Page 45 of The Broken Elf King
Oh Maker.Did I see him when I was drunk or something?
“Remember what?” I asked, my stomach dropping.
His jaw clenched, and it was like a wall had gone up around him. “Giving me this map?” he said, and laid it on the table.
I glanced at the map, remembering asking Autumn to draw it, but not that she did or that I’d given it to the king.
“I’m sorry, I don’t recall that.”
He nodded curtly. “Well… that’s probably for the best. Hey, you should taste the food before it gets cold. We have a wedding planning meeting with the council.”
I swallowed hard, walking over to the table and sat down, wordlessly putting the food in my mouth. I couldn’t escape the feeling that I was missing something. I hadn’t seen him in weeks and this was the welcome I got? I eyed the king, glad to see he wasn’t bleeding or bruised anywhere.
“I’m glad to see you’re not injured,” I told him.
He nodded. “Your friend gave us a gold mine in drawing this map. Did you know the queen doesn’t bolt her storm drains down? I think that’s how your friend gets in and out of the castle walls.”
He pointed to the drawing of a drain on the map. I leaned forward, but because I hadn’t tied off my braid, my hair unfurled and fell in front of his face.
“Sorry.” I tucked it over one shoulder.
He looked up at me with searing blue eyes. “I like your hair down,” was all he said, and I swallowed hard.
“Time up? I’m starved,” he finally said. We’d moved the one-minute wait to three after the queen’s last poison had lasted longer.
I glanced at my pocket watch and nodded.
Something felt different between us. I couldn’t explain it, but he felt distant, and I didn’t know what to do about it.
Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to his ear and he stiffened.
“I… missed you,” I told him, reaching for his hand. I pulled back to look at him expectantly. Two weeks without him had been hard, especially after that amazing kiss we shared when he’d been drunk. I wasn’t sure where I stood with him and I didn’t like that. I didn’t want to be hot and cold.
He glanced up from one of his parchments as if he hadn’t heard me, and pulled his hand from mine. “I’ve gotta go over some war maps and it’s going to take up the whole table, so… you mind eating in the kitchen?”
His icy rejection cut me to my core. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying as I stood and grabbed my plate. Turning, I booked it for the kitchen.
“Kailani?” he called as I walked away.
I spun. “Yes?” There was hope in my voice, hope that the kiss we shared before he left had meant something to him, drunk or not.
“Don’t forget your book.” He gestured to where I’d left the book on the table.
Wow.
It was clear I was the only one who enjoyed that kiss, or maybe his lie about not remembering itwasn’ta lie. Because he certainly wasn’t acting like a man who wanted more kisses from me. This was a fake marriage, and I needed to stop caring and treating it as otherwise.
I blasted through the double doors and slammed my plate on the counter. Chef Brulier looked at me but said nothing as I angrily scarfed down my food.
Raife Lightstone would curse the day he rejected me like that.
