Page 5 of Chaos Tempted

“Don’t you have something in mind?” Wyn grins as she waves goodbye to Oakes and Eldrin.

Once they are out of earshot, I lean in. “I have many wonderful things I would do with you, but I shouldn’t indulge in them. The deeds I have in mind might give me an unfair advantage in your choice of mates.” I lean closer and murmur in her ear, “Or should I indulge you?”

A pink flush suffuses her cheeks, and her eyes widen. I sense her excitement.

With a cocky smile, I ask in a whisper, since it is illegal to have a human train with weapons, “Or how about I teach youa few more combat moves? With swords? We could grab your workout clothes.”

Even though she is obviously still curious about the naughty deeds I hint at, Wyn’s eyes light up with the new suggestion. She is rebellious, just like me. “That sounds like fun. I miss the feel of metal in my hand.”

I nod, thinking about her confession of forbidden sword practice in the faerie meadows. It intrigued me when she said that she even enjoyed working in the dangerous foundry, creating beautiful swords and daggers from molten metals with her former keeper, Merlara.

I lead Wyn to her chamber and ask casually, wondering about her childhood keeper, “Did Merlara ever suspect you trained in the faerie grove?”

“Maybe. Probably.” Wyn shrugs. “Merlara had to have known I made an extra blade or two in the foundry, and that I was stubborn.”

“But she said nothing to you?” I slow before we reach Wyn’s door.

“No. I suppose if Merlara suspected me, not addressing it gave her plausible deniability if I ever got caught.” Wyn’s forehead wrinkles in confusion. “Now, though, I’m wondering how much Merlara knew about my origins and my part in the peace treaty.”

We quiet as we approach her bedchamber, and the guard posted outside it.

“Do you want to find out what Merlara knew?” I ask as I open the door to Wyn’s room.

But before Wyn can step forward to enter, I catch a gruesome sight. I pick her up, swing her away from the opening, and shield her with my body.

“What—” she begins, but she peeks around my broad chest into her room. She sees the spectacle within. “Oh, Stars!” she exclaims, her mouth falling open in shock.

The walls and floor are covered in blood, but we can’t see the source—a body.

Hearing Wyn’s terror, Baelen, our personal guard, who has been trailing us in the halls, rushes to our side.

I turn to Agis, one of our trusted guards posted by the door, and ask with a growl, “What do you know of this?”

“Of what, sir?” the guard’s eyes are wide with concern.

“Look for yourself.” I move aside for him to see.

I hear Agis’ heart quicken and smell his distress. He seems surprised by the sight.

“I just came on duty a few minutes ago. I didn’t know.”

I don’t sense a lie in the male. “Then who was on duty before you?”

“I didn’t recognize her.” The Elven guard blanches, realizing what has happened on his watch. “We’ve had a lot of unfamiliar faces in the last moon,” he explains, mortified. “I knew Wyn wasn’t inside, so I thought nothing of her not having her usual guards.”

Agis is correct—there aretoomany new people for my liking, even with my efforts to weed out those I don’t trust. King Magnus is probably behind it. I will talk to Corwin, my second-in-command of the prince’s security detail, about who has been hiring my additional guards. I try my best to protect Wyn, but with only four trusted guards for both Wyn and Eldrin at all times, we are short-handed. I gave Corwin permission to post other guards to take shifts for Eldrin’s and Wyn’s rooms when they were unoccupied. I realize now I have to be even more vigilant concerning the guard schedule and ask my four most trusted for recommendations on new permanent placements.

But right now, I have to deal with this death threat.

Wyn’s breaths are shallow and panicked. She holds her hands over her face. “Is there a body? Are they dead?”

I wrap my arms around her and pull her close. I look at Wyn’s personal guard. “Baelen, check if there is anyone inside.”

Baelen searches around the bed and in the ensuite bathroom, trying not to step on any blood. “There’s no one.”

“Then where did all the blood come from?” Wyn asks in a whisper.

“I don’t know.” I take Wyn’s hand and say to Agis, “Don’t letanyoneinside until I return. Don’t speak of it either. I will throw you in the dungeon myself if you fail me.”

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