to another kingdom only to become slaves or concubines to some great fae ruler.
“And after daybreak?”
“You may go wherever you dare, but only when I have no use for you.”
I ground my teeth. “What use?”
“Whatever I desire,” he said. “You are my prisoner.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You will always have a choice,” he said.
I knew what he meant by choice. It was either allow him to watch me bathe or be stoned to death.
I studied him for a moment and then fell back into the water. I scrubbed my face and my hair, and when I was finished, I remained below the surface, letting the air escape my mouth until my lungs burned and the water felt heavy, like the walls of an iron coffin.
Hands clamped down on my arms, and I opened my eyes, taking a deep, gasping breath as I broke the surface. The beast glared down at me, eyes shining with acute anger.
“You do not get to leave this world of your own accord,” he said, his gaze falling to my lips. “And if you manage it, I will follow you in death and haunt you for all of eternity.”
I was confused by his fierce response but had no time to process his anger when he released me. I reached for him as I fell, but there was nothing to hold on to. He had already vanished. I landed on something soft—a bed, I realized as I sat up, still wet and naked.
I scanned the room. It was small, far narrower than it was wide. There was an uncovered window to the left and a hearth to the right, a fire crackling and popping within, making the room almost too warm. I slipped off the bed, and there was soft carpet at my feet. I paused for a moment and then bent to touch it with my hands. I had never felt anything like it. I had only ever known the feel of compacted dirt and the occasional handwoven rug.
If this was to be my cell, it was luxurious.
A tapping sound drew my attention. For one heart-stopping moment, I thought someone was at the window, but when I looked, it was only the trees rattling in the wind, and I could see nothing beyond the thick foliage and the deep night. There was a part of me that was unnerved by the obstruction. I’d have liked to look upon the beast’s kingdom. At the same time, I was grateful and hopeful that it meant no one could peer in on me.
With that thought, I crossed to the door and tried the knob, ensuring it was locked, and then dragged a large wooden chest in front of it. I was aware of what the elven lord had not said—while I should not leave this room, he’d never said anything about someone coming in.
With the door barricaded, I returned to the bed and slipped beneath the covers and fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter Four
Mirror, Mirror
The creature in my castle is a seductress. She smells like sweet roses, and she clings to me like the cold despite the fire she’s started in my blood. I want her. The need for her runs deep in my veins. It goes beyond soothing the swell of my cock.
In her presence, I can taste freedom.
“You will be the death of her.”
“Did I summon you?” I asked, turning toward the jagged piece of mirror on my wall. It was one of seven pieces, the other six belonging to my brothers.
I could not see my reflection as I glared at him. He had made his visage dark, which was usual. When the mirror was clear, it meant anyone with another piece could spy. Though it was not as if I minded. My brothers would likely only catch me participating in various lascivious acts.
“You do not have to summon me. I am always watching.”
“Charming,” I said. “Will you linger while I pleasure myself too?”
“I have little choice. I am only a mirror.”
“Suit yourself,” I said, reaching for my erection, which strained against the fabric of my trousers. I had no shame, but before I had a chance to touch myself, the mirror spoke.
“Do you really think this mortal will learn your true name?”
I curled my fingers into a fist. “I would not have chosen her for the task if she did not show promise.”
“You did not choose,” the mirror drawled. “Your brothers sent her.”
“It does not matter how she came to me. She is here. She is flesh and blood. She can set me free.”
“If she falls in love with you.”
“A small detail,” I said.
“Small?” the mirror repeated with some surprise. “I would hardly call that detail small.”
“I do not wish to speak on it,” I said, my voice harsh, and my mood darkened, descending like shadow in the dying dusk.
I knew the mirror was right.
I needed her to love me, but I had waited nearly ten years for someone to come along with enough reason to learn my true name. This creature, she wished to be free, and if she wished hard enough, she might just set me free too.
“Do you truly believe they would send you a clever thing?”
“Perhaps you could tell me,” I said. “Do you not exist in six other palaces and know all my brothers’ secrets?”
“Five,” he said, a reminder that one of my brothers was dead and that someone already had his piece of the enchanted mirror. It had once been whole and hung in our father’s hall, but as he neared death, he broke it into seven pieces, one for each of his sons, and declared that whoever put it back together again would be king of the Enchanted Forest. “I only exist with five of your brothers now.”