Page 69 of Knightfall
Quinn sent me a mental image of a red ribbon flying through the air, surrounding the two of us until we were pressed together. The ribbon wrapped around us tighter and tighter, sealing us together until we were unable to move.
“I didn’t want that for any of you,” I muttered. “You all deserve a queen that actually has a chance.”
Quinn snorted.
I turned and looked at him. “All it will take is one war. If it gets bad enough, I can’t help it.”
Ryan looked down at me, “In the weapons room?”
I shook my head. The geas let me say, “No control. It was instinct.”
“Then we’ll just make sure there are no wars,” Declan declared.
I laughed, somewhat bitterly. “The seven kingdoms of Kenmare haven’t been able to go without war for more than a decade. There are centuries of history betting against you.”
“Well, maybe all those other rulers didn’t have the same motivation we have,” Ryan growled.
“And what’s that?”
His hand slipped down and stroked my inner thigh. “We’ve been waiting years to get between these legs. No way I’m letting some war mongering assholes mess that up.”
Ryan’s declaration broke the tension. And we all laughed.
* * *
We returned to the palace in the dead of night. For once, I didn’t check on Avia. Instead, I went to my old room, and all three men followed. They slumped onto my bed surrounding me, each one slinging an arm across my body. Declan ended up at my feet, grumbling, but I promised him we’d rotate the following day.
I woke up with a crick in my neck, to find Connor staring down at all of us, his lips curled in disgust.
“Orgies, Bloss? I suppose enough time in a whorehouse—”
I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes before glaring at Connor.
He deserved to be told off, but I didn’t bother to defend myself. It would only make things worse. And a queen who can’t hold her tongue isn’t much of a queen.
Declan popped up at my feet. “Did you know Bloss bleeds—” the geas cut him off. He ran a hand through his blond hair. He opened his mouth several more times, but anything he wanted to say must have been prohibited. My mother had set up the spell so the geas applied to anyone who knew about my power. Now Declan, Quinn, and Ryan were bound.
“Frustrating, isn’t it?” I told him.
“What’s going on, Declan?” Connor ignored me.
Quinn sat up. He focused on Connor, but frowned. Eventually, he turned to me.
I can’t tell him anything.
Thank my mother’s geas. Can’t reveal my weakness to the world. Of course, it’s only a matter of time before someone finds out …
Declan clapped his hands and said, “Alright, let’s get a move on.” He pointed at Connor, “You need to spend the day with Bloss checking Lady Agatha’s livestock issue. We have planning to do. Prince Abbas coming to court Avia is only increasing the tension with Sedara. Macedon has also submitted a request to have their princes visit. And I need to unravel that with Quinn and Ryan,” Declan turned brisk and business-like, even bossy.
“What?” I gaped.
“What?” Connor gaped. “Foreign diplomacy is my arena. You go check on Lady Agatha’s cows!”
“We don’t think this is diplomacy. We believe these are the first moves of war. Macedon and Cheryn have been itching to take on Sedara since the end of the last Fire War. Ryan needs strategic help getting Evaness set up to defend itself. I don’t trust either of these visits are purely about finding a wife. I’ll need to move our supplies around to support Ryan. Quinn will need to piece together what his associates can find out. Once we’ve determined a plan, then you and your official policies will be decided. But, get the hell out so we can do our jobs!” Declan stood from the bed and stretched, as if he had not just commanded every eye in the room.
I stared at him, open-mouthed. I hardly noticed when he offered me a hand to help me down from the bed. My stomach was in knots, but my core was on fire. Declan being all scholar-in-charge was … I had trouble controlling my breathing.
Declan noticed and smiled, pulling me closer.
