Damn, I hated traveling.
If everyone would just let me ride a horse, out in the open air, it wouldn’t be so bad. But no… A fuss of royal proportions arose each time I even suggested leaving my safe, guarded carriage. Especially since we weren’t yet on Lowden land.
It was easier to simply comply with the arguments and pleading from my guards and advisors and ride enclosed, where I silently suffered from the sickness that gripped me every time I was in motion and couldn’t see where I was going.
But I did make them pause and rest more often than not and make the trip take significantly longer—my petty way of getting them back.
“It’ll pass,” Valerio told me without a smidgeon of compassion as I slumped onto the cot in my tent that had just been erected for me.
Yes. Much better.
“Gah, you’re such a pansy.”
As my personal guard, Valerio was the only one privy to my affliction, and I had to say, I honestly think anyone else alive would’ve had more sympathy for me than he did.
“Easy for you to say,” I rasped, shifting my arms to clutch my belly as a lingering wave of nausea swelled over me. “You’re not the one about to cast up your accounts.”
See what I mean? No sensitivity at all.
The asshole was lucky he was my best friend, and that I actually liked him.
But everyone adored Val. He was the kingdom’s hero, who had personally saved an entire building full of trapped women and children during the Great War. Not a single person in all of Lowden said his name without smiling or nodding their head in respect.
When he held a leather flask down to me, I sent him a wary glance, wondering what he’d done to no doubt tamper with the liquid inside, and then I reluctantly took it because water really did help settle my stomach more than anything else.
He chuckled and snagged the flask back. “What? Can the new, soft king not handle the hard stuff anymore?”
I scowled. “You say hard. I say lethal.” Pointing, I insisted, “That shit is death’s elixir.”
Valerio hooted and took a nice, long drink for himself. I winced and shook my head. There just wasn’t something right about the man. No one should rightly survive that big of a gulp.
Sighing in satisfaction as he finished, he recapped the flask and tucked it away. “That’s what I’m talking about. Mm, yes. Makes your babies come out naked, it does.”
“You concern me,” I said dryly.
My personal guard merely sent me a crazy-eyed grin. Then he ordered, “Take your nap and recoup, Fireball. I’ve got a wife that needs some pleasing while you’re suffering in here alone.”
“Ass,” I muttered, only causing him to laugh more ardently. Rolling my eyes, I waved the backs of my hands at him, ordering, “Be gone with you, then. Far be it for me to leave the lovely Sylvie unsatisfied.”
“Damn straight.” Valerio turned away, still chuckling, before he exited the tent, leaving me to recuperate on my own.
Immediate silence filled the enclosure, and I sighed around the interior of my temporary quarters. Alone. Ignoring the void that seemed to surround me, I stretched myself out on the cot and tucked my hands under my head before closing my eyes.
The cessation of movement along with the foul drink Valerio had given me seemed to do the trick, though, and before long, I was feeling fully recuperated.
But a calm stomach opened the path for my thoughts to move on to other issues to stress over.
And I had many.
Somehow, I was now the fucking King of Lowden. I was still trying to wrap my brain around that fact.
Last moon cycle, I had been loyally serving King Tomrick of House Gill. As a minor advisor, I’d had all the comforts of castle living with none of the responsibilities. It was quite the luxury.
I was now the top guy who had to take care of everything.
My people were going to be ecstatic, sure. I knew that. They’d never wanted to be held under High Cliff’s thumb. Having more of their freedoms returned was going to be a great relief, and hopefully that was going to help me win their favor. But what the hell was I supposed to do from there?
Blowing out a breath, I sat up and rested my hands on my knees, knowing any chance of rest was gone now. There was too much to plan and decide and worry about.
We really needed to return to Lowden posthaste; my list of things to do kept growing in my head, and sitting around here, bellyaching about a little motion sickness was helping nothing.
That’s it. I was going to grab something to eat and cut our break short. We had to get home.
But as I stood, already dreading the notion of crawling back into that carriage, a commotion from outside had me frowning in curiosity.
I glanced toward the tent flaps, wondering what was going on and where the hell Valerio was. He was always the first to check in with a report whenever there was even the hint of trouble. And when he didn’t come blowing inside, I decided whatever the issue was, it couldn’t be that serious, so I pushed my way to my feet and headed toward the exit.
I poked my head out into the daylight and discovered no one was guarding the entrance of my quarters. Everyone’s attention had been diverted toward the side of my tent.
Huh. Even more intrigued, I stepped into the daylight just as a female voice shrieked, “No! Somebody help me. I didn’t do anything. Please…”
For the love of God, I was surrounded by guards. Why was no one helping the poor wench?
I tried to elbow my way through the mob, but when one soldier didn’t step out of my way, I finally just gave up with the docile approach and boomed, “What the devil is going on out here?”
And there… A lane immediately parted for me, allowing me to finally see better.
That was more like it. I guess this king thing did come with a few fringe benefits.
But what I saw had me frowning in confusion. Guthrie, one of my senior guards, was wielding a sword and stretching it over his head above two other guards who were holding down what appeared to be the fair maiden crying out in distress.
Immediately letting her go, the guards spun toward me and kneeled in a respectful bow. And the woman sprang upright so she could twist around and gape my way as well.
Which caused me to grit my teeth guiltily because she certainly wasn’t doing anything to be seductive at all. And yet I wanted her anyway. I wanted to growl at every other man looking at her and label her as mine.
Squinting and lifting her hand against the sunlight, she ogled me for a good ten seconds in return before gasping, “Holy shit.”
I blinked, wondering if she could somehow see my uncontrollable response.
Determined to act as if I wasn’t experiencing anything unusual, I turned stiffly toward Guthrie, who had finally lowered his sword in my presence. “Explain.”
“We caught this assassin trying to sneak into your tent, Your Majesty,” he rushed out. “And we were just about to execute her to eliminate the threat—that’s all. Nothing for you to worry about.”
Over my dead body would anyone lay a hand against this woman.
But aside from that, had he just said…
Dressed in fine robes and groomed tidily, I would’ve taken her for a lady of the court. Not a killer.
“Good God,” she gasped, blinking at me as if in a trance. “You’re just so freaking gorgeous.”
His face turned a bright scarlet with embarrassment. “No. I... She…” Flustered by my heckling, he fumbled a moment longer before jabbing a meaty finger accusingly at the girl. “Well, she was trying to break into the backside of your tent, Your Majesty. With her pet snake.”
He nodded solemnly. “I chopped him in half; his body’s just over there.”
I glanced that way, not about to go examine the remains of a blasted snake. Instead, I glanced at the girl for clarification.
She blinked big brown eyes, and I had an absolutely inappropriate image pop into my head of her kneeling just like that and looking at me with that very expression as she took my cock into her mouth.
But then she jarred my brain back to the moment when she swore, “I never saw that snake before in my life.”
“Oh, is that why you sicced it on me to attack, then?” Guthrie charged as if catching her in some kind of word trap.
“As if. I did no such thing.” Straightening her spine indignantly, the girl pushed her way to her feet to glare daggers into his face.
This time, both my brows rose in interest. She was quite a feisty piece. I had to appreciate her pluck and then wonder if she’d be as spirited as this in the bedchamber before I told myself to cut such thoughts from my brain.
“He just happened to be back there,” she railed bravely at the guard, “because, I don’t know, there’s a forest behind the tent, maybe. And snakes live in forests. I bet you probably stepped on his tail or something, which made him mad.” She sent Guthrie a challenging smirk as if daring him to deny the possibility. “There’s no reason to blame me for it.”
I turned my attention to Guthrie as he flushed, indeed unable to unequivocally claim that she had, in fact, commanded a snake to attack him.
“If it wasn’t yours, then why did you call it by name?” he finally returned.
Charmaine? That did seem like a rather odd name to come up with for a serpent.
The woman slapped her hands to her hips. “Maybe that was my father’s name,” she retorted, not about to back down.
I smiled, silently cheering for her to win the argument.
But Guthrie scoffed. “Who in the hell would name a foul belly crawler after their own—”
“Okay, enough,” I broke in, my voice mild and slightly amused as I lifted my hand to halt the squabble. When the guard and the girl fell instantly quiet and even winced in apology, I said, “Is there some reason I should be quite this concerned about a dead snake in the grass?”
“I believe she was trying to cause your downfall with it, Your Majesty,” Guthrie started earnestly.
“By using its venom to poison our king,” Guthrie shot back, just as adamant to best her as she was him.
“I’ll go find the snake,” one of the other guards announced before disappearing around the side of the tent.
“Or trying to constrict him to death and—”
She blinked at me, and as if remembering I was still there, she sucked in a breath, her eyes going wide with curious awe all over again. Then she shook her head slowly. “I still can’t get over the fact that you’re the freaking king.”
My lips twitched with amusement. “It surprises me as well,” I murmured with an accommodating nod. “Now… Do you deny trying to gain access into my private quarters?” I finally just asked because the idea flattered me more than it concerned me.
I lifted my hand, stalling her. “And you hail from High Cliff,” I noticed, taking in the distinctive tattoo on her temple. “What’s your name, little one?”
If she really was a lady of the court, then my cousin or his queen probably knew her.
“Her name’s Rowena, Your Majesty,” one of the lower ranked soldiers—Tolman, I think his name was—spoke up from the back of the crowd.
I turned his way, and the others stepped aside to let him come forward. He did, pausing only when he reached the girl’s side, where he protectively rested his hands on the hilt of his sword that sat in its scabbard at his waist as if willing to die to defend her honor.
She was mine, the primitive beast in me insisted.
What the ever-loving hell had been in that elixir that Val had given me?
“She’s been riding with the wagon of harem girls at the back of the cavalcade ever since we left Elaina,” Tolman went on to explain. “But they claim she wasn’t one of them before today.”
“Harem girls?” I asked, squinting slightly as I shook my head. “What harem girls?”
“Oh, are they, now?” Turning to look directly at Rowena, I slid my gaze over her, thinking she was comely enough to entice a king. And that explanation would certainly answer why I was so captivated by her; she definitely knew how to entice a man. But, hmm, she also appeared too wholesome somehow to join a harem.
Confused, I grew even more curious about her, wondering why she didn’t seem to fill any of the roles my men were trying to convince me she belonged in and why I felt convinced that she simply belonged with me.
She blinked at me, and I found myself smiling at her sadly as I said, “I hate to disappoint you, love, but like my cousin, I don’t plan on having a harem either.” Because for her, I had a bad feeling I could be convinced to make an exception.
“Well... good,” she said, lifting her chin as if feigning a courage she didn’t quite feel. But then her brown eyes probed mine with a bold intimacy. “Because I don’t plan on sharing you.”
God, but why had she gone and said that?
Because now, my cock was fucking hard, and I wanted to drag her back to my tent and make her prove her words true. I wanted her to claim me as hers in every way possible. Hell, a part of me was tempted to take her right here in front of everyone, so the entire world could see that no one else was allowed inside her but me.
Need crackled along my flesh, sizzling its way straight to my jock, where I began to throb quite painfully.
Damn, but nothing had ever aroused me so thoroughly before.
“Greedy,” I murmured, unable to hide how much I liked her style.
But alas, despite my ravenous curiosity to sample her, it wasn’t meant to be. I needed to focus my attentions on running a kingdom, not bedding some mysterious High Cliff girl.
Some already did not like how close I was to the High Cliff King, despite the fact that Vander and I were kin. They’d probably start a revolt if I took on a mistress with a marked temple.
She was all kinds of forbidden.
Which sadly made me want her even more.
Snapping my fingers, I motioned toward Tolman. “Return her to her wagon of women for me, will you?”
“Crimes?” she cried in alarm, whirling to gape at him. “What the hell crime did I commit? Is it illegal just to try to talk to the freaking king?”
He lifted his sword to show everyone that he had indeed speared half a dead snake with his blade.
“Oh, dear God,” I groaned, pressing a hand to my brow.
We were back with the snake again.
“Looks like it’s just a plain, old harmless black snake,” someone else spoke up.
Which made Rowena cry, “Aha!” as she spun to point accusingly at Guthrie. “Guess I wasn’t trying to poison or constrict him to death after all, hmm?”
Guthrie’s face turned a vivid purple, and he took an intimidating step toward her, beginning to lift his sword as he went.
“No, of course not,” she swore vehemently.
I smiled and nodded. “I thought not. My attempted assassins are never so lovely.”
She blinked, then shook her head. “But I still need a minute of your time,” she insisted, widening her eyes as if to entice me with the severity of her stare alone. “In private. Er, if you please, your, um, Your Majesty.”
She definitely wasn’t accustomed to talking to royalty with the proper respect. That was obvious. And a bit refreshing. I had a feeling she’d be as real with me as Valerio was. It actually made me want to give her that minute she requested.
But I really couldn’t be swayed by a prostitute. Especially a High Cliff one.
Her lips parted, and I could tell she honestly hadn’t expected me to turn her down. I nodded toward Tolman, and he immediately stepped forward, taking her arm.
She glanced at him, then turned back to me, panic entering her eyes. “No! Wait. That’s not—I don’t want to have sex with you!” she blurted.
I paused to glance at her, and she flushed before rolling her eyes.
My lips parted.
I knew I was supposed to be offended. It was the ultimate insult to issue any kind of judgment on a king. But the man in me itched to rise to her challenge and pursue her in the most intimate of ways, which almost immediately made my limbs freeze with a doomed sense of panic.
Why couldn’t I stop thinking such things about her?
Guthrie, however, didn’t seem to experience any conflicting emotions. He was just plain insulted on my behalf.
“Guthrie!” I snapped, and he immediately jerked back under my tight leash.
With a sigh, I motioned to Tolman to take her away before Guthrie really did lose his control and killed the girl.
Tolman nodded before tugging on her arm to pull her away.
Her muffled growl of outrage told me Tolman had probably slapped his hand over her mouth to silence her, which wasn’t a picture I liked in my head either. But seriously. What stunning moxie she had.
I chuckled over it all as I focused my attention on Valerio, who finally came racing through the crowd, fastening his britches as he elbowed people out of his way to reach me.
“What the hell’s going on?” he demanded, winded with his clothes all askew. I glanced past him to spot his wife, Sylvie, bustling along to catch up and trying to pull her chemise together as she ran.
“Was there really an assassin?” he demanded, gaping at me with his mouth fallen open before glancing past me at the crowd of guards that was beginning to disperse.
“Mm,” I murmured, turning back to watch the intoxicating High Clifter being led away, only to realize that Tolman had already escorted her out of sight. Pity. “And she was really quite lovely. It was too bad you missed her.”
