Page 18 of To Wake a Kingdom

Air seized in my throat. The king who’d ordered those deaths today was missing? The man who’d claimed my birthright? My hand curled against my glass, squeezing it. Perhaps with him gone, it would be easier to reclaim my lands.

“No one can know he’s gone.” Ronan’s tone took on an edge that made me lean in closer. “The noble houses would begin plotting against us immediately, to say nothing of the neighboring kingdoms. They’d love a reason to march on Estria and an empty throne would be a very good one. This needs to be kept quiet.”

The woman spoke again. “What about his royal asshole, Erick?”

“They won’t recognize Erick without my father’s approval or confirmation of his death,” Ronan said, his face grim. “He’d keep them in check for weeks at best.”

The four of them fell silent. I waited for them to say more, but their discussion appeared to be over. Nibbling at my stew, I waited for them to leave, worried they’d notice I had been close enough to hear if I left now. After another stretch of tense silence, they finally drained their cups and stood. Watching their backs as they departed, I slid out of the booth and headed to the bar where Verna was pouring drinks.

“That was delicious.” I placed a gold coin on the bar top. “Will this cover it?”

Verna’s eyes went wide.

“My lady, that is far too much,” she said, her voice low. “Don’t flash gold around like that in this town. That will get you killed, or worse.” Her eyes flicked away and then back to me.

I frowned. I’d been handing these out to merchants all day. No wonder they’d behaved with such bewilderment, though none had thought to refuse me. I was such a fool. So much for my knowledge of trade and commerce. I’d been taught to trade grain for lumber, not coppers for bread.

“Thank you for your honesty. Please take it and hide it away, then.”

Verna glanced past me, and I looked over my shoulder. The black-haired warrior stood right next to me, and I jumped, surprised to find him so close. Ronan glanced at the coin, still on the counter, and then over to me.

He didn’t seem like the type to slit my throat over a bit of gold; his father was a king. But I swallowed a string of nerves as Verna made the coin disappear.

Ronan studied me, his bright eyes kindling with curiosity. His proximity wasn’t exactly unnerving, but the look he was giving me felt like tender touches pulling up gooseflesh all over my skin. This close, he was even more beautiful to look at, the shape of his mouth and the line of his jaw worthy of an artist’s canvas. Our eyes clashed, locking in place as my limbs hollowed out.

“Good night,” I said to Verna, prying my gaze from his and forcing my leaden feet to move. As I brushed past him, I noticed the crest embossed on the chest of his armor. Slightly raised with a sheen, it was only visible in the right light.

It was the same crest the man I’d killed had worn. A circle, pierced with a flourished arrow. I’d sleep for another hundred years and never forget it. Ithadto be a coincidence. The man must have been someone in the king’s employ who’d wandered off. It couldn’t be the same father Ronan was searching for.

Panic expanded in my ribs. But deep in my gut, I knew the man buried in my forest was the missing king.

“Are you all right, my lady?” Ronan stared down at me from his warrior’s height, a mixture of questions and concern. “You’ve gone very pale.” Something inside of me shriveled like a flower in winter, sure the truth was splashed across me in vivid red paint. My harmless attraction turned to dust as he swept me with an appraising arch of his eyebrow. I had to get away from this man. My throat had turned to powder, and I couldn’t force words from my mouth.

With a shake of my head, I hurried past him and clattered up to my room in a rush of swelling alarm. Unlocking the door and flinging myself in, I slammed it shut behind me.

I’d killed the king of Estria. I’d stuck a knife in his throat and killed him. The ruler of my rival kingdom.

He’d deserved it. I didn’t feel one ounce of remorse for saving my life, nor for avenging the deaths of the Fae. But no one else would see it that way.I killed a king.

And his son—a warrior with an abundance of muscles and weapons—was going to kill me next.

I sank to the floor, taking down all my grief and worry with me. Wrapping my arms around my knees, I balled up all my emotions, squeezing them into a knot that burned in my chest like an ember hot from the fire.

Nothing seemed possible right now. Nothing was going right. I was going to lose everything and everyone I loved. I had been such a fool. There were no second chances for me—only an endless labyrinth of baited traps, waiting for me to make every wrong move.

Chapter Nine

29 days left

Intheearlyhoursof the morning, my eyes flew open, a cold sweat boiling under the cotton of the dress I’d fallen asleep in last night.

The horse.The king’s fucking horse.

If Ronan saw it, he might recognize it. Especially given the king’s saddle was still strapped to its back. I’d been so distraught last night that I hadn’t considered I was carting around a literal hand-painted sign pointing to my crime. I might as well have composed a song and performed it for the entire town.

I had to get out of here immediately.

With controlled movements, I slipped out of bed, hoping Ronan and his companions hadn’t spent the night at the Whitefeather. But he was a prince, and Verna’s appeared to be the nicest inn in town. Cursing a streak of colorful words that would have made Kianna blush, I laced up my boots and secured my cloak.

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