Page 21 of Fated Flames: Volume Two
Unsurprisingly, the name means nothing to me. The king’s jaw ticks. “Does he fight for himself or Lord Tallin?”
“He didn’t say.”
The king rises with deadly grace. “I apologize, Princess,” he says, “but I must go see to this.”
“Then I’ll come with you.”
His pupils shrink to inky black slits. “I’d prefer you stay here.”
I lift my chin. “And I’d prefer you keep your word.”
Rally coughs into his fist.
The king continues his menacing glare, and while it no doubt is fearsome, I find it hard to be afraid while I can still feel the softness of his lips on mine.
Finally, with a snarl, he turns to Rally. “Are her guards still in position?”
“Yes,” Rally says. “They remain where she left them.”
What? They’re still standing there? It’s beenhours.
“Bring them to me,” the king says.
Rally bows and is gone. I scurry to my feet and seize onto the king’s sleeve, all my boldness gone in my worry for them. “Soren, please, don’t be angry with them. I gave them no choice. They followed your orders. I just—”
A sound of surprise escapes me as he grasps my hips and presses me against the tent pole at my back.
“Say it again.”
I can’t say how I know what he wants, but I look into those ravenous eyes and whisper, “Please.”
His fangs flash out at me in a grin. “I’ll consider it.” He glances up in mock contemplation before leaning in. “For a price…”
9
The king’s price leaves me dizzy with want.
I’m breathlessly wrapped in his arms, lost in the feel of his lips on mine, and struggling to remember what this so-called price is even for when Rally precedes his return with a warning cough.
Embarrassment surges through me, and with a push of magic, I repel the king back a step. He only rumbles out a laugh before turning toward the tent’s entrance.
That mirth disappears as Boyd, Fuller, and Yarl file inside and fall to their knees in front of him.
I freeze where I am, my heart suddenly hammering for an entirely different reason than a moment before. This looks like anexecutionstance.
“Soren—” I begin, but I quiet as he lifts a dispassionate hand my way.
“So,” he says, gazing down at the trio with cold indifference. “You failed me.”
A shiver snakes down my back. The king only hissed the words, and yet they resound off the tent walls with all the harshness of a cave’s dark hold.
Genuine panic sets in as the three guards shut their eyes and tilt their heads back, like they’re offering their throats for a blade’s quick release.
Only with effort do I hold myself still. I don’t need to intervene. I don’t. Soren said he wouldn’t be angry with them, so—
Cold trepidation creeps over me.
No. What he said is that he wouldconsiderit.
