Page 22 of A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly

“You all know me,” he drawled. “Loche Lejonskold. I’ve been your regent the past five years, and while I’ve accomplished a lot, I have more to give to Ellow. I have more to give to all of you. And I won’t stop until you have it.”

The cheers were deafening.

The crowd tightened around her as they chanted his name, several men yelling that they didn’t need an election—there wasn’t a question who should continue leading Ellow.

Loche flicked his dark hair, a smirk on his face as he offered the people a shallow bow before stepping back, leaving the front of the dais empty.

Lessia wasn’t surprised when Zaddock jumped up, following Loche and taking the spot beside him, his gaze sharp as he swept it across the people.

She shifted her eyes to Loche.

He stood unyielding and with a straight back, his expression unreadable as he glanced out over the crowd.

Lessia’s brows pulled as she took in his face.

He was so young.

Somewhere in his late twenties, Loche was the youngest regent Ellow had ever known. She had seen him before, of course. But only from a distance, and up close like this, it wasdifficult to comprehend how a man only a few years her senior had accomplished so much already.

“If he wasn’t so terrifying, I might have pursued that. Lethal and beautiful. Makes me want to see if there is any softness under all that muscle,” Ardow whispered, his eyes glittering.

While Ardow was impartial in who he invited into his bed, she knew he only made the comment for her benefit, to try to take her mind off what she was about to do.

She gave him a grateful smile, but as she opened her mouth to respond, another man stepped onto the platform, not as gracefully as Loche, but with his chin lifted high.

“I’m Craven Bernedir. My family have been farmers in Ellow for generations, and while I haven’t been regent, I have experience thatyoungermen don’t.”

Craven spun on his feet, not bothering to bow to those who clapped—far less than for Loche, but still enough that it made Lessia nervous for the current regent.

“Farmer,” Ardow spat. “His family is one of the richest noble families—they exploit the farmers, pay them far less than their worth, but because his family owns so much land, they don’t have a choice but to work for them.”

Lessia clenched her jaw as Craven took up a spot next to Zaddock. She’d heard of his family, had purposely not used them as a supplier for the taverns based on the rumors of how they treated their workers.

A woman, dressed in a navy uniform with shining black hair cascading down her back, mounted the dais next.

A woman Lessia recognized very well.

Stellia Silversvard was a commander’s daughter and had led several fleets in the navy herself as a captain. Well regarded within the navy, she was known for her fair but strong leadership. Stellia didn’t accept failure, but she alsorewarded loyalty, and men far older than herself had followed her into dangerous waters. Stellia and her men had sojourned in Lessia’s taverns for years, never causing any trouble, and, according to her staff, tipped very well.

Stellia introduced herself, and cheers, mostly from soldiers, followed as she stepped back with a tight smile on her face.

Lessia drew a breath. “We should probably—”

“I’ll be the one accompanying you.” Merrick slipped in between her and Ardow, shoving the latter so hard he stumbled back, right into a group of men beside them. “Leave.”

As he righted himself, Ardow glared at the Fae, and his eyes widened when the Fae blood running through his veins allowed him to see through Merrick’s glamour.

“You…” Ardow trailed off when Lessia managed to shake her head, a chill creeping up her neck.

Nostrils flaring, Ardow snapped his eyes to Merrick again.

“I don’t think so,” he snarled quietly, readying to get into Merrick’s face.

But when Merrick’s magic flitted over her shoulders, a warning squeeze brushing her neck, she stepped around the Fae.

“Leave it, Ard,” she pleaded.

She’d been lucky the past years. Merrick had seldom shown up when her friends were around, and in the rare instances he did, she was always able to rid herself of him quickly. She wasn’t about to risk them getting anywhere near his deadly presence now.

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