Page 27 of The Kingdom's Crown

"Then I will kill them," Bryony snapped, slipping out of my arms and scooting on her knees to face my back.

I nearly swallowed my own tongue as she pulled the knife out, an excruciating and unapologetic yank of the weapon from where it was buried, my vision going white as my fingers tried to dig into the wall to hold onto my sanity.

"Piper has her," Bryony murmured, the screams of the woman buried slightly under the white noise ringing in my head as Bryony applied her palm to the second stab wound, flooding it with her horrific magic. "Cresswell, what were you thinking?"

I wasn't. If I had been, I would have lunged for the woman, not Bryony. I could have caught her, twisted the knife out of her hand before she'd hurt either one of us, but all I'd known in the moment of Stanley shouting for me was that Bryony—not my duty, the princess, butBryony—was in danger.

The ringing in my head grew louder, drowning out Bryony's rapid chiding, magic scalding me from the inside out, right up into my brain. The bear rumbled, and I realized a moment too late that it was taking my place in the hall.

"Oh!"

I growled, sniffing blood on the air, the stress of the woman, the sharp pinch of anxiety and sweat. My view narrowed to two points, the pretty young woman with my man's blood on her hands, now leaning against the far wall, and the predator a few yards away, thrashing in another man's grip. That was my kill.

Bryony scrambled up from the floor, racing to jump in front of me, stained fingers diving into the fur around my shoulders. "Cresswell, no! No, come back. Piper has her, and she needs to be questioned. See? See, other guards are coming. I need the man right now, Cress."

Petting a bear was a useless gesture. More an irritation than soothing really, but my man's brain recognized Bryony's effort as her touch combed through my fur. She leaned fearlessly into me, her cheek against mine, even as my snarl was open, hot breath and fanged teeth far too close to her throat.

I came stumbling back as a man, the threat my bear form posed to Bryony its own kind of alarm in my head. Her magic had done its work, a faint ache left on my back, nothing more, and I gathered Bryony against my chest as I watched over her head as two guards helped Piper subdue the woman.

I knew what I should do in the moment—take Piper's place and join the others, find Head Guard Amos and question the woman. And I knew what I wanted too.

And fuck it, they weren't so different. I would take what I wanted.

I scooped Bryony up off her feet, ignoring her shout of protest.

"Piper! Find Amos. I'm sending Martin and Farraque down to join you," I called, marching swiftly down the hall. Aric had his own techniques in inquisition, and he would help the guards get the information. Daniel would be able to sort through it better. The maid's uniform wasn't quite right, and I suspected she wasn't really castle staff.

"Got it, sir. Brummer's in the suite," Stanley said. "I can send Humphries here with you too," he added, nodding at the one guard who wasn't busy restraining the woman. Humphries was one of the men Stanley trusted. I could leave him at the door and Brummer inside, and it would be enough.

"You aren't going yourself?" Bryony asked, keeping her voice quiet and for my ears only.

I shifted her in my arms, ignoring her hmph of annoyance. "Do you want me to?"

I ducked down a side hall, looking for a faster route back to the suite, watching Bryony bite her lip and shake her head slowly. "No. I want you close. I want to speak with her myself too. But later."

"Later," I agreed, my voice lowering.

Bryony's cheeks turned pink, and she leaned her head in, resting it against my temple, her lips just barely grazing my skin. "I'm still angry with you for jumping between us."

"Doesn't change that I'd do it again."

"I'd better learn to hold more magic," she said, more to herself. "You know, I could be walking. You're the one who was injured."

I grunted and clutched her closer.

"Cresswell," Bryony murmured, voice low and lips brushing back and forth over my skin with little turns of her head. "Where are you taking me?"

"To bed, Your Highness." There was no use keeping the growl out of my voice—the bear in me wasn't satisfied with being denied the right to attack. The sound made Bryony shiver in my arms, and her teeth nipped softly at my cheek.

"Why now?"

She was pressing kisses on my temple, my cheek, even my earlobe, damp light touches to tease me. I suspected her questions were teasing too, but my focus was narrowed on the turn of the hall that would lead to a back door into her suite.

"We'll have to get you a new personal head guard," I said, ignoring her question.

"I don't want anyone but you."

There was another meaning to her words that sent blood rushing to my cock. "You'll have me, Bryony. Closer than ever."

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