Page 89 of Enchanted Kingdom
The guard nodded, and the king stood, slapping his cards down on the table. “I’m sorry, Jorah. I need to go take a look at something.”
“Oh,” I stated innocently. “Just as I was about to win this round.”
The king laughed. “We shall have to reschedule, dear.” He turned to Prince Krewan, “Will you please deliver her back to her room?”
Prince Krewan sent me a slow smile. As if he was honest-to-goodness flirting with me. “Gladly, but what about Raikes?”
The king swatted the air, “Went to grab Benton for me.”
“Fine, you talked me into it,” Prince Krewan stated while keeping his eyes on mine, sounding like it was exactly what he’d wanted all along.
“Behave, Krewan,” the king barked. “You know she’s not from your Assemblage.”
“Fine,” Prince Krewan groaned. “If I must.”
As soon as he was gone, and the doors, which I decided were somehow automatic, shut, Prince Krewan turned toward me, the sensual smiles immediately gone. “Let’s go. Hurry.”
I took a deep breath. I had seen him murder someone not five days ago, and now I was alone with him. I should have taken my goal of staying away from both princes far more seriously. How did I keep getting myself into these situations?
Prince Krewan set a brisk pace, so I was almost running trying to keep up.
“You made me lose,” I finally managed. “Twice.”
He snorted. “Yes.”
“Do you hate the fact that someone from Nerede could best someone from the castle in a basic game of cards?”
“What?” his forehead creased as he stole a glance at me.
I tripped over my feet but corrected myself before I fell. “What have the people of Nerede ever done to you? Why do you hate us so?”
He turned toward me but kept walking. “You misplace my distaste.”
It was that point that I realized we were walking much slower, but I still, for some reason, could not keep up.
“Jorah,” Prince Krewan said, grabbing my elbow to keep me upright. He brought my chin up with his hand and looked at my face and into my eyes. “Did you eat anything? Drink anything he gave you?”
His eyes were really lovely this close up.
“Jorah,” he snapped. “Talk to me.”
“I didn’t drink it,” I managed to say. “I pretended to, but I didn’t put anything to my lips.”
He looked into my eyes and brought a hand up to my forehead. His hand felt cold and nice. “You could have still inhaled it. How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
He glared at me.
“Crumbly.” That was the only word I could seem to find to describe how I felt. “And tired.”
“Dammit,” Prince Krewan muttered.
I felt as if my body was turning into a whole noodle. Like I was so exhausted my limbs could not even move.
But then my feet were no longer on the ground. I was in strong arms, being carried.
Just before the darkness took me under, I managed to whisper, “Please don’t murder me.”
