Page 18 of Royal Hunt
I couldn’t help but notice Ellis’s height even as his chest heaved with exertion. I bet I could easily outrun him despite those muscles. He was still too thin and pale. The sun filtered through the leaves of the trees, throwing into sharp relief a large scar on his collarbone. My eyes trailed his naked torso, dotted with bruises and scars and only a small smattering of dark hair near the waistband of his breeches. Sharp angles formed a ‘V’ near his hips, and I stared. I’d never seen that before. My hips didn’t do that. And Gregory didn’t have one; he enjoyed mead too much just as my father did, so he had a small belly.
Ellis was too thin.
He growled, pushing me harder against the bark. “Want to try your hand at murder now? Complete your little set of watching the entirety of the royal family bleed out in front of you?”
Our bodies smashed together, only the thin fabric of my underdress separating my bare skin from his chest. He squeezed my wrist so hard I was forced to drop the rock. I don’t know what overcame me, but suddenly, I wanted that anger unleashed fully on me. I reached up and grabbed his hair, yanking his mouth down to mine. He grunted in surprise, then wrapped his hands around my bottom and ground his pelvis against mine.
He tasted so much better without vomit and wine in his mouth, and he kissed just as well as he did when drunk. No, this was better.
Instead of the hurried, frantic pace of last night, he forced me to slow down, taking his time to plunge deep into my mouth as if he could use his tongue to thrust into my soul. My hands moved down from his hair to caress his jaw, the muscles on his shoulders, and then the planes of his chest.
The sound of Flare stomping her foot impatiently popped my happy bubble of arousal. I scowled and yanked my hand away, instead using it to smooth down the white linen of my inner skirt. It fell just to my knees at what was socially deemed an indecent length. At least to me. I really was an idiot–stopping to frolic like a ninny while we were being hunted down
“I wasn’t going to murder you,” I insisted, “just letting you know that treating me like a whore won’t end well for you. Do you treat all women with such disrespect?”
Ellis huffed, then released me and went back to the stream. He squeezed the excess water out of the tunic and draped it over a branch to dry. I tried and failed not to glance again at the sharply defined angles of his hips and stomach muscles.
“I’ve never taken advantage of someone who was drunk. You have that on me,” he taunted.
I didn’t like how that felt, because he was right. I had taken advantage of him. That didn’t mean he still wasn’t a bloody womanizer, though.
“Your sister—” I insisted, but he cut me off harshly.
“My darling sister was an innocent maiden,” he sneered. “You really think my mother would allow her around a debauched son longer than necessary?” His voice dripped venom. “I barely knew her.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I barely knew her.”
I looked away, and he cleared his throat. “From my experience, women are only nice in order to get something.” Ellis lectured. “Admit it. Even you aren’t helping me out of the goodness of your heart.”
I wanted to protest, but I really couldn’t. He was right; I had my own selfish reasons for assisting him. They weren’t all selfish though.
“And your sister?” I shot back. “What terrible lies did she spew, then?”
His expression darkened. “Don’t you dare besmirch her name—”
“You’re the one who said all women were whores and opportunists,” I reminded him firmly.
His frown deepened. “Not everywoman. There was—”
The sound of herald trumpets punctured the woods, and we both stiffened. It was distant and from the south, likely coming from the main road we’d already crossed.
“That’s the Western Realm’s herald call,” Ellis said softly. “Why is it coming from the south?”
He took off through the woods, leaving his tunic behind in his haste. I cursed and double-checked the knot I had on Flare’s reins, not wanting her to wander away from the tree and find trouble. I caught up to Ellis easily, grabbing him by his bare shoulder. He stumbled as if I’d shoved him and came to a halt. I shook off the tingles that raced up my palm, figuring it was adrenaline.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked angrily. “The entire kingdom is after your blood, and you’re chasing some trumpets? We need to put the castle behind us and make our way toward my manor!”
Ellis ignored me for the moment. His jaw was tense, and his eyes held that earlier sadness he’d had when he was drunk. “No,” he said softly, “it won’t be any safer once we cross the border. Come see.”
I followed behind, puzzled as he climbed a tree. His muscles stood out as he hauled himself up high enough to view the road even as he panted and shook. I climbed beside him, trying to figure out the sudden shift in his demeanor.
“You suspect something,” I whispered. “What is it?”
He didn’t take his eyes off the road. “I heard ... rumors while abroad. Nothing concrete, and nothing that made sense at all until the rebellion. It was why I even agreed to come home; I wanted to see if there was any truth to them.” His eyes were hard. “I was too late, not that anyone would have listened to my warnings. They never do.”
What in the world was he talking about?
Moments later, soldiers crested the small hill, one hundred strong and marching with purpose down the road toward us. In the middle was a cluster of three horses, bearing three riders. They stiffly sat at attention, glaring haughtily at everyone around them. One man and two young girls; all three with blonde hair and a noble air about them. The man looked like the oldest, perhaps over thirty. His tunic was a deep blue trimmed with gold. The two girls were just barely on the cusp of womanhood, resplendent in sky blue dresses that were ripped along the edges of the hem. Each had a smattering of freckles across their noses, and pink cheeks above full lips. I would have thought they were twins if one hadn’t been taller than the other.
Clearly a brother with his two sisters.
