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I fully expect him to call me a liar. He caught me sneaking in. That's no daughter's behavior.
"Ah. You do look like the gold digger."
I should be offended on Neleda's behalf. Instead, I twist my lips at the corner, taking his words as an insult against me. "What sort of a guest insults his host’s wife?"
"What sort of a daughter sneaks into the house in the dead of the night?" he counters.
I have no response.
"You truly don't know who I am, do you?"
I've never seen him in my life. I don't forget anything or anyone, and I'd never forget someone who looks likehim. Even if I could have failed to recall that face, that swagger, I would remember power like his. The kind that makes me feel like prey, immobile and afraid.
I know better than to show any of that. “Should I?"
I feel more comfortable crouched, poised to either run or fight, but now that he's so close, my diminutive height feels like a weakness, so I slowly get up.
I'm not tall by any stretch of imagination, but he makes me seem as dainty as Alva.
The stranger strolls to me, only stopping when we're close enough for me to smell his pine wood and cherry scent. From this distance, he’s even more unsettlingly perfect. His pores are nonexistent; his natural glow makes him look airbrushed.I want to ask about his beauty routine, although there’s a fair chance it involves drinking the blood of virgins.
"What hole have you crawled out of, if you can’t recognize me?” He's clearly insulting me, but his tone remains light and pleasing.
"Sorry,” I grit between my teeth. I can’t recall ever being less sorry in my life. “I haven't listened to boy bands since I was ten. I'm sure you look great with eye shadow and tight pants, though.” I'm guessing he's a celebrity of some persuasion.
He chuckles and bites his lip. "You know, some men find ignorance attractive. They love to think they can teach stupid pretty things like you." His eyes narrow. "Not my kink, sweetling."
I consider the likelihood of my bringing my knee to his junk before he can freeze me to death.
Just as I decide to give it a go, my mother rushes out of her house. "Helyn? Helyn, is that you?" She comes to a stop in the middle of her frozen garden, surveying the damage.
Shit. I'm doubly caught. I knew the mission was a wash the moment this guy interfered, but I'd hoped to sneak away. Now she’s seen me here.
My mind races, considering my options.
The stranger ignores her, keeping his burning blue eyes locked on me. "I'll see you at court," he finally says, turning on his heels and leaving me alone with Neleda.
Her gaze follows the boy until he's out of view, then flies back to me. "By the gods!” she practically yells, eyes wide. “What were you doing alone with the king? Is he courting you, Helyn? He has no wife, and not even a harem, you know. If he were to consider you, you’d have a shot at the crown!” I’ve never seen her this excited, not even when she was daydreaming about pimping me outto a brothel. I guess a king is a step up.
I tune her out, feeling like the ignorant, stupid girl the coldblood accused me of being.
Twenty-something, blond, powerful, alone in the garden of a duke of Ravelyn.I really should have known who he was. I've seen portraits of him, painted by Sir Mordov and Theleva Sand. Plenty of coins sporting his regal profile have slid between my fingers.
I was just in the presence of Zale Devar, king of Ravelyn.
At least I didn’t knee his junk.
CHAPTERSIX
THE LEISURE OF KINGS
I'm back in the delightfully crisp northern air before dawn. Ravelyn has two seasons: night and day. Our land remains covered in snow throughout the year, especially high up in the mountains at the Whyte Fort.
I was scheduled to stay in Magnapolis for two days, but the beauty of being king is that I occasionally boast the luxury of following my whims. None of my meetings are crucial. Otto will bitch, but I can reschedule. I'll be in the city the entire fall and half of winter—my treaty negotiations with the trade guild can wait until then.
As soon as she was aware of my presence, the queen of Flaur asked me for tea, which is another word for a parade of long skirts and tight corsets. I’m pleased to escape that invitation. She has yet to abandon the notion of throwing one of her nieces at me, futile as her attempts are. I know better than to mix my blood with mainlanders. Since the days of Tryn Devar, the first of our kings, the throne has passed to coldbloods, and I’ll see that the tradition continues. To ensure my heir’s blood remains pure, I can either breed with another coldblood or a common, and I’ll never debase myself as to choose a magikless, short-lived mortal fools. We’re not even the same species. Their ancestors trace back to evolved monkeys, mine are major gods.
Escaping Aude Briar’s matchmaking wasn’t the main goal of my returning home early, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. I left because I couldn’t bear to remain in Magnapolis. I underestimated my dislike for the stench of the international city, and for the blinding heat.And, I'm loath to admit it, but I also was acutely ruffled by the girl in the tree.
