Page 31 of Knightfall
Connor leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Your mother will kill you for that comment.”
I shook my head. “She doesn’t want me dead.” I reached a hand up slowly and touched his curls. Heaven. I’d dreamt of this.
“Maybe I do.”
I leaned back and searched his eyes.
He meant it.
I had to fight the chasm that opened in my chest. I deserved this. I deserved his hatred. I’d have felt the same.
“Have you tried to feel if I’m telling the truth?” I whispered.
“Has it occurred to you that your feelings don’t matter to me anymore?”
I dropped his hair. I gulped. “You’re right. They shouldn’t.”
I took a deep breath, regretting that I’d let it come to this in a public place. I wanted to collapse on a bed and cry. Or under the bed, as I’d done when I was a child and needed to get away from the prying eyes of the maids.
I grabbed Connor’s elbow and turned to the first person on my right. I needed a distraction. The first person I saw was the ambassador from Sedara, Declan’s home country. Meeker had been our ambassador for years. He was a short, bushy-haired old man with a thick accent and he was quite upset that a pegasus team had been shot down and captured in Cheryn. The two countries had been poking one another for the last five years, often trying to drag Evaness into their conflict.
“Two injaared animals. And they won’t evaan speak to us. Probably they are breeding them as we speak,” he swigged his orange juice as if it were spiked. “Those bastaards will do anything to steal our magic.”
I didn’t ask why Sedara had sent a pegasus team to fly over Cheryn. It was easy enough to guess. It had either been an aerial attack or a spy mission. Either way …
“I’m sure we could speak to the Cheryn ambassadors about the release of your pegasus. Connor is an excellent diplomat,” I smiled widely. “He’s always had a golden tongue.”
A picture of Connor’s tongue between my thighs appeared in my head and I stiffened involuntarily. Then his tongue turned to gold. And dragged his jaw down so his face smacked the floor. He tried to swallow, but the golden tongue grew longer.
“Are you alright, darling? She had a hard day yesterday. I’m not certain she’s feeling better,” Connor turned my face to his and flashed a warning with his eyes. He gave my hand two squeezes.
That was our signal. Shite. I’d said something wrong. And then my brain had gone and fritzed, seeing things. I restored my face to calm. “Just a little light-headed. Probably tired from travel.”
“Travaal will do me in. Gives me the shits, too,” Meeker nodded at me. “Go get some raast, Princess. I’ll talk to your man here about the horses and those blimey baastards.”
I was being dismissed from the conversation. As if I was nothing. Not the crown princess. As if this conversation were for men.
I bristled and opened my mouth to argue, but Connor swept me into a hug. “Shut your mouth and let me fix this shite you stirred up. Sedara’s already been hard enough to calm down recently because of some stupid stolen chains or something. Damn Bloss. Setting me up as the go-between for countries on the brink of war? Really? I’ll get another sitter summoned so you can ruin someone else’s morning.” He snapped for a page and told the boy to summon Declan.
Was I that bad? Iwashallucinating …
Quinn appeared at my side mere seconds later. Had he been in the room? I hadn’t noticed. Shite. One day at the palace and one little injury and I’d become passive. Next thing, I’d forget to have my food tested for poison. Wonderful. Not to mention whatever I’d just said.
Maybe Connor was right. Maybe I’d ruined his morning.
The picture of Connor letting out a giant trumpet fart filled my mind. I had to shake my head to clear the image.
Quinn offered his elbow as he escorted me out of the room.
We paused at the door, so that everyone could turn and bow. I gave them all a smile and a nod.
“Can you take me to Avia’s chambers, please? And can we somehow repeat the set up from last night? So that one of you can work in the next room and I can rest? I really don’t feel well.”
Quinn nodded briskly. He walked me straight down the hall. Unlike Connor, he didn’t stop to acknowledge anyone. He didn’t smile. He just strode with purpose, cut through the crowd. He had shite to do and no time to be bothered. When I’d been younger, I’d have been scared witless about offending someone. But after several hours of mindless chatter, it was refreshing. Freeing.
I held onto his arm a little harder than I’d intended as I realized that. But he didn’t seem to mind. Quinn closed his big hand around mine and he pulled me into his side.
It was odd. I almost felt happy.
