Page 48 of The Broken Prince

“King Rolfe wishes to speak with you in his study.”

I stilled, expecting a very different message. “Alright.”

“I’ll take you there now.”

I followed him to the castle, entering it for the second time after I’d spent the night with Harlow in her bed, and I moved down the hallway until I approached a room with double doors, both of them wide open to allow me entry.

The guard extended his open palm to me. “Your sword.”

My hand rested on the hilt, but I didn’t dare withdraw it.

“It’s fine, Baron.”

My eyes moved to the study inside, seeing King Rolfe sitting behind his desk, dressed in his heavy armor, his closed fingers resting against his hard mouth. His crystal-blue eyes were on mine, hostile as always.

I stepped inside and approached one of the armchairs that faced him.

“Close the door,” Huntley instructed. “And do not disturb us.”

The guard shut the door.

The silence was so loud I couldn’t even hear my own breathing. I sat in the armchair, feeling his stare burn through me like a fire through skin. The hatred emanating from him was as hot as the blazing sun. The man couldn’t stand to be in my presence—not even after I saved his wife.

“And I thought I was stubborn…”

He dropped his hand, took a slow breath, and kept his gaze focused on me even though it physically hurt him. “I should be thanking you for what you did for my family, but that’s hard for me to do because of what you did to Harlow.”

“I understand.” His emotions ran rampant the way Harlow’s did. Most men didn’t feel a lot, only in times of intensity, but King Rolfe had a spectrum of emotions that always burned. He was passionate. Whenever he spoke of his daughter, I could actually feel his love for her, feel its intensity, feel that unconditional dedication that not all parents felt toward their children. Truth be told, there were times when I wasn’t sure if my own father cared whether Kingsnake lived or died.

“Until you’re a father yourself, you’ll never understand…” His eyes shifted away, looking at the cold fireplace behind me. “I’m a very stubborn man. It’s hard for me to see the good when I only want to see the bad.”

“I understand that as well…since I’m also very stubborn.”

His eyes came back to me as he straightened in his chair. “This is hard for me to say…in ways you couldn’t possibly understand…” He hesitated, his eyes shifting away momentarily before he had the strength to look at me again. “Thank you for saving my wife…and my daughter…and the kingdom that’s mine to protect.”

I felt the sincerity mixed with anguish, the self-loathing, the guilt. “You resent me for being the one to save them. I understand that. I understand how much you love your family and how shitty it feels that someone else saved them and not you—especially me, who caused you so much pain.”

His stare remained hard, but there was a flash of something I couldn’t discern.

“I hope you forgive yourself…someday.”

He hadn’t moved, hadn’t spoken. Instead of a jolt of anger, there was nothing there at all. “Harlow tells me you didn’t return with your kin. You’ve chosen to stay here…and fight with us.”

Fight for her, actually. “My brothers will ask our father to send our armies to your cause. I can’t promise they’ll come, but since I asked, I think he’ll oblige. I’ve made my desire to stay very clear, and he knows there’s no other way to get me back unless he sails to these lands himself.”

An invisible pain moved through him, unexplainable. “What are your intentions with my daughter?” His voice came out quiet, pained, like it took all his strength to ask the question he didn’t want to ask.

It was a heavy question, a question with an answer so complicated I couldn’t explain it. “May I speak candidly?”

He inhaled a slow breath, like he wanted anything but that. But he gave a nod, regardless.

“You have no chance against these beings. If my brothers and I hadn’t been here, your kingdom would have fallen. If I leave these shores, Harlow will be killed…or worse.”

A surge of terror exploded inside him, invisible under his rough exterior.

“I can’t let that happen to her. From the moment I met her, I respected her, and that respect has only grown deeper in her company.” The way she fought me. Her refusal to give up, even when the match isn’t fair. Her refusal to look weak in front of anyone…except me. “My intentions toward your daughter are to protect her with my life.”

Huntley looked away, trying to process that declaration as calmly as possible. He already knew humans would perish against these enemies, but it probably hurt to hear it. And it probably hurt to know that he needed someone other than himself. “You’re a vampire…and she’s human.” He still wouldn’t look at me, like this was unbearable. “How will that work?” His eyes remained on the fire.

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