Prince of Magic Read Online Free PDF Page B

anyone else who came too close. Rayne knew nothing which her father did not tell her.
    She did not like the tall, fair-haired man who had been with them for so long. Fynnian could tell by the way she served the guest so quickly and then moved away that he made her uneasy. He could not blame her. Ciro looked at the woman he lusted after as if he wanted to eat her alive. His hands wandered too close to her body, though he did not touch. He had been told he could not… not yet.
    When the time was right and Rayne had served her purpose, Ciro could do whatever he wanted to her.
    After Rayne had served Fynnian his tea, she nodded gently. "If you don't think you'll need me again this evening, I'll retire for the night."
    "So soon?"
    "I don't enjoy the late-night hours the way you do, Father."
    No, Rayne was a morning person, like her mother.
    "We'll be fine, dear," Fynnian said, patting his daughter's hand gently. "You go on to bed."
    Rayne said good night, cast a suspicious glance at Ciro and nodded shyly, and all but fled from the room.
    "She doesn't like me," Ciro said when Rayne was gone.
    "She will learn to like you in time."
    "And if she doesn't?"
    "Then when she's served her purpose, you can kill her, the way I killed her mother when she grew tiresome."
    Ciro shrugged slightly, accepting that as a possibility. "It was nice to look upon Rayne for a few moments, but watching her only made my hunger more keen," he said.
    These days Ciro was always hungry, but that was to be expected as the transformation took place. Fynnian rose from his chair and headed for a small door at the rear of the study. He could not feed the boy as often as he'd like, not without some considerable trouble. Eventually the prince would be able to feed himself, but until then these weekly feasts would suffice.
    Fynnian opened the door, and found the girl waiting. She was thin, young, and frightened. His personal soldiers had delivered her just that morning. She cowered in the small room that was little more than a closet, her dark hair mussed, her face smeared with tears and dirt.
    "Come, child," he said, offering her his hand and a genuine smile.
    "Why have you brought me here?" she asked. "What do you want with me?"
    "I did not bring you here," Fynnian said calmly. "You poor child. What happened?"
    The girl stared at him suspiciously. Armed men had kidnapped her; a maid as timid as she had seen to her through the day. Perhaps she thought he was going to save her. Foolish girl.
    "I was traveling to my sister's house, and—"
    "Traveling all alone, I imagine," he said.
    "Yes, as I have done many times." Her voice was quick. "Her house isn't far from mine, less than half a day's walk. But this day some… some horrible men snatched me up and I was on the back of a horse for—"
    Still smiling, Fynnian backhanded the girl. The sound of his hand against her cheek was followed by a surprised gasp that came deep from her lungs. "You talk too much." He grabbed her arm and dragged her into the study. Her eyes flitted this way and that, as if she had never seen such elegance in her lifetime. She likely had not, given the state of her dress and her worn walking shoes. Her gaze eventually landed on Ciro and stayed there.
    The prince was a handsome fellow, tall and broad-shouldered and pretty of face. The girl was fascinated for a moment. There were no more tears, no demand for explanations. She was enchanted…
    "This is Prince Ciro," Fynnian said. "Have you heard of him?"
    "Of course I have," the girl said. Her brow furrowed. "Is that why I was brought here in secret, because he is a prince?"
    "Yes, dear." Fynnian could almost hear the gears turning in the simple girl's mind. She was thinking of romance, and Fynnian reached into her mind and nudged gently, feeding the enchantment. The girl imagined, quite vividly, that the handsome prince had seen her about town and had ordered her delivered to him so that he might slake his lust. She would gladly spread her legs