Page 51 of King of Storms and Feathers

“Fuck? Yes, I assure you he does.”

I dropped her arm, shocked to hear such a word come out of the Sayeeda’s elegant mouth.

She smiled and urged me into motion. “I make it my business to know who Arrowyn spends time with. Lately, he sees only his inner circle—friends and counselors. There is much on his mind and, of course, now he has you to entertain him.”

Ari had given me a lot to think about as I followed her along a web of pathways in the city’s industrial area, always looking around for places I recognized. We turned a corner into an open area of low buildings, and I spotted the golden dome of the king’s chambers and the columns of my pavilion soaring in the distance.

The waterfall pool was probably my best chance of escape. I needed to find it and take mental notes of the landmarks surrounding it, then locate the nearest city exits. Because the day I jumped out of the river room window, I had to know which direction to run in.

Though where my home was, I still had no clue.

What is forgotten will be remembered, I reminded myself. I would get home eventually.

I just had to make my way to the Earth Realm, get back to the forest, where, hopefully, someone would recognize me and sweep me away to be reunited with my family.

Laughing green eyes flashed through my mind, and I smiled at the vision. Brother, I thought. Wherever you are, please wait for me. I’m coming to find you soon.

The scent of cinnamon and cardamom wafted on the breeze, and even though I’d not long ago eaten lunch in the king’s apartment, my stomach rumbled.

Arrow. I pictured the grotesquely pleasing form of the King of Storms and Feathers for the hundredth time today. All that smooth golden skin wrapping around an unnecessarily tall, muscular package. In isolation, his features were too chiseled, too strong. But together they formed a jaw-dropping masterpiece of lethal, masculine beauty.

Taking a deep breath, I gritted my teeth. It was fortunate I wasn’t attracted to him. His lips were dangerous. His touch was worse. And thankfully, I wasn’t the least bit impressed with his brooding temperament.

Chanting variations of Arrow-denouncing sentiments under my breath, I stomped along gold-paved paths, wiping sweat from my brow under the heat of the midday sun.

I really wished I could stop thinking about him.

Dust knew why the king wanted a slave to keep his nightmares at bay. But if it stopped him from sending me to the mines or those terrifying fires the fae often spoke about, then I was more than glad to do it. Kind of.

We arrived at a covered cargo bay where servants were unloading wooden pallets from three mine carriages, the process overseen by Raiden and Esen, the king’s ever-present guards.

Raiden eyed me with suspicion while Ari advised him of the king’s wishes. Arrow wanted me to spend part of my days in useful occupation, and today, I would assist with the unloading of the latest gold delivery.

“I’ll return for you in a couple of hours,” the Sayeeda said, then marched away before I could protest.

Raiden indicated the third carriage rowed up against the loading dock. “Take as many bags from the pallets as you can carry without dropping them, follow the other servants into the palace foyer, and leave the gold on the trolleys in front of the service elevator.”

A sour taste filled my mouth when I saw Esen presiding over the carriage Raiden had assigned me to. Taking a brief break from striking the slower servants with lightning magic to get them moving faster, she glanced up and shot me a glare.

I rolled my eyes and turned away as a slave with curly gray hair passed by. The older woman grinned over the bags of gold in her arms, and I did a double take at my ex-roommate, Grendal.

“Stop staring at the others like an imbecile and get to work, king’s harlot,” Esen growled, flicking her head toward sacks piled on pallets near the carriage.

King’s harlot, she’d called me. That was unfair and, so far, untrue.

Would Esen be kinder if she realized that instead of sweating over her king as I rode him from dusk till dawn like she imagined, I was only rubbing his back and soothing him to sleep with low whispers?

Likely not.

She was a cold bitch who probably only smiled when she scratched her ass and accidentally inserted a finger into the tightly puckered hole.

I grabbed a heavy sack and hurried to catch up with Grendal who was mounting the stairs that led inside the ground floor of the palace.

“Leaf, it’s good to see you,” she said when I pulled alongside her. “I was beginning to believe the stories about you being thrown to the fires. Where have you been hiding?”

“In the king’s chambers,” I replied. “And as you can see, I’m alive and well. And if I do die of anything soon, it’ll likely be from terminal boredom.”

“Have your memories returned?” she asked.

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