I take her arm, leading her down to the Five Kingdom Ball with our bodyguards behind us. As ever, we silence the room as we arrive, and we’re immediately sucked into unbearable conversation with the noblemen and women of Yterras.
"Turn around," Lynna whispers, eyes wide. I turn to see what has ensnared her attention. My blood catches fire, heading directly south until I’m forced to adjust the way I’m standing. Beside King Espan, in his usual gold crown and pale cloak, is a sight that I imagine will be burned into my retinas for the rest of my life.
Renna is in a dress that I can only describe asscandalous. A slit runs up her thigh, ceasing at her hip, the low-cut dress held up by the thinnest of gold chains. She’s barefoot. Miles of tanned brown skin is on display, interrupted only by a gold cuff on her bicep. She wears no other jewellery and her hair is free of clips, loose down to her waist.
Thatfuckinghair. I wonder how many times I could wrap it around my hand. She’s a vision in satin, and I don’t understand how the rest of us mere men are supposed to cope. The rest of the room is stunned into half-disapproving, half-awestruck silence. I believe that she could be arrested for leaving the house in a garment like that in the River Kingdom.
She says something to Espan as they begin the descent down the stairs and he lets out a loud laugh, his hand nestled on the curve of her waist. I'm struck with a sudden desire to declare war on the Golden Kingdom.
Fuck inter-kingdom peace, I just want Renna.
"Who…is that? She’s…wow," whispers one of the noblemen I am standing with. I shoot him a glare so venomous that his mouth shuts closed immediately.
“If you don't finish what you started with her tonight, I'll be bitterly disappointed," murmurs Lynna, her breath brushing the skin beneath my ear as I accept a drink for us both from one of my staff. "Where does one even buy a dress like that? Where do I buy awaistlike that? Black satin as well? I love it."
"Can you pull your head out of Renna's arse long enough to eat dinner, Lynna?"
She laughs, lacing her arm through mine as I lead her to the Royal Table. "Rex, I honestly don’t know that I can."
The table consists of all the Kings and Queens, as well as fifteen other high-profile lords and ladies. My mood dips, watching the way some of them drool over Renna, hanging onto her every word. I remain quiet, tired of everyone trying far too hard to impress me.
Lord Wornen, sitting to Renna's left, moves his chair further away as if she has a disease. Renna just rolls her eyes at Lynna, mouthing the wordwankerat my healer. The Shadow Hunters are intensely hated in some areas, the River Kingdom more than any. As Renna has said, many of her people die defending other people’s borders. She has written me an extensive report—over fifty-five pages—on the number of Shadow Hunters who die to help other kingdoms. It is staggering, and I’m comfortable in admitting that I’ve been ignorant of it until now.
"Is there a problem?" I ask Wornen, as he moves his glass and cutlery further away from Renna.
"I'm surprised you've let one of them at the table, even if she is the company of King Espan."
"One of them?" Asks Frian.
He nods and his friend snorts in agreement. "Shadow Hunters. They're dirty, my lord. They live outside.”
I open my mouth but the Golden King beats me. "I'd urge you to watch your tone," Espan is calm and kind as usual. This is why he gets nothing done.
"Espan, it's fine, really," says Renna, quietly. "Just ignore it."
"I'm surprised you know how to use cutlery," comments Wornen’s friend, as the food arrives.
Renna says nothing, clearly trying her hardest to behave. I hate it when she causes trouble, but I think I might hate it even more now that she's quiet and subdued. Over the course of the next hour, the comments get worse and worse, criticising her appearance, her etiquette, a scar on her shoulder, her dress, as well as constant comments about her race.
The only reason I haven’t intervened is because she doesn’t need me to. No one else noticed her slip a white pill into Wornen’s drink, but I did, and now he looks a delightful shade of green. But when he tells her she has no place in the world and goes to poke a scar over her eyebrow, my thoughts shift from angry to murderous. "Do me a favour, Wornen," I say, breaking my silence to stand and place a hand on his shoulder.
He scrambles to his feet. "Anything, my lord."
"Leave."
"Uh—e—excuse me?"
"You'll leave before you can make one more comment about my guests," I say, beckoning a guard over with two fingers. Renna swivels in her seat to face him and my gaze drops to her sculpted legs. "And one little favour for me, darling," she purrs, a dark, seductive gaze landing on Wornen.
She’s perfect for me.
"What would that be?" He spits out, looking down at her with disgust.
"Suck my cock," she says, enunciating each word slowly and clearly. She gives him a quick wink and swirls around back to the table, prompting a mixture of laughter and shock from the rest of the guests.
"Marry her!" Mouths Lynna, looking at me.
* * *
