Page 12 of Royal Hunt
Ellis moaned against me and stubbornly held tight. He wasn’t even conscious, so it didn’t feel right or effective to yell at him again. With no other options, I settled for running a hand through his dirty, greasy curls. I didn’t know too much about comforting someone, but Clara used to do the same thing for me when I was a young child. And despite Ellis’s unkempt appearance, his hair was soft and silky despite the sweat and grit. I couldn’t help but remember how I’d nearly yanked it out of his scalp as he’d taken me against the stone wall.
Compassion and lust shot through me in one confusing bolt.
“I’m right here,” I whispered, unable to scrounge up anything better to say. At least it was true. I hated false platitudes of comfort.
The tremors in his body settled, but his hand stayed on my wrist. Eventually even that went limp, and I dropped his hand to his side. His chest rose steadily in sleep, and exhaustion hit me all over again. What could a prince possibly have nightmares about?
With Ellis settled and my mind tired of plotting, all I could do now was sleep. I’d need it if I was going to scheme our way out of this mess. Yet, sleep was impossible with my racing thoughts.
When the royals were being murdered, when I’d had a choice to make, when I’d had to fight for myself and drag Ellis to safety … all of it left me with no time to think. I had to act and act quickly.
Now that the action was over, the horror of the day was finally settling into my veins with a stark clarity. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, but I felt it shaking uncontrollably. The utter darkness didn’t matter; I still saw each death clearly, and the ones I hadn’t seen, I remembered the sounds.My ears rang with the gasps and shrieks of the women, and Prince Mellan’s gut-wrenching scream as they murdered his betrothed and their unborn child in front of him.
You sentenced two children to death,my mind whispered at me.
No. No, I didn’t. I couldn’t save the children. I could save Ellis. I had to save Ellis.
The full weight of what I’d done pressed heavily on my chest, and I choked on nothing. Nausea and fear overwhelmed me, as well as claustrophobia.
I wouldn’t be able to save Ellis. They’d tear apart the castle looking for him. We’d both be caught, and I’d be handed over to my father.
To Gregory.
Suddenly, that seemed just as bad a fate as Lord Cadgan, dead though he may be. I had to stop thinking about everything that could go wrong, and focus on what I could control. I could control my actions, and, to an extent, Ellis’s. That’s what I would focus on. In the meantime, I would sleep, and imagine those childhood days of running through the meadows behind my manor with Gregory, both of us more worried about what was for dessert that night than marrying each other and dead royals.
I drifted off slowly. My fingers found the crown still deep in my pocket, and curled protectively around it.
Five
“Wake up, I need answers!”
My body shook roughly as someone jolted me awake. I tried to jerk up, only for my head to meet the stone ceiling of the passageway, reminding me where I was. Darkness and pain surrounded me as my hands shot out, scraping against the tight walls closing in. Taking a moment to quell the panic and claustrophobia, everything came flooding back.
I rubbed the new lump on the top of my head, scowling and glancing up.
Prince Ellis lay curled on his side next to me, his golden eyes glowing in the darkness. A small light was visible in between cracks of his cupped hand, but he kept the source shielded with his body. The small light threw his profile into relief, deep shadows sharpening his features harshly.
I blinked. “What is that?”
Magick,my traitorous mind said, because logically there was nothing in the tunnel he could use to create fire. I knew that, because I’d already looked for any hint of lint or stones with which to conjure a small flame. A sliver of fear crept up my spine.
Ellis looked away, turning toward the darkness of the tunnel. “Never mind that now. What the fuck is going on?”
His voice was alert and angry; gone was pain and sadness of his earlier drunken stupor. He still stank to high heaven, but now his eyes judged me harshly, flicking up and down my dirty face and dress. Or what he could see of it, anyway. That was rich, considering he was still covered in vomit and dried wine.
Focus, Eve.
I met his harsh stare the best I could, considering we were both crouched uncomfortably in such a small space. “I saved your life. You could be a little more thankful. As for my plan, I think being made Queen of the Northern Realm once we get your throne back is enough thanks.”
Ellis froze, his lips parting in shock. His eyes swirled with calculation before he snorted. “You want to marry me?”
I sneered back at him. “You’ve already fucked me, so why not?”
His jaw dropped open, and his eyes scanned me again with renewed interest. “Have I? How . . . interesting.”
He reached for me then, one finger trailing salaciously down my neck and caressing my collar bone. I swatted his hand away, but it was obvious my own hand shook.
I steeled my nerves. What I was about to do wasn’t kind or gentle, but we didn’t have time to play games. I didn’t have the luxury of being sensitive.
