Page 33 of The Curse of a Kingdom
“You have a sensible head on your shoulders but are also clouded by biases that might lead you to overlook things our people are seeing.”
“This whole place is swimming with prejudices against humans. It’s worth a reminder that I'm half one.”
The king moved forward in his seat, and the mistress hung tighter to his neck as if afraid he would push her off at any moment. It wouldn’t be the first time the king had done so in front of Orion. “Don’t use that tone on me, boy.”
“You asked me to go with them, and I'm reporting back that there is no human sign in that forest. No use of gray magic will cause such destruction in such a short time.”
The king settled onto his seat once again, bringing the grape wine to his lips. “I heard that the witch has been tended to by my healers.”
It was a miracle Orion didn’t choke on his food, the change of subject was so abrupt. He tried to act casual as he washed the rich taste of pork, potatoes, and gravy from his mouth with wine. “Nava was badly injured by one of the guards.”
“She was caught escaping her confinement. Our guard was allowed to punish her how he saw fit.”
“I didn’t like the way he behaved in my wing,” Orion countered. It had been the king who’d told him he was free to make his rules on that part of the castle.
“Don’t play the fool with me, Orion. It doesn’t suit you.”
“I told her she was allowed to walk outside her room if she needed a change of scenery. She wasn’t disobeying anyone’s command.” Silence descended upon them, heavy and infinite, broken only by the hissing of the fireplace by the table.
“And why would you do that?”
“I learned she is claustrophobic.” His jaw ached with tension, his need to protect almost overwhelming. “I’m keeping an eye on her, Father.”
“But how close of an eye?” the king challenged. “Perhaps too much, as I was also informed you placed her in the green room next to yours.”
His heartbeat raced and his hands prickled with sweat, but he didn’t cower from his father’s scrutiny. “So what? I didn’t want her near Devon.”
It wasn’t even a lie and was something that had been bothering him for days since she’d arrived at the castle. The incessant need to protect her, like it was second nature. It didn’t die there. He’d rather face the ire of his father than have her sleep next to Devon, and that thought alone was even scarier.
“Divert. Now,”one of the misty voices whispered against his ear.
Shrugging noncommittally, he said in a flat tone, “I don’t trust her with my brother.”
“You don’t trust her near the Crow, but I'm supposed to be at ease with her sleeping next toyou?”
He didn’t believe for a second the king was truly worried about Nava hurting him. The king’s aura vibrated with pent-up tension, his expression sharpening. He was trying to find a hole in his tale.
Orion swallowed, counting on his expression not to give away how he truly felt for her, which might give his father a reason to jail them. The female sitting on the king’s lap, Elly or something, shifted uncomfortably, avoiding either of their gazes.
“She is wearing the bracelet that cancels her magic. I’m capable of protecting myself from her, unless you doubt me,” Orion countered with a lie that was far too easy to spout, especially since she’d been able to do magic just fine, and he wasn’t so sure he was able to protect himself against her at all.
“What about other powers she might have over you?” The king’s voice came down an octave. “She is beautiful.”
“She is also my brother’s fiancée.”
“And I'm supposed to believe that makes a true difference? You almost killed two of our guards because they were hurting her.”
“I would think after what happened with Herous, the other guards would’ve learned better than to harm her.”
“Why do you care?”
Why, indeed? Orion wasn’t sure why he was risking it all for a woman he didn’t know, and he shouldn’t care as much as he did. He had been telling himself he wasn’t wicked, unlike the blood that ran through his body. Even though everyone back in the Iron City liked to remind him his very essence was evil, he wanted to be more. “Because I'm not a monster.” Or at the very least, he hoped to avoid being one.
“She entered this palace without an invitation from either of us, which is punishable by death.”
“I believe my brother when he says it was a miscalculation. When I left the city, I told him I would be gone for a month at maximum. It’s natural he would come looking for me. He was all I had while I was there, and I accepted staying with you if you respected some boundaries, which includes my family.”
The king stayed quiet for too long for Orion to feel at ease. This man's wisdom and wickedness were not to be outsmarted. “I see in you the way I used to be, the power, the hunger. You have the level head needed to make decisions in a moment’s notice.” The king picked a grape from his plate, holding it between relaxed fingers. “But then you speak and sound just like her. Idealism is the murderer of powerful societies, and we have no room for it.” His gaze burned like blue fire when it landed back on Orion.
