I woke in the morning with a terrible feeling clawing at my chest. Gasping, I jolted upright, then stared around the room, trying to find what had upset me. Nothing. Nothing out of place. No one who didn't belong there. I wasn't in my apartment, but I knew why. I wasn't sleep-confused. There was nothing wrong.
Then a soft sound caught my attention. I turned to see the Dragon King sound asleep beside me, looking as gorgeous as he had the previous morning. We had stayed up late; me telling him everything I wanted him to do to me, and him giving it to me. All of it. Every fantasy I came up with, he fulfilled. He had set a high standard for us, but we were both up for the challenge.
Smiling to myself, I let my heartbeat slow, but then, suddenly, it hit me.
“He's in danger,” I whispered.
Yes, the second assassin was dead, but it had only proven our theory. And if we were right and someone was controlling other people, then it meant that anyone could become the next assassin.
“Even me.”
I shot out of bed and paced, but then my bladder reminded me of what a bad idea that was. Hurrying to one of the doors that didn't lead to the corridor, I opened it to find an enormous dressing room, the walls covered in racks full of royal garments. My jaw dropped when I spotted the glass displays set among the clothing, all of them full of jewelry, a single piece of which would have changed my life forever. But I didn't need the King's jewelry for that. He had already changed my life, and I could never steal from him.
I shut the door and hurried to the next one. Thankfully, it led to a bathroom. After I closed that door behind me, I scurried across an expanse of green marble, past two gold sinks set into more of the stone, a tub formed of a single slab of rose quartz, and a shower stall big enough to hose down a horse. At the end of the room, another door waited, leading into a tiny room that housed the toilet.
“Fucking rich people,” I muttered as I went into the little room. “Even their toilets have their own rooms.”
I did my business, then took a quick shower to clear my head. All right, I took the shower because taking a bath would take too long, and I really needed to bathe. Plus, I wanted to see what it was like to shower in a royal bathroom.
After dancing around the shower under the hot spray—because why the fuck not?—I soaped up, rinsed off, then reluctantly stepped out. I dried off in a rush, eager to get back to Cyn. Not because I wanted more sex, but to make sure he was still alive.
Danger, my mind whispered.
But the Dragon King was still asleep, lying on his side, his hair wild around him. He was safe. For the time being.
I let out a breath and looked around. Yes, Cyn was protected there, and yes, he had been shot last night in the Forgotten. But that was because someone was watching him. They knew he had left the castle and sent their assassin after him. So it was a safe bet they'd still be watching him.
“I need to get you out of here,” I whispered to the sleeping king.
As if he could sense my distress, Cyn rolled onto his back, stretched, and opened his eyes. His stare went straight to me, and he frowned. Sitting up, he asked, “What's happened?”
“Nothing yet,” I said and went to sit on the bed beside him. “I think we need to hide you.”
“We've already discussed this; I don't hide.” The Dragon King's expression hardened.
“I know.” I rolled my eyes at his narrowed ones. “You're a big, strong Dragon who faces all threats head-on. No running. But this isn't your average threat, Your Majesty.”
“Stop calling me that.” Cyn stood up. “We're alone. Call me Cyn. I've been inside you, for fuck's sake.”
I slashed my hand through the air. “That doesn't matter right now! Someone saw you leave the castle last night,Cyn. They sent their assassin after you. It could be anyone. Do you understand that? And even the people who are loyal to you could be turned against you. You aren't safe here. This isn't about strength or pride. If you stay, they will try again and again and again. People will die trying to kill you, innocent people. You could lose your knights, Lord Juri, any of the castle staff, and, if one of them succeeds, yourself.”
“All right!” The Dragon King held up his hands. “I understand. But where would we go? I can't abandon my kingdom, and running from this problem won't solve it.”
“The Forgotten,” I said. “They won't expect that, and if we can sneak out of the castle, they won't be able to follow you there.”
“I can't just leave. I'll have to take my knights with me and notify—”
“No,” I cut him off. “No, Cyn!” I pointed at him. “You may be the King, but you're going to fucking listen to me because I know about shit like this. I'm the expert here. And I can't lose you now. Do you hear me?!”
Cyn's expression softened as he reached for me.
“No!” I jerked back. “This is what we're going to do: we're leaving the castle today, and we're going to the Forgotten. I can investigate this better from there, and my entire clan will keep you safe. Believe me, having a clan of Raltven watching over you in their territory is far better than a hundred Dragon knights protecting you in this castle.”
Cyn held up his hands in surrender. “After last night, I can't argue with that. Your people acted faster than my knights did. So, you win, Ru. I'll go with you alone, but I must notify someone that I'm leaving or they will panic and search for me.”
“All right. Tell one of your knights, but that's all. And don't tell them where we're going.”
“They'll figure it out.”
