Tiern looked down at his feet, and Paxton immediately regretted what he’d said. Yes, it was known that the king wanted his children to marry whom they chose, but this hunt was a special circumstance. The royal children did not regularly interact with commoners in normal life.
Tiern glared at him. “Why are you bothering to hunt, then, if you don’t even plan to marry her? For the glory? One last show of your mighty greatness before you disappear forever and the rest of us are left empty-handed?”
Tiern’s huff of angry air made a cloud of steam as he stomped ahead, leaving Paxton on the sandy, leaf-ridden shore.
Paxton turned toward the water and crossed his arms. Why did he stay, if not to claim Aerity’s hand? He stared down at the broken oyster shells and smooth stones gently batted by the moving water.
The truth hit Paxton’s chest with powerful force, but he couldn’t admit it to his brother. Yes, he wanted Aerity, but in reality he felt he could not have her. If he couldn’t have her, he wanted none of these other hunters to claim her either. Perhaps it was selfish, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t stand the thought of any of these men, including his own brother, smelling her scented skin or tasting her soft lips as he had. If he killed the beast and forfeited his “prize,” it would baffle everyone, and perhaps even bring the royal family a moment of shame, but it would leave Aerity free to choose of her own accord.
No, he could not explain that to Tiern. His brother might keel over from shock to find out Paxton was capable of such thoughts and feelings.
He turned at the sound of footsteps in the sand. Harrison and the three Zandalee joined him in the surf.
“If I do not kill something soon,” Zandora said, “I will need to fight.” She rubbed a fist into her palm.
Paxton held up his hands. “Don’t look at me. I’ve had my brawl. You’ll have to pummel Harrison here.”
The lieutenant laughed. “Have the healer at the ready for me!”
Zandora punched Paxton’s arm. “Who did you fight?”
“Volgan.”
Her eyes gaped wide and she punched him again. “I miss all the fun! Did he bleed?”
“We both bled.”
“Who shed more?” By the seas, her eyes were hungry for details.
“Paxton was declared the winner,” Harrison told her.
A rustle sounded from the trees, a squirrel jumping from branch to branch, showering the ground with colorful foliage. Paxton heard a whiz and the squirrel was suddenly falling to the ground, a shining arrow through it.
Zandora lowered her bow. “I feel better. A little.”
Paxton grinned as Zandora stomped away with her sisters, grabbing up the impaled rodent on her way.
Harrison shook his head. “Remind me to stay on her good side.”
“Bloody right.”
They walked in silence, a strange unspoken tension between them.
Paxton was relieved to return to his tent, where Tiern had wound himself tightly in his blankets with his face to the wall. Paxton sighed quietly to himself and climbed onto his own cot. He looked at each of his fingers and thumbs—the paint was still intact, so for now he would stay. He would play it day-by-day, though it was more reckless than he cared to be.
He fell asleep, dreaming unwillingly of coconut and berry breezes.
Chapter
35
The view from Aerity’s window showed the trees had lost half their leaves, though the temperature was unseasonably warm and sunny. The princess left off her shawl when Vixie came to her chamber, asking her to visit the stables for a ride. She donned her leather riding pants, the sturdy material exquisitely soft and thin, with boots and a cream-colored tunic. They found Wyneth in the hall in her riding outfit as well.
“You’re joining us?” Aerity couldn’t help the grin that stretched across her face when Wyneth nodded.
“I heard there were no beast sightings last night,” Vixie said.
Aerity and Wyneth both nodded, quiet. The princessfeared what would come of Lochlanach if the creature wasn’t destroyed soon.
