Page 46 of The Dragon King's Assassin

“What the fuck kind of answer is that? How could a team of knights posted in here have stopped an assassin from getting here? He shouldn't have made it into the palace at all! Where were the patrols I told you to set up?”

“They were patrolling!”

“And were they looking in all directions as I advised? Or did they forget to look up, as they did the night I got past them?”

“They did their job!”

“If they had done their job, that Argaiv wouldn't have gotten in this room, and I wouldn't have been knocked unconscious!”

“Enough!” the King roared.

We both went quiet.

“You two will work together and you will do so in a civilized manner! You don't have to like or even respect each other, but you will be polite henceforth. I am the only one allowed to shout. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Sire,” the Captain said.

At the same time, I said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Now, Captain, my assassin does make a good point. How did the Argaiv assassin manage to get past you?”

“We brought in several Horns from the army to fill our ranks for the celebration, Sire. I'm afraid some of them were not as well trained as others. Still, I believe the assassin entered the palace with the guests and hid somewhere until he was able to sneak into your chambers.”

“He entered through the balcony doors,” I said. “They were open when I got back.”

“That doesn't mean he didn't exit the palace somewhere else, perhaps on an upper floor, then fly over to the balcony,” the Captain said. “He is an Argaiv after all.”

“Yeah, all right, that's possible. Have you checked all the rooms for signs of his passage?”

“We did a sweep but with all the palace staff, guards, and guests traipsing around last night, it's hard to tell who disturbed what.”

“I injured him. He must have left a trail of blood.”

“Not one that we found. Probably because he was flying,” he said the last bit dryly.

“Fuck! An Argaiv would take a while to heal a wound like that. He's holed up somewhere.”

“And how does that help us?” Taroc asked.

“I have no idea. Let me eat. I think better with a full belly.”

“Very well. Find me that violinist, Captain. It looks as if he may be our only lead.”

“Yes, Sire.” The Captain bowed and left.

As soon as he was gone, I said, “You're going to have to fuck me gently today.”

“I told you, I'm not getting into bed with you, and I'm certainly not having sex with you. You're on bedrest; that means you need to rest in bed.”

“That's why I said the bit about being gentle.”

“I'm not fucking you today, Lock.”

“Are you sure?” I asked in a sing-song tone as I waved my sausage at him—the one from my plate, not my dick.

Taroc snorted. “Of course, sex would be your main concern.”

“As if it isn't yours?” I lifted my brows and took a bite of the sausage.

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