AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m the oldest.
That is my job.
My face.
Not his.
“Oh gods, just say it before I grow old and wither away. You two might be immortal and have eternity ahead of you, but my time is limited. I’d rather not spend it watching you two gawk at eachother like chickens.”
Rolling my neck, and my eyes, and just about anything rollable to get the point across that Finn’s getting on my last nerve, I turn to him. “I wasn’t aware that chickens stare. Do their eyes even look in the same direction?”
Finn cocks his head, pondering that moment. “You know, I’m not sure.” Hands waving, he almost spills his drink. “That’s not the point. You can either say your peace now or Kai is going to pick your brain and spill your deepest, darkest secrets to me in private.”
I steal a glance at the door from over my shoulder, wondering if I could make it there before they can stop me, or at least move away from the two of them, just enough to vanish. Doing so this close would likely drag them with me, or Kai could rip me back out of the shadows.
Deciding escape isn’t a viable option, I huff out a long exhale, closing my eyes and praying to whoever is listening to give me strength. “Valeria is the elf lord’s daughter. She just told me.”
When I dare to open my eyes again, Kai’s expression is unchanged. Finn, on the other hand, looks like an owl, ready to hoody hoo his shock.
“Can you fucking blink, please?” I snap at him, and Finn gets the hint, collecting himself. “Apparently, Kai doesn’t tell you all my secrets.” Crossing my arms, I glare daggers at the king. “When did you know?”
“Alice didn’t tell me either if it makes you feel better. I found out in the meeting today.”
I double take, brows flatting. If he found out today, then he… “You searched her fucking head?” I seethe through gritted teeth, poison dripping from every syllable. “Give me one good reason not to—”
He doesn’t let me finish the threat. “Relax. She’s an elf. We’re at warwith elves. It’s my job to know who is on my court, and I was curious how the woman who stabbed you came to the meeting today on your arm.”
My brows raise, but I don’t say a word.
“Yeah. Alice mentioned that. I told you those poisoned daggers were a bad idea.” Kai slams his cup down on the table.
Such a dramatic little king he is…
Making quick work to remove the top of the whiskey bottle, Kai pours himself a couple more fingers.
“So, let me get this straight…” Finn pinches his chin. “The girl the elf lord wants returned has been at your keep, and neither you nor my son thought to question it? I mean, it was broadcasted that the duchess was lost at sea. The very sea literally shoring your land.”
Well, when you put it like that…
It wasn't broadcasted tome.At least I think it wasn’t…
I tend to ignore the other lords most of the time. Nothing good tends to come from their mouths. If they're not reminding me ofmy past, they're picking apart Kai and Alice's rule. Both topics of which rub me raw.
Kai and Finn were the ones who told me to sheath my sword and only rely on force as a last resort. Well, ignoring the bastards on the court is how I'm doing that. If things were my way, I'd make an example of the first buffoon to let their mouth loose. The others would learn rather quickly to keep their wayward opinions to themselves.
They need to decide which version of me they want. The version who knows everything going on in the kingdom, that might kill a fool from time to time. Or the one that chooses to stay out of the way and ignore the blatant disrespect in the court.
They can't have both.
Well, maybe that's not true. They had both today. I managed to stay calm and poised, despite the others at the table being dicks. And I did that because my mind was kept busy with thoughts of Valeria.
It was a rare exception. One that likely won't happen again.
“Valeria doesn't look like a Nightborn. Would you have pegged her as the elf Lord's daughter at first sight? And she never said anything about it. I believed she’d been banished or something and when I'd asked, she got defensive. It made sense to me.” I finish off my glass of whiskey in one burning gulp.
“Do you love her?” Kai spits the question out, nearly knocking me off balance.
My face plunges into a deep scowl. “What kind of question is that? She's been in my life a week,maybe, and half of that time I was in fucking coma.”
