Page 22 of The Ruthless Fae King
I couldn’t watch any longer but I also couldn’t look away. It was gut wrenching. I felt sick. I could practically feel his grief. The wind picked up, rushing past the carriage and slamming into Lucien as I fought to control my anguish. He clearly regretted his actions. And I’d clearly misjudged this king.
Lucien turned to look at the carriage and I wiped away the stray tear that had fallen onto my cheek and dropped my power over the wind, taking in a deep calming breath.
A few moments later, he stepped back inside and sat before me. Pulling the curtain shut, he didn’t utter a single word. He just closed his eyes, like he wanted to shut the world away and just be lost in darkness and silence.
I glanced at Piper, unsure what to do, but she sat glued to her knitting, head down and pretending to be a fly on the wall like any decent chaperone would.
I didn’t know Lucien that well yet. Did he want silence? Should I try to grasp his hand in comfort?
If only he would explain to everyone why he lost control of his powers and caused the Freeze all those years ago… it would help people to understand, formeto understand. But I knew now wasnotthe time to bring that up.
“Why did the slice of bread get sent home from school?” I asked, and the king’s eyes popped open, searching for me like a drowning man looked for a floatation ring. I needed to pull him out of this mood before he met the Summer prince, and if there was one thing I was good at, it was stupid jokes. I’d learned hundreds of them from my father. We spent hours in front of the fireplace thinking them up as a family.
“Bread doesn’t go to school,” Lucien said flatly, but there was some relief in his voice.
I rolled my eyes. “Play along. It’s a joke.Whydid the slice of bread get sent home from school?”
Lucien smirked. “He got in a fight with butter?”
I burst out into laughter, not expecting that reply, and my laugh made the corners of Lucien’s mouth turn up. “No. He was feelingcrumby.”
Lucien shook his head. “That was really bad.”
I nodded. “I have hundreds. Want to hear more?”
“Maker no. Please, never again,” he said, but he was smiling.
“What do you call a potato with spectacles?” I asked.
Lucien covered his ears. “Make it stop.”
I leaned forward, pulling one of his hands from his head. “A spec-tater.”
Lucien groaned at the joke, but then we both realized at the same time that we were in super close proximity. I swallowed hard as I put a hand on his chest to push myself backwards and was met with rock hard muscle.
He caught my wrist as I tried to leave and looked me right in the eyes. “You’re good for me, Madelynn Windstrong.”
My breath hitched at the romantic sentiment and then the cart jerked to a stop.
I fell back into the seat, his hand yanking from mine.
You’re good for me.
It was so sweet and also sosad, like he hadn’t had a good person in his life in a long time.
The curtain pulled back suddenly and there was a lady’s maid standing before us. She wore the yellow and orange uniform of Summer and curtsied deeply to me. “Greetings, Princess Madelynn. Prince Haze has given you the west wing guest quarters inside the palace for your stay.”
I smiled and nodded to her as Piper started to gather our things.
The maid then looked at Lucien. “King Thorne…” She forced a tight smile. “Prince Haze has allocated his guest house, off palace property for you. You may join us for dinner.”
“Oh may I?” Lucien growled, but I reached out and stroked the top of his hand. Off palace property was a slap in the face, but if Prince Haze was planning on separating the courts it was best not to make a fuss before the vote. Maybe a nice dinner would smooth things over.
“Lucien, darling…” I looked to my betrothed. “…why don’t you get settled in and I’ll see you for dinner.”
His eyes went half lidded. “Alright, but only because you called me darling.”
That caused me to smile. I couldn’t help the flush of my cheeks as my face grew hot. This man was a charmer, and so far he only used these powers on me and not any of the other women in the vicinity, so I had to admit I quite liked it.
