Page 53 of To Bleed A Kingdom

“And what is it you trade?”

“Leather.”

A surprised chuckle bursts from Adelphia. “In Cascadonia?” she asks incredulously. At Lena’s silence, her chuckles flourish into an arrogant laugh, quickly multiplying within the crowd while Lena watches with an apathetic mask of her own.

Adelphia smiles imperiously down at her. “I’m sure you've realized what a fruitless endeavor that will be.”

Lena’s lips curl into a secret smile that gives the Queen pause. “I have.”

Adelphia tugs on the reins, directing her horse forward and trotting past Lena. Aerin moves to walk alongside her horse, and the Queen’s guards encircle them both. Without so much as a glance in Lena’s direction, Adelphia tosses over her shoulder, “Well, Lena from nowhere, seeing that you have no real purpose here, I expect you’ll soon be on your way.” Peering at Lena over her shoulder, her voice hardens to steel. “Sooner, rather than later.”

Lena hums noncommittally.

A hate-filled gleam sparks in Adelphia’s eyes before she dismisses Lena and trots to where Aurora and I stand at the edge of the crowd. “Aurora, Darius, I expect you both for the evening meal.” Not a request, but a demand; her horse clomps away before either of us can respond.

Raucous conversation breaks out as the crowd begins to disperse, hundreds of admiring gazes following Lena as she glides towards us, calmly joining us as if she didn’t just publicly defy a queen and barely escape death.

Kace bites his fist and squeals. “You’re my hero,” he says to Lena. “Insane, but still my hero.”

“I can't believe you said that to her.” Aurora slaps Lena’s arm, shaking her head in disbelief. “She was furious!”

Lena shrugs one tan shoulder. “I wasn’t trying to make her angry.”

Amara snorts, tossing an arm over her shoulder. “Liar.”

Smiling mischievously, Lena wraps an arm around Amara’s waist. “I wasn't trying to. I just tend to have that effect on people.”

Tristan drops his head back and sighs. “Always have to make a statement, don't you?”

Lena shrugs. “I don't kneel.”

Tristan grabs both women by the waist with a rueful smile and steers them away from us. “No, you don't.”

Watching Lena, Tristan, and Amara merge with the pedestrians now rushing to resume their duties, my mind churns on the enigmatic woman's public spectacle, unsure if I should feel anger towards her or admiration. But one thing I’m certain of is that Dalenna Nectallius is a reckless, impulsive, insane bit of a woman, and absolutely the most magnificent, breathtaking creature I have ever laid eyes upon.

I’m so fucked.

Chapter 11

Lena

“I'm sorry, sweet girl,” I coo, petting the forehead of my white mare, Layla. “I should have come sooner.”

Gleaning feelings of abandonment and intense irritation, I suspect she'd be scowling right about now if she had the facial muscles capable of it. Expressing her displeasure the only way she knows how, she huffs a breath and stares me down with those large brown eyes of hers.

From the day I rescued her, I've been unable to stomach the thought of confining her unless absolutely necessary, and only for short periods of time at that. Since she's incapable of understanding the laws of mortals and accustomed to roaming as she pleases, her current accommodations feel more like a prison than a hostel.

Unlatching the gate, I walk into the stall and brandish a full burlap sack. “I brought treats.”

Not appeased in the slightest with my unopened peace offering, she twitches her tail and stomps her hooves on the dirt packed floor. Rolling my eyes, I unlace the bag and present her with the one item that’ll exonerate my perceived betrayal. A juicy red apple.

Always quick to forgive once food’s involved, she bumps her head to my chest and nuzzles my neck. I laugh when she ignores the single apple in my palm to dive into the bag that contains half a dozen of the fruit along with sugar cubes. Apples clunk together as she burrows for her prize until she suddenly rears back, her ears pinned in alarm. She expels a whinnied breath while shaking her head and almost tramples me to death when she turns her back on me, effectively spurning my bribe.

Peering into the sack, I expect to find a spider or something equally repulsive to her, but I only see apples and sugar cubes.

“Don't you want a treat?” I ask, ducking my head in an effort to attract her gaze. Layla flicks her head and snorts, dismissing me once again.

That's odd.

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