That’s unexpected again, and I’m off-balance. The small length of metal is still tucked under my knuckles, and this feels like another challenge.
“What hairpin?” I say lightly.
He smiles, but it’s cunning. “Shall I show you what hairpin?”
My heart skips, and a little thrill races through me.
But no. That’s terrifying. I have no idea what’s happening here. My mouth goes a bit dry, and I twist the pin between my fingers until it’s visible, glinting in the light. “I was going to stab you in the eyes if you got too close.”
“Right for the eyes? That’s vicious, Princess.” He doesn’t sound too upset about it, though.
“You’re the one who forced your way in here.”
“You keep speaking of force. I made a request.”
“You made ademand.”
He scoffs and shoots a dark look at the door. “My request only became urgent when your brother turned it into a pissing match.”
A little heat flares on my cheeks. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a man at court say the wordspissing matchright to my face. I rarely hear profanity at all, except from Asher. I’m not offended, but it feels scandalous.
It scares me that I like this, too.
I keep the pin between my fingers, because setting it down would feel too much like yielding something. “What did you say that made Dane so angry?”
“Which time?”
That’s frank and startling and almost makes me smile, especially since he’s not kidding. “Just now. When he was leaving.”
“I said that if this alliance is to proceed through marriage, he will not lay a hand on you again. If he does, I will consider it an act of war.”
“You think I can’t defend myself?”
“You’re prepared to stab me in the eyes. I absolutely think you can.” The king’s gaze holds mine. “I wanted to make it clear to Prince Dane that I will not just protect Astranza. As you are their princess, I will defend you as well.”
I stare at him. I’m not sure what to say. No one ever is ever willing to defend me against Dane. No one but Asher.
But this man is a stranger. I’m no one to him. Maybe his vow should make me happy, but instead, my throat is tightening, and I can’t quite define why.
I think of Asher curling up in my bed last night, the warm weight ofhim at my back. Every moment between us has always been...easy. So sweet and simple—the exact opposite of all this.
I’m not the boy you remember. And you’re about to marry another man.
Maybe he was right. Maybe it would’ve been easier if he’d stayed gone.
A line appears across the king’s brow. “Does that upset you?”
“No,” I say, and my voice is a bit rough. I glance at the doorway. I’m sure everyone is hovering, wondering what he’s doing to me. “What did you want to talk about?”
The king unfolds his arms, but then he hesitates. “May I come closer? Or are my eyes still in danger?”
The hairpin stops spinning between my fingers, and I give a humorless laugh, then drop it on the table. “You’re wearing a thousand weapons. I doubt it would be a fair fight.”
“I’ve seen men taken down by less than a hairpin.” He reaches for a buckle on his forearm. “But I’ll disarm for you, Princess.”
I inhale to tell him that he doesn’t have to, but his fingers slip the leather through the buckle in a way that’s so quick and deft that I can’t help but stare. Before I realize it, his left bracer is gone, revealing six hidden knives on his forearm. He unsheathes each one to set it on the dresser along the wall. Then he bends to pull a longer knife from his boot, adding that to my dresser as well. His movements are smooth and deliberate in a way that reminds me of Asher. But Asher is lean and quick, like a panther. I can’t see this man slinking through the shadows and flipping down from the rafters like a jungle cat. No, the king prowled right into my quarters like a lion.
By the time he reaches for the buckle of his dagger belt, I’m transfixed, watching the movement of his fingers, the slow slide of leather across steel. That goes on the pile as well, and he finally reaches for the buckle of his sword belt, which is wider, and hangs a bit lower.
