The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Chapter 16
“Come,” Casteel repeated, taking my hand. “Let me
look at you.”
“I told you, I’m okay.”
He led me away from the mirror and back into the
bedchamber. “And I told you to stop saying that when I know
you aren’t.”
“I don’t even feel those bruises you mentioned,” I said
as he placed me by the side of the bed.
His ocher gaze flicked to mine. “I know there are
wounds that aren’t visible to the eye, and I wish you would
stop trying to hide them from me.”
I snapped my mouth shut.
“I think there is a lot we need to talk about. He reached
for the hem of my tunic, lifting it. “But there’s something
really important we need to talk about before we discuss
anything else.” He motioned for me to lift my arms, and I
did so. Air flowed over my bare arms as I watched him toss
the top aside. The plain slip I wore was so much thinner and
better suited for the climate, but its tiny straps and the
near-sheer, cinched bodice hid very little.
He drew a finger along the strap as he eyed it, slipping
it under the flimsy material. “These silly, tiny straps…” The
tips of his fangs dragged across his lower lip.
“Is that what you want to talk about?” My skin tingled as
he ran his finger along the bodice of the slip, over the swell
of my flesh. The peaks of my breasts tightened and
hardened as his gaze returned to mine.