Bound to the Elvin King (22 page)

“You have the strangest sayings,” he said with a shake of his head.

Glad at the change of topic, she shot a grin at Cal before glancing back to Relian. “So does Cal. It’s what makes us fascinating, admit it.”

His face softened as he gazed at Cal, who blushed and returned his look of adoration. “That it does.” He grabbed his wife’s hand and entwined their fingers.

Aww, how sweet. Too bad she and Talion— Her mind crashed against the reality of her life. Hand-holding wasn’t in their future for so many reasons. Why would she even want it to be?

Maggie smothered a fake yawn. “If you will excuse me, I’m going to my room.”

“Are you feeling okay? You don’t normally go to bed this early,” Cal asked with a puckered brow.

“Just tired. I had a late night.” Thanks to Talion.

“Maybe her elusive lover is keeping her up all night,” Kenhel said.

Maggie punched him in the arm. “Not this again. Stop it. I’m leaving now.” She inclined her head. “Goodnight, everyone. Your Majesty.”

Kenhel chortled. “Our esteemed majesty is still not ranked as
everyone
.”

A lazy smile came to Talion’s lips. “Maybe I’m just special.”

“Yeah, right.” Maggie rolled her eyes. “I’m going to bed.”

She spun on her heel but after a few steps heard Talion say, “Excuse me. I have a matter to discuss with Maggie.”

Her feet rooted to the floor.
Way to be obvious, Talion.
Nobody’s going to suspect a thing.

As she waited for Talion to catch up to her, Cal’s words floated to her. “Wonder what that’s about?”

“Maybe your father-in-law is quizzing her about having a lover.”

At that moment, Talion reached her side and slipped his arm though the crook of her elbow. She ignored him and strained to hear what the peanut gallery was saying.

Relian’s soft words echoed. “Father has been absent more than usual this week. Something is going on. I just don’t know what.”

Alarm trampled through her. “Look what you did,” she hissed.

“Let them speculate. It matters not.”

“They’re going to guess! And sooner rather than later.”

Talion’s face remained calm, though a kindled fire burned in his eyes. “They should know before we make it public. How much longer will we hide what we are to each other?”

She clamped her mouth shut. Just what
were
they to each other? Lovers? The heated spark in his eyes said they were much more than that, though she shied away from giving it a deeper label. Anything deeper would just complicate the situation. Even if she didn’t worry about defining their relationship, what he said about keeping everything secret was the truth. Anger and resentment—at both herself and Talion—stung at her like acid. She hated that he was right, but even her logic couldn’t deny the obvious.

As she pondered all this, he led her through the milling crowd on the edges of the dance floor. Plus, it wouldn’t do for anyone to overhear their conversation. Though discovery was probably inevitable, she wasn’t ready to relinquish the little control she had of the situation.

“From your silence, I take it you agree.”

Suddenly, exhaustion rained down on her. She almost caved to his observation, but some smidgeon of remaining strength—or foolishness—girded every stubborn bone in her. Hell’s Bells, she did agree with him, but no way would she admit it. At least not yet. “Just take me to my room.”

“With pleasure.” His tone changed and became huskier.

“Not for that,” she whispered, heat flushing her body and dissipating some of her tiredness.

He gave a soft laugh as he guided her out a side door. “Resist me if you can.”

Such arrogance. To make matters worse, he had a point. She didn’t have the strength—mind, body, or soul—to refuse him. “On second thought, don’t take me to my room. I’ll go there by myself.”

“Scared?”

Yes. She didn’t want to need him, in any shape or form. “Hardly.”

He halted in the middle of the hallway, his hand sliding down to encircle her wrist. “Then why does your pulse say otherwise? It’s beating like a hummingbird’s wings.”

The pads of his fingertips pressed lightly against the veins roaring with her blood. She swallowed the grapefruit-sized lump lodged in her throat. A sensation of being vulnerable—exposed—consumed her, and she suddenly didn’t want to play this game anymore. She was tired…of it all. “I want to be alone now.”

He sighed and withdrew his hand. “Is that what you really wish?”

No. “Yes.” She didn’t know what she wanted, but he didn’t need to know this.

“I shall return to the great hall. I’ll visit you when you’re in a more…agreeable mood.”

His words didn’t enrage her like they should have. “You should go.”

“Yes.”

Yet he stood there staring at her, leaving her struggling not to fidget under his impassioned gaze. After innumerable seconds, he pivoted around and walked toward the great hall.

A disappointed breath she didn’t know she’d been holding whooshed out of her. Time to get some sleep. She was tired. That had been no lie. It was just she always craved Talion more.

She lightly trailed her fingers along stone and tapestry as she walked. A slightly cool breeze wafted in through filmy curtains, carrying with it the aroma of countless fall flowers. The back of her neck prickled, and she shivered. It felt super chilly all of a sudden. She glanced around but saw nothing of concern, so she shrugged away her feeling of unease.

Maybe she just needed to relax after the tense ordeal in the great hall? Well, she had kind of a long walk back to her room. She might as well try to find some peace in her surroundings. The hallway she was in ran next to a stunning garden, not that this sight was anything new. Or the scents. Her feet knew a lot of the walkways and corridors in this sprawling palace, this one in particular.

Sometimes the path remained ramrod straight. Other times, it twisted, turned, or curved. This place seemed so foreign, yet it grew familiar to her in the same breath. What a paradox. Almost like what she felt for Talion. It was craziness to—

A loud blast rent the silence, followed by a shattering sound. The huge statue to the left of her burst apart, raining its pieces down upon her. A cry ripped from her lips. She threw up her arms to cover her head. The shards slammed, sliced, into her skin. Pain pierced her. Her clothes offered little protection.

The shower of projectiles followed her as she ran back toward the great hall until she suddenly crashed into a hard chest, and arms enveloped her.

Chapter 11

Talion waited for the infernal after-dinner gathering to come to a close and tried to ignore all the courtiers flocking to his side. The urge to seek out Maggie nearly overpowered all his other senses. Her listlessness in the hallway hammered his memory like a physical blow.

He nodded his head distractedly at the courtier talking to him and said, “We’ll finish this conversation later.”

Clearing his throat, he opened his mouth to publicly excuse himself from the gathering when an explosion-like sound came from the corridor outside the great hall and choked the words in his throat. The pieces of some shattered item pattered against the hallway’s marble floor and the stone walls. A cry rang out. His heart froze.

Maggie. She was out there alone.

He sprinted toward the exit, not waiting for his personal guardsmen to follow. An unfamiliar fear tore through him. The blast had to have been an attack. Nothing in the palace could explode unless it had help. If anything happened to her, those responsible would suffer. The thought of losing her… He couldn’t. That was all he knew.

He was dimly aware of feet stomping behind. Soon Relian, Kenhel, and Avrin materialized beside him, and then his soldiers and guard fanned out around them. The knowledge set him at ease a little. It was good to know they protected his back. But it wouldn’t do to rely solely on others. He reached into a secret pocket of his outer robe and withdrew a small dagger.

The trek down the hall stretched on forever. His heart pounded against his ribcage. How far could she have gotten? By the darkindred’s stench, how could he have ever had a hand in designing something so convoluted? And damn these robes! They hampered his run.

He quickened his pace, and rounding a corner, slammed into a soft body. The person moaned. His arms shot out to stop the female from being knocked over. A verbena scent enveloped his senses. Panicked eyes glanced up at him, stared for a long moment, and then blinked.

Relief wrapped around Talion, and his knees nearly buckled underneath him. “Maggie.” He released her arms so he could hug her close.

But horror quickly superseded the previous emotion. Cuts littered her face, some seeping blood. The explosion he’d heard was surely behind this. With a shaking hand, he gently touched one of the wounds marring her cheek.

The caress seemed to snap her out of her stupor, though her eyes remained dazed. “Talion?”

The sound of his name on her lips danced through him. “I’m here. You’re safe now.”

“I—I want to go to my room.”

He lifted her into his arms, the press of her weight reassuring him she was safe. His mind flooded with thoughts and emotions that tugged him under a riptide current. How dare someone cause her such injuries? Anger threatened to boil through his pores at that possibility. Someone would pay.

A deep breath tamped down the barely leashed violence leaking from him. He had to remain calm for Maggie. “I’ll take you there.”

She rested her head against his chest, and this told him more than any words could. So did the tremors that shook her body. “Your Majesty, let me carry her.”

As one of his guards’ voices penetrated his brain, his arms tightened around her. He wasn’t about to release his treasure to anyone.

“Father, let me take her.”

Talion refused to relinquish her to anyone, Relian included. He growled at the offenders and ignored the knowing look Avrin sent him. “I may be king, but I certainly can carry a wounded female without assistance.”

“Can we not stand here and argue about who’s going to carry me?” Some of Maggie’s sass crept back into her tone, and he nearly grinned. This, more than anything, reassured him she would be fine with the proper care. Her flippancy, however, wasn’t a cause for celebration.

He scowled at her. “You could’ve been seriously hurt. Can you not be flattered everyone present is worried and desires to carry you?” Unfortunately, he wasn’t flattered. He didn’t want her out of his arms, regardless of how innocent the others’ intentions, and he knew Relian’s were. She was his, and he couldn’t bear the thought of anyone holding her right now.

“Nope.” She paused, and he thought she wouldn’t go on. Then the words spilled out of her in a breathless rush. “They just feel sorry for me or want to spare you my presence. I haven’t figured out which it is yet. And given Relian is wildly crazy about Cal, there’s no reason he’d want to carry me other than doing a favor to you or Cal.”

His annoyance at her carefree attitude faded. She sounded so adorable he couldn’t be short with her. “Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“Better that than the pain stinging various body parts right now.”

Avrin came up alongside Talion but wisely made no attempt to take Maggie. “Her injuries look superficial for the most part. A few might need stitches. At least, that’s my impression of the ones I can see.”

“Hey, I’m right here. No need to speak like I’m not.”

“Sorry.” Avrin leaned in closer to peer at her. “Though I see some fragments that will have to be removed.”

“Oh, joy. So someone’s going to dig those fragments out of me? I think I’ll pass.”

Talion grimaced. When she phrased it this way, it sounded unbelievably painful. The thought of anyone digging around in her soft skin to remove the shards of clay and glass incited fury. But even elvin medicine couldn’t perform miracles.

“The cuts will become infected if they’re not removed,” Avrin said before glancing back to Talion, as if to ascertain his mood.

Maggie attempted a pout but winced. “Spoilsport.”

Avrin shook his head. “You have an odd idea of fun if you want to keep those shards in.”

Other than giving a “hmmp” Maggie remained quiet.

Relian spoke. “If all is well, I’ll return to Cal. She’ll want to know Maggie is being tended to.”

Talion swiveled his head toward his son. “Also get a group of sentinels to look into the cause of Maggie’s injuries. I won’t allow this attack to stand.”

A nod met his request. “Kenhel knew this and bid one of the sentries to gather a handful of sentinels within the palace. He said he would come back later to check on Maggie. The sooner an investigation is started, the better. We need to know why Maggie was targeted and not one of us—or Cal.”

Talion grunted. He hadn’t even noticed when Kenhel left. This was a testament to the amount of turmoil Maggie’s attack and resulting injuries inflicted on him. Nothing normally escaped his attention.

Relian headed back in the other direction. Talion glanced down at Maggie. Her pep had deserted her. Her eyes were closed, and her head lie against his shoulder. She appeared asleep except the occasional flinch and the rapid rise and fall of her chest. But any kind of rest where she didn’t exert herself was healing, so he didn’t disturb her.