Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment Book 4) by Stacey O'Neale

through his cheek and into his mouth proved how brutal the situation was for him. My jaw clenched. Out of all the hounds, he hated them the most. He laughed and I nearly fell over from shock. “Marcus captured Princess Selene. And look at what she’s wearing. He put her in servants’ clothes.”
    Other hounds joined him by laughing and pointing at her. Another shouted, “Make her scrub the floors with a toothbrush.” Another added, “Make her clean the bathrooms.”
    I had to put an end to this. “Selene has betrayed her brother. She risked her life to bring us crucial information.” I made a point to glare at each and every one of them. “She is my personal guest and I expect her to be treated as such.”
    “But she treated us like slaves,” Slavo replied. “She should be put in one of the cells with the other prisoners.”
    The other hounds cheered in support. They shouted out to her, threatening her.
    “Prisma made us slaves, and Selene is not Prisma. She had no control over her own life, much less ours.” I lowered the tone of my voice. “Unless you’d like to challenge me, you will follow my order. Do you understand?”
    “Yes, Marcus,” Slavo replied, reluctantly.
    I sat Selene next to me at the head of the largest table. A plate of food came out from the kitchen and was placed in front of her. The dish was filled with fresh fruit, tarts, and bread. A glass of red wine came out next. Clearly, someone in the kitchen had known what she liked to eat. Three more plates filled with meats, vegetables, and bread came out for me. As long as the portions were large, it wasn’t difficult to feed me. My diet was typical of most hounds. My eyes scanned the room as I ate. I trusted them, but this was an awkward situation for everyone. I didn’t want to leave myself open for any surprises.
    “You didn’t have to do that for me,” Selene whispered to me. “But thank you.”
    “I told you that I would keep you safe and I meant it.” I said, right before spooning a huge piece of baked potato into my mouth.
    Selene spent the next hour pushing her food around her plate. I ended up eating half of what they’d brought out for her. “Where will I be sleeping tonight?”
    Right, I’d almost forgotten her room was destroyed. Judging by the reaction from the hounds, it was probably best to keep her close to me. “You can stay in my room.”
    Her eyes went round.
    “You’ll be safest with me until I can have your quarters repaired,” I said, easing her concern. Rowan had insisted I move into one of the royal suites. There was enough space for several hounds. It actually made me feel bad to keep it all to myself. “I’ve got plenty of room.” I shrugged. “Besides, I prefer to sleep on the sofa.”
    She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”
    “You don’t have a choice.” I waggled my eyebrows.
    Glancing around, she checked to see if anyone was still watching her. Most had gone back to eating. A few cast nasty glares as they chewed their food. “What will the other hounds think?”
    “If they have a problem, they can work it out with me.” The hounds had our own way of dealing with disagreements. We usually settled our disputes with violence. After a few blows, most arguments were solved. It was barbaric, but it was our way. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
    After dinner, I escorted Selene back to my quarters. “I’ll talk to some of the females about getting you some more clothes.”
    “Where are you going?” she asked, nervously.
    “I’ve called a meeting with all the hounds,” I replied, crossing my arms as I leaned against the wall. “They should all arrive within the hour. I need to update everyone with what’s happened. I’ll be back afterwards.”
    Trembling, she said, “Maybe I should come with you.”
    “There are only so many rules I can break in one day.” I chuckled. “Trust me, you’ll be fine up here. No one will disturb you.”
    She bit her lip as she closed