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I spot Tristan and Grey standing back-to-back as they fight off several guards. The knights of Windemere outnumber Naveen’s men three to one, but most of them are fighting near the castle. Only a few of them have made their way to the guys.
My chest aches when I finally spot Dom. He’s fighting off three men by himself. I pull Koa to a stop.
“No!” Cal shouts, but I’m already turning Koa around to head back to the fight. Cal cuts me off before I make it very far. “You are only going to distract them, Robyn. You heard them. I need to get you out of here.”
Biting the side of my cheek, I take a second to think over his words, then nod and move to steer Koa back toward the forest.
“I’m coming for you, Princess,” King Naveen’s voice booms. “You can’t run from me!”
My eyes dart across the field, and as time begins to slow, my breath freezes in my lungs.
King Naveen slides between his guards circling the men who hold my heart. They don’t see him coming. They are too focused on the fight in front of them.
I watch in horror as King Naveen lifts his sword and drives it through Dom’s stomach. He yanks it out, holding up his bloody weapon. “I told you he’d pay for that.”
My heart shatters. “Noooo!” I scream, lurching forward spilling the contents of my stomach the moment I see Dom clutch his stomach and fall to his knees.
It takes all my might to rise from my position. The cheers of Naveen’s men have my spine steeling. I wipe my mouth and swing my bow around my arm and pull an arrow from my quiver. Inhaling sharply, I steady my breathing the way Cal has taught me. Lining up the tip of my arrow with my target, I release the tight string between my fingers.
The arrow soars through the night air, striking King Naveen in the stomach. I was aiming for his heart, but this will do.
His eyes drop, then dart back up at me before he falls to his knees.
My brother comes racing down the castle footpath with my grandmother by his side. “We need to go, Princess,” Cal says, riding up beside me. I give him a nod, and we take off, heading for the Blackwood Forest and leaving behind three pieces of my heart.
Epilogue
King Naveen
“It’s been two days, Rami,” I shout, pounding my fist against the table.
His eyes widen as he paces the room nervously. His shrew of a grandmother is at his side, trying to calm him.
Pathetic excuse for a king.
It won’t be long before another kingdom gets wind of his weakness and comes for his throne... If I don’t decide to take it for myself.
My arm subconsciously wraps around my waist as a phantom pain springs up my side. I can’t believe the bitch had the balls to do it. She stabbed me, then stared me down with that evil look in her eyes and shot me with a fucking arrow.
I arch a brow at him as a thought hits me for the first time since the incident. “Where did your cunt sister learn how to shoot, anyway? And don’t try to convince me that it was a lucky shot, either.” Rami squirms like the rat he is and stands there tight lipped like a scared little boy. “If I ask you a question, I expect you to answer,” I sneer, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Have some respect. You will not speak to the king in that manner,” the old hag says, rubbing a hand over his back.
I turn my gaze on her with a confused look on my face. “Who’s going to stop me? You, old lady?” A nefarious laugh burst from my lungs.
The woman next to me stills, sucking in a deep breath. I glance at her over my shoulder to find her fidgeting with her long black hair. She stiffens when she notices my gaze on her. She’s uncomfortable being in this room, but Rami insisted the lady-in-waiting could be trusted.
She’s sat quietly for hours, holding her tongue, when I know she wants to voice her opinion. She’s bound by duty to the crown, not loyalty to her lady.
Squirming in her seat under my stare, she bites the inside of her cheek, avoiding my gaze.
Good girl. You know better. You know the power a true king holds. Not this sniveling excuse for a man.
“I’ve given you plenty of time to retrieve the girl. At this point, I’m not sure that I even want her,” I tell him.
His head shoots back in shock, and the hag cuts her eyes at me. “W-we had a deal,” Rami stutters. Surely he’s frightened that I’ll come for his head. And I still might.
“I held up my end of the bargain, Rami. You failed to deliver.” My fists clench at my sides as I fly to my feet, knocking the chair to the ground behind me. I grab the girl, pulling her up out of her chair and into my arms.
She’s frightened, and I don’t blame her. I’m a pretty scary guy.
“You promised me a virgin queen.” My eyes look over her, lingering on the curve of her breasts nearly bursting from the neckline of her dress. “She’s no queen, but she’ll do well to keep me occupied,” I snark, narrowing my gaze on her. She may not be the princess, but she’s pretty enough. “I’ll be taking this one with me for a while. If she knows how to be a good girl, I may send her back to her family in one piece when I’m through with her.”
She stiffens in my arms, swinging her head around to look at Rami. “No! Please, Your Grace. I’ve been loyal. I’ve done everything you’ve asked. Please.” Her pleas fall on deaf ears, and I can’t help but wonder if she’d been trying to cozy up to King Ramiro in hopes of becoming his queen.
The coward looks at me and nods, so I take the squirming girl and move to the exit. It’s time for the beast to return home.
“Oh, and Rami,” he stiffens. “This doesn’t make us even. I’ll be coming to collect.”
