Page 188 of Settle Down, Princess

I shouldn’t have brought her with me. There could be archers posted at the gates, arrows trained on us as we got closer, but while the space between my shoulders itched, no projectile thudded home there.

Instead, it felt like a knife was thrust into my chest.

Each one of us kids had bright red hair, but Desi’s was the most fiery. Da always said it was because she was the most hot headed. Not now, it appeared, because the bright colour of her locks was what wavered in the breeze. Tied off at the neck it would’ve been, as she often kept it, to keep from getting in her food, it’d been cut from her scalp just above it. The old leather strip kept the ponytail bound tight so it could be pinned to the wood of the gate, the meaning obvious. The strands glowed so very brightly, because beneath them a long black robe had been attached with several knives.

“Desi…”

Silas appeared beside me, slipping from his horse and then reaching out with shaking hands. His fingers did what mine longed to, inspecting for blood or any other signs of harm. He didn’t find evidence of that, but that was no cause for relief. No one and I mean no one would cut the hair from my sister’s head, not without forcibly holding her down as she screamed blue murder and…

“Roan.”

Jessalyn’s choked off voice brought me back to the here and now, and I realised I was holding her far too tight.

“I’m sorry, lass. Gods, did I hurt you?”

“No.” Her hand smoothed over mine. “But they have Desiree.”

“And Selene.” Silas barked that out then shook his head, an incredulous laugh forming. I just stared at him, wondering what the hell was going through his mind.

“What’s happened?” Arik asked as he and Creed rode up.

“Magnus has taken some hostages,” Silas replied. “To try and ensure our compliance. He’s taken at least one of Roan’s sisters and…” He shook his head again. “The daughter of the Raven of Khean.”

“Taking women as hostages?” the lords spluttered as we all stood sometime later in the newly erected tent war room. “What kind of craven uses a member of the weaker sex as a shield from justice?”

“The weaker sex?” Silas’ eyebrow jerked up. “My sister can garrotte a man with just the twist of her wrist, throw a knife that will bury itself in your eye socket and kill you dead from a hundred paces. Father always said that if she was born a boy, she would’ve been his heir. If Magnus has Selene…”

His eyes swung to meet Arik’s.

“Then she’s exactly where the Raven wants her,” the commander said before jerking his eyes sideways to look at me and Jess. “Roan, I need you to stay here and protect the princess.”

“What? No!” she snapped, seeming to swell twice her size in response to a direct order. “If that bastard has Selene and Desiree, he’s taken them as substitutes for me.” Her hands smoothed down her dress. “I can’t allow them to pay a price destined for me.”

“I need to get Desi out of that madman’s hands,” I said. “Creed, you can stand guard over the princess.”

“I’ll protect her with my life.” My brother’s fist slammed down on his chest. “You know that.”

“With an entire camp of soldiers and wolf shifters around her, she’d have to be safe,” I said before glancing down at Jessalyn. “I don’t want to leave you—”

“Go.” Jess waved her hands at me for emphasis. “Rescue Desiree from whatever that madman wants. Selene at least has family connections to protect her, but…”

We had none of that, I knew she was about to say. She frowned, ready to apologise, but I couldn’t allow it. Jess was right. We were just pawns in this gods awful game and now we were being moved by much more powerful forces. Our only way out of this was to cluster around an equal and opposite force and that’s why I turned to Arik.

“Identify ten shifters you trust with your life,” Arik said, stabbing a finger in Creed’s direction. “No, make that twenty. You’ll form an honour guard around our…” He swallowed hard, his skin far too pale right now. “Our mate and keep her safe. She can’t go into the palace, she can’t.”

“Jessalyn is not Ariel,” James said in a low voice. “No woman will be stolen from this camp and used as a means to force us to submit. My father should’ve raised his army the moment Ariel’s body was returned to us….” He paused, eyes wide, but he shook his head to dislodge that memory. “Battered beyond all recognition. Her death bought Magnus just enough time to gain him the support he needed, but not this time. Not this time, Your Highness.”

That title seemed to break whatever spell Arik was under, the prince shaking his head, then advancing on Jessalyn before grabbing her by the arm and dragging her from my saddle.

“You will not go anywhere without Creed, do you hear me?” I half expected her to start arguing, that dangerous light flaring to life in her eyes. “Not even to the latrine. Creed will watch you piss and shit until we return to camp with our family in tow.”

“You need me to be safe.” Her hand went to his arm, and I noted the slight softening of the prince’s stance. “You need to know I will be fine while you go on this important mission. I’m not the same girl that jumped out of the window of the inn. I know I don’t stand a chance against the king or his minions. I’ll stay right here, within arm’s reach of Creed the entire time, until you return.” She squeezed his arm. “I am not Ariel.”

“No…” That sound seemed to claw its way out of the prince’s throat, his hands going to her jaw and then tilting her mouth his way. “You are far, far more. What I felt for her was just calf love. Her death beat me down, but yours…” He ghosted his lips across hers, forcing her to strain for more. “I won’t come back from it, I can’t. If something happens to you, all of Khean will burn to form your pyre, this I swear.”

“So ensure that it doesn’t.” Her hands went to his wrists, stroking the skin there. “Rescue those who don’t deserve to be used as pawns in this fight and bring that monster to the battlefield so this can be resolved once and for all. Give me that and I promise to stay safe.”

“Knives.” Arik clicked his fingers and several weapons still in their sheaths were produced, making me narrow my eyes, wondering where Silas hid them all because the ones he usually carried were still in place. “Strap them to your thighs, your arms, everywhere until—”

---