I spin so I’m facing Brevan, but he’s still got his arms around me. “Go figure the one night I take off is the night you sneak out.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask. “You should be recovering, not out drinking.”
“I didn’t know you cared that much.” He grins, and I notice how glassy his eyes look. How much he smells like booze. How he is swaying just slightly while he holds me in his arms.
“You’re drunk.”
“And you’re fucking beautiful. Did you know that?” he says.
Flutters return and my stupid heart feels like it’s too full. But he’s drunk. He doesn’t even know what he’s saying. “Let go of me.”
He releases me instantly. “I have to get you back to the castle.” Then, his eyes narrow as he catches sight of the brawl. “Why do I get the feeling that you caused that fight?”
“It’s not my fault they can’t keep their hands to themselves or control their actions. This is on them, and I hope they all end up with broken noses. Fighting over a woman that showed no interest in any of them. Serves them right.”
“So itwasyou.” He glances at the fight again. “And you’re right. They need to learn some manners.” He pushes up his sleeves, even though they’re already up, and walks past me toward the brawl.
I chase after him and grab his shirt, trying to stop him. “Get back here! You can’t fight them.”
He ignores me, and the fabric I’m holding onto slips through my fingers.
“Brevan! Stop it!” I shout, but it’s too late, he’s already joined the fight.
He grabs Broken Nose by the collar and lifts him off the ground. “Is this one of ’em?” He shouts in my direction.
Broken Nose starts stammering apologies. “I swear I didn’t know she was with you. I wouldn’t have even talked to her if I knew.”
Brevan drops him.
“Thank you, thank you.” The man whimpers.
Then, Brevan punches him in the face. Blood spews from his nose and mouth, and the man screams. Tears stream down his face, and he reaches for his, once again, broken nose.
“Don’t ever even so much as look at her again. Do you understand?” Brevan growls.
The man nods as another man charges Brevan. The enforcer blocks him with ease, then punches him in the stomach. When his attacker doubles over, Brevan knees him in the face, and the man falls to his knees—bleeding everywhere, hand on his face, screaming in pain.
Another charges Brevan, a chair in his grip. Brevan sweeps his leg out under the man’s foot, and the guy goes down, landing on top of the previous victim. Brevan kicks him in the stomach, then picks up the chair and raises it over his head.
I rush in, moving in front of the enforcer. “Stop! That’s enough! Put the chair down.”
To my surprise, Brevan listens. He drops it, and it just misses the men on the ground. The other men stop fighting and stare at me. There’s so much blood, so many broken noses and already swelling eyes and lips.
“No more!” the bartender yells. “All of you, outside!”
The men grumble and argue, but the bartender comes from behind the counter and faces the fighters. “Go cool off. Come back when you know how to behave in respectable society.”
“And if any of you touch her again, I will rip your hearts from your chest,” Brevan snarls.
“I’ve seen him do it,” the bartender says.
The men pale, and they practically run over each other in their rush to leave the tavern. The floor is covered in blood, and I even see a tooth. I wrinkle my nose. Gross.
“Sorry about that.” The bartender holds up my pin. “You should keep this, Your Highness.”
“No, you keep it. Do something good with it,” I say, then I pull out another pin and hand it to him. “For the mess.”
His whole face lights up. “Thank you.”
