He glances at the princess and keeps his voice low. “Not to be indiscreet, but I have needs that would be better met outside this room.”As I turn that around in my head, he adds, “If I’m forced to soak my trousers, I doubt anyone will find it enjoyable.”
Oh.
I stare at him, deliberating. I hadn’t really considered this.
His eyes narrow, like I’m an idiot. “I need to take a piss, Asher.”
What an asshole. I glare at him. “You won’t trick me into letting you go.”
“I know.” He glares right back at me. “But I am giving you fair warning.”
That sounds like the truth—and maybe it is. Because I also have needs that would be “better met outside this room.” I’ve shared space with people left to soil themselves, and it isnotenjoyable. Not just the smell, but the humiliation. The indignity.
I’m not doing that to someone else. Not even this man.
I shove myself to my feet and move across the small space. “Fine. Let’s go.” I grab hold of his arm and haul upward. He doesn’t make a sound, but it must hurt, because he draws a sharp breath and scrambles to get his tied feet underneath him.
I automatically loosen my grip. “Sorry.”
I say it without thinking, but his eyes shift my way in surprise, and I scowl. I should be forcing him out into the snow at knifepoint, not apologizing for being too rough.
This is why it’s easier to just kill people. I only need to be terrifying for a second.
The princess shifts a little in her sleep, and the king and I both freeze. I hate that he’s as worried about waking her as I am. But then she goes still again, her breath evening out.
“Come on,” I whisper, dropping my voice so we don’t disturb her again. I tug him toward the door and ease it open.
After the warmth of the room, the cold is vicious, the wind sharp enough to make my eyes water. A few inches of snow have joined what was there before, so our tracks are well and truly obscured. I don’t see any new ones either, which means no one has come this way. The sky has gone dim, shifting to that gray that preludes twilight, and I realize it’s been more than just afewhours.
The king shuffles into the snow beside me, hobbled by his knotted bootlaces. I think of all the brutal stories I’ve heard about Maddox Kyronan, and it’s weird to consider that he’s right here, bound and helpless, needing to pee.
Despite all those stories, however, I heard the conviction in his voice when he declared that no one from Incendar had hired the Hunter’s Guild. I can see why Jory believes him.
Ialmost believe him, and I opened the bound orders myself. I know what measures the Guildmaster takes to verify an order—and I saw the manner of payment. Even still, there’s a part of me that wishes I could unbind him, that we could flee to safety together.
But of course I can’t.
When we’re ten feet away from the door and into the trees, I bite back a shiver, and I turn to face him. “This is far enough.”
I don’t know if he expected me to untie him anyway, but I’m not that stupid. Instead, I reach for the strap of the utility belt that hangs at his hips, tugging the leather out of the buckle. It forces us close, and our fogging breath is snatched away by the wind. I don’t look down at what I’m doing, because I don’t want to make this less dignified than it needs to be, but he looks right back at me, his golden eyes holding mine.
Fine. He wants to be bold? I can be bold.
But then the buckle gives, and my fingers hesitate. We’re so close that we could share breath, and for a moment, I’m struck by the fact that this is the first time I’ve been this close to another man whereheis bound and I am not.
It’s triggering a memory, and I almost shiver for reasons that have nothing to do with the cold. I frown and try to shake it off, but I have to look away. Of everything I’ve ever done, this is hardly the most awkward.
“Asher.”
Every time he says my name, it strikes something inside of me, and I’m not sure what it is. I glare at him, peeved. “Stop saying my name.”
He ignores me. “Do you truly believe other assassins will be sent to kill me and the princess?”
His voice is low, and there’s no challenge in his tone. This is a genuine question.
“Yes.” I tug and the belt comes loose, so I pull it wide and reach for the lacing of his trousers.
“And you believe that what you’ve done will keep her safe?”
