Good girl.I hope she kicks him in the crotch.
There’s a short bench here, and the king slides down to sit across from the princess, leaving enough room for me. That’s a little surprising—but I can’t take it. Instead, I drop to sit cross-legged on the floor beside the table. It puts me right beside the boots of the king and his captain, and I can barely see Jory and the others beyond the edge.
Maddox Kyronan draws up the chain sharply, then glares down at me like I’m deliberately being difficult. “Asher.Sit—”
“Ican’t,” I snap, and my voice is louder than I intend. “It’s forbidden.”
He stares back at me. So does his captain. Even the tables nearby fall silent, watching. They’re probably expecting him to backhand me across the face, which is exactly what would happen if he were my keeper and I really had been sold by one of the slavers.
But the king’s eyes are locked on me. “Explain,” he says.
Heat crawls up my cheeks, because Jory is looking, too. This is degrading in a new way, and I didn’t expect it. If Jory ever left the company of royalty, she’d know. If the king were Astranzan, he’d know. His gaze is so intense, and I have to look away, glaring past him. “If I sit at the table, the innkeeper will make me move. It’s forbidden. That’s why he offered the straw mat. Look.” I nod across the room, where a man sits at a table near the hearth and a middle-aged woman is curled up on a stretch of fur at his feet. She’s not chained, but the position is clear.
The king is absolutely silent. I have no idea what expression is on his face.
“I willunforbid it,” Jory whispers from beside Captain Zale. “You will not sit on thefloor, Asher.”
Lady Charlotte leans in to murmur. “If you make a proclamation, it may give away your identity.” She pauses, glancing at me briefly before looking back at the princess. “And he’s right. Itisforbidden for a bonded citizen to sit at the table.”
Jory clenches her jaw, and her angry eyes flash to the king. “You will unchain him, then.”
“No.” His voice is flat. “He destroyed my carriage and tried to kill Garrett. And that’s just in the last five minutes. I’m not putting anyone else at risk.”
Jory’s eyes swing back to me, but I refuse to look up.
None of the others say anything, but I can feel their focus, too.
A barmaid appears with a tray laden with steins of ale and baskets of small muffins and loaves, and thankfully, that breaks the strained silence. She doesn’t acknowledge my presence, which is unsurprising. The room is warm from the hearth, but the cold of the stone floor begins to seep into my joints. I can smell the steaming bread, and I swallow and stare at the legs of the soldiers under the table. Captain Zale has a long dagger in a sheath strapped to his thigh, and it’s right in front of me.
Tempting, but I’m notthatstupid.
I might be later, though.
When the king reaches for his ale, the chain rattles against the edge of the table, tugging at my wrist. Hunger and thirst claw at my gut, andI fold my other arm against my belly, keeping my eyes locked on the boots under the table.
“Asher.” The king’s voice pierces my awareness, and just like every time he says my name, my insides feel a tug. “Here. Drink.”
When I look up, he’s holding out the stein.
I don’t reach for it. He tricked me once, and this feels like a trap. Like I’ll take the stein and he’ll knock it into my lap.
But my mouth is watering, and I can’t help but swallow.
“Don’t refuse just to spite me.” The edge has faded from his voice, and his accent turns every word to honey again. “Take it.”
I obey. This feels like a different kind of yielding, and I hate it. It makes me want to take the tiniest sip possible and shove it back at him.
But as soon as the taste fills my mouth, that’s not an option. I can’t remember the last time I had a drop of water, and this is good ale, sweet and cold, with a hint of sugar. I drink like a child, wild gulps that are too fast.
“Easy,” says the king, and his voice is still mild. “I don’t want to drag your drunk body around. Here.” He’s got a small loaf of bread this time, and he breaks it in two, holding out half toward me. It’s so fresh that steam pours from inside. The ale has made my hunger flare, and my stomach gives a wrench. But after the way he acted in the snow, I’m waiting forhimto fuck withme.I set down the stein and clench my fists so hard that my nails dig into my palms.
He exchanges a glance with his captain over the table. When he looks back at me, his voice is even lower. Softer. “I’m not tricking you. Eat.”
I snatch it out of his hand because I resent the note in his voice. But when I bite into my portion, it’s a reminder of how long it’s been since I’ve eaten, because this simple bread topped with salt and rosemary feels like the best thing I’ve ever tasted.
From the corner of my eye, I can see that Jory is eating her own portion of bread, but she’s watching me.
I dodge her gaze. I’ve spent years hiding this part of my life from her, and it was all for nothing. Now I won’t be the Asher she remembers anymore. I’ll be the man relegated to the stone floor, receiving scraps of food like a chained dog.
