Page 1 of War King's Treasure

Chapter One

Lady Eleanor Buckingham sat at the table, deaf to the conversation flowing around her. She wasn’t sure why these men had plotted against her grandfather, King Phillip, or how they’d even discovered he was her grandfather. Perhaps, it was the way he doted on her and showed her special attention whenever she was around. All she knew was she was a weapon to hurt the man who meant the most to her, her maternal grandfather. Worse, there was nothing she could do about it. She was once again caught in a web made by men, and the spider poised to devour her sat at her side, his arm on the back of her chair, fingers grazing along her shoulder. His thumb brushed along her neck under the heavy fall of her hair, making her skin pebble as shivers tickled through her.

Gavin Montrose. War King. Bastard son. Husband. The last title raised her anxiety since the wife attached to that word was her. She had two days before their marriage was to be consummated, but he’d stated she would spend each night in his bed regardless.

“What do you think, Nori?”

She glanced up, having no clue who’d asked the question. At the moment, she didn’t care. The last few days had her on edge and the only thing holding back her temper was the fact her lips were closed.

“You’ll answer my sister, Nori,” Gavin commanded at her side.

“And which one is she, my lord?” she snapped. “Or should I just answer the table. Yes, why don’t I do that? My name is Eleanor, not Nori. Only those close to me are allowed that intimacy, and none of you have it.” She glared at Gavin. “None of you. As for the question, I have no clue what was asked. Until this moment, not a single one of you has spoken to me. About me, yes. Around me, yes. So excuse me, if I find your conversational skills lacking and unworthy of a response.”

Silence filled the room, and Nori knew Gavin felt her shaking under his grip as he leaned close.

“My king.”

“What?” She flicked her gaze at him but refused to hold his stare.

“You’ll address me as my king.”

She snorted. Didn’t even try to contain it.

“You might have coerced this farce of a marriage, but you are not my king. In fact, I think I’d prefer to take my dinner with my king.”

She stood, but Gavin refused to let her push back her chair.

“I said—”

“You’ll sit down and apologize to the table,” he ordered.

She fought briefly against his hold on her chair, but he refused to let her leave the table. It took all she had to settle back in her seat instead of crawling over or under the table. She kept her mouth shut.

“Nori.”

She ignored him. She had no reason to apologize to anyone in the room.

“You’re right,” a woman with golden-brown hair offered. “None of us have taken the time to introduce ourselves, and my brother hasn’t taken the time to make introductions.”

“Ah, the sister with the question. I apologize for not listening when you spoke to me. Then again, I didn’t realize you were.”

“I apologize for that, Eleanor. I’m Rory. Gavin’s sister.”

“My condolences,” Nori said.

“Oh, I really like you,” another woman said with a laugh. “I’m Jo, married to Gavin’s brother.”

“Theo,” the big guy next to Jo introduced himself.

Nori let her gaze bounce between the three of them.

“Theo and I have the same father but different mothers,” Gavin said beside her, but his voice was hard. It didn’t sound as if he liked his father much.

“My mother was forced to marry their father when she was pregnant with me,” Rory continued, and Nori realized, though Rory claimed sibling status, there was no blood connection.

“Your king sold her mother to the abusive bastard,” the male next to Rory snarled.

As quickly as her anger had surged, exhaustion replaced it. She let out her breath, slumping in her chair.

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