Page 59 of The Twisted Throne

“I told her I’d stay.”

“It’s fine. Ahnna won’t care.”

Yes, she will.

Pulling a chair next to the bed, he settled into it, then said, “I’ve been accused of a lack of judiciousness in my promises, my lady. But never of not keeping them.”

Waking felt like dragging herthoughts out of a quagmire, the events that had transpired rolling across her mind, so when Ahnna finally opened her eyes, she was already cringing with embarrassment.

The first thing she saw was Taryn asleep on a chair against the wall, her cousin’s head lolling at an angle that was destined to result in a neck ache, drool dribbling down her chin, though her blade was clutched firmly in one hand. If she was woken, she’d wake swinging.

Ahnna shifted, her eyes landing on a leg clad in black trousers, on which rested a large hand marked with familiar scars. Her gaze traveled up an arm wearing a military uniform, over ribbons and medals to the gold-tasseled epaulets on the shoulders, until it came to rest on James’s face.

Unlike Taryn, he was awake. James’s eyes were fixed across the room, the skin beneath shadowed with exhaustion, splatters of what she assumed was her blood dried among the freckles on acheek that showed far more stubble than it had the last time she’d laid eyes on him.

I’ll keep watch for you.His voice echoed up from memory, and Ahnna’s chest tightened, because he’d kept his word. She could not remember the last time someone had given her their word and kept it.

Then his head turned, and James said, “It’s good to see you awake, Your Highness. Everyone will be relieved.”

Not for the first time, she was struck by the hue of his gaze. The golden amber almost seemed to glow. A color she’d only seen looking back at her from the faces of the large cats found in Ithicana, and yet somehow it wholly suited him.

“How long was I asleep?” Her words sounded dragged over sandpaper.

Before he answered, James filled a glass from a pitcher of water. “Eighteen hours.”

And he’d stayed the entire time. She knew with absolute certainty that he had, because the exact same attributes of his character that drove her to madness also ensured that he’d never break his word to her.

Ahnna drew in an unsteady breath, then pushed herself up on her elbow, wincing as pain lanced down her back.

“Careful!” He set the glass down on the side table so hard, water splashed over the edge, then reached for her. One hand caught the blanket before it slid down to reveal her naked breasts, the other slipping beneath her, lifting her upright. His hand was cool against her skin, the sensation of his touch teasing at a memory that she couldn’t quite latch on to no matter how hard she tried, it being somehow tied together with a song she’d heard only once before.

Then James removed his hand, stuffing pillows behind herback. “Bronwyn seems the sort to get testy if you damage her stitching.”

“She did the stitching?” Ahnna drank greedily from the glass he handed her.

“Yes. She appears to have a great deal of training in such things.”

“All of Silas’s daughters of a certain age do,” Ahnna muttered, though she was relieved it had been Bronwyn, not the Harendellian doctor, who’d handled her while she was unconscious. “Have you learned who those assassins were?”

“The use of wraithroot suggests they were Amaridian.” James rose to his feet. “And it is a logical conclusion, given recent events.”

Ahnna bit the insides of her cheeks, for while the previous attack had been aimed at him, there was no doubt in her mind that she’d been the target of this assassination attempt. Even with her focus taken by the one man she’d been fighting, it hadn’t been lost on her how the other assassin had seemed more intent on trying to get past James than on killing him. Which meant that either Katarina had changed her goals, or the assassins hadn’t been sent by Amarid’s queen at all. Given that she’d been combatting Amaridian pirates most of her adult life, she knew how they fought. And how those men fought wasn’t Amaridian at all. But if not Katarina, then who?

Keris’s warning, confirmed by Virginia, filled her head, and Ahnna swallowed hard.

“Your guardsman is unwell, and the other two are taxed,” James said. “I did not wish to make changes to your security without your knowledge, but it is my intention to select individuals from Harendell’s ranks to fill in the gaps.”

A wave of concern for Jor crossed over her, but Ahnna said, “That’s not necessary. I’ve lived my whole life—”

“Lady Bronwyn noted several gaps in the Sky Palace’s owndefenses. Until those are remedied, and until you are wholly well, my men will ensure your protection. I will hear no argument otherwise.”

She glanced at Taryn, who was so tired she’d slept through the entire conversation. “Temporarily.”

James inclined his head. “As you say, my lady. I recommend you stay in bed and avoid exertion until we can be certain you are free of the poison, but I suspect you will disregard my recommendation. Good day to you.”

He turned to walk away, and without thinking, Ahnna reached and caught hold of his wrist. His skin was cool and smooth beneath her overheated fingers, the contact sending sparks through her core as James turned back to her, amber eyes darkening to bronze. “Thank you. For…” She trailed off, then shook her head and repeated, “Thank you.”

He stood entirely still for a long moment, her hand on his wrist; then he pulled free. “It should not have happened.” He walked to the door. “And it will not happen again.”

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