Page 46 of Crownless King

Voron didn’t hurry him, idly straightening the lacy frills on the cuffs of his sleeves.

“You want the queen to know your plans?” the High Lord asked.

A sly smile ghosted across Voron’s lips.

“No. Of course I don’t want her to know them. That’s why I didn’t reveal any details to you. But I do want you to tell her and the entire royal court what you saw in the book. I want all of Elaros to know the true king is coming to claim his rightful place. And I want to give everyone a chance to decide whose side they want to be on.”

“Well,” the High Lord grunted, rising from his chair. “I shall rush to Elaros to inform the queen of the upcoming unrest, as my loyalty vow dictates. Meanwhile, I’m leaving you in the capable hands of my son, Lord Bruant.”

As the lord left the room, and just before his son entered, Voron smiled at me and winked.

He did it. He got his way.

* * *

“Do you think it’ll be possible to convince the rest of the High Lords like that, too?” I asked Voron once we finally were alone in our room, much later that night.

Not wasting a second, he’d already started working on the ribbons of my dress.

“Not all of them,” he said. “Bussard and Caitore, for example, are firmly on the queen’s side. She’s playing them against each other, while keeping them both hopeful they’ll become the next Sky King by marrying her. There are a few others that I may not sway. But we don’t need them all, dear Sparrow. We just need enough to show the queen I have the power to take what’s mine.”

He wasn’t the ten-year-old boy anymore, someone easily cast aside and forgotten. Voron had real victories behind his belt now. The highborn had seen him repeatedly prove his skills and knowledge in battles. He’d earned the respect of many. He had what it took to lead and govern. And now, he also had a legitimate claim to the throne. One had to be either delirious or stupid not to see that.

Voron slid my dress down, then took my shirt off over my head.

“Come here,” he murmured, dragging me to him.

“You must be exhausted after the day we had.” I helped him take his shirt off, too, as he lowered to his knees in front of me, kissing down my chest.

“I am.” He grinned, glancing up at me. “That’s why we need to do this fast before I fall asleep.”

I laughed softly. “Will you stay awake long enough for me to have a bath? I really need one after that dusty road.”

“Fine. But only if I can have it with you.”

He pulled off his pants and boots, then scooped me up into his arms and headed to the bathroom door.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my nose to his neck, breathing him in. No matter how tiring our journey had been, as a fae, Voron always smelled fantastic. As a human, that made me long for a bath even more.

He sat me down next to the warm pool in the bathroom.

“You don’t have to carry me everywhere.” I smiled. “I can walk, you know?”

He cupped my face with his hands, staring into my eyes.

“And I can fight my own battles. But it was nice having you stand up to Barbet for me today. Thank you.”

“I don’t have much to fight with, just my words. But I’ll never let anyone disrespect you like that,” I said earnestly.

There was no smile on his face, no pretense or cockiness. His expression was raw and real. This was the true Voron, just the way he was. He knew he didn’t need to hide from me any longer.

“My fierce little bird.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “That’s more than anyone has ever done for me in my adult life.”

As he lowered me into the warm water, covering my body with his, I knew every word I’d said was true. I would fight for him, either with words or a sword if I had to. I would fight for this man to the end.

ChapterThirteen

SPARROW

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