Matthias sighed as he placed the apples, figs, and carrots on a shelf in the cupboard. Once he’d done so, he gathered a clean plate from the sink, some bread, and the cheese he’d taken from the palace kitchen. After seating himself by the fire in his armchair, he closed his eyes for a moment, drinking in the peace.
Bones finished his meal and came to sit by the fire, his tongue slapping at his jaw in delight. Matthias smiled at him and ate his meal of cheese and bread, washing it all down with the ale he kept stashed in a chest.
This was it.
In that very moment, he’d decided, this is the life he would live; his father could do whatever the hell wanted with his blasted kingdom and fantasy war, and Matthias could live peacefully in the woods, with his dog and his songs to keep him company.
After the unwanted exchange with Snake, and seeing that no one really noticed that he’d even been missing, he threw caution to the wind and decided he would go. He had some gold, which would last him a while. Maybe he could purchase a boat and head off onto adventures upon the oceans—who knew what lay beyond the shores of the Drayton Sea?
Old tales passed down through time spoke of places yet to be discovered. That’s what he wanted, right? To be free from his father’s constraints and live a life free of his harsh ruling?
At the thought of leaving, something tugged in his chest, an invisible thread that pointed like a compass to a place he knew he could never enter. Staying here in the woods was probably the better option. Maybe his father would forget about the woman after a while and she would be safe again.
A pang of guilt washed over him. He should have told her about the bounty when she appeared at his cabin, but the words wouldn’t form. Her presence was an odd comfort to him and even though he knew her life was in so much danger, he hadn’t told her, for fear she’d disappear, never to be seen again.
Some bread and a half block of cheese later, Matthias finished his meal and packed the leftovers away. He pulled his secret keeper from his jacket pocket and opened it halfway. Lyrics and music note combinations covered the page in black ink.
Matthias sat and pondered the next verse to the song he was writing and his mind travelled to the chestnut-haired woman whose eyes danced with light. “Adalia,” he whispered her name, and Bones lifted his head to look at his master. “What? I can’t admire a beautiful woman?” The wolf huffed and lay back down.
As much as he hated to admit it, the way Snake had spoken about her lit a fire somewhere deep inside him he hadn’t known existed. The foul language made Matthias’s blood boil. And the thought of Snake touching her made him see red.
The prince let his mind wander to her face, those pink rose lips . . . so kissable.
He hadn’t kissed a woman in forever. He’d taken women to bed, but it had been quite some time.
It always seemed they were only ever after one thing–his title, and that one thing was the part of him he hated most.
Matthias couldn’t imagine ruling one day, and his mind was far away from choosing a suitable queen.
His thoughts shifted to her again, the way her eyes travelled over his body the first time she served him wine. Was she looking at his tattoos, perhaps? Or maybe she was torturing him with her mind.
A spark flickered and rekindled the fire deep inside of him. His wings twitched as they hung over the side of his armchair, and it brought a smile to his face. It had been a very long time since they’d responded that way to the thought of a woman.
That movement gave him inspiration for his song. Matthias wrote a few words down in the secret keeper before picking up his veslo. He plucked away at the strings and a melodic tune filled theair. Testing out his new lyrics, Matthias allowed his voice to float through the cabin as he sang.
“But I don’t dare close my eyes ‘cause that’s when the monsters prowl.
Will you save me? Or am I doomed to lay waste in this hole?”
Chapter Eleven
Theinvitation
“Are you okay being near this part of the Veil?” Shiloh asked as they quietly rode along.
It was just the two of them on patrol in this section. The bell had only rung for Lucius these past few weeks, but Adalia hadn’t eased her demand for extra patrols day and night. She had, however, lessened the number to two Lightners per patrol.
“I’m fine,” Adalia replied as she bit into a fresh nectarine. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Aren’t we near where he,who shall not be named, dwells?”
Adalia shrugged, but continued to eat her fruit. “It’s a little further down. Why? Do you want to check it out for yourself?”
Her fair-haired friend shook her head instantly. “No, thank you. I am perfectly fine here on this side of safety.”
A quiet laugh erupted from Adalia as she took the last bite of her nectarine and threw it into the bush. “You might disagree if you heard his voice when he sings . . . pure delight.”
Shiloh rolled her eyes and focused on the road before her. Neither spoke for a few minutes as they walked along.
