I nearly asked if this would cancel our Understanding, but I knew that would only accomplish one of two things; either it would make Drostan feel guilty enough to release me (unlikely), or he would be deeply insulted and this burgeoning bond between us would be destroyed by his anger. So, I decided to use the moment to further my goal.
“It was instinct,” I whispered as I stroked his cheek tenderly. “I couldn't let you be hurt. You don't owe me anything, Drostan.”
Drostan's mouth fell open, and his eyes misted. He swallowed roughly and pulled me back against his chest. I heard his heart pounding violently as he stroked my hair.
“Riley, there's something I have to tell you,” he murmured. “I—”
“Your Majesty?” A knock followed the call.
Drostan cursed and set me away from him gently. He went to the outer door and cast it open. It was Conall. He looked from Drostan to me and back again with obvious relief.
“Thank the Goddess,” Conall murmured. “I heard there was an attempted assassination, but you appear unharmed.”
I frowned at this. Conall and Drostan had the oddest relationship. They almost acted like enemies. At the very least, they were rivals. But Conall seemed genuinely relieved that Drostan was alive and well.
“No thanks to your—” Drostan broke off and cleared his throat. “No thanks to the guards,” he growled. “It was Riley who saw the assassin and pulled me to safety just before he struck.”
“Riley?” Conall looked at me in shock. “A human saved your life?”
“Myconsortsaved my life,” Drostan corrected.
I froze, my stare happening upon Conall's—which had gone beyond shocked and into horrified. Had Drostan just called me his consort instead of his concubine? I had done it; I had achieved the status of consort; something no one had been able to do with Drostan. Damn; this plan was working fast. But I couldn't push it. Now, was the time to ease back. So, I looked away and pretended not to notice the change in my status.
“Can I speak with you privately, Your Majesty?” Conall asked with a tense tone.
“The library.” Drostan waved to the antechamber.
The men disappeared into the other room, and I took a deep breath.
“Well done, you!” Hugo plopped onto the bed before me; scaring the bejesus out of me.
“Where the fuck did you come from?” I hissed.
“We pixies have our ways of getting around.” He shrugged. “We see a lot more than people know.”
“I'll bet,” I huffed. “How long have you been up there, you little perv?”
“Hey now, I would never spy on a friend.” He pouted. “I just got here. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Oh. Okay. Thank you.”
“You're welcome.” He strode across the velvet comforter, looking around with interest. “It's nice in here. And you should get used to it, girly! Saving King Drostan's life was brilliant! What a stroke of luck for you. Now, he can never hurt you; it would go against his honor. And when you told him that he didn't owe you for it, I nearly peed myself! Woohee! I have to admit; I couldn't have given you better advice than that. The look on his face!” Hugo stopped and stared at me in surprise. “You don't even know what you've done, do you?”
“I've indebted him to me,” I said. “And possibly wormed my way into his heart.”
“Oh, no doubt he's half in love with you.” Hugo nodded. “No sidhe woman would have put herself in jeopardy to save him. But that's not what I meant.”
“Sidhe woman?” I asked.
“One of them.” He waved his hand toward the library. “The big ones that look like humans. Those are the Sidhe. I am a pixie. Got it?”
“Yeah; okay.”
“Do you want to hear how brilliant you are, or not?” Hugo huffed.
“Of course I do,” I huffed back. “Who wouldn't want to hear a compliment?”
“In fairy culture, no one refuses the offer of a favor. Favors are practically currency. The only time one is refused is when it's offered to a spouse or lover.” Hugo smirked. “What you did was practically a declaration of love, Riley.”
