Page 43 of The Stolen Princess
It wasn’t likely that the riders were from the Tolsten army. There was no way that they could have caught up to them, and even then, they would be on PTs, not horses. But Drake’s heart raced as he thought through different scenarios of how he would escape with the princess, if it came to that. He’d left his own gun back at his horse, a mistake he wouldn’t make again.
Grady and Dawsick stomped back through the tall grass. “It was nothing,” Grady said, shaking his long brown hair away from his face. “Just some men transporting goods.”
Winslow looked at Drake, and they had a shared moment of relief. “Let’s get on the road, then.”
The other men in their group began packing up, and Drake sucked in a deep breath as he watched them.
They were safe.
“Do you mind?” the princess sneered under him. “Your nipple is about to poke me in the eye.”
Drake dipped his chin down. His bare chest was pressed against her, and his nipple was, in fact, eye-level with her head—the insinuation that it was about to poke her in the eye was an exaggeration. She tilted her head up, her blue eyes challenging him like she thought it was fun to say something shocking. Drake had shock value he could use too. He pushed the edge of the knife into her neck even further as a warning. “Better my nipple than the knife.” He would never actually hurt her, but he needed to maintain a level of command.
Myka gave him a pointed look. “I enjoy having the knife pressed up against me more than your nipple. You have no idea how close I came to biting it off.”
Drake’s serious expression faltered. Had she really said that? Myka had surprised him, and that was saying a lot, considering who his best friend was. His lips twitched, and he pushed off the tree, turning away before she saw him break from his tough exterior into a smile.
“Let’s go,” he said. The rope pulled tight behind him, and he felt the exact moment she stumbled after him.
11
Myka
Every muscle in Myka’s body ached. The skin on her wrists was red and irritated from the rope, and the other rope tied around her waist dug into her side. She’d always wanted to see the countryside of Tolsten but not like this. Not tied up and riding on a horse with a man who was probably responsible for her father’s death. She looked around at the other men and wondered if any of them were as tired as she was. Surely Old ’n Slow Winslow was barely hanging on. She’d half expected him to keel over dead from such a strenuous ride. But he was still alive and well.
They traveled until the sun dipped low behind the barren landscape. The last specks of light fought hard against the evening sky. The group steered their horses into another thick canopy of trees, and Myka hoped this stop would be more than a bathroom break.
Drake pulled her off the horse, keeping his hands at her waist until her wobbly feet were stable. Her shirt and jacket rode up, making his warm fingers graze the skin at her hips. Their eyes met, and Myka tried to ignore the buzzing sensation his touch had caused. It was a ridiculous reaction born from being starved of normal young adult interactions. It was nothing specific to Drake Vestry. It couldn’t be. She hated the man.
When she had her footing, he straightened and pulled his hands back and began untying things from the side of his horse. She watched him unpack a bedroll before pulling out a gun and sliding it in the front of his pants under his shirt.
“If you are the commander of the Albion army, won’t they miss you back home?” she asked. “Or are you not that good at your job?”
He smiled like he thought her words humorous. “I’m very good at my job. So good that they need me here, fighting the biggest enemy of all.”
Myka pressed her lips into a slight frown. It was ridiculous that he thought of her father as the biggest enemy. “Are all of these men commanders in the other kingdoms?”
“That’s information that you don’t need to know.”
Myka pointed to Shaggy Hair. “He’s from Appa. I heard him talking about the Appalachian Mountains.” Then she pointed to BizzBuzz, the serious guy with the buzzed haircut. “He’s from Enderlin. He’s mentioned three times how Queen Emree used to be in love with him.” Then she pointed to Old ’n Slow Winslow. “He’s from Northland because he complained that he had the longest journey to get here.” Next, her eyes went to Horseface. “He’s from New Hope. I heard him talking about King Bryant. If you’re from Albion, that leaves Kase Kendrick, the man Winslow sent back to Denton, from Cristole.”
Drake eyed her. “Impressive.”
“So, then I asked myself how men from every kingdom would come together to kidnap the princess of Tolsten.”
“And what did you come up with?”
“That the Council of Essentials is behind my kidnapping. Except my father, of course.”
Drake nodded. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe you’re not.”
“And I heard Winslow call each of you an operative. You’re the Council Operatives, theCo-Ops,as I like to call you.”
His lips lifted into a smile, but he didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. Myka was right. She couldn’t believe all of the other kings were conspiring against her father. What kind of world did she live in?
Drake walked her away from the group and turned his back. “You have thirty seconds to go to the bathroom,” he said.
“A whole thirty seconds. How generous of you.”
