“May I see?” he says. My eyes are still closed, and his voice is so quiet that we could be the only two people in the room.
I nod, feeling drunk on his touch. Is this his magic? It must be.
He tugs at the neckline of the prison tunic, and I didn’t realize how much the wound wept, because pain sears through my back as the fabric begins to pull away. I choke back a yelp, catching the sound in my fist, my teeth pressing into my knuckles. The captain swears under his breath, and behind me, Jory inhales sharply. Somehow I’d forgotten our audience, and I didn’t realize she’d moved. Every muscle goes taut again, ready to jerk away.
“Easy.” The king’s hand settles over the nape of my neck, his thumb brushing through the hair behind my ear. “Be still, Asher.”
It’s so unexpected, and it grabs my focus. Then he does it again, and the motion of his thumb is soothing and gentle and I don’t want him to stop.
All the vicious stories we’ve heard about the king of Incendar, and he’s holding me in place with nothing more than a few words and the weight of his hand.
“Asher,” Jory whispers, and I can hear the tremor in her breath. That, more than anything, tells me how bad it looks.
But then her voice tightens right up. “I told you,” she says, low and furious, and I realize she’s speaking to the king. “Itoldyou to let him go.”
“And I told you why I couldn’t,” he says, his voice just as low. “Youknowwhy I couldn’t. Meanwhile, you accuse me of torture, while the royal family of Astranza enslaves their citizens and brands them like livestock.”
“That isnotthe way of things here,” she snaps, and my heart thumps.
Itisthe way of things here.
“Then explain it to me.” The king’s voice is still low, but his fury matches hers. “Your brother might not hold the iron, but he surely gives the order. See for yourself. It’s hardly the first time it’s been done.”
I go rigid, because I don’twanther to see. But the king’s thumb brushes through my hair again, and it holds me still.
Then I feel the brush of Jory’s skirts against the bare skin of my feet. She touches my shoulder, her fingertips light and cool, such a contrast to the king’s. It sends another jolt right through my body. Both of them touching me at once strikes a chord deep in my heart, making this shared stroke of fingers against my skin far more intimate than it should be.
I never let anyone touch me—I neverwantanyone to touch me. But just now, I don’t want them to let go. For a flicker of time, I imagine their hands exploring further. Her cool fingers tracing their way down my chest, his strong hand buried in my hair, holding me still, just like this. Without warning, my cock stiffens, and my breath catches.
“Enough.” I jerk my head back and smack his hand away. The chain rattles and goes taut again.
My desire has no place here. I’m a prisoner, nothing more. They’re destined to marryeach other.
They’re looking at me in surprise, and my heart keeps slamming against my ribs. It’s only then that I realize Lady Charlotte is beside Jory. Two of the soldiers have risen from the table to flank the king, as if this...discussionmight turn into something more. There aren’t many patrons left in the inn, but we have the full attention of everyone remaining—including Callum and his companion, who are stillwatching from across the room. Even the woman on the mat has sat up to watch.
I glare up at the king. “I don’t want your pity.” Anger and shame and humiliation war in my chest, and I swing my head around to look at Jory. My voice is still rough, and I snap at her before I can stop it. “I don’t wantyours, either.”
She jerks back like I struck her, and her breath catches.
Fuck.If I weren’t chained to the king, I could slip into the shadows and disappear. I’m almost ready to cut myownhand off.
Captain Zale looks between the three of us, and he lets out a breath through his teeth. His eyes flick to one of the others. “Roman. Which rooms did they give us?”
Roman nods toward the staircase at the back of the tavern. “The two at the north side. They should have laid a fire already.”
“Ky,” says the captain. “Maybe you want to finish this privately.”
The king looks at him, and then back at the princess, and finally to me. “Fine.” He stands, extending a hand to her. “After you.”
Her mouth forms a line, but she doesn’t move. She looks at Charlotte. “I will not be remaining with him for long. Please ensure the other room is adequately prepared.” She heads for the back wall of the inn.
But then she hesitates and turns back. She unlaces the small purse from the sash at her waist, and she hands it to her lady. “And find out how much that woman owes,” she says, nodding toward the bonded woman on the fur. “Pay the man so she can be free of sleeping on thefloor.”
Without waiting for a response, she turns toward the staircase. I stare after her. So does Lady Charlotte.
The king sighs and runs a hand over the back of his neck, but then he looks down at me. Again, I wish for a hood and the shadows, because if I weren’t tethered to him, I’d vanish in a heartbeat. My thoughts are jangled up and twisted, and for every part of me that wants to grab that dagger from his captain’s thigh, there’s another part that wants to return to the moment his thumb traced a path through my hair.
His eyes are sparking with anger, but I don’t think it’s directed atme. When he speaks, his voice is resigned. “You’ve hidden too much from her, Asher.”
