Chapter Two
Piper stepped into the dungeon, scowling at Keenan as he locked the door behind her.
“Hey, I’m just following orders. I had nothing to do with you attacking him in front of a roomful of people.”
She rolled her eyes. Aleo was the king now. He’d been a party boy up until his father’s death nearly a year ago and spared no feelings about how much he loved the ladies. He also never shied away from the attention he gave human females either, much to his father’s dismay. It was forbidden for shifters to be with humans, but Aleo always did whatever the fuck he wanted.
Today, she took her cue from him.
She rubbed her arms as she stared at the guard. “So he’s going to keep me down here while he picks a mate upstairs?”
“Probably.”
“And then what?” She tilted her head to the side. “He’s going to beat me? Kill me? What exactly is my punishment?”
Keenan glanced to the right. “He’ll probably forget about you. You can’t be a thorn in his side if you’re out of sight and out of mind.”
“Right.” She folded her arms over her chest. She knew the king’s thoughts about her. She’d felt his reaction when he pushed her up against the wall. “Don’t you have something better to do? Wipe his ass, maybe? Isn’t that your glorious job? The royal ass wiper?” She paused a moment. “Oh, wait. No. It’s royal ass kisser. I forgot.”
Keenan’s face turned red. “I don’t know why he doesn’t just end you. You’re not worth the trouble.”
He left her alone, and she glanced around at her new home. It was less than stellar, but she’d stayed in far worse. The mattress was bunched up in the corner of the cage with no blankets or pillows. Once she found out where her father was, then she’d work on getting them both out of the dungeon.
Sitting on the mattress, she thought about the first time she’d met Aleo. He’d been a pretty boy back then, not that he wasn’t that now. He used his looks to get whatever he wanted and thought he was damn well entitled. It pissed her off mostly, even though she would never admit he had an effect on her.
She’d been one of those dumb girls back then, too. Fell victim to his charm and ended up in his bed. It fueled her temper just thinking about it. She relived the embarrassment of that night every time she saw a royal guard. Aleo had left her there, naked, for everyone to see. She’d never had so many men stare at her naked body before. It had taken a while, but after screaming at them to let her go, one of the guards finally cut her loose.
Piper stared at the torch hanging on the wall. Aleo hadn’t protected her. He’d been so angry with his father that she ceased to even matter to him. It was the cold dose of reality she’d needed to get her head back on straight.
And she was still pissed about it.
“Well, look who got herself arrested.” Tito, a king’s guard, smiled as he peered in her cage. “I’m assuming the king doesn’t know you’re down here?”
She snorted. “He put me down here.”
The guard laughed. “I never thought I’d see that day. He’s had a hard-on for you since he first saw you. You must have done something really bad.”
“Do me a favor. Tell me where you’re keeping my dad.”
He glanced toward the left. “You mean that old man that keeps begging us to meet the king?”
“Where is he?”
“Don’t worry about it. He’s in good hands.” The guy laughed as he walked off.
Piper chewed on her lower lip before standing. “Dad? Dad, can you hear me?”
She listened and heard nothing. Huffing a breath, she went to the corner of the cell and peered through the bars. Cage after cage went for as far as she could see. There weren’t that many people in the dungeon, and she figured that her father was being kept as far away from her as they could get.
So how did she get herself out of the mess she’d gotten herself into? When Piper had gone to the castle, she’d fully intended to seduce Aleo into giving her what she wanted. One look at him and she understood why women came from all over the fucking land with the hopes that he’d chose them as his mate. Hell, like he really even had a choice. They put names into a cup, and the shaman drew one out. It was completely out of his hands, though she supposed he had some say in which names went into the fucking cup. He wouldn’t mate some ugly girl with missing teeth or a hairy birthmark. He was more superficial than that.
And his personality sucked.
After sneaking into the castle, she’d stood in line like the other women, convincing herself that she could do it. She could walk up to him calmly and offer herself in exchange for her father’s freedom. Ha. That lasted all of five seconds when she got into the throne room. Flashbacks of his naked body moving along hers were enough to get her hot and bothered, but her temper got the best of her.
When she had stepped out of line, she’d had every intention of talking to him. Yet, he always had a cocky smirk on his face, and she wanted to rip his head off. She probably should have felt bad about attacking him. That alone could get her some serious time in the dungeon. She didn’t want to admit that her body still tingled from him pressing her up against the wall. He smelled like pineapples since they were his favorite fruit. He’d probably had a few before she got to the throne room. Maybe one of his little bitches had brought him a fruit as a way to buy his love.
She snarled, though she didn’t know why she was so damn pissed off. He claimed he didn’t know what happened with her father when she knew he was aware of everything. He was the fucking king, for crying out loud. The feigned ignorance was another thing that set her off, and she couldn’t really be surprised that she found herself in the dungeon.
Bored and cold, she stayed in her cell for nearly an hour before Keenan appeared. He unlocked the cage and opened the door.
“The king wants to see you.”
She glanced around and shrugged. “He knows where I am. He put me here.”
The guard narrowed his eyes. “Do you want out, or not?”
“I’m fine where I am.” She pulled her leg beneath her. “Go bug someone else.”
Keenan cursed and slammed the door shut. She watched him walk away in frustration knowing that Aleo wouldn’t be happy. She was probably the only woman he’d ever met that didn’t cater to his demands. Hell, she came so damn close that one night, but fortunately, his father had knocked some reason in to her. Aleo showed her who he truly was, and that was something she needed to stay away from.
A few moments later, Aleo came around the corner, stopping at her cage. “I trust your accommodations meet your high standards.”
Piper arched an eyebrow at him. “The king does know where he puts the lowly humans. Shocker.”
“Your father’s been released.” He cleared his throat. “It was a misunderstanding, and it’s been taken care of. You, however, have some serious offenses. Threatening the king. Attacking the king.”
“They were nothing you didn’t deserve.”
He smiled. “I’m going to let you make it up to me.”
“Really?” She glanced around. “I’d rather stay in the dungeon.”
He motioned for the guard to unlock the door. Piper felt an immediate change in power when he stepped inside the small cell with her. If he wanted, he could hurt her really bad. Nobody would protect her. Nobody would save her. He was a fucking lion shifter, for crying out loud. Nobody went against the king. Some rumors floated around the town about his temper. The beast inside him was far from tame, and she was fairly sure she didn’t want to see it in full effect.
“It’s not an option.” He stared at her. His dark hair was spiked from his fingers. She had noticed he ran his fingers through his short hair when he was frustrated or annoyed. He wore a white button-down shirt with black pants that highlighted his thick muscles and powerful body. He did have a great body.
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
“You’re going to be my personal servant. You will attend to all my private matters such as bathing and my nighttime routine. You will also make sure my bed is to my specifications.”
Piper snorted. “And if I don’t?”
“You will.” He said it with an air of authority she didn’t question. “Starting now. It’s been a long day. We have the matching ceremony tomorrow. I need a bath and a good night’s sleep.”
He stepped to the side and motioned for her to leave the cage. Being the king’s servant couldn’t be that bad. She’d rather spend her time in the dungeon, but as long as her father was out of that dreaded place, then she really didn’t care. She’d be Aleo’s servant until he found his mate, and then she could go home like the normal human that she was.