Page 9 of Knightfall
I twisted slightly until I showed him my belly.
His nostrils flared, and he gave a huffy cat breath at that. I wasn’t sure if he was pleased by my submission or annoyed he didn’t have the excuse to hurt me.
If we’d been human, I would have told him what I’d heard and bolted. I’d have told him, kicked him in the nards, and run for my life.
But we weren’t human. I couldn’t talk.
I had no choice.
I was going to have to let him bring me in.
Quinn the bobcat leaned down and nudged me with his nose until I rolled onto my feet. Then he scooped me up by the scruff and turned east, heading toward the dawn, the castle, and my sister.
* * *
Five hours past sunrise, we arrived at the palace. I expected Quinn to go around to the soldier’s entrance. But he trotted toward the main gates. He crossed the moat, letting me dangle over the water once, just because he could. The huge oversized portcullis loomed over us. Wagons traveled in and out, carrying laundry and foodstuffs and nobles.
Shite. He was going to reveal me here. In front of everyone.
Because everyone knew enchantments couldn’t be brought in to the castle of Evaness. No spells could make it past the barriers at the gates. An invisible shield protected the castle, set up by one of the great wizards who ruled centuries ago. The shield removed all mage spells and revealed all true human natures. No hidden poisons, no spelled disguises, nothing made it past the gates. Only the royal family and palace mage could use their magic inside.
Quinn shifted me in his mouth. He batted me with his paw until my body spun to face his furry chest. He walked calmly up the bridge, ignoring the villagers and servants who screamed and fled at the sight of a spotted bobcat.
He dodged a soldier’s arrow.
My heart pounded, and I fought to keep from trembling. Yes, the arrows concerned me. But the gate did even more.
Why this gate? Why not one more private? Why reveal me in front of everyone?
And then it hit me. He was here to humiliate me. Much as I had humiliated him.
I hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now I was sure Quinn was angry. I had run from the palace two days before my coronation. The day after he’d been announced as my fourth husband.
His father had just won a major naval battle. My mother had seen me as a fitting reward. My husband group had lacked an Admiral. Quinn had been on that path.
I remember mother telling me, “One who controls the sea controls the land.”
I had bit back an argument about the sky at the time. No one had controlled the sky since dragons had been vanished after the last Fire War. I’d just nodded my head and let her tack on another man. I’d already planned to leave at that point anyway.
The only thing I’d known of Quinn Byrne before I’d run had been his name.
The timing was pure coincidence. I’d seen the chance to escape and leapt at it.
I very much doubted the spy master believed in coincidence.
I closed my eyes as he neared the portcullis. We just had to pass it to encounter the shield.
Think of Avia. Think of Avia. You have to warn her. Let him do what he wants so you can get to her, I told myself.
My back was shoved against a frozen stone wall. My eyes popped open in surprise. My body twisted and shifted and grew to my natural human size. Quinn’s grew at the same time, until he loomed over me.
My breath caught in my lungs. I hadn’t truly appreciated just how handsome he was. But now that those tempting lips were inches from mine, I couldn’t help but stare. Particularly when one of those lips curved upward in a smirk.
He was hot. And not in a drunken I-haven’t-been-touched-in-four years way like Abel or Marcus. Quinn was tall and lean but muscled. His arms boxed me in against the stone wall. For a second, the image of them boxing me in on a mattress flashed through my head. The stubble that covered his jaw made me want to rub my hand and face along his. Perhaps changing into a cat left lingering instincts. I’d only ever used the spelled disguises to go human before.
Yes. It’s definitely cat instinct. Not attraction, I told myself.
I was smarter than that. He was the enemy. His job was to bring me here and keep me here. My job was to warn my sister and escape again to continue my quest. Not to wonder if he was rough or gentle in bed.
