Bound to the Elvin King (32 page)

As if by magic, the door opened, and Kavlin and Batin’s friendly faces greeted her. While many things did seem to be due to magic in Eria, she knew from experience this was not. The sentries were trained to listen for footsteps, and opened the door when the sound neared.

“Hey, guys. Having fun guarding this handsome door?”

Kavlin gave her a flirtatious smile. “When you come through it, yes.”

“Flatterer. Tell me more.”

Meclin cleared his throat. “You are being quite inappropriate, Kavlin. She’s…the princess’ good friend and should not be treated in such a common way.”

Maggie glanced at Meclin, startled. What was this craziness about? Hadn’t there been enough already?

Kavlin’s eyebrows drew together in puzzlement. “I mean nothing by it. And it’s no different than the teasing your group of guards engages her in.”

“We are her personal guard,” Jocin said. “That gives us a certain familiarity, but there’s no hint of impropriety between us, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”

Maggie’s head hurt as she tried to figure out what was going on. Why were her guards being killjoys? “Come on, guys. Calm down. I like to joke around, and anyone who knows me realizes that.”

Karcin nodded, though he gazed warily at the sentries. “No harm was done this time.”

This time?
Maggie mouthed, and Karcin merely shook his head. “It’s time to escort you to your rooms.”

She scowled, not liking the tone this little visit with her guards was taking. Boy, were they ever going to love her trip to the market. She wasn’t going to be stopped by anyone, least of all Talion and his men. Because that was what they were at the end of the day—his men, not her buddies, not even really
her
guards. Their actions proved it.

Turning to face the sentries, she said. “Goodbye, Kavlin and Batin, I apologize for the guards’ rudeness.” She stalked away but paused to look over her shoulder at the three guards. “I’m going, but not because you—or your king—demand it. I need to freshen up because I have plans.”

The three glanced at each other and asked in unison, “Plans?”

She began walking again. “Yes, plans. I’m sure you’ve heard of them before. Oh, and don’t even think about stopping me.”

The guards rushed to catch up with her, their scabbards clacking against their boots with each step.

Meclin reached her first. “My lady, stop. Please.”

At the pleading in his voice, Maggie faltered in her stride and cast him a look. “Why should I?”

He spread his hands in a helpless gesture. “You must understand….” He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, his eyes narrowing as if he were in thought. Wise, very wise of him. “You must understand that since you’re the king’s bond mate, we only seek to protect you and your reputation. As queen, you’ll be expected to treat males other than your husband in a certain way, at least while in the public’s eye.”

Damn, the decorum lessons had started, and they weren’t even from an “official” tutor. Could someone shoot her now and put her out of her misery? She really wasn’t cut out for this queen shit, but she wasn’t as clueless as they all apparently thought.

She eyed Meclin with a calmness she didn’t feel. “But we weren’t in the public eye. I know and trust those sentries enough to be myself around them. The same went for you guys. But if you’re going to get all stuffy, then you just can forget about it. There’ll be no more Maggie spinning jokes and offering her camaraderie. And believe it or not, I know how to behave in public. While I may not know all your conventions, you can trust me not to flirt with every guy I see.” She shrugged. “I’m a friendly person. I like to talk, but only your king gets my amorous attentions.”
Though he might not anymore.

Her guards gazed at her with mouths slightly agape. She held in her smile. Her speech appeared to have worked its magic.

Karcin overcame his stupor first. “We didn’t mean to offend and treat you like a child. We enjoy your presence very much and would hate to see your demeanor change around us because of what’ve we said.”

“Just make sure it doesn’t happen again. Now with that solved, I want to go to the market.”

Her abrupt demand had the guards staring at her. Jocin protested. “But…but—”

“Look, I’m going with or without you guys. You can’t stop me short of tying me up.” She winced. “God, that sounded kinky. Don’t get me wrong. Most ladies would like to be tied up by you, but not…yeah.” Damn, it probably wasn’t smart to practically tell her guard nearly any woman would want to share their beds. “I’ll just shut up now.”

They wore glazed expressions on their faces. “Okay, who’s taking me to the market?” she asked with a bright grin.

Chapter 17

The market held an array of scents and colors that beguiled Maggie’s senses. She took in a deep breath, savoring the fall air as some of her tension leaked away. The sun’s rays shone softy on the assembled carts and booths, adding warmth to an otherwise brisk day. She didn’t even really need the silk shawl around her shoulders.

Had Cal ever shopped here? If not, Maggie would have to take her. So what if all the elves in town seemed to have poured into the large square to stare at her? It didn’t bother her…too much. Plus, her guards were here to deflect anyone who got too bold, namely young elvin men who didn’t know she was taken and wanted to flirt with the novel human.

She had a few coins in the little purse hanging from her wrist, but she actually preferred to browse. Though she was only a mile from the palace, a sense of freeness grabbed her. This rare freedom helped her forget her troubles, if only for a while.

The aroma of fresh baked goods guided her to a small stand. A young elven woman smiled in welcome, her intricate braids swaying as she inclined her head. “Would you care to sample some sweets, my lady?”

Maggie’s stomach took that moment to rumble, and she smiled sheepishly. “That is very kind of you—and timely. Thank you.”

The woman placed a few cookies and biscuits in a soft-weave pouch. “Will you be attending the Harvest Festival, my lady?”

Harvest Festival? When was that? “Umm, I don’t know.”

“I hope you can make it. Everyone has such an enjoyable time.”

Oh, what the heck, why not? Screw Talion and anything he said. “In that case I’ll be sure to go. When is it?”

The elvin lady hummed thoughtfully. “In about a week-and-a-half’s time. It starts on Friday and lasts through the rest of the week. People from all over Eria and farther come in droves to attend.”

“I thought it was too dangerous for such large-scale travel?”

The tradeswoman paused in her work and looked up. “People travel together, so there’s safety in numbers and in the combined unit of soldiers yielded by groups merging into one.”

“That makes sense. Thanks, I’ll mark the date on my calendar.” Which was wide open, especially now she’d stricken Talion from it.

As Maggie munched on a delicious, soft cookie from the bag the woman had handed her, she glanced at her trio of protection. “Aren’t you guys going to have a bite to eat?”

Meclin said softly, “We are here to guard, not partake in the market.” He took any sting out of his words by adding, “But I thank you for your concern.”

“Okay. Have it your way.”

“Will you soon be ready to return to the palace?” Jocin asked.

His words deflated Maggie’s joy. Return to the palace already? “Yeah, I guess so.” Maggie glanced at the other woman and lifted up the pouch of goodies a bit. “Thanks again.” The lady smiled and nodded her goodbye.

As Maggie and her Three Musketeers headed toward the path that would take them out of the market, a loud boom shattered the lively chatter of the market. One of the vegetable stands blew to pieces, raining down bits of vegetables and wood. Maggie clutched a hand to her thundering heart and stared mesmerized at the horrifyingly similar scene. An image of an exploding statue suddenly usurped the chaos unfolding before her. With a sickening drop of her stomach, she knew it couldn’t be a coincidence. Fear danced across her mind.

She shook her head to clear the haze away. Good thing she had her guards with— That thought crashed to a stop when she glanced around.

Because of the people screaming and running about, she’d somehow become separated from Jocin, Meclin, and Karcin. Damn, so not good.

Fear wormed its way deeper into her brain. She needed to find them.
Now
. But she couldn’t see over the heads of the elves panicking around her. Even standing on the tip of her toes gave her no advantage. She moaned. Why was every tall elf in town standing next to her?

She headed toward the perimeter of the market, trying to escape the worst of the stampeding crowd. Sweeping her gaze over the area, she couldn’t see any sign of her guys. Anxiety and worry tugged at her. Shit, where were they?

The crowd around her dispersed, and the realization she stood alone consumed her. What she hoped was paranoia prickled at the back of her neck. All she knew was that she needed her guards—and safety.

Before she walked a foot, a hand grasped her arm and yanked her into a small space between two buildings. Her heart shot into overdrive, and a scream ripped from her throat. A hand slapped over her mouth, and her cry vanished into the panic of the marketplace.

Her kidnapper dragged her farther into the shadows, only stopping once they were behind a bin that looked suspiciously like a garbage cart. Fright surged through her like a riptide pulling her under. God, how would she escape? She could barely think over the frantic pounding of her heart. She forced herself to take a deep breath and assess the situation. The scents of evergreen soap and leather filled her nose. From the hard chest her upper back came into contact with, she knew the creep holding her must be male. Plus, there was no way elvin women could have arms of steel like this guy did.

She aimed a kick at the elf’s shins. He seemed to be one step ahead of her and trapped her legs between his. Only the arm around her waist, not to mention the hand over her mouth, kept her from pitching face forward. She did the only thing left to her—she sunk her teeth into the palm of his hand.

The man’s grip loosened, and his hand slid from her mouth. She managed to stand up straight as he swore in a couple of different languages, finally ending in one that was familiar. “By the Green Mountains towering above us, Lady Maggie, why did you do that?”

She froze. That voice was familiar. Where had she heard it before? Closing her eyes, she shifted through her memory until the correct scene lay before her. Alanon—Alalise’s brother. Her dread eased until an unpleasant thought reared up. Alanon was the person Alalise had been warning her about. And the explosion was too convenient to be coincidence, surely.

Though it was hard to believe, maybe Alalise had been telling the truth. But why would she sell out her brother? Uncertainty reached a fevered pitch in Maggie. If there was one thing she hated, it was that feeling. It tended to make her extremely testy, as did being grabbed and manhandled.

She released a scream and elbowed him in the ribs. “Let me go. Now.”

A soft chuckle rumbled against her back. “Sorry, I can’t do that. If you trust me and don’t scream, we can talk and I’ll let you go afterward. If not, I’ll gag you, and you’ll still listen to what I have to say.” As if to prove his words, he slid a length of rough fabric over her check.

Her trust him? She didn’t like the sound of that, but what choice did she really have? None, unless she wanted to be gagged. “Fine.”

Firm hands on her shoulders turned her around to face him. Alanon, that platinum-haired idiot, smiled down at her. Her hands fisted at her sides. She’d never wanted to wipe someone’s cheesy grin out of existence more than she did his.

“You’re one hard lady to catch a moment with.”

The question was why he even wanted to “catch a moment” with her. Only one way to find out—play along. She shrugged away his hands. “I’m not hard to find. You could’ve talked to me at any time without all this drama.” She waved her hand toward the marketplace to make her point.

He tapped her on the nose. “Ah, but you have your guard dogs with you at all times.”

She shied away from his touch and scowled at him. Besides his very presence making her uncomfortable, she found she didn’t want any man’s touch but the king’s. Only Talion’s felt…right. Normally, such sappiness would bother her, but right now it barely fazed her, regardless of the anger she harbored against Talion.

Alanon had as good as admitted he set off the marketplace explosion. She shivered. Had he been responsible for the one that injured her too? “I can’t help there are psycho elves out there, causing mayhem and inflicting pain.” Her tone left no doubt she counted Alanon as one of those elves.

His grin widened, and he seemed to read her mind. “True, but I had nothing to do with the one that hurt you.”

Yeah, like she could believe him. Her whole body itched to flee. “Just tell me what you want. My guards will be tearing the area apart looking for me.”

“Not to mention the king. He wouldn’t want you getting hurt, now would he?”

She swallowed thickly. Damn, did he mean what she thought he did? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”