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Jackass. Margot gasped. Father’s jaw clenched. Damn. I guess I’d said that out loud. Well, he was a jackass for laughing.
Only one person remained on the docks as we sailed out of Roslo Bay. Jocelyn’s mother. She kept waving. She never stopped. Her arms had to be tired, but she kept waving to her daughter. I might be the woman wearing the crown, but Jocelyn was the one with the riches, wasn’t she?
“Welcome aboard the Cutter, Odessa Wolfe.” Wolfe. Not Cross. Odessa Wolfe.
“The door was locked.” “Was it? My mistake.”
“If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. If I tell you to hop on one foot and pat your hair, then you. Fucking. Hop. Do we have an understanding?” “No.”
“You can stop, Odessa,” Zavier said. I shook my head. “I can hold it.” “You’ll drop it on your toe.” “I’m fine.” Gods. I was going to drop this sword on my toe.
Not a single blow he’d landed today hit harder. It was every insecurity pulled from the deepest parts of my heart and plopped on the mud for him to stomp with his boot. It was ruthless. Unforgivable. The truth.
“This was a horrible idea.” “Agreed.” “Ah!” I yelped as I spun around. The Guardian stood in the center of my room, his legs planted wide, arms crossed over his chest. A breeze drifted in from the open window. And he was livid. “Hello, my queen.” Well, fuck.
“I didn’t ask to be married to a stranger and shipped across the continent. I didn’t ask to come to Turah. I didn’t ask to be jailed in a wilderness treehouse. Those were decisions made for me by the 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.”
“Ah. As irksome as he is, it’s wise to listen. He is sworn to protect you.” “He is?” When had that happened?
Both monsters roared and lunged. The one-eyed beast was so close I felt the heat from its rancid breath as it came at us, jaws open wide. But before it could catch me in its teeth, something plowed into its side. The Guardian.
He’d saved my life. Again. He’s sworn to protect you. The Guardian.
“Here.” I lifted off my pillow and tossed it to the floor. “So generous, my queen.” He shouldn’t call me that. I was not a queen.
“I hate you.” It should have broken the moment. It should have pissed him off. But he stared at me like I was something to behold. Something to cherish. Something to protect. “Yes, you do,” he said. “Don’t forget.” “Never.”
“Please don’t leave me in the dark. I have been pushed to the side, dismissed, and overlooked my entire life.”
“We kill the monsters. We kill them all. Every last one.” Him. He meant to kill the monsters. Then himself. He smirked, his arrogant mask falling into place. “Just think of how happy your father will be when I’m dead. You can even tell him you killed me, just like he asked. My queen the assassin.”
“Where are you hurt?” His voice was frantic.
The Guardian sat back on his heels. “Fuck, you are reckless, woman. Does your life mean nothing to you?” “Not when the lives of innocent children are at risk.”
“You can sleep with me if you eat your dinner, little star.” Her forehead furrowed at the nickname. “What’s that mean?” “That you’re bright and beautiful. That you’re brave, even in the night.”
“You asked for my name,” he said. “You told me I had to earn it.” He nodded. “Ransom. My name is Ransom.”
“Did you think I’d change my mind?” “Honestly? Yes.” I smiled at Faze. “I guess I have a soft spot for monsters.” Maybe they were all more than they seemed. Or maybe this little tarkin would kill me in my sleep.
“Please.” I huffed. “I would never cause trouble.” “That you actually believe yourself is the most terrifying part of that statement.”
“I couldn’t help myself. He made me mad.” “Gods save the men who make you mad.”
“I have to let go.” “Of what?” “You,” I whispered. “You are not mine to keep.”
“I saw you in Roslo. On the cliffside.”
“You are the crown prince. It was all a ruse.” “Not all of it.” His eyes darkened, shifting to that forest green as he took my arms, keeping me on my feet. Pulling me close and into his chest. “You have always been my queen.”
“Odessa.” It hadn’t taken him long to master my name. I left before he could wield it like that sword he carried.
Tell me you want to leave, and I’ll take you back to Roslo myself.” He was giving me the choice. All I had to do was say yes. “No,” I whispered. His eyes drifted closed, his forehead dropping to mine. “Good. I have no desire to live in Quentis.”
Ransom was mine. Every flaw. Every perfection. “This is my choice.” I slid my palm into his. Scar to scar. I pulled him close, holding those green eyes as I lifted onto my toes and let my whisper caress his lips. “You. You are my choice.”
He tore his lips away, his chest heaving as his forehead dropped to mine. “What have you done to me?” I leaned in, smiling against his mouth. “Stop asking questions, Ransom, and kiss your wife.” “Yes, my queen.” He grinned, then sealed his mouth over mine.
I was his. Not bound together by blood or vows or the treaties of men and magic. Bound by this night.
“We’re just getting started. Wife.”
She sat beside me, frowning as she took in my face and neck. “You’re already getting bruises.” Damn. Ransom was going to lose his mind.
The liquid had grown cool, but it was still a balm to my scratchy throat. I’d just finished both cups when a loud crash sounded from the sitting room. “That would be my son.”
“I will kill you. I swear it.” Ramsey’s nostrils flared. “I see the way you look at her.” “She is my life,” Ransom said. “She will be your death. As your mother will be mine.”
“Run. Now, Cross.” Hot tears dripped to the dirt at my boots. “I love you.” “Yes, you do. Don’t forget.” “Never.” “Neither will I.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I will find you. Here, or in the shades.”
“Where are you going?” Cathlin called. I kept walking. “To find my wife.”
