Page 42 of The Nightmare Queen

She nods her head in agreement.Damn woman.

The fields start to die down as Bair’s post grows closer. Bennett takes us on a detour around the town, leading us straight to the keeps stables. We pass our horses off to a few stableboys and follow Bennett through the halls to The General’s Wing, where I instructed him to set up rooms for everyone.

“So who all stays here?” Maxwell asks.

Ben looks at the brunette a warm smile on his face as he answers. “Only men of rank and servants stay up in the keep. It’s not big enough to house all of the men we’ve enlisted.”

“You don’t stay with your men? Outside the battle zone?” Ezra asks, his tone disapproving.

My man looks to me, then back at Ezra. “We do, during active pursuits. For the past several days things have been quiet, I told the uppermost ranking officers to retreat here and greet your party. We need to develop a strategy.” Bennett answers.

We wind around the last limestone hall which ends with us in front of the large wooden doors that access the General’s Wing. “The servants already brought up your things. You three -” he spins around and points at Axel and the brothers, “will be in this first room here on the left. You two -” Ezra and Armond next, “door up the hall on your right.” He nods at each of them, satisfied with his tour but nobody moves a muscle.

“Ha. I guess I’ll be sleeping outside then?” Eveera asks.

Bennett gives me a stressed look. “I assumed Prince Rorin filled you in on where you’ll be…”

“Well you know what assuming means.” She bites.

I step up, saving Bennett from receiving any further ire. “You’ll be in my apartments.”

“Like hell she will.” Ezra growls out, pushing her back with his arm and into Axel’s chest.

I tip my head back and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Call off your dog, Eveera.” She does no such thing and when I bring my chin back down I am met with six blazing stares. “She won’t be in mybedfor gods sake. I have more than one room.” The stares don’t falter. My answer wasn’t good enough apparently. Eveera sighs, stepping out from behind Ezra and away from Axel. “Men.” She hooks her finger into my collar, “I’m taking the bigger bedroom.” She claims, dragging me behind her towards the end of the hall.

It’s difficult to hold back my smug smirk as I look over my shoulder towards the group of fuming men. “You don’t know where you’re going.” I laugh.

“Shut up.” She snaps. My hand comes up carefully to wrap around her finger, pulling it off the collar of my shirt, and securing it in my palm. Her feet stop. She drops her gaze to where our hands are joined and then looks back up to me. This time I don’t try holding back the smirk. “I’lltake the lead from here.” Before she can argue, I pull on her hand and lead us the rest of the way to where the doors to my apartment lie.

The moment I close the door behind us she drops my hand like a hot coal. She makes her way to the settee and flops down into it. Ignoring me again. I head straight into my office, less than thrilled to be doing damage control after a few weeks away.Weeks.It sinks in how long we were actually gone and I’m surprised to find the place still standing.

There is the suspended feeling of both relief and fear hanging over me. A tumultuous combination, really. There is the relief that we haven’t been invaded yet followed by the fear as towhywe haven’t been invaded yet. Looking down, I find there are stacks on stacks of intel and correspondence piled high on my desk.

I grab an iridescent glass and pour myself two fingers of bourbon. If I’m going to be looking at the proof of my father’s failures, I need to be less sober. From Bennett’s guarded words it wasn’t difficult to figure that things had only regressed in my absence. It’s been too long that my soldiers - my people - have been forced to suffer under the constant pressure of war.

KNOCK KNOCK!

“Come in.” I groan.

“Catching up on the latest bloody bullshit, Ror?”Bennett.He’s leaning in the doorway against the frame and behind him, I can see Eveera. She’s slid half her body over the armrest of the settee with both hands planted down onto the floor, staring at the wall opposite her.

“That cannot possibly be comfortable.” I murmur shaking my head in disbelief. As if she heard me, her head snaps in my direction.

“I took the room to the left!” She shouts, kicking her leg over and walking out of view.

“That’s my bed—” SLAM! “oh…kay…” I sigh, taking a long sip of the alcohol. The burn doing little to sate my brimming anxiety. Bennett snickers, stopping only when I give him a pointed glare. “You didn’t tell me things were decreasing so rapidly.” I say, switching the focus back to the papers in front of me.

“Well, then it’s a good thing you and the brigade of death showed up just in time.” He quips.

“Your humor is ill timed, Bennett.”

He shoves his hands into the pockets of his pants. His lips is pulled between his teeth. A nervous habit. “A lot happened in a short amount of time.” He says quietly.

“I thought you said things had been quiet the past several days?” I ask, recalling what he’d told Ezra.

Dark brown eyes raise, the shadows underneath them evident. “Well what did you want me to say? Did you want me to scare them off within the first few minutes of working with us?” I’m at a loss for words as he continues on. “Because here is how I envisioned that conversation going, ‘Hi - thanks so much for coming to save our asses. I regret to inform you that you’ll probably all be dead by morning.’” He sticks his hand out in a obnoxious demonstration.

“I’d rather you be honest.” I grumble. His arm drops down to his side, defeat on his face. “I’m sorry. It’s been overwhelming.” I state.

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