His mouth twists. “I’m fine.”
I frown and move closer. “I can tell you’re in pain,” I say quietly.
That gets his attention. He draws himself up, but then he scowls a little, glaring past me toward the others. “So can they. Garrett offered to tie me to the saddle if I need help sitting upright.”
My mouth forms a line, but the soldiers are drawing closer, returning to the line of tethered horses.
Callum whistles through his teeth when he sees Asher looking. “Chin up, Stripes.” His voice is darkly taunting. “We could always drag you.”
Stripes.I inhale a breath of fire, ready to snap at him.
“Jory!” Asher’s voice is low but sharp. “Leave it.”
I clamp my mouth shut. “You saved their king,” I whisper tightly. “They should see that.”
“I kidnapped their king right out from under them. They saw that, too.” He puts his foot in the stirrup and stiffly swings aboard.
“My lady,” calls Charlotte. “Our horses are ready.”
“I’ll be right there,” I call. But I can’t move away from Asher. Not yet. I shift a little closer and look up at him. It’s still so unusual to see him in the daylight. His skin is so much less pale than I remember, his hair picking up flecks of light from the sun. Even his blue eyes are vivid, vibrant above the lines on his cheek.
He glances down, and I realize I was reaching for his knee. I bite my lip and adjust my motion, patting the horse on the shoulder instead before I turn away.
Quick as lightning, Asher catches my hand. I stare at his fingerswrapped around mine, and my breath catches. His grip is gentle, and I’m frozen in place, my eyes lifting to meet his.
“Jory,” he says. His voice is as soft and low as it was in the darkness of my room. I don’t know what I’m seeing in his expression, whether it’s regret or longing—or something else entirely. His cool fingers are soft against mine.
I’m not the boy you remember, and you’re about to marry another man.
My chest aches. I was focused on the second part of that statement, but I should have paid attention to the first.
I wish I’d known. Ishouldhave known.
He gives my hand a squeeze. “I’m still here,” he says, and the words give my heart a tug, softening everything inside me that feels wound up tight.
But then he drops my hand, and the motion is so abrupt that I almost jump. Ky has returned, and he’s swinging onto his own horse beside Asher. I wonder how much of that interaction he saw, because I can suddenly feel the weight of his gaze as if I’ve been caught at something.
The king says, “Princess? Is all well?”
The words sound more like a challenge than an inquiry, and I turn to look up at him.
As soon as I do, I regret it. The king’s hair finds hints of red and copper in the sunlight, and he wears his armor like he was born for it, not a single buckle or weapon out of place. Astride his horse, he’s easily ten feet tall. I can’t believe I just dabbed blood off his forehead, because he seems ready to spill more if the occasion presents itself. Beside him, Asher is equally intimidating. He’s drawn up the hood of his cloak again, leaving his eyes heavy and shadowed. Combined with the black armor broadening his frame, he couldn’t look more like an assassin if he tried.
Side by side, they’re a little captivating, and for a heartbeat of time, I’m transfixed. Are they rivals? Enemies? Allies? Adversaries?
It’s truly unfair that fate has put us all together.
My mouth has gone dry, and I have to shake myself. “Yes, Your Majesty,” I croak out, bobbing a curtsy before I realize that I don’t even have skirts to flare. “All is well.”
His eyebrows go up, but I’m already turning away, striding to Charlotte, taking the reins to my horse.
I have no idea what expression is on my face, but she studies me closely, then looks past me at the men. Her voice drops. “Which one am I to hate now?”
She sounds so earnest that it startles a smile through my tears. She was always so loyal in front of Dane, so I’m not surprised to find that she’s the same in front of Ky. Despite everything, I’m glad my brother sent her—even though everything seemed so much easier when Charlotte and I were locked in the carriage, hating King Maddox Kyronan because he seemed so evil.
But I consider everything I’ve learned about Asher—and about Astranza.
Nothing was easier. It just seemed like it was.
