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“I see you got my delivery.” “Stop breaking into my room.” “What’s that word you like so much?” He tapped his chin, pretending to think it over. “No.”
“If you laugh at me, I swear to Izzac I will find a way to stab you in the eye.” I’d never prayed to the God of Death before, but there was always a first. The Guardian dropped to a crouch, the knife dangling from his fingertips. “It is unwise to threaten me.”
“Is that really what everyone calls you? You must have a name.” “I do.” I waited. And waited. And waited. “Well, what is it?” He leaned in closer, his voice dropping low. “Maybe I’ll tell you. If you earn it.” There was always a test when it came to this man. “Earn it, like your trust?” His laugh was humorless. “You might earn my name one day. But make no mistake, Cross. I will never trust you.”
“Any chance that this is where we’ll part ways?” “Not yet.” The Guardian’s smile was wolfish. Menacing. And not attractive, not in the slightest. “Welcome to Turah, my queen.”
A warmth spread through my belly, pooling lower. Oh, gods, no. I forced my eyes forward, clenching my fists and molars. Yes, he was attractive, but I could not—would not—let a handsome face and body carved from stone distract me from my task. That man was a murderer. I refused to allow a spontaneous physical reaction to cloud my judgment.
“Sore, my queen? We’ll have to add riding to your training regimen. That, or being ridden. I’ll have a word with Zavier.”
“If you’re not going to send him here, I guess I’ll have to find his tent myself.” “Feel free to wander into mine, Princess.” He leaned in closer. “Zavier likes to share.”
There hadn’t been a guard on the ship. There hadn’t been a need. And stupid me, I’d thought maybe there wouldn’t be a need in Turah. That I could walk without a shadow. That I could have some space.
“I’ve only ever read about them in books.” “So curious, my queen.” Yes, I was. “I want to know what I’m up against.” With the monsters. With him.
“And I was certain I wouldn’t earn any compliments today.” “Praise is for the bedroom, Cross. Not the training ring.”
“Are you angry, Sparrow? Use that rage. Fucking. Fight.” I hate you. If he could read my mind, I wanted that at the front. I hate you. A slow grin stretched across his mouth. “There’s my queen.”
If he wanted to fight unarmed? Fine. I still didn’t stand a chance, but I wanted his blood. I wanted his pain.
It was hopeless. I was hopeless. I was nothing but a toy. A doll. A trivial princess who had no business in this fray between kings.
A warm bath was waiting. And an apple. I didn’t let myself think about who had likely arranged for them both.
Maybe those rumors about the Guardian were true. Maybe he was the God of Death.
A finger hooked under my chin. I knew whose finger it was before I lifted my eyes. The Guardian crouched before me, still covered in blood. He’d walked to me without a sound, his footsteps as light as feathers. “Are you all right, my queen?”
She wasn’t even here, yet I was still lagging behind my sister. I was on the other side of the continent and still…less. Would that feeling ever go away?
It wouldn’t be any different with Zavier, would it? He would not adore me, worship me. I’d traded a loveless engagement for a loveless marriage. I’d never had a man look at me that way. And I never would.
He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. I dropped my gaze to the floor. “You.” “Me.” “I thought you’d be Zavier.” He clicked his tongue. “Sorry to disappoint, my queen. He has been…detained.”
“Did your father send you here to spy?” “No.” It was the best lie I’d ever delivered. Even I would believe me. “You’re a terrible liar, Cross.” He touched a curl at my temple, the strand having fallen out of my braid.
“You’ll learn our traditions. In time. You’ll find that they are simple, my queen. But our loyalty to our country, to our people, runs to the bone.”
A chill snaked down my shoulders when I realized I was truly alone. He’d left me alone. He wouldn’t have done so if there were danger lurking, right? For his many, many faults, the Guardian didn’t seem to want me dead. That, or Zavier didn’t want me dead and the Guardian was following orders.
“Clever, my queen.” Yes, it had been clever. A safe space for my secret things. And now the bane of my existence knew I had something to hide. Damn.
She pushed me harder and harder each day, almost like she was preparing me for a war. Like she could feel a battle coming.
“To accomplish that, all you really had to do was stay on the fucking ship.”
My heart leaped at the same time it sank. It was the strangest sensation, so odd that I choked.
He smirked. “Miss me, Cross?” “Never.” I was an awful liar.
“Worried about me, my queen?” I rolled my eyes. “Only that you’d die and I wouldn’t get to spit on your grave.” His smirk widened. “Fear not. I’m still very much alive and back to be your keeper.”
He’s a monster. He’s a monster, he’s a monster, he’s a monster. A beautiful monster but a monster all the same.
Soft lips. Straight, white teeth. Sparkling eyes. That smile was breathtaking. My heart fluttered for just a moment until I realized I wasn’t the person who’d earned that smile. It wasn’t for me.
Evangeline crashed into his chest. “Papa!” Um… What?
Are you afraid to be alone? Is that why you’re always here?” “I think we both know something about being alone.”
The Guardian. My babysitter had returned. Damn my heart. It skipped. Heartburn. It had to be heartburn.
sour taste spread across my tongue. Not jealousy. Not for him. No, this was annoyance. Pure annoyance. Annoyance so strong I couldn’t see straight. Not jealousy.
“This was a horrible idea.” “Agreed.” “Ah!” I yelped as I spun around.
“Hello, my queen.”
Then what was that show outside the tavern? Him pretending not to know I was on the street while he’d flirted with that blonde? Just an act to crush my soul? Well, it had worked.
“I leave you for four days, and you can’t stay put. You are, without a doubt, the biggest pain in my ass I’ve ever met.” His hand dove into his dark hair again, tugging at the roots. “Explain. What are you doing here?”
whims of men. So you can threaten to take away my freedom all you want, but I will fight you. Every step of the way. Until my last breath. And I will not go quietly into a cage.”
“Did you ever stop to think that maybe the door to your cage has always been unlocked, Sparrow? And all you had to do was push it open?”
“You can either have the bed without the pillow. Or the floor with it. Your choice, Cross.” I huffed. “You are not staying in my room. Get your own.” He smirked. “And leave my queen unguarded? Never.”
“Unless, of course, you want me to sleep with you.”
“I hate you,” I seethed. “Yes, you do. Don’t forget.”
But before it could catch me in its teeth, something plowed into its side. The Guardian.
“Cross!” I blinked, clearing the haze from my vision as I looked out across the street, finding the Guardian’s silver eyes. They were wide. Panicked. And he was running. Why was he running?
He’d saved my life. Again. He’s sworn to protect you. The Guardian. The slayer of legends.
My finger was still on the trigger. All I had to do was squeeze. “Do it.” His voice was a terrible whisper. A challenge. A dare. His fingers dug into my flesh. His eyes bored into mine. Do it.
“I’m sorry about Sariah. It’s my fault.” The Guardian scoffed. “Did you shred her spine with your teeth? I didn’t realize you had such a vicious bite. I’ll have to be more careful.”
shifted closer to the stallion, hiking up my skirts in an attempt to put my foot in the stirrup. But the animal was too tall, and I was too short. I couldn’t reach. The Guardian let out a frustrated growl, picked me up by the waist, and plopped me onto the saddle.
“What about you?” “What about me?” “What horse will you ride?” “Mine.”
