The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1)

by Danielle L. Jensen

“I will be the next queen of Ithicana. And I will bring the Bridge Kingdom to its knees.”

what stood before her was nothing more than a man. And men could be defeated.

This man might be a hunter. But he was mistaken if he believed she was prey.

“I wanted to see the bit of architecture that was worth the rights to my body. My loyalty. My life.” He recoiled as though she’d slapped him. “The rights to those things are yours to give, not your father’s.”

Aren turned on the man who’d watched over him since he was a child. “I will say this once and never again. If anyone harms her, they lose their head. That goes for you, it goes for Aster, and it goes for my grandmother, too, lest she think me ignorant to her ways. Understood?”

“My eyes are on the enemy. She’s standing right there.” Temper frayed past repair, Aren turned and slugged the man in the face, knocking him out cold. Then he turned to the girl. “You’ve just been promoted to acting commander of Kestark until another can be chosen. Do let me know if anyone gives you any trouble.”

“Since the moment I set eyes on you in Southwatch, there’s been no one but you. Even if I’m a goddamned fool for it, there will never be anyone but you.”

“God, you’re beautiful,” he growled. “Insufferable and venom-tongued and the most incredible woman I’ve set eyes on.”

Ithicana—and its king—bent to nothing and no one. But he bent for her.

“I love you,” he said, his lips grazing against hers. “And I will love you, no matter what the future brings. No matter how hard I need to fight. I will always love you.”

“It’s yours,” he murmured into her ear. “Ithicana. Everything that I have is yours. To protect. To make better.”