Page 3 of The Dragon King's Assassin

With that, my erection finally deflated.

“I could find out,” I hurried to say. “And until I do, I could protect you.”

“You think you can protect me?” He laughed even as several guards came running into the room. He waved them off as he held my gaze. “I think I've proven that I do not need protection. Not yours, nor theirs.” He waved a hand at his knights. “Although I expected the King's Guard to perform better.”

“Sire, is this an intruder?” one of the soldiers asked.

“Is this an intruder, he asks,” the King drawled. Then he turned to the knights. “Get out! And don't fucking return. You're all dismissed from my service!”

“Your Majesty?” another knight dared to ask.

“I said, get the fuck out! You're all fucking useless!”

The knights fled the King's fury. I wished I could go with them. Instead, I'd use their incompetence to my advantage. Again.

“I slipped past those men twice,” I said, pointing after the knights. “Twice, Your Majesty. Yes, you woke up in time to defend yourself, but what if you hadn't? I made it past them, right into your bedroom, and this was after I'd conducted surveillance while on the palace grounds. And if I did it, someone else could too. Maybe the next assassin will have better luck than me. Three seconds, Your Majesty. That's all I would have needed to kill you. Three. Seconds.”

The Dragon King crossed his arms and regarded me with a narrowed stare. “Why did you accept this job?”

“Honestly, it was a lot of money and it would have made me famous. I have nothing against you. It's just a job.”

He chuckled and it had a wicked sound to it. “Just a job? All right, Locrian Mahvis, I will give you a chance to earn your life back. You are now my assassin.” He stepped closer, close enough for his breath to brush my face. “You will obey my commands unfailingly. If I tell you to kill, you kill. Without hesitation. And you will protect my life as if it were your own. Better even than that. If needed, you die for me. Understood?”

“Yes, Sire.”

“If you try to kill me again, I will eviscerate you and eat your fucking heart.”

“I will not betray you. I swear it.”

“Good.” He stepped back, grabbed a pillow from his bed, and tossed it at me. “Choose a door and sleep in front of it—balcony or hallway. You start your new job tonight. Anyone enters this room before morning, kill them.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” I tossed the pillow down just inside the balcony doors and went out onto the balcony to remove my grappling hook and untie the line.

As I stood, I watched the Dragon King settle onto his side, this time facing the balcony. He grinned at me, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep. Just another night for the King of Racul.

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