Page 56 of Quest for her Knights
“What gives you the right—” I’m cut off as he throws me over his shoulder and marches awayfrom the pond.
He sets me down on my feet, gentler than I expected, based on his anger. We’re beside the carriage, and he opens the door and tosses something on the bench inside, then turns to me, sticking his finger in my face.
“I am your head guard, Princess. That means that it’s my job to keep you safe. When you pull a reckless stunt like that, you put yourself in unnecessary danger. I won’t stand for it. What would your parents say if they saw you do that? Hmm?”
I swat his finger away as I glare right back at him. “They aren’t my parents. You know that. Besides, I just wanted to have a little fun for once. You need to lighten up sometimes.”
“Get in there and get changed. We’re not done with this conversation, but I’d prefer to have it when you don't look like that.” His eyes flick down my body before he stomps away.
I glance down and realize the shirt is clinging to my body, and my nipples are practically pushing right through the shirt. I jump inside the carriage and close the door. Did he hate what he saw? Is that why he ran away so quickly? Or is it my personality he hates? He’s definitely shown no inclination of liking much about me, that’s for sure.
Way to help my self-esteem, Ranger.
I quickly strip out of the wet slip and dry myself with the blanket he provided before putting on the nightdress he also threw in. It feels a bit early to wear it, but I have no other choice.
I normally only put this on before climbing into bed, so I feel a little self-conscious walking over to where they’re seated, dry and fully dressed, around the campfire in broad daylight.
I see they’ve left a seat for me between Ranger and Draven, and I swallow nervously as I tentatively take it. I’ve never sat between these two before. I’m always beside either Arrow or Blaze, if not both. Those two have softer energy that calms me.
But sitting between Draven and Ranger has my hackles up. Neither of them is looking at me, but I can feel the tension rolling off them in waves.
I glance at Arrow and he gives me a look that says he’s either sorry or worried about what’s about to happen. I bite my lip and look down at my feet, feeling incredibly nervous.
Ranger takes a deep breath, then sighs. “Princess.” I turn to him, but he’s still looking straight ahead. “I need you to understand that I am always looking out for your best interest.”
“I know that—”
“I don’t think you do,” he cuts me off, finally turning to look at me. He no longer looks angry, just frustrated. “I’m not trying to make you miserable or stop you from having fun, but you need to do it more safely.”
I scoff, feeling my own anger start to rise as I turn away, staring at the fire in frustration.
“You won’t let me learn how to use weapons, you barely tolerate me riding the horses, and I’m not allowed to jump offa little waterfall. It sounds like you’re stopping me from having fun.”
“You’re wrong.” I frown, confused, as I look back at him. He shakes his head. “I let you practice with weapons until it became clear you were going to injure yourself. I don’t have a problem with you riding the horses; I have a problem with you sitting with Arrow and Blaze.”
My eyes flick to them quickly. I sort of already knew that, but hearing him confirm it is... reassuring.
“And the waterfall was uncharted territory. We didn’t know if it was safe. It might have been too shallow. If you had just asked me first—”
“You would have said no.”
“Maybe. But it’s my job to keep you safe, Princess. What part of that don’t you understand?” I can hear the disappointment in his voice, and a big part of me wants to do whatever I can to change that. I want him to be proud of me, not disappointed.
“If you’d landed two feet to the left, you would have hit a large boulder hidden beneath the surface,” Draven says from my other side.
I turn to him, surprised. “Really?” He nods before turning back to the fire.
Ranger grabs my hand and gives it a little tug to get my attention.
“When I tell you to do something, it’s only because I’m trying to keep you safe. I wish you could understand that.”
I press my lips together, stopping myself from saying something I’ll regret, like how I wish he cared more about me as a person than just my safety. But it wouldn’t help. I’m just a job to him.
He studies me silently, like he’s considering something, his eyes flicking between mine.
“You said something before, about needing someone to set boundaries for you.”
My eyes widen.He’s talking about a dom.
