Page 35 of The Dark Prince
Instead of replying ‘yes’, my mind filled with images of a serving girl and a minor visiting lord I’d walked in on during my chores. She’d been on his knees for him, and he seemed very thankful for the act. I raised my eyes to Tyr’s, trying to keep a straight face even as my cheeks flushed with heat.
“Never?” I asked, wishing to clarify.
His pupils dilated again, and then he grabbed my jaw in one hand and covered my eyes with the other. “Keep them closed,” he barked, and I nodded. The hand on my jaw left, and I heard him tear the mask away. His fingers dug into my chin as he kissed me recklessly, his bare face touching mine. I moaned as his passion increased, our tongues and teeth clashing as he bit my lip hard enough that I jerked, surprised.
He flinched away, and I heard him scrabble for his mask. My mouth swelled delightfully, but a sharp pinch emanating from my lower lip told me it was likely bleeding. I dutifully kept my eyes closed. I waited for him to keep going.
“Go. Get out. The king awaits. BESS!”
I jerked, confused and dismayed. His voice was so pained and panicked, but I refused to open my eyes. I wanted to comfort him, but already I heard Bessy burst in, and I felt her cool skin against mine as she grabbed my hand and guided me away.
“Let me know when we’re out of the room. I don’t want to betray his trust,” I begged her, putting one hand to my lip and feeling wetness.
She patted my hand fondly. “Now,” Bessy told me, and I opened my eyes to see her worried, anxious face. We stood in the corridor, a heavy door in front of us. Loud, crashing sounds were coming from the room.
Bessy gave me a cloth to try and staunch the small bit of blood flowing from my lip. I opened my mouth to try and explain, but she shushed me with a finger.
“The king,” she reminded me, and my anxiety skyrocketed. I followed her down the corridor and back into the entrance hall.
Her hands came to rest on my shoulders, guiding me back to the entrance hall.
Sixteen
ISADORA
“You are the lady of this castle. He may be the king, but this is your home. I will be with you the entire time. I will not leave you, the lord’s orders.”
I swallowed heavily, understanding what she was trying to say. I had to appear in control and at ease. Tyr alluded to the king not approving of this marriage. I would need to help convince him I wouldn’t scare away easily.
I nodded, and Bessy gestured to the guards at the door. As one they opened, and bowed me through into the entrance hall.
The body was gone, the floor wet as the scent of vinegar hung in the air and stung my nostrils.
The king was sitting in Tyr’s chair. That still irked me.
“Your majesty,” I said, inclining my head in deference but not bending my knee.
Tyr was the only man I’d ever bend for again.
The king’s eyes narrowed, focusing on my split lip. Now that I was alone with him, I could take in his features better. Gray hair slightly curled around the edges of his face and beard, which was also gray though peppered with white hairs. Light blue eyes were a little rheumy, but watched me with a keen sharpness. The king was a man who’d once been in the prime of his life, but was slowly losing his grip on youth and vigor.
And he knew it.
“Perhaps the Dark Prince is correct,” he began. “I might regret wedding my daughter to him. It is good to see that he remembered his place and yours.”
I shot a glance at the stoic blonde at his side, who was eyeing me with a bit of horror and fascination. I kept my chin up. “I regret nothing. Though the next time you feel the need to hunt me down, just remember his sense of duty. He would die before letting me come to harm.”
The king’s gaze leveled at me. “You are not an idiot. That’s good. You also know the difference between duty and love. That is a rare skill most women lack.” He practically snarled the last bit, and I noted how the princess gave him a side-eye for it.
The king stood. “There is nothing I can do now. Perhaps you are what he needs. Perhaps you’ll find poison in your food. For the sake of the entire kingdom, good luck.”
I tensed every muscle in my body to keep from shaking. His threats were clear.
He strode out of the hall, snapping his fingers for the princess. Was that to be the end of it? No fanfare announcing his departure, no hordes of nobles crowding around scurrying for favor like I’d been told court was all about?
Just a man and his daughter.
And yet, that daughter didn’t budge, her eyes still trained on me. “Father, I believe I will stay awhile.”
