Page 17 of Oath of Rebellion

Chapter 6

KNOX LED SCARLET'S horse and the donkey to the front of the cottage as Olive said goodbye to her house guests. He had slept well but had woken up restless in a green cloud of poison, his dreams haunted by images of the princess.

He'd refilled Olive's wood stack by the back door, done a perimeter check, fed and watered the horses, and had been looking for something else to do when Olive had found him.

"Breakfast is almost ready," she had said.

He let the horse's hoof drop to the ground and stepped out of the stall. "The horses are ready to go. I'm going to borrow your donkey for the maid, if that's alright."

Olive nodded and handed over a list. "That's fine. Can you pick up these supplies while you're in town?"

He glanced down and nodded. "It'll be a few days before I can get back. Will you be alright to wait?"

She nodded and fidgeted with her apron. She looked toward the cottage and back to Knox.

"About the princess," she began.

He shook his head and strode past her out the barn door, tugging on the reins of his horse as he went. "Not you too. Leave it alone, Olive."

"I'm just saying, she's a nice girl, and you deserve some happiness, Knox."

He stopped the horse in front of the cottage and pet his side. "I'm not so sure about that. I'm just a monster who roams the Feral Forest, Olive, and she's the most beautiful princess who's ever lived."

Olive swooped under the horse's head and stared up at him with worry. "Oh Knox, you're not a monster. You're a lumberjack, a druid with plant magic, a drakin, and an honorable man who just loves the forest."

Knox looked at her, his eyes deadpanned as he replied. "Who has poisonous breath and a deadly venom tail. I almost killed you when I was a baby, Olive, and again and again as I grew up. We know what it would do to anyone I tried to be with. I'm not going to put anyone else in danger. Just because I think the princess is beautiful doesn't mean I'm going to pursue her and possibly kill her."

Olive rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I'm telling you. If she's your true mate, she won't be affected by it at all."

Knox crossed his arms and widened his legs, facing her in a battle of wills. "And I'm telling you. True mates are just fairy tales. Do you know of anyone who has a true, fated mate? No, because they died out with all the other myths in the land."

Olive pointed a finger under his nose. "Mark my words, Knox, one of these days you'll see that I'm right. I didn't get to the ripe old age of sixty without learning a thing or two."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead, then scratched the side of his head. The bumpy raised scales reminded him of who he was. "It's pointless, Olive. Let it go," he said softly, walking around her and to the front door.

Now it was an hour later, and he watched the princess like a wolf stalking its prey. Why had she sat by him at the table? He'd wanted to reach for her hand, touch her, lean closer and smell her.

He'd barely tasted the food and had gone back to the barn as quickly as he could. This ride was going to be torture, but he would just have to maintain his distance and bear it.

He'd been through worse. He could do this.

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