Page 41 of Royal Hunt
I glanced up at the face in front of me, but it seemed murky and out of focus. My breaths came too fast, and everything was swirling around me impossibly fast.
“How’d we win?” Lily whispered, confused. “I thought it would end in a tie.”
“The bodies. We had fae prisoners when the game ended,” Pari clarified. “The rules never said they had to be alive.”
Everything kept spinning, faster and faster. I fell, Ellis’s worried gaze the last thing I saw as he caught me.
Fourteen
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I wasn't cold anymore. That, and every muscle in my body hurt.
“Easy. You hit your head when you fell.”
The voice was comforting, and familiar. A rough hand stroked my forehead, the thumb gently grazing down my temple. It felt nice. It felt safe.
“She only hit her head because you didn’t catch her in time. If you hadn’t have knocked me aside—”
The warm hand left my forehead, and the second voice was familiar as well, but in a different way.
Ellis.
It all came rushing back, and I sat straight up. My muscles seized, and I hissed in pain. Blinding agony burned in my temples, and I clutched my head in my hands.
“Lean back down, it’s alright. Here, take another fur.”
Gregory threw another fur on me, but what felt warm and cozy moments before now felt restricting—suffocating.
“Where did you get all these? I don’t need this many!” I argued, shooting Gregory a dark look. Knowing him, he probably took them from the others. I tried to push them off, but he had the gall to push me back down.
Just when I thought I was being too harsh on him, he did something to prove me wrong.
I looked around, noticing far more furs and food than our side had before. There was even a rough tent, which all of the remaining nobles were huddled into comically. Our just rewards for winning the game, I suppose.
“You aren’t well. You hit your head—” Gregory argued.
“NONE OF US ARE WELL!” I yelled back, smacking his hands away. “Listen to me and give me some space, please!”
Gregory backed away, his expression mutinous. I accepted Ellis’s hand up, wincing at the dull pain in my head and body. I wouldn’t complain though. I’d taken a beauty nap while the other heirs still looked half dead.
“Pari wants to speak to us, but we wanted to wait for you. Will you come over?” Ellis asked.
That seemed odd; it wasn’t like I was important or anything. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, determined to ignore the pain in my head and body.
“Yeah ... sure.” I acquiesced. Behind me, Gregory huffed and stormed away. Anna rushed in, grabbing a few of the furs for herself. Her face blushed when she saw me looking.
“Next time,” I began mildly, keeping my voice even, “kick him in his privates if he tries to take something that’s yours. It’s always worked for me.”
Her jaw dropped, then tightened with determination.
I took a step forward and nearly collapsed. Ellis’s arms were there, supporting me and practically carrying me across the way. Night had fallen, and it was pitch dark in between both fires. Ellis slowed his pace, then paused.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked.
He knelt to the ground with me in his arms, and then clutched me tightly to his chest. His body vibrated around me, and I realized he was shaking.Crying.
“Ellis! I—”
“I’m sorry I got you roped into this. I’m so sorry.”
