I shuddered hard.
The Shifter Kingdom was fucking atrocious.
CHAPTER FOUR
Confession of a king:
I cannot believe she snuck into my kingdom. The elven cunt can’t seem to keep herself out of trouble. I will need to keep a closer eye on her shenanigans, lest I be in pain from her death. While her demise would amuse me, I’d rather not deal with the aftermath.
Does King Traevon even watch over his heir?
The bitch needs a leash around her neck to keep her safe inside her own kingdom.
That thought had merit…
BISHOP’S GROWL REVERBERATEDin the air, announcing his arrival, as he jerked open the door to the tavern. He stomped in my direction where I relaxed at a table, his eyes appraising my person as I tipped back a tankard of ale and drank deeply. He yanked a wooden stool from under the table and sat down without care for the furniture, it creaking under his heavily muscled weight. My personal assistant glared at me, not speaking, clearly furious.
I lifted an amused eyebrow. “What happened?”
Bishop sneered and leaned forward, grousing, “She killed three guards. All without trying. Right in front of me, too.”
All humor fled my thoughts. I narrowed my eyes in angered frustration. “Are you shitting me? I told that brat to behave. What the Fairy happened this time?”
He shook his head. “Londor was nippish. He started a fight. She freaked out. And boom. There’s burning intestines suddenly on the walls.”
I sat back heavily on my chair and rubbed at my face, aggravation nipping at my brain. I rumbled, “Good fuck. Disaster follows that elf wherever she goes.”
Bishop snorted. “Why in the realm is she even here? Why would she want to watch a challenge in the first place? And, more bizarrely, why are you even humoring her? Are you forming an alliance with the heir behind her king’s back?”
I dropped my hands from my face and looked out the window next to our table. The glass needed to be cleaned—dirt around the edges of the windowsill. My people strolled past on the cobblestone streets with their families, unaware their king was watching them, merely excited to view a challenge tonight. My claws itched to release, more than ready to step into the challenge and kill.
So I people-watched to calm myself before I lost control—and I was damned close to losing my Fae shit right now.
I stated absently, “What I know about her so far is that she is incredibly inquisitive about life, almost to an innocent’s level, most likely brought on by her sheltered youth. That is probably one of the reasons why she wants to watch the challenge today, an eager, young individual wanting to see more. As to your latter question, I am not positive yet what I wish to do politically with her, so I’m tilting to the side of caution. If she wants a favor to watch the challenge, I will allow her that this time.”
Bishop cracked his neck on the right side. “What if my contact has information that shows her in a different light? Right now, I would agree with you. That is what I see, too. But he did say that he found quite a bit at Sugar Cove.”
I turned my attention back to him and dodged his question. “And where is your snitch? You alleged he finally contacted you, but he is an hour late.”
Bishop jerked his thumb toward the wraparound bar. “He’s sitting over there. He trusts me, not you. You shouldn’t have sent me to babysit if you were in a hurry.”
My glower was in full force. “Get him over here now.”
Bishop crooked a finger…
A gorgon slipped out of the darkest part of the wraparound bar, his hood high over his head, but his reptilian eyes flashed in the sunlight as he walked over to us. His blue eyes, accented with a yellow vertical slit, stared straight at me, caution and wariness flittering over his dark silver features—the scales on the sides of his face hidden under his hood. The gorgon took the remaining stool at our table and placed a leather-bound jotter on top.
Bishop stated, “Your missive stated you had much on Princess Trixie. You had better not be wasting our time, Malid.”
The gorgon tapped the writing pad. “It is all here. But I will stay while you go through it, in case either of you have questions for me.”
I grunted softly and pulled the information in front of me, slightly unbelieving. “You say there is much?”
Bishop had been beating a dead horse with his attempts to obtain information about Princess Trixie’s younger years—the servants and guards on the elven palace grounds were loyal to their king. I’d had him send even more men a few days ago. We’d eventually find an elf to crack with at least the current details of the bitch’s life.
The gorgon nodded, not speaking to me.
My lips twitched into a menacing grin. I loved when my reputation preceded me. Because it was all true. I was that vicious. This gorgon should be scared. Fairy, if he was knowledgeable, he wouldn’t be sitting here with me right now.
