Page 74 of The Royal Throne
The man’s lips curled into a smile. “Interesting,” he said. “Very interesting.” In a lithe move, he slowly stood, coming to the bars, curling his fingers around them as he observed Sabine.
If he knew she’d been looking at his wrists for the assassin guild mark, then he had to be from Avoni. Sabine kept her feet firmly rooted in place, far out of the man’s reach.
“I must confess, I expected to be arrested weeks ago.” The man’s attention never wavered from Sabine. He didn’t spare Felix a single glance. “What took your incompetent soldiers so long?”
While she assumed he had predetermined military targets to assassinate, the thought of him being captured on purpose had never occurred to her. She wanted to glance at Felix to see if he’d caught that, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the assassin. Not even for a second. He was too dangerous.
“You could have come to see me last night instead of making me wait,” he continued. “But I guess if someone…” His eyes scanned her from head to toe before settling on her eyes again. “King Rainer, perhaps? If he tried killing you last night, then you were busy and couldn’t greet me properly. I forgive you.”
Sabine could feel Felix’s attention on her, silently asking if she knew this man. This assassin. The guy certainly acted as if he knew her.
The man chuckled, the sound echoing in the room. “This is going to be fun. A little more challenging than my usual assignment.”
So then he was here on King Kai’s orders.
“You’ll want to be careful, little queen,” he purred. “You never know what might be lurking in the shadows or under your bed.”
Terror gripped her as she stood there staring into the eyes of this assassin. However, that was what he wanted. It was time to flip the table on him. “Or maybe I do.” She took a deliberate step toward him but was careful to remain out of reach. “Since my bed is on the floor in Avoni fashion, I welcome the shadows where I can hide. Having been trained by Evander myself,” she purposely mentioned his name, hoping it provided her with some form of protection, “I think I’ve learned a thing or two.” She took another step closer, almost within range. “And yes, it’ll be fun to finally have a challenge. Ex was far too easy a kill.”
At the mention of the notorious assassin Ex, the man’s eyes widened ever so slightly. She would have missed it had she not been paying attention.
The man slowly slid his hands farther up the bars, smiling. “Challenge accepted.” His sleeves slid down his arms just enough to reveal the smallest hint of a red tattoo on his wrist—the tattoo of the Crimson Cloaks. Evander’s guild. He winked.
He’d revealed the tattoo on purpose; Sabine was sure of it. Probably because she’d mentioned Evander.
“If we’re done here,” the man said, “you should get back to your pretty little palace in the sky. Sweet dreams. Think of me when you sleep.”
The man’s warning coated her skin like a blanket.
“We’re done,” Sabine said, taking a step away, then another. Not wanting to turn her back on him.
Felix knocked on the door. Drew immediately opened it. Sabine went through first, stepping into the hallway and taking a deep breath.
Felix joined her, closing the door behind him. “We need to talk.”
She nodded. “Not here.”
Chapter Seventeen
Back in the main section of the palace, Sabine felt like she could finally breathe. She never wanted to step foot in the dungeon again. As she traversed through the palace, her hands shook from the encounter with the assassin.
“We can talk in my room,” she murmured to Commander Felix. Not only did she want the privacy her room afforded for this conversation, but she wanted to check on Harta to make sure she was okay.
When they reached the door to her bedchamber, Felix instructed her guards to wait in the hallway. He closed her door then quickly checked the room to ensure they were alone.
Harta was lounging on the sofa on the balcony. Sabine went over, kissing and petting her dog’s head.
“I see your bed isn’t actually on the floor,” Felix said as he joined her on the balcony.
“No, it’s not.” She sat on the sofa next to Harta.
Felix rubbed his jaw. “I have to ask, do you know that man in the dungeon?”
She’d known that question was coming. It was one of the reasons she’d wanted to talk to Felix. “No, I don’t.”
He squatted so they were eye level. “The prisoner didn’t speak a word to my soldiers. Not when he was arrested, not during his transportation, not during his interrogation, and not since being in that cell. But he spoke to you.” He raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question.
Sabine had been trying to figure it out. “I think he was taunting me.”
