Page 17 of The Ruthless Fae King
I smiled at Piper; she’d make a wonderfully brilliant royal advisor. Her mind worked in a way mine did not as she always had a good perspective of both sides.
“I cannot blame him and he did not lose his temper,” I told her as I stripped down and sank into the bath.
Piper squeezed the liquid soap into the water to make bubbles and turned off the tap. Once the bath was drawn, she usually left me, but this time she knelt down and looked me in the eyes. “I cannot blame Duke Barrett either though. War is good for no one, and if the duke doesn’t believe in the cause, then his men die in vain.”
She left me with that and I felt unsettled for a long while after. What was she saying? Did I side with my soon-to-be husband and king, or did I side with one of my oldest friends, Sheera and her family?
FOUR
The next day we passed through Spring Court and greeted the people, taking their well wishes with us. The well wishes were sparse. Only half the town came out to greet us, and most did so with a look of obligation. It was nothing like the Fall Court reception we’d had, and I imagined only slightly better than we would receive at Summer. The prince of Summer, Marcelle Haze, and the winter king had a longstanding feud. After Lucien froze over thirty of his people, the prince of Summer had stormed the Winter palace and demanded reparations and an apology. From what I’d heard, what he got was a beating.
The carriage left Spring lands as we ventured into Summer, and I looked over at Lucien. Who was this man? His history was so mysterious and dark and filled with fantastical stories.
“Are we going to war with the Nightfall queen?” I asked suddenly.
Piper was beside me knitting and pretended to be overly interested in the stitching pattern in that moment.
Lucien stared at me seriously, his eyes darkening. “I haven’t decided.”
His tone said it was the end of discussion, but I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Why would we?” I snipped. “Things are peaceful and she doesn’t bother us!”
He leaned forward, edging into my space, and I swallowed hard. “Do you know why she doesn’t bother us?”
He wanted an ego fluff, fine. “Because of you. She fears you.”
He nodded. “She fears mebutstill hates our kind. She will pick off the dragon-folk and elves first, then the wolves. Then she will come for the fae last so by that time it will be too late for us to band together and overthrow her. But make no mistake, she will come for us one day. The question is, do we go for her first?”
Holy fae, his words sent goosebumps down my arms and I couldn’t help the terror that climbed into my heart. The Nightfall queen hated magical persons yes, but… but she didn’t bother us.
Why? Because Lucien was right?
I suspected he was, and I couldn’t help but feel in that moment he was king for a reason.
He was clearly the best man for the job, cunning, powerful and slightly scary.
“Do I get a vote?” I asked. “When we marry, will you consult with me before you go throwing our people into war? Or will I just be some decorative queen that stands by your side and looks pretty?”
He looked pained at my accusation and I instantly regretted it. “Of course. I will cherish your council, but in the end I will do what it takes to protect you in the long run, even if you hate me for it.”
He had this uncanny ability to say romantic things that were also kind of scary.
A smirk pulled at his lips and his eyes ran from the top of my head to my crossed ankles. “I also think you make a pretty ravishing decoration.”
Piper snort-laughed beside me and then immediately swallowed the sound.
My cheeks heated and I wanted to open the window and get some fresh air. “I don’t know what to think about you,” I confessed in frustration.
He laughed, and the entire air shifted. It was deep, throaty, and had a way of crawling under your skin and caressing your heart.
I love his laugh, I thought to myself guiltily.
“Are you disappointed I have not cut out anyone’s tongue yet?” He grinned.
I gasped, and even Piper set down her knitting to look at the king.
“Well… yes, to be honest,” I told him.
That laugh rang out through the carriage again and I felt like a fool.
