Page 64 of Quest for her Knights
I shrug and take another nervous sip, unsure of what to say.
“Would you like to play a game? We have a checkers and chess board, or we could play a card game?” Edwin suggests, making me relax a little.
“Yes, that’d be nice,” I say with a smile.
We spend the next few hours playing several different games, and the more I get to know them, the more I realize they’re actually easy to get along with. They’re all flirty in their own ways, which makes me feel like they actually like me, and probably aren’t hiding a secret girlfriend somewhere.
At one point, I get up and look through the bookshelves, happy to see no books about training a wife or gaining power and money.
Jeremiah seems to be the most physical of the group, constantly placing his hand on my knee or arm. Ranger always seems to be out of my sight line, so I can’t tell whether he’s upset about me letting that happen or not. It’s not like I’m the one initiating it.
Rowan keeps giving me these intense stares that bear the slightest resemblance to the way Draven looks at me, except they make me feel a little uncomfortable, likely because I barely know him.
Edwin is always smirking or winking at me, offering teasing remarks and quips that don’t quite land. He doesn’t have Arrow’s easy charm.
But they do make the time pass quickly and before I know it, I’m being escorted by the three of them and two of my knights to my room.
We find the doors open and Draven and Blaze inside, waiting for us. I can’t help but smile when I see them. It’s only been a few hours, but I missed them. Besides being stuck in the carriage when traveling, I don’t spend much time apart from any of them, and I’m happy to see them.
“Do you think your knights could leave so we can say goodnight to you, princess?” Rowan asks as he eyes the four men who don’t seem ready to leave anytime soon.
“Leave? Aren’t they staying with me?” I ask, not thinking about the optics, before I let my big mouth blurt out the question.
“Stay with you?” Edwin asks, looking confused.
“She means with adjoining or nearby rooms,” Blaze answers quickly. “On our way here, she was attacked in her room, so we like to stay close,” he finishes, saving my ass from an awkward conversation about why I was sharing a bed with men who I would not be marrying.
“Don’t worry, princess,” Jeremiah says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me to his side. “My room is right beside yours, and Edwin’s is right through that wall.” He gestures to the left side then turns us around to face the open door and points to the door. “Across the hall is Rowan’s room. You just have to holler if you need us.”
I frown, unsure what he means. Where are my knights staying?
As if understanding my confusion, Draven answers, “We’re sleeping in the guest house.”
My eyes widen with worry, but Ranger thankfully speaks up. “No. We stay with the princess.”
“Well, you aren’t sleeping in her room, that’s entirely inappropriate,” Edwin tells him, crossing his arms over his chest.
“And you think it’s appropriate to stick her in a room surrounded by you three?” Arrow raises an eyebrow at them in question.
I’m starting to feel very uncomfortable, but when I try to pull away, Jeremiah tightens his grip on me, keeping me firmly to his side. Ranger catches the movement, his eyes narrowing in on Jeremiah’s hand.
“Either you show us a room where Elora can stay, and we can be next door to her, or she comes to stay in the guest house with us.”
“We don’t have any other bedrooms in here!” Edwin exclaims in frustration.
“And the guesthouse isn’t befitting a princess,” Jeremiah says with a roll of his eyes, as if just the idea of it is preposterous.
Deciding I need to help move this conversation along, I finally speak up. “If it’s good enough for my knights, it’s good enough for me.” I try to pull away again, but Jeramiah’s fingers dig in almost painfully.
Ranger bares his teeth as he takes several steps towards us. “Release her. Now.”
His fingers relax, and I quickly step forward as Ranger reaches for me and gently guides me behind him as he stares down Jeramiah.
“If I see a bruise on her, you won’t like what happens next.”
I peek out to see Jeramiah swallowing nervously as he stammers, “I-I wasn’t hurting her.”
Ranger glares at him for a moment before spinning to face me. “Ready for bed, princess?”
