Page 169 of Prize for the King
“Relax. I’m done with war. Four kingdoms on top of Roharra is already too much trouble. See, conquering a land is easy. Making it thrive and prosper is the hard part.”
“And you want all your kingdoms to thrive,” I whisper with a small laugh.
Magnar shrugs. “Of course. What else is there?”
Stupid men who like to humiliate their wives and threaten to cut off their toes,I think to myself.Kings who are no better than boys. Men who waste tax money on horses they never ride.
“How are you so amazing?” I ask, burying my fingers in his hair.
Magnar opens the door to our apartment with a small laugh. “Oh, you’re drunk. Good. I’ll take advantage of you.”
I sigh with pleasure, letting myself forget the atrocities of the evening and just be happy with my men. “Please, do.”
We end up sleeping on the floor, all of us together in a nest of blankets, pillows, and couch cushions. We’re woken around noon by a loud gasp from our maids, who have come to bring coffee and pastries for breakfast. Khay throws a pillow off his face and another off his chest, rubbing his eyes, and they gasp again. He’s wearing only his underwear.
“Girls, don’t go into conniptions,” I mutter, covering my bare breasts with someone’s discarded shirt. “Please, leave the food. We will wash after we eat. Thank you.”
“We’re going shopping!” Arvi announces, gathering his clothes after the maids leave. “Come on, Raduna. You wanted to look at the exotic plant seeds, didn’t you? And I want to buy some fancy knives. Oh, and jewelry for mylaruna.All she has to wear is that ugly as fuck pin Khay gave her. She needs nicer things.”
“Hey, it’s not ugly, it’s artistic,” Khay grumbles, trying to untangle himself from the blankets and Magnar’s legs.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Magnar groans. “Pet, stay with me. Please.”
“Oh, yes,pet,” Arvi says with a snicker. “Protect the big Tyrant, because he’s afraid of all the humans he can’t kill.”
“Yes, I’m fucking terrified,” Magnar says evenly, tugging me closer to his side. “And she’s my fierce protectress. Will you stay with me? The first Gathering is in a few hours, and I expect it to be a thousand times worse than a council meeting. We can shop tomorrow. I’ll buy you everything you want.”
Arvi and Raduna leave to get ready. I smile, stroking Magnar’s hair.
“But I have everything I want right here. Yes, I can stay in. Maybe I could talk to Molly when you’re in the meeting. Oh, poor girl. Her husband is a cruel bastard.”
“Which one?” Magnar asks. “They are all bad in one way or another.”
“Xander of Lovar,” I answer with a shudder.
“Ah. He spent the evening boasting about all the maids he’s fucked since coming here. Tiring man. When he asked how many I had, and I said I only fuck my wife, he choked on a nut and had to be rescued. Fuck, I could take Lovar with such a king in charge. If only Trista weren’t in the way.”
I giggle, running my hands up his back. “So that’s why we’re here? So you can size up the competition?”
Magnar is quiet, and Khay turns to us with a curse.
“What?” I ask, still smiling. “Is that it? Really?”
“No,” Magnar says at length. “But you asked why we’re here, and I promised myself I’d always tell you the truth.”
My smile freezes, and I pull away to look at his face. “What… Is it a secret?”
Khay comes closer, his dark blue hair disheveled. Magnar rubs his face avoiding my gaze. “Not a secret. Just something difficult and painful I was hoping to handle on my own.”
“I don’t understand.”
He sighs, looking into my eyes reluctantly. “You’re dealing with your own pain. Trying to do whatever you need to love me. And this… Well, Khay’s reason not to tell you is his own. Mine is that I am ashamed of myself.”
“Ashamed?” I shake my head, dread pooling in my stomach. “What are you saying? What’s going on?”
“There is only one thing I want to negotiate during the Gathering, only one thing I need from those kings, and once I get it, they canall go to hell,” Magnar says viciously. “Truth is, we have everything already. And you, love—I didn’t need to marry a human princess by the time I found you. Having you helped, it let us come here, but I would have done just as well without you. You were a gift no one expected.”
I shake my head, fear tightening my chest. “What are you saying? You… You don’t need me?”
