Page 42 of Quest for her Knights
“What was your childhood like?” she asks, surprising me.
“My childhood?” I ask, turning towards her. I feel my blood racing through my veins at the thought of my early years.Why would she ask me that?
“Yes, from my understanding, you are likely an only child? Did you grow up with your parents, what were they like?”
“I, umm. No, I didn’t grow up with them. They abandoned me when I was five. I was friends with Arrow, and when he found out my parents moved away and left me on the streets, he told Ranger, who brought me back to their home. Their fathers welcomed me in, so I stayed with them until I turned twenty and joined the royal guard.” I can’t believe I just told her all of that, even the other knights, outside of these three, don’t know I was abandoned.
“That’s terrible, I can’t believe they’d just abandon you. I’m glad you had your friends to help you through that,” she says with a soft smile in my direction. I nod my head and turn back to the target tree. It was kind of her to care, but she might not if I told her the reason they abandoned me. Of course, that was something I could never reveal. Besides my parents, Ranger, Arrow and Blaze are the only people in the kingdom who know,and that’s only because I told them when I was five, too young to realize that I needed to keep it a secret. When my parents told me why they were leaving me, I knew I could never tell another soul.
“Draven?” Elora asks, bringing my attention back to her. “Are you going to throw that?” she says, motioning to the dagger I’m apparently holding suspended over my shoulder.
“Right,” I say before throwing it at the target.
It hits the trunk dead center again and I hear her whisper, “Fuck.”
I glance at her. Instead of staring at the target, she’s staring at me with such intensity it makes my body heat. “What?” I ask, confused by the look she’s giving me.
“Umm sorry,” she says, her cheeks turning red as she shakes her head and turns to the target. “It’s just that you look hot when you’re wielding a weapon. Okay, my turn.” She quickly grabs the dagger from my hand and turns back to the target.
Did she really just say that?
Before I can question it, she pulls her hand up over her shoulder so quickly that she loses her grip on the dagger as it goes flying behind her, falling to the grass ten feet behind us.
“No more dagger throwing,” Ranger barks, and we turn to see the three of them watching us. Arrow is trying not to laugh, Blaze is looking at her like she hangs the moon, and Ranger is glaring.
“Oh, boo, why not?”
“If you can’t throw it in the right direction, then I think it’s time to quit. Besides, it’s not a skill you’ll need. You have us to protect you.”
“I won’t always have you, though.”
“What do you mean?” Arrow asks with concern.
“After we’ve finished this trip, and I find myhusbands,” she says almost bitterly, “then they will protect me, right?”
“No, you’ll always need a royal guard. I suppose it might not be us though,” Blaze says with a frown.
I didn’t think about what would happen at the end of this trip. Would we become her permanent guard? And have to watch her live her life with her husbands? That sounded like torture. But the feeling of not being around her made my chest ache.
Placing my palm over my heart, I frown at the strange sensation.That was new.
Chapter sixteen
Elora
The journey to Ravenbrook takes us six nights. Each night, either Arrow or Blaze, or both, lie beside me to help me sleep. But I always wake up alone and confused, wondering if they just stayed with me until I fell asleep. I spend most of the journey in the carriage, but when the road grows bumpy, Ranger is quick to stop the carriage and pull me out to ride with Draven. I’m not sure why he’s the only one I ride with, but I enjoy his silent company. He’s like a calm, protective shield at my back, and riding with him often ended with me falling asleep against him as we rode on for hours.
We arrived at Ravenbrook earlier today, and they welcomed me very eagerly into their home, where we enjoyed dinner before moving to their parlor for a drink. The lords here seem much more interested in me than the Carmichael brothers hadbeen. Hopefully, that means they don’t have a secret girlfriend, too.
Maxwell, Jonathan, and Aaric are kind and flirty. As we sit in their plush chairs, they tell me about some of the places they’ve visited, and I smile and nod at the appropriate moments. They’re saying and doing all the right things, and they’re even quite attractive, but I’m worried because I don’t feel a spark with them. I try to remind myself that not all love connections are instant, and I should give them a chance.
“Would you like some whiskey, Princess?” Aaric asks as he pours himself a glass.
“Oh, yes, thank you,” I say, hoping the alcohol will calm my nerves.
I don’t know why I feel so nervous. Ranger has spent the past week teaching me how to act, and these men seem very interested in me. I should be excited, I should have butterflies dancing in my stomach. But sitting in this parlor, the only thing that seems to get those butterflies fluttering is when Ranger or Draven’s eyes light up with anger… or jealousy.
They said nothing can happen between us, but I hadn’t so much as touched one of these men, and both of them seem on edge. Arrow and Blaze might be reacting the same way, but they’re standing at the wall behind me, so I can’t see them without turning around.
