Page 116 of Long Live the King

I was so freaking scared I couldn’t think of a word to say.

He glared at me, his eyes intense, his mouth smiling a menacing, terrifying smile.

“You are not going to lay a hand on me, I promise you that.”

“Daena be so insufferable, I daena want tae touch ye, ye are not my type. Ye and I are going tae make an alliance, so I can get out of here and go to a reasonable place where I can buy a pack of cigarettes and smoke them freely.” He pulled a paper from a leather pouch on his belt and spread it out on the table. He placed a pen on top.

“Sign here, and I will stay away for the most part.”

“Will you let me go home?”

“In time. Ye will be my guest, first, then ye can return home.”

“Not good enough. I want to go home now, I have people who miss me, who are looking for me. This is not okay.”

“How will they ever find ye, Queen Ash?”

“Why the hell are you calling me that?”

“Because I am a king, and ye are my chosen queen.”

“King ofwhat...? You’re a mental case, I am not interested in a dude in a dress with delusions of grandeur — you need a therapist.”

“King of Scotland.”

I blinked, my arms were so sore from holding the spike up in the air, my arms trembling, I was totally overwhelmed. “Scotland? How did I get to Scotland?”

I thought,Does this involve Lochie?

He tapped the paper.“I am not leaving this room until ye sign this contract. If ye winna sign on yer own, I will force ye tae. I daena see any reason why ye would want tae endure the pain, but I am a king and I am not used tae this much insolence; tis testing my already verra thin patience.”

“I don’t understand at all, this is Scotland? Do you know Lochie?”

He smiled knowingly, but he asked, “Who is Lochie?”

“Lochinvar, he’s someone... I...” I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t know enough about him to be able to describe him. “He lives on Amelia Island.”

“Aye, I ken of Lochinvar.” He glared at me, long.

Then he tapped the paper again.

I said, “So what exactly does this contract say?”

“It says ye will become a queen. Itmeansthat ye will stay here for a bit longer, and then ye can go home. In the meantime ye will be clothed well, fed as ye wish, and ye will hae all ye need.”

“I need a great deal more than this, this is like living in the dark ages.”

He chuckled. “This is not a negotiation, ye will sign it.” He exhaled. “I will make certain ye hae better food.”

“Better bedding too.”

He nodded.

Then he tapped the paper.

I let go of the spike with one hand and shook it out, then traded hands, shaking out the other. “You’re being very vague about how long I will need to stay here.”

He raised his brow. “I am being secretive because I daena need tae tell ye. Ye need tae ken, Queen Ashley, ye will either sign this and survive, with the deal I am offering, or ye winna survive. This is up tae ye.”

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