Page 99 of With Fangs and Claws (The Wolf Queen 1)

Chapter 40

“Prince Axe! We didn’t expect to see you here,” an older man with thinning hair and a cheery face said from behind the bar of the rowdy ale-house.

“A beer for me and one for my mate,” he said, depositing me on a bar stool, then coming to stand behind me, keeping me sitting upright. “And some of your fine food, if you’ve got some.”

“How on earth will this help?” I asked drowsily as two tankards were put before us. I picked up mine as I desperately needed to drink something, downing the ceramic mug’s contents to the cheers of approval from the men around us.

“Alcohol is a necessary evil of sorts,” he replied, sipping his own. “It loosens the inhibitions—”

“Is that wise? Your mother thinks I’m verging on feral.”

And after today, I was beginning to understand why.

“And it calms your nervous system down, slows you. We’ll get a few beers into you, get you a solid meal and then I’ll carry you back to the palace—”

“The palace?” I wrinkled my nose at that, the movement somehow causing me to sway on the stool until Axe put a steadying hand on my shoulder. “I hate the fucking palace.”

“I hate the fucking palace too, love,” he replied, slamming his tankard down on the bar, the man behind it taking our mugs and refilling them. “It’s a cesspool full of the most venal, grasping sacks of shite I’ve ever had the misfortune to come across, and that’s just my own family. I tried to persuade Dane we needed to stay in Bayard.”

“I liked Bayard!” I exclaimed, sloshing the beer I hadn’t realised I’d grabbed off the bar. “It was nice there. Though I didn’t like it when that man beat you.”

“Sucker punched me, more like,” Axe replied. “Though having a growling little Darcy standing over me, ready to take on all comers, that was entirely worth it.”

I turned around then, craning my neck to catch him smiling down at me, a possessive arm around my shoulders.

“He shouldn’t have tried to hurt you. He just wanted to win the bet to clear some debts.”

“No, love, he shouldn’t have. And if the bastard had been smart, he could’ve talked me into throwing the fight for him. I just needed something to hit after what I saw you go through. Didn’t mean I had to come out the conquering hero to do that though.”

“I didn’t like it.” My eyes felt like they narrowed down to slits as I frowned, taking another big mouthful of beer until suddenly it was empty. “He was kicking you while you were down.”

“I was already down,” he said, plucking my tankard from my hands and placing it on the bar, draining his own when I reached for his. But his eyes remained on me the whole time. “I was out for the count the fucking first moment I laid eyes on you. Savage little girl with blood on her hands, it felt like you ripped my heart straight out of my chest, that I was lying on the ground, still and cold, like that deer.”

“The deer…” I breathed the words out, feeling, tasting its blood in my mouth now, seeing the moment it was struck down by my arrow. My fingers tightened and it felt strange there was no knife there. But tears, there were tears aplenty, filling my eyes, blurring my vision.

“Maudlin already, love? Gods, they must’ve pushed you hard today. You’re bloody drunk, probably from an empty stomach. Dane’s gonna fucking kill me. Johns, can you get us some water here?”

A big hand pressed me against a broad chest, and I leaned into it gratefully, feeling the cloth soak through with my tears, thankful I wasn’t making a sound. I’d learned to cry silently many years ago. But I felt held, as I let the sobs rack me, right up until Axe pulled away.

“Let’s get some food into you,” he said, scooping me up off the stool and taking me over to a booth. I slid into the corner, curling up into a ball until Axe came to sit beside me. Stew, cheese and crusty bread were set before us and the smells helped break me out of whatever mess I was in, as my stomach growled frantically. “You gonna be able to eat that by yourself?”

I answered that by tearing a hunk of bread off and then taking a big bite of it, my guts aching for food now I’d recognised the need. Axe nodded with satisfaction, watching me eat that, then another bite, before turning to his own food. I managed to finish my bread, a chunk of cheese and all of my bowl of stew and some of Axe’s before I was done, sitting back in the booth, my stomach tight as a drum.

“Let's not go back to the castle,” I said, leaning against the wall.

“What?”

“Let's just stay here. Just you and me.”

My limbs felt like lead now. I’d drained my body of every single thing it had to give. Well, almost.

“You want me to get us a room here?”

“Room. Bath…” I nodded slowly, staring at him but not really seeing him, through slitted eyes.

“Gods, girl, if you knew how bloody much I’ve wanted some time alone with you… But you’re half gone to beer and the other half to exhaustion. Johns, you got a room? A clean one? And a bath as well. I need one for my mate.”

“Of course, my prince. The fancier rooms are standing empty until the crowds start coming in for the festival. I’ll have some of the boys bring some hot water up.”

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