Chapter 19 #2
Asher’s father raised a brow, glancing between Matthias and myself.
This was incredibly childish behaviour, not in the slightest befitting the ruling monarchs.
But this was more fun than I’d had in ages.
Matthias grimaced as he shuffled, trying to free his foot.
Placing the sweetest smile on my face, I suddenly lifted my heel.
Matthias’s knee jerked up, smacking into the dining table with a satisfying crash.
‘Arghh,’ he cried, and I couldn’t hold back my laugh as the plates and glasses shuddered.
I knew every pair of narrowed eyes turned our way, and somewhere in the shadows came the distinct warning cough of Francis.
‘Is everything all right down there?’ Skye asked over the low chatter of our esteemed guests.
‘Of course,’ Matthias replied. He’d regained his composure with startling rapidity. ‘Just a nasty itch.’ He glared at me before adding. ‘I suspect her wolf has fleas.’
He turned to Asher, who’d barely mumbled a word since the meal had begun.
It was hard to see how his father affected him.
A young woman with pale skin and a sullen expression sat on Asher’s other side.
She’d attempted to strike up conversation with him a number of times, but every time she’d asked him something, he’d replied with a single word and returned to staring at his barely touched food.
The woman placed her spoon down without creating a sound and placed a weak smile on her face. ‘And your father tells me you’ll give up all this king’s guarding business once you’re married?’
Asher stiffened.
‘My duty is to my king, right now. That won’t change if I get married.’
‘When,’ his father replied calmly, a sneer spreading across his face. ‘When my son is married, he’ll need to set aside his military career and come home. As my only heir, it’s long due time for him to return and learn how to manage a grand estate. That is how he’ll serve his king.’
Asher’s jaw twitched in the flickering glow of the candles.
‘Then, selfishly, I hope it’ll be a long time before Captain Rossing marries. I feel a lot safer with him at my back.’ There was a firmness to Matthias’s tone that belied the casual remark.
Lord Rossing snorted. ‘And yet you’ve secured yourself a wife. It won’t be long before you’ve ensured the continuation of your line. As a lord with immense power in the North, do you deny my family the same security?’
‘Not at all.’ Matthias wore a strained smile and placed a hand on my knee, setting my skin aflame. ‘However, Asher seems in no hurry to tie himself down. In this time of war—’
‘In these… uncertain times, he should secure a suitable bride.’ Sir Rossing glanced at his only son who refused to meet his gaze. ‘And soon. I have but one child. If anything were to happen to Asher, my lands would be open to obscure relatives I’ve never seen nor heard of.’
Skye stood abruptly at the words ‘a suitable bride’. Dipping into a stiff curtsey, she left the table. I looked over to Asher. Surely he wasn’t going to allow his father to talk like this. Not in front of Skye?
The woman sitting next to Asher straightened, turning her gaze on him expectantly. Skye was upset, gone, and no one was going after her. I turned to Matthias who stared intently at his captain as though he expected him to follow his sister too.
‘This is why I’ve accompanied your father, Captain,’ the pale woman said, her chin tipped high.
Asher took a long sip of his wine before facing her. ‘I suspected as much.’
‘Well, son.’ Rossing raised his hands while a low growl rumbled through Pablo. ‘Young Lady Bethany is more than suitable. Her own mother birthed seven—’
‘Eight,’ Bethany interrupted.
‘Eight children without a single hitch. As soon as I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the only choice for my son.’
Asher’s mouth floundered. Was he seriously going to allow his father to talk to him like this? Now I understood Skye’s reaction to the letter.
Clutching Pablo, I stood. ‘I’ve seen jellyfish with more backbone. I’ll go and find Princess Skye.’
Matthias glanced up at me, before inclining his chin. ‘I’d appreciate that.’ I lay my hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently before taking my leave.
Pablo picked out Skye’s scent immediately, straining towards the gardens. I hesitated for a moment. A blanket of grey clouds enveloped the moon, the light sparse, but I needed to find Skye.
I seriously deserved that medal after all.
The sweet scent of late-flowering plants rose on the crisp chill air. The faint whirring of nightjars carried on the light breeze as I clutched Pablo, my breath misting. We crunched across gravel which suddenly gave way to the softness of damp grass.
We padded forward, and I cursed as my heels dug into the ground, sticking with every step. I tugged on Pab’s fur, and he halted as I kicked off the shoes into the darkness.
‘I’ll break my fucking neck with those.’ The wolf whined, adding a snort. I groaned, realising what he meant as my bare feet met the cold blades of grass. ‘I’ll deal with the gravel when I have to. Let’s find Skye first, then maybe there’s a—’
Pablo spun around, growling as footsteps approached.
‘Or perhaps.’ A clipped tone shattered the night. ‘I could carry you back?’
I turned, wishing I still had my stilettos so I had something to stab him with.
‘I don’t think that would be appropriate, do you, Danté?’
He laughed before emerging from the gloom.
‘I’d say allowing a queen to ruin those perfect toes of hers on the harsh ground would be the least appropriate path. I’m merely being chivalrous, Sorrow.’
Gods, was he staring at my toes? I curled them into the cold grass.
‘I’m trying to find my sister-in-law. If you’ll excuse me, Danté…’
As I turned, he grabbed my wrist. Pablo sprang and the duke cried out.
‘Did he bite you?’ I asked, looking back over my shoulder, the slivers of his handsome face glinting in the shade.
‘No. No. Just a little nip.’ There was a tremor in his voice, and I made a mental note to go back via the kitchens and reward the wolf with a steak or two.
‘Shame.’
Danté laughed nervously. ‘Please, let me accompany you. A queen shouldn’t be allowed to wander out alone at night.’
I stifled the rage building in my chest. ‘As you can see, Pablo is all the security I need.’
‘Then why don’t you send him to bring the princess or whatever she is these days back to you? It’d save those rather divine feet of yours.’
My fists clenched by my side as I remembered the many reasons why I’d set him on his arse when we were children. I closed my eyes and took a settling breath. Diplomatic. I had to be diplomatic.
‘I’d prefer to go with him.’
Danté took a step towards me, his chest a mere breath from my own.
‘Why hasn’t your husband come with you then?’
I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing if he could make out the gesture in the dark. ‘Because he’s trying to keep Lord Rossing from marrying that sour-faced lemon to his son.’
Danté barked out a laugh. ‘You’ve always been fierce, Sorrow. But were you mine, I’d never leave your side. Not for a single heartbeat.’
By Vyrus’s balls, the man was at it again. The other night, his words were almost poetic. Now, he was creepier than a vine.
‘It would certainly make shitting a rather uncomfortable experience.’
He laughed again, nervous and high, and Pablo growled low. This was wasting my time.
‘You have some vision. Don’t you?’
Diplomatic, Sorrow. End this conversation and find Skye without removing any more of his teeth.
‘I really do need to find Skye. So if you’ll—’
‘Would you like to feel my face?’
I froze. If he could see my expression in this light my efforts at diplomacy were well and truly fucked.
‘Why?’ I spluttered. ‘Why would I want to do that?’
‘So you can feel what I look like.’
I shook my head. ‘I don’t… I don’t even know where to start with this.’
‘You’re so beautiful this evening. Has your husband even told you?’
I bit my lip. No. Not with his words anyway. Sighing, I began to turn. It was painfully obvious this odious man sought the weaknesses in our marriage. All I had to do was smile sweetly, walk away.
‘No,’ he said, something darker creeping into his tone. ‘From what the servants say, he probably hasn’t even noticed.’
Pablo jumped, barking. For a moment, I thought he’d found Skye.
I turned at the thunder of running feet.
My heart lurched as someone raced towards me.
Before I had time to work out if the pursuer had dark intentions, the unmistakable crack of a fist connecting with a jaw broke the night, and Danté crashed to the ground.
‘What the fuck do you think you’re saying to my wife?’
‘Matthias?’
His hand took mine and he tugged me into him. Asher slid to a stop beside his king as the moon cast aside her covers and illuminated the scene. As Danté cradled his jaw, a dark stream trickled from his nose. Darkness encased Matthias’s features, his slicked hair glinting in the moonlight.
‘Skye came back, said this piece of diafol shit was flirting with you.’
‘Badly,’ I replied as Danté stood, thunder etched into his face.
‘You’ll pay for that, Asmar,’ he hissed.
Matthias was in his face, and I tugged his arm back. He’d clearly forgotten the threat of Romero. Gods, his heart had always fractured with a reckless spirit. It was his chaos that had drawn me to him as a child. But we were children no more. He was a king.
‘Believe me,’ he said as I dragged him back, ‘you’re lucky I didn’t break your face. I couldn’t give a shit what Romero says, I want you gone. Tonight. No one, no one speaks to my wife like that.’
Danté spat blood. ‘Not even her husband, eh, Matthias?’
He stilled beneath my fingers. ‘What does that mean?’
Danté shook his head, glaring at Matthias.
‘It’s amazing what you hear from the common servants if you listen carefully enough.’ He took another step back, shaking out his fist. ‘Sorrow isn’t really your wife, is she, Matthias? What’s the matter, Asmar? Not got the balls to fuck your own—’
‘Matthias!’ I cried as his fist crunched into the side of Danté’s head again, and he fell to the ground. Matthias lunged forward, his body tensed.
‘Asher, stop him. He’s undoing everything!’
The captain groaned before grabbing his king, pulling him away from the sprawled duke.
Dragging in ragged breaths, Matthias watched as Danté pushed himself up. ‘Get out of my castle. Get out of my land and do not ever come back.’
Danté smirked. ‘As you wish, Asmar. Enjoy your wife, while you can anyway.’ The duke limped two steps before turning. A chill settled across my skin. ‘And you’ve told her all about the tragedy that’s befallen our beloved Queen Sarus?’
My head whipped around. A muscle ticked in Matthias’s jaw; his eyes refused to meet mine.
‘Sarus?’
‘I thought not.’ Danté gave a mock bow and limped away.
‘Matthias?’
He pushed his hair back, his eyes closed.
‘What… what happened? Why wouldn’t you tell me?’
He remained silent, flexing his hand.
‘I told you to tell her,’ Asher said, offering me his arm.
‘What happened?’ I said, refusing to move. I could picture the proud Queen Sarus, how she’d welcomed me to The Alliance.
‘It’s a mystery illness.’ Matthias’s throat worked. ‘It’s struck her and her household, her husband, children, everyone.’
‘How can a whole household be struck down?’
Matthias tried to take my hand, but I snapped it away.
‘We think Romero is behind it. He’s already stepping in to aid Sarus.
The healers say they’ve never seen anything like it.
It’s as though everyone is trapped in a perpetual sleep – a coma.
The whole castle has been quarantined, but not a single person from outside has been affected. It has to be Romero.’
I glared at my husband. Even in the dark, the guilt was written all over his face.
‘And I’m only hearing this now because…’
‘Sorrow, I…’ His arms fell by his side.
‘Don’t worry, Elmswood,’ I hissed. ‘I think I completely understand this.’
‘That’s what I was worried about.’
Rage flared through me. Pablo growled close by.
‘You seem to be under the delusion I need to be protected. From Danté. From the truth. That you can lie to me by omission.’ I jabbed a finger into his arm, and he winced. ‘You think you’re helping me or keeping me safe, when in fact you don’t get to make that decision. I get to make it.’
‘Sorrow, I—’
‘I do not want to hear this, Matthias.’ Pablo was at my side, and I grabbed him, leaving Matthias to the mess he’d made.
‘You’ve always been the same. You take on everyone’s battles as your own and act before they have the chance to do so themselves.
I’ve never wanted to be saved. Never wanted to be beholden to another.
If you’re not going to include me in what’s going on, then I seriously need to rethink whether or not I should stay here. Stay with you.’
His voice broke as he called my name. I stormed away, refusing to look back.