Page 42 of The Half King
Kian pulled back his hood and turned to face her. “How did you know it was me?”
“You’re the only person who looks at the lawns as if you own them,” she said.
But that was only partly true. She had noticed other details about him—the casual tilt of his head, the confidence in his stance, the way he rubbed his thumb against his index finger when he checked the position of the sun. She kept those observations to herself. She didn’t want to admit to him how quickly she had learned his habits…and she didn’t want to admit it to herself, either.
“Impressive,” he said with a crooked grin that made her stomach dance. “You’re rather brilliant, except when it comes to toxic frogs.”
She pressed a hand over her abdomen to still it. The sensation was familiar. She recognized it from a dozen delivery days at the temple, when she had been naive enough to think the thrill was worth the cost.
She peered absently around the sitting room to avoid the slate-gray eyes that made her talk too much and feel unwelcome things. “Where’s Daerick?”
“He should be on his way.” Kian strode toward her and stopped near enough to fill her space with the scents of fresh hay and male skin. He removed his cloak and tossed it onto the velvet sofa. “I visited the stables and the kennel master this morning.”
“Did you?” Cerise asked while her pulse thumped from the closeness of him. She didn’t realize how quickly her heart was racing until Blue awoke and licked her chin as if to calm her. “I named the pup,” she blurted. “Lord Blue Solon. Blue for short.”
“Hello, Blue.” Kian rubbed the puppy’s head and pulled a treat from his pocket—a small, sand-colored nugget, which he sniffed at before recoiling. “The kennel master’s secret recipe. I don’t want to know what’s in this.”
Blue gobbled the treat in a single bite. When it became clear that there wouldn’t be any more, he smacked his chops and then rested his head squarely between Cerise’s breasts, causing her to blush and Kian to laugh.
“He’s the one living like a king,” Kian said. “I should be taking lessons.”
Thankfully, the moment ended when Daerick walked into the sitting room, noticed Blue, and wrinkled his nose as if he had encountered a mountain of horse dung.
“My lady,” Daerick said with feigned alarm. “There seems to be a goblin fastened to your chest. Is this some new form of punishment the priests have invented?”
Cerise shushed him while covering Blue’s ears. “He’s not a goblin, and you know it.”
“Half of him might be,” Kian muttered.
Cerise glared at the king and reminded herself that her purpose was to serve him, not to kick him in the shin. “His name is Lord Blue Solon.”
“Blue for short,” Kian added.
“Well, he’s hideous, but I suppose that isn’t his fault.” Daerick smoothed a wrinkle from his satin tunic. “We can’t all be handsome.”
“I think he’s perfect.” Cerise dropped a kiss on the top of Blue’s head. “And he’s smart, too. Brilliant, in fact. He already learned all of the commands I taught him, and this morning he saved me from an intruder in my bedchamber.”
Daerick and Kian widened their eyes at her.
“I was never in any real danger,” she added. “Blue scared away the person before I even knew they were there.”
Kian scrubbed a hand over his face. “Make no mistake, my lady of the temple—the danger in this palace is real.”
“I told you to lock your door,” Daerick said. “The night you arrived, remember?”
“I thought I did,” she said. “I’ll be more careful.”
Daerick glanced at Kian. “I saw the priests going from room to room last night. They questioned me before dinner. What did the investigation turn up?”
“It turned up nothing.” Kian folded his arms. “I summoned Padron at sunrise. He told me that his men finished their inquiry and that no one in the palace knows who’s responsible for the fire or the desert panther.”
“But they couldn’t have finished their inquiry,” Cerise said. She lifted Blue out of his sling and placed him on the floor so he could explore the office. “They didn’t question me.”
“Well, it’s obvious you had no part in the attacks,” Kian told her. “My parents were the first victims, and they died while you were still living at the temple.”
Cerise had heard stories that the late king and queen had died from unnatural causes, but she had dismissed the talk as gossip. “I thought that was a rumor.”
“Not all rumors are lies. This one had merit.”
