Frustration edged in, furious that he attempted to burden me with the weight of an entire kingdom. “And you’re not a common man? What makes you so special? Why did you save me, Sainte?!”
“To save our people!” he roared and launched to his feet.
I scrambled backward, my heart pounding, and flinched as he stormed toward me with swift, purposeful strides.
“You criticize their lack of protection, but are you not equally to blame, allowing a madman to rule in your stead?! You’re not doing them justice!”
My back thumped against the wall. But he kept coming, sparks flying from his eyes.
“I rescued you, believing you might one day be our people’s salvation! Not to watch you roam the streets like some common thief. I didn’t risk my life for a petty brat!” He threw his right fist at the wall, wincing at the pain, his glare intense as he loomed over me.
Hot, angry tears blurred my vision, and I gritted my teeth, trying to blink them away. They spilled down my cheeks regardless of my efforts, scouring slick trails through the sweat and grime. “Sorry to be such a waste.”
If I could turn back time, I’d have thanked him for leaving me. His words cut deeper than his absence ever could.
“Elspeth.” My name sounded as if it was being torn from his throat. He groaned and dropped his head to my shoulder with a sigh. “You said you owe no one. That’s a lie.”
I clenched my jaw, unwilling to accept the next words I knew were coming. “Don’t,” I whispered.
He pulled away, leveling his gaze with mine. “You owe me.”
“Don’t ask this of me,” I strained. “Sainte, I would have given you anything if you had stayed—my heart, my crown, my life. All of it was yours.” My voice broke, and I choked back sobs.
He was right. He was the only person I owed anything to—the one I owed everything to. I shook my head, ducking under his outstretched limb to distance us. He let me pass, resting his forehead against his injured arm.
“Elspeth, stay with me.”
Those words crushed my heart all over again. A sob tore through me as I flung the chair aside and yanked the door open. Without a word, I walked away, leaving him as he once left me.
Chapter 3
In the hallway, I paused to compose myself. I wiped away tear streaks with the heels of my palms, then used my sleeve to dab at my nose. The stench of fish guts and musk from the lewd district clung to my clothes, making me grimace. A dip in the ocean was definitely in order. Seaweed would smell like a rose compared to this.
Sainte remained in his room, silent as a tomb. Hopefully he was reflecting on the time when he left me in such a manner. Some pain on his part would be fitting. It would only be a fraction of what I endured over the past five years.
I descended the lone flight of stairs, anticipating the need to intervene on behalf of my friends. However, upon entering the dining room, I halted, taking in the unexpected scene. Lyana sat at a table across from a large man with tattoos decorating his arms, playing a game of knucklebones. Ethyan stood in the corner with two men, enthralled in a round of darts.
Lyana glanced up as I approached, a smile on her face as she shook the bones in a cup. She shrugged in response to the disgust souring my features.
“They’re not that awful, this lot,” she said.
“I thought we concluded these were the bad guys?” Amusement lightened my tone.
“Well, definitely not the good guys, I’d wager.”
I faced the man with the boyish charm from earlier, Urien, as Sainte called him. He sat at a table near the bend in the stairs, giving me a small smirk. He kicked the chair out across from him with his foot.
“Princess.”
The sarcasm in his tone wasn’t lost on me.
With one hand, he gestured for me to sit. With the other, he raised a mug of ale. He wouldn’t get sick from the spirits servedhere…
Probably.
I sighed with a glance about the room. Lyana tossed the bones onto the table, immersed in her match. She almost slammed heads with the giant sitting across from her as they peered down at the runes together. Ethyan still hadn’t noticed me—caught up in some drinking game. He chugged his spirits before throwing a dart. It landed smack in the middle with such force the target swiveled.
“Nothing better to do, I suppose,” I muttered, taking the seat he offered. I angled my back against the wall to keep a clear view of the room and door.
