Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove, #2)

by Shelby Mahurin

“Stop laughing! Stop it now!” At long last, she wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh, Your Majesty. I shall never tire of that story—which is, in fact, the story my girls thought so amusing. If it soothes your wounded pride, I’ll confess I too have experienced my share of humiliating encounters. I often perused these tunnels myself as a younger woman. Why, there was a time your father spirited me down here—” “No.” Beau shook his head swiftly, waving a hand. “No. Do not finish that sentence.” “—but there was a feral cat.” She chuckled to herself, lost in memory. “We didn’t notice him until it was too late. He, ah, mistook part of your father’s anatomy—or rather, two parts of your father’s anatomy—” The laughter died in my own throat. “Stop.” “—for a plaything! Oh, you should’ve heard Auguste’s shrieks. One would’ve thought the cat had gutted his liver instead of scratched his—” “Enough.” Horrified, wide-eyed with disbelief, Beau physically clapped a hand over her mouth. She snorted against his fingers. “Never, ever tell that story again. Do you understand me? Ever.” He shook his head sharply, clenching his eyes shut. “The psychological scars you’ve just inflicted, woman. I cannot unsee what my mind’s eye has conjured.”