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So I stayed as quiet as possible, hoping the king would follow his gut instincts and not listen to his top advisor for once in his life.
But Greggor—damn him—was too slick for his own good. “I don’t know, Your Majesty,” he murmured, eyeing me as if he could see inside my head. “Given the proper incentive, Farrow here might be more reliable to fulfill this quest than anyone in all of Far Shore.”
I narrowed my eyes. The douche might’ve just complimented me, but I’d never trusted him. Whatever Greggor was thinking, I already knew I wouldn’t like it.
“What do you mean?” the king asked curiously, and I shook my head, wishing he’d just disregard the damn advisor’s suggestion already. Find someone else for his stupid mission. Or better yet, just forget about the idiotic idea altogether.
But he didn’t.
“The boy’s quite fond of that middle girl of yours, isn’t he?” Greggor’s top lip curled into a wicked snarl as he watched my face drain of color. Then he rasped one word.
“Sable.”
And just like that, my entire world shifted on its axis.
Cold, slippery dread slithered through my system.
I immediately waved both my hands, disagreeing. Whatever he wanted to do that involved Sable, I was out. She was an innocent twelve-year-old child. Why should she be brought into any plans that involved kidnapping another kingdom’s princess? This already sounded disastrous.
“No,” I said.
But the panic on my face only caused the king to blink in surprise before he motioned to his advisor. “Keep talking.”
“No,” I growled more vehemently as Greggor said, “We could hold the child in the dungeon until Farrow returns with the Donnelly bitch. And if he fails his mission…” He glanced at me and smiled. “Sable dies.”
“What?!” I shouted. “The hell you say.” Turning to my father, I was even more horrified because I could tell the ignorant ass was actually considering this madness. “Have you lost your damn mind?” I boomed. “How could you even ponder such a ridiculous notion? Sable is your daughter.”
King Torrance shrugged. “And you’re my—” He cut himself off before finishing the sentiment.
I held my breath, wondering if this was going to be the moment of truth, when he finally called me son. My heart beat hard in my chest, yearning for that one word, while my stomach churned, also dreading it. Being his would mean I actually belonged somewhere; I was someone. But did I really want to be the heir of this brute?
He snickered and waved a hand. “Well, whatever you are. You’re both equally useless to me, so…” He motioned toward a pair of guards by the entrance of the room. “Fetch the girl.”
“No. Stop! Wait.” I rushed toward the guards to waylay them, but the king waved his hand again, and four more knights stepped into my path, blocking my way.
I snarled at them before whirling back to the king. Shit had just gotten real. With Sable involved, my will collapsed like a poorly dug well.
“You don’t have to involve her,” I told him. “I’ll do it!”
The king lifted an eyebrow.
Swallowing, I reiterated, “I’ll kidnap the princess, Nicolette, and take the mission. I don’t need incentive. You’re my king. Far Shore is my home. It would be an honor to serve you in any capacity. Just don’t bring Sable into this.”
But even as I said the words, acid swirled in my stomach. I’d be betraying the girl who’d saved me. I would doom Nicolette. There would be no honor in my actions.
To spare Sable, however, I had no choice. My sister’s safety came first. Always.
“Sable is useful,” I insisted. “Someday, you can marry her off to another kingdom and form an alliance with them, just like—”
“An alliance?” my father spat incredulously. Then he sniffed and sat back, throwing up a hand to hush me. “Except I don’t want another goddamn alliance. Not any longer. They denied me once, so they no longer deserve me. Now, I just want to crush them all. Alliances be damned. I’d rather rule everyone as I see fit.”
“Okay,” I said, my mind scrambling for ideas before I snapped my fingers, coming up with one. I pointed at him. “Then you’ll need smart and loyal emissaries to send out and make sure your law is being enforced out there. And Sable is the brightest. She could do any number of things to serve Far Shore.”
The king ignored my pleas and turned his attention to Greggor. “We should have a new torture device crafted and finished by the time the Donnelly bitch arrives. Something we could set up in the village square so all can watch her downfall. Something that keeps her legs spread and titties jiggling while I fuck her into submission. Don’t you think?”
Greggor gave a thoughtful nod before smirking. “Only if I get a turn at it too.”
“My dear friend,” the king answered benevolently, pressing a hand to his heart. “But of course. There’s very little I’ve never shared with you, is there not?”
