Gary of a Hundred Days (The Unwanted King #1)

by Isabel Murray

I’d been sitting in my chamber, apparently in solitary confinement and entirely too stupid to know it, spending most of my days journaling.

One way or the other, the feeling stirred in me when I saw Magnus kissing someone wasn’t the usual faint horror. It was worse. It was faint curiosity.

I was a great admirer of nature. My preference was to admire it in the enormous books with beautiful illustrated plates in my library, and with a nice cup of tea.

He laughed when I immediately tried to get closer. Short of mounting him, it was impossible. But I tried.

I pressed my forehead into Magnus’ throat so I wouldn’t have to look him in the eye as I slowly expired from embarrassment.

It had startled me because I hadn’t expected it. Mostly it had startled me because the confident stroke of Magnus’ tongue over mine had made every nerve in my body snap to life, like a log on the library fire suddenly snapping out a shower of sparks and waking me from a daydream. And these sparks were still racing around my body, lighting me up in places I was used to being asleep. It was all very extreme. I wasn’t used to extreme.

“Um. You want to fuck me like you fuck the stable lads?” Magnus shook his head slowly. “No.” Well. That was both unexpected and potentially the most embarrassing moment of my life.

Magnus wove his fingers into my hair and drew me down for a kiss. This one was different. I wondered if all of Magnus’ kisses were unique, if I’d be getting new kisses for the rest of my life. Or if I’d learn them and perfect them, one by one.

it’s easy as anything to get away with evil if you make sure it looks like you’re doing good,”

“We’re five days walk from the border. Three days, if I steal us horses. Which,” he added at my scandalised gasp, “I won’t do because some of us have morals. Not me, but that’s fine.