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With a sigh, Doplov pushes up from the desk. “I know your principal quality isn’t intellect, pretty girl, so let me spell it out for you. I am the Kind King.”
45
CALDORYN
“I warned you,” Vess growls. “We all knew it was a mistake to let her come. It was a mistake to let herlive. You thought with your cock, and now we’re going to miss an opportunity to cripple Allea’s intelligence because of it.”
“To be fair, we were discussing killing everyone she knows, remember?” Silver surprisingly comes to Rhea’s defense.
Lark nods. “I was surprised she took it as calmly as she did. I should have had her followed.” She mutters, cursing herself. Lark never likes when she doesn’t foresee a development, but we were too focused on the big picture for her to pay attention to Rhea.
None of us paid any attention to her, treating her like an obedient doll. Vess and Silver are right. This is on me. Not that it matters. “We have to get her back. That’s the first and only priority.”
Vessorian punches the table so hard it shakes. “Damn you, Doryn.”
“No, damn you. If you could stop thinking withyourcock and your pride enough to be objective about Rhea, you’d understand a simple fact. My mate is in the hands of the Kind King’s servants, and she can’t lie to save her life. Her loyalties have shifted. She might not want her friends dead, but she sure as fuck wants revenge on Alev. In moments, she’ll show her hand. And then, they’ll torture her, interrogate her, and kill her.” I don’t know how I can keep up the appearance of calm when every single part of me screams, feeling the truth of each of my word. “She has an hour on us, which on my horse means half a day. Lark?”
“Your mate?” Vess echoes, like none of the other words I said had any importance.
We’ve known each other longer than brothers. It’s a surprise he didn’t notice himself that I am not the man he knew when it comes to her. At first glance, I was hers. Before the first touch, I knew.
I don’t need to repeat myself, so I keep my attention on my general. At long last she clears her throat. “She still has her anklet, so we can track her. And we have a card. It’s risky, but having someone on the inside is the best way to ensure Rhea survives this.”
I understand her idea, and I can’t say I like it, but I nod. “Alrion?”
“I’ll need your horse. Mine’s not fast enough to arrive ahead of you.”
I nod again. He can have my horse, my kingdom, my crown. He can have anything at all. I just need her back.
“We’ll get her back,” Lark whispers.
“Damn straight,” Alrion agrees.
“And if they’ve touched her, we’ll burn the tower to the ground,” Vess promises, not a single protest crossing his lips now.
I nod. “We’ll burn it either way.”
46
RHEA
I shake my head, unable to make sense of the words I just heard. This is Doplov. Just Doplov. My mentor, my superior in the tower. He’s almost always here, not south in the golden castle where our king holds his court. I can accept he’s a treacherous, murderous piece of manure, but the Kind King?
Doplov smiles pleasantly. “Let me refresh your memory, pretty girl.”
I take several steps back at his approach, until my back hits the door. Then he brings his hand to mine and lift it to his face. His touch feels like ice on my skin.
Doplov presses my index finger to his golden beard. “See?” he asks.
I don’t, at first, but then I feel a slight dip on his skin, right next to his mouth. I trace it, and gasp in horror, snatching my hand back. “You.”
I could never forget that night. Not in a thousand years, not until the end of forever. I thrashed. I screamed. I cried. Then he told me he’d kill me if I moved, so I didn’t. At least until he came inside me. I took the knife he’d pressed on my skin and slashed his face.
“I wasn’t sure what I’d do with you when I tracked you down, but you didn’t seem to recognize me.”
How could I have? He wore a hood, and it had been so dark. When I saw him again, a couple of weeks later, he sported a beard.
“It would have been a shame to waste your talents.” His stare dips to my chest.
