Page 34 of Courting the Tiger King

There was a beat of silence, as if Zennon was making some kind of decision, before she sat up and took Neah’s hands in her own. “I amcertain. I have no interest in the king… or any man for that matter.”

Neah blinked.Oh. “The Goddess has blessed you,” she murmured. “Men are nothing but trouble, you’re far better off without them.”

Zen laughed, her eyes bright as she pressed a kiss to the back of Neah’s hand.

“Thank you for telling me.” The revelation had lightened the mood and Neah found herself relaxing for the first time in days. “I suppose I understand your certainty a little more now,” she mused and Zen chuckled.

“So what are you going to do about the hunt?”

Neah shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do, I suppose. I’ll attend the hunt if I’m asked, and let the rest fall where it may.”

“Even if the king?—”

“Yes,” Neah interrupted, not wanting to hear the words,chooses you,tempt fate and their fickle Goddess. “Even then.”

Neah couldn’t deny that she found the insipid court tea parties fascinating. They were a spy’s wet dream, full of gossip and whispers and even when words weren’t spoken there was much to be said for the dynamics at play within the social circles.

For instance, Lady Fleura had apparently been sleeping with a guard well below her station and, when questioned, hadn’t denied it. Instead, she’d bragged about the girth of his?—

“Enjoying yourself?”

Neah didn’t take her eyes off the crowd. “Immensely, Your Majesty.” She’d known the instant he’d walked in the room from the reaction of the gathered crowd, a sense of smug self-importance rising up around them that the king had deigned to join them. More than that, there was a new weight in the air, like he took up space by simply existing, and while it was subtle, Neah wasn’t sure she could go back to not noticing it. “And you?”

“More so now that you’ve acknowledged my existence.”

Neah snorted. “That’s very melodramatic of you. I’ve always known of your existence and have been a loyal, dutiful member of the court.”

Wren hummed and Neah dared a glance at his face from the corner of her eye. “There is nothing a man longs for more than dutiful loyalty,” he mused and her lip twitched as she fought off her smile. “I confess, I’m surprised that you enjoy these gatherings.”

“In my… profession, thesegatheringsoffer a great deal of information. Besides, I have a weakness for gossip and scandal. Though, I’d rather be a connoisseur than its source.”

The king turned to face her fully and Neah smiled, pleased that he’d given in to their game of cat and mouse first, as she also looked him full in the face. “I came to ensure you received my invitation.”

“Hm, it must have passed me by. Are you hosting agathering?”

“Of a kind.” His full lips tilted into a small smirk. “I’d like you to join me for the king’s hunt—Zennon too, of course.”

“I see.” Neah kept her face impassive as she snagged a glass of something fizzy from a passing server’s tray.

“It’s a high honour to receive an invitation,” Wren continued. “Let alone a personal invite.”

“Honoured, I’m sure.” She sipped her drink, eyeing him over the rim as she licked a stray droplet from her mouth and swallowed. His eyes dropped, following the movement, and Neah smirked. “I’ll definitely consider it,” she promised. “If no better options present themselves,” she amended and a muscle in Wren’s jaw ticked.

“I’m sure it’ll be worth your while. But by all means, explore your options.” He gave a stiff bow and then waved to a group of ladies across the room. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe my presence is wanted elsewhere.”

Stifling her laughter with another sip of her drink, Neah inclined her head. “Of course, my king. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

Wren walked away, shoulders stiff, and Neah chuckled—he would have to do better than that if he sought to make her jealous.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

WREN

The magical pressure in the air had been mounting all day and even Wren wasn’t immune to its effects. Three fights had broken out amidst the court already, and one particularly amorous couple had been escorted from the breakfast hall to the tittering of those surrounding them. Nobody was particularly phased though, it was all par for the course where the lunar hunt was concerned. Even those who didn’t actively participate would be helpless to resist the call of the moon, the basic shifter instincts rising to the surface until animal wants and needs were the driving force behind the urges to fuck and fight.

A regular full moon had far less effect on them than the moon that shone during the hunt. Humans and shifters alike considered it to be a holy day, the amber glow of the enlarged moon a sign that the Goddess was watching over them, ready to bestow her favour.

Wren wasn’t sure how accurate that was, but he couldn’t deny that the moon was something to behold. It had been visible since the dawn, strengthening as the day wore on and morphing from its usual silver glow to the amber-gold that signified the beginning of the hunt.

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