The Princess
My victory over the assassin was short-lived. True to his word, he proved exactly how much of a pain in the ass he could be.
We had only made it a few steps down the road when Theron suddenly shouted, “Ouch!”
I stopped short, staring at the hunter as he bent over, grabbing his knee with a pained expression on his face.
“What?” I snapped.
“It’s my leg. I can’t—” Theron broke off with an exaggerated groan, then sank to his ass right there in the middle of the road.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded. “I didn’t do anything to your leg.”
“Perhaps it was the ride here,” Theron said, massaging his knee with both hands. “But whatever it was, I’m not going anywhere tonight. I need to rest.”
My nostrils flared. “There’s nothing wrong with your damn leg.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Fine. Tell me, point-blank, that your leg is wounded.” I crossed my arms and waited.
Theron only continued to make anguished noises as he rubbed his knee.
I nudged him with my boot. “Nice try, hunter. Get up. This isn’t going to work.”
Theron wheezed a laugh. “Are you sure about that? I never said when I would smuggle you into the palace. As long as I do it—even if it’s five years from now—I’m abiding by the terms of our bargain.”
My heart stopped for a full beat as I processed his words. My blood ran cold, and my breath caught in my throat.
Shit, he was right.
“So, I suppose if you want me to move any faster, you’ll have to forcibly drag me,” he said.
My eyes narrowed as I considered doing just that. But Theron was tall and bulky. No matter how strong I was, I would buckle under his weight. There was no way I could carry him.
I rubbed my temples, struggling to rein in my temper. Blood and ice, this hunter would be the death of me. It was taking all of my restraint not to stab him right now.
But I needed him. And he knew it.
I don’t have time for this, I thought angrily. The palace was in Taerin, the capital of our Winter Court. The large city was a five-day ride from Knockspur, if one traveled with minimal interruptions. With Calista hunting me, I often had to make detours or unexpected stops when I traveled.
The other rebels had agreed to meet me in Taerin at the full moon, along with any supporters and troops they could round up by then. That was two weeks away, and at this rate, I was concerned I wouldn’t make it in time. Especially if Theron insisted on extending the journey as much as possible.
Not everything is given right away, my father had told me. Sometimes, we must demonstrate patience. The patience to wait for better things.
It was hard to be patient when I was so limited on time. The dark cloud of death hung over me, drawing closer every day.
But I couldn’t exactly tell the hunter that.
I heaved a weary sigh of resignation, knowing that, at least for right now, I had no choice. “Fine. Let’s get you to the inn.”
Theron smirked and climbed to his feet effortlessly. It made me want to give him a true leg injury. I envisioned kicking him so hard that I shattered his kneecap.
The thought brought a smile to my face.
The hunter’s leg seemed perfectly fine after that; he didn’t bother putting on a show as we continued down the road, following the light of the setting sun as we made our way to the inn. The air chilled, and a brisk breeze whipped over us as we approached the threshold of the inn.
We stepped inside, and the crowd of patrons at the pub fell silent at the sight of the assassin. Several narrowed eyes fixed on him, then flitted over to me.
That was to be expected.
“Off to your room,” I muttered, grabbing Theron’s arm. I was anxious to be out of the public eye as quickly as possible.
He jerked out of my grasp. “I’m hungry.”
“Shivering bones,” I swore, glaring at the ceiling.
“The room came with supper,” he said. “It’s already paid for.”
I waved a hand toward one of the tables, urging him to sit. He gave me a satisfied smile before sauntering over and sitting down. The couple from the next table over shot him a filthy glance, then stood and left.
Theron the dreaded assassin ordered the finest meal the pub served, followed by several helpings of dessert and ale to wash it all down.
I had to sit there, watching him eat and drink, with flecks of food staining his golden brown beard, his charcoal eyes filled with mirth at the sight of my frustration.
After his seventh drink, his eyelids grew heavy. I knew he was hoping the nasty hangover the next morning would slow down our journey.
But he had no idea how relentless I could be.
While Theron continued with his gluttony, I ambled over to the bar, where the innkeeper was scrubbing a mug with a filthy rag. He scowled at me when I approached, his dark eyes flicking to the hunter still sitting at the table.
“He’s disgusting,” he spat, his thick gray eyebrows drawing together.
“I know,” I said with a weary sigh. “I wish I could get him to leave, but…” I shrugged. “He refuses.”
The innkeeper’s eyes sharpened as he stared at me. “I thought you were with him.”
I made a face. “I despise him as much as you. If it were up to me, I’d have slit his throat by now. But I don’t want to bring the queen’s wrath here.”
The man’s gaze darkened, and he nodded solemnly.
“But,” I said slowly, drawing out the word, “I’ll bet come morning, he won’t be so quick on his feet.”
The innkeeper’s eyes narrowed. “What are you getting at, lass?”
“I can’t overpower him on my own. I can be quite persuasive, but if my charm fails me, do you think you can gather some men to haul his ass out of here?”
He snorted. “Aye. It won’t take much to convince my boys to give him a sound beating.”
I smiled widely. “Perfect.”
“Good morning, hunter!” I chirped, making my voice as shrill as possible. I shoved Theron hard in the shoulder.
He groaned, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he tried to roll over on his bed. I grabbed his arm and held it firmly in place. He stank of ale, and I was certain the drinks from the previous night were giving him a massive, throbbing headache right now.
That was my hope.
I leaned close to his face and shouted, “Are you awake yet?”
He swore, and his arm shot out—to strike me, no doubt. Before he could touch me, his body went rigid, the tendons on his neck going taut. His back arched. A grunt of agony escaped him, and his eyes flew open to glare at me.
I gave him my biggest smile. “That fae bargain is a bitch, isn’t it?”
Last night, Theron had nearly drunk himself unconscious.
The innkeeper’s burly sons had hauled Theron rather ungracefully to his room.
One of them had wanted to gut the hunter.
Only after I’d paid him several gold coins had he agreed to leave Theron alive.
I was fairly certain he had intentionally knocked the hunter’s head on every corner along the way, but I was perfectly fine with that.
I’d remained in Theron’s room for the night, sleeping on the floor with my head propped on the door.
I trusted the alcohol to keep him asleep, but I didn’t trust the other patrons not to come into his room and slit his throat in the night.
Hell, I didn’t even trust the innkeeper or his sons not to try anything.
As much as I despised the assassin, I still needed him to get me into the palace.
“I’ve taken the liberty of packing your things for you,” I said to him brightly, grinning as I hovered over his bed. “As soon as you drag your lazy ass out of bed, we can leave.”
Theron made a strangled sound, but I wasn’t sure if it was a cough or a hoarse laugh. “I’m not going anywhere like this.” His voice was gravelly and husky from sleep. “You’ll have to—”
“Drag you out of the village, I know,” I said in a bored voice.
“The thing is… When the men downstairs had to haul your ass up the stairs and into your room, they seemed pretty incensed that you were still in Knockspur. In fact, I think I heard one of them say he would drag you out of town himself if you weren’t gone by breakfast.” My smile widened.
“He was a huge fellow. Bigger than you, in fact. So I don’t think it would be any trouble to elicit his help. ”
Theron’s eyes narrowed. “You’re lying.”
“Can’t lie, asshole. I have fae blood just like you.”
His eyebrows flattened as if he didn’t believe me. I wasn’t surprised. The idiot didn’t even know that half breeds like me had rounded ears. So he likely knew nothing about my fae blood.
He probably didn’t think I had fae magic, either. This would work in my favor.
I clapped my hands loudly, and he flinched.
“Come on,” I said, striding for the door.
“If you aren’t downstairs in five minutes, I’ll send someone up to fetch you.
And he will be far less pleasant than me.
” With a wink, I left the room. I heard him swearing from the other side of the door, the sound like music to my ears.
I made my way downstairs and adjusted the satchel on my shoulder.
Not for the first time, my fingers itched to dig through it and pull out my stepmother’s mirror.
To see the true nature of my condition. I had packed it, along with several extra daggers, right after my meeting with the rebels.
I had wanted to be prepared before meeting the queen’s dreaded assassin.
Not now, I told myself, though the urge to look into the mirror grew stronger every day.
I couldn’t risk anyone seeing it. But I also couldn’t leave it in Knockspur. It was too valuable. Too necessary. It was the only thing that could reveal the truth of Calista’s nature.
If I wanted my people on my side, I needed to expose her as a Demon Fae. Otherwise, the kingdom would never follow me. They would always be loyal to her.
But first, I needed to get to her. And I couldn’t do that without Theron’s protection.
The innkeeper grumbled something about “unwanted visitors” when I turned in our key. I paid him a few extra coins and whispered conspiratorially, “For your trouble.”