Kit wouldn’t have to wait too long to find out. When she rounded the last corner toward her chambers, Eli was standing outside of her door speaking to Cassius. Seeing her, he quickly finished whatever he was saying, handed something to Cassius, who pounded him on the back, and Eli headed off in the other direction, still wet from the rain. Kit felt her heart drop. He hadn’t wanted to see her; she couldn’t blame him. She had just screamed in his face, interrupting their first intimate moment together.
“Ah, here comes my radiant Princess,” Cassius said as she reached him. “Are you all right?”
“Wonderful,” Kit said, forcing a smile to her face. It wouldn’t do to complain in front of her guards. She nodded in thanks to them and then ducked inside. A few other guards, as well as Avinia and Isla, were just passing through the antechamber with buckets in their hands. They both squealed in disdain when they caught sig
Cassius slid the bar of soap up and down her back, using his hands to work away knots Kit hadn’t realized were there until his firm fingers broke them up. Once she was good and clean, she sank down even further into the tub, and he cupped his hands to rinse away the suds.Kit settled back against him, glad to feel his arms around her. She rested her head against his shoulder and took some slow deep breaths, wondering what she should tell him and what was best left unsaid. She couldn’t mention that the house was Eli’s family home; she’d promised her commander she wouldn’t do that. It was the only such agreement she’d made, though. Everything else that slipped her lips would come out because she trusted Cassius not to tell anyone.He didn’t pressure her, didn’t ask, just continued to hold her until she was ready to speak. One hand stroked the sensitive flesh just below her ribcage while the other rested on her
Cassius was shocked. “Eli told you it was him at your Proem?”“No,” Kit managed to croak out. “That was the problem. We’d just had a discussion in which he had divulged information I’d been seeking for years, answered questions I’d asked more times than I can count, and even told me a few things I would’ve never dreamt of asking. But he didn’t tell me that.”She could see confusion written in the crinkles of his forehead. “So how do you know?”Kit dropped her eyes to a distant spot in the bathwater. “We were... that is... he was about to... enter me.” She glanced up, relieved that he hadn’t even winced, and then continued. “It all came back to me right then, in a flood. I realized I’d been at peace during my Proem, felt calm and relaxed, because my body knew it was him, even if I didn’t. You see, I’ve always known when he was nearby. I’ve
Kit’s hips continued to rock back and forth, her outer lips spread against Cassius’s cock as his hands slid up to find her breasts. “Kit, you need to let me put on the sheath before I forget how,” he whispered before her lips found his again.She knew how good he felt with a sheath on, but imagining him inside her, his flesh on hers, sent a tingling sensation up her spine. “What if you didn’t?” she asked, his mouth on her neck.He pulled his lips away to look her in the eye. “Then I would be committing a crime punishable by death.”“Who would know?” She knew she was being wicked, but it was so tempting, and she longed to feel him inside of her.“Kit...”“Just for a moment, just a little taste.”“You are going to be the death of me,” Cassius said. With a deep breath, he picked her up around the waist, and tossed her backward into the tub a fe
Her reflection in the mirror indicated it had been a long day. After Cassius left, Kit had fallen asleep for a bit before Avinia woke her to remind her she had a few tasks to take care of—meeting with an auxiliary group from the council, for instance, something she did once a week to talk about financing and other royal duties. It never took too long, but it did make Kit feel like she was preparing to be a better ruler. She also checked in on at least one group of staff each week to see if they had any concerns. Today, she’d met with the kitchen staff. Seeing Blankka had been more than a little awkward, especially now that the comment Kit had overheard in the hallway about her mother giving the girl some of the lands she’d confiscated from Eli’s family and giving her a title made much more sense. Kit had rushed through that meeting as quickly as she could, just to get away from her, though Blankka hadn’t said a word and wouldn’t even look at her.
It had been a whirlwind of a day, and it wasn’t over yet. She would ask her mother’s permission to Room Reeve, not because she had to but because she already knew her mother would say yes, and the queen would appreciate the sentiment. As for the Representatives she planned to send home, that could wait for the next evening. She’d had enough drama for one day.Even as the thought entered her head, she saw Eli coming down the hallway that led to the guards quarters. She knew he spent as much time there as he did in the room he’d been assigned as a Representative, that he even slept in the barracks most nights, occasionally even letting some of the guards who didn’t sleep well in the company of others sleep in his private room. Why, she had no idea, but she thought he was more comfortable as just one of the guards, not as a someone with the stature of a Representative.She didn’t mean to look him in the eye as she walked past, but she d
Reeve started to pull away, but Kit wasn’t ready to let the queen ruin this moment just yet. She held him close, sliding her tongue against his and then catching his bottom lip with her teeth. He smiled at her and whispered, “I think you need to get up, Princess.”“Unless my thigh deceives me, you already are,” she teased, narrowing her blue eyes.Reeve chuckled. “True. But I’m afraid that will have to wait. I would hate to be the cause of any strife between you and Queen Rona.”Kit blew out a long sigh, knowing he was right. She tilted her head forward one more time, finding his lips for only a moment before Avinia was shouting again. “Princess? Can you hear me?”“Yes, yes!” Kit shouted back. “Hold your hat, Avinia!”She could hear her cousin muttering to herself on the other side of the thick door, something about, “If you get in trouble, don’
Kit kissed her mother’s ring and then looked up at the dais for the first time. She’d known they weren’t alone when she’d entered the room because she’d heard enough stirring to be multiple people, but she’d walked in with her head low and hadn’t been able to place who was present. Now, she realized the other council members present where her own grandmother, Junno, Duchess Zora, and an older, distant cousin named Quinn. In front of the dais stood a tall, thin woman with dark hair and a lovely face. Her brown curls were piled high atop her head, and while she looked a bit weary, she smiled at Kit pleasantly. She wore a soft pink traveling gown and boots that didn’t quite match the style of the dress, but Kit assumed this had to be the new lady she’d been waiting for.“Princess Katrinetta, it is nice of you to join us,” her mother said, her words dripping of sarcasm. “I thought perhaps you were still ill f
“Lady Sephorina,” Eli said, both surprise and apprehension noticeable in his tone. “It’s... nice to see you.”“You as well,” Seph replied as the two parties finally met up just a few doors away from the ladies’ destination. “Congratulations on your... appointment. I was very surprised when my mother described the turn of events.” She offered her hand and he took it, brushing his lips across her knuckles as was to be expected, but Galter and the other guardsmen hung back, saying nothing at all. Kit met the dark-haired guard’s eyes for a moment, and she couldn’t tell if he was bewildered or amused.“Thank you,” Eli said hastily. His eyes were darting around as if he weren’t quite sure where to look. “No one was as surprised as I was.”Kit begged to differ but kept her thoughts to herself. “How do the two of you know each other?” she asked, curiosity ov
Eventually, Kit stepped back, signaling she was done, and her party faded into the hallway. Eli was right, there was much to be done, and Kit wasn’t even sure where to begin with the task of restoring the realm to its former glory. But there was no doubt her first appointment with the council would be to approve the new law that would allow her to rule before the end of her Choosing, one that would allow her to keep all seven of the men who stood around her now.As if reading her mind, Zora, her great-aunt and a distinguished member of the council stepped forward. “Queen Katrinetta, I would like to present to you a new law, passed by the council earlier this day. All it needs is your signature.”Confused, Kit took the sheet of parchment and began to read. When her eyes reached the bottom of the paper, she looked up. “How did you know...?”“Junno explained everything to us,” Nil said, stepping forward. “And we agree
“We love you, Kit. We’ll always be here for you,” Jate said to her right.“Even when we’re broken,” Danyen added, getting a giggle out of her and the others.“It’s our privilege to be with you,” Drake said in his deep, steady voice.Reeve took her hand. “Your belief in us has shaped us into who we are.”“And given us the confidence to stand with you as you become queen,” Landon said in her ear.“It’s all been well-worth it, Kit, to see you take the throne.” Cassius was still battered, but he looked much better now, with a smile on his face, than he had since Kit had found him in the dungeon.Kit shifted her eyes to Eli, assuming he would also say something. His eyes darted around several times, and she could tell he was attempting to come up with something no one else had said, but they’d all expressed themselves so well, it was a difficult
No longer frightened of the woman who used to terrorize her, Kit raised her arms between her mother’s bringing them down to the sides quickly so as to prevent her mother from ever making contact with her neck. Rona’s arms snapped down and she winced in pain. Her eyes bulged in surprise at her daughter’s strength. Kit took advantage of her mother’s stunned expression long enough to plant her fist in Rona’s right eye. Her mother rocked backward, grabbing at her face as Kit felt Eli’s familiar hand on her shoulder, seeking to calm her. Clearly, the older woman was no physical threat to Kit or anyone else.The bejeweled, golden crown atop Rona’s head wobbled as the queen staggered from the blow. It slid free, tumbling toward the floor. Kit reached out a hand and plucked it from the air. “The goddess have spoken!” she declared, ignoring the fact that it was the force of her own strike that had dislodged the crown. Nearly everyo
Watching the battle take place from the hallway had been unsettling for Kit, especially when she saw Eli faltering. For a moment, it had looked as if Vin might be victorious. Her attention had been pulled away when she learned Danyen was injured. Despite Galter’s best efforts to stop her, the princess insisted on going in and tending to him, and she had been there, placing pressure on the wound when Armant arrived. Danyen apologized for not being as handy with a sword as he was a quill, but Kit had only kissed him and assured him he was perfect in her sight.And then she’d seen hesitancy in Cassius and Eli as they considered mercy for Vin, the monster who had hurt and tortured so many. Ending him seemed like the right thing to do for all of the people of Yewforia, though she could never fault her men for weighing the costs of taking a life, even when that life was as worthless as scar face’s.She’d been stunned to see Jecob standing on the dais,
Across the room, Eli heard a shout and a roar of laughter. He could hardly let the situation distract him, but his head flickered in that direction for a moment, and he saw Danyen on the ground, grasping his middle. Drake was there and ended the laughing soldier who’d stabbed Danyen, but the Representative looked seriously wounded. Looking around the room, as he saw Vin trying to take advantage of his distraction, out of the corner of his eye, Eli spotted a member of his own guard who had just finished a man off. “Nen! Go to the infirmary and fetch Armant, as quickly as you can!”Eli hardly had time to see the guardsman nod in understanding before Vin’s persistence paid off, and his sword caught Eli in the left shoulder. It was a glancing blow as Eli dodged to his right, but this wound was deeper than the last and hurt more. It was not enough to slow him, though. Eli came flying back at Vin with a vengeance, thinking of his comments about Kit, how he h
The scene in the throne room was chaotic at best. Looking around, Eli quickly ascertained the situation. While the revolutionaries and several members of the Princess’s Guard had the upper hand, there were still twenty or thirty members of the Queen’s Guard and military doing their best to defend the door to the queen’s chambers.Across the room, Eli caught sight of a familiar set of dark eyes grimacing in his direction, and the Commander narrowed his focus as he stared him down. Scar face didn’t take his eyes off of Eli as he began to work his way through assailants, cutting them down easily as he moved toward his target. As he advanced, the aura of pure evil shifted the room such that darkness seemed to blot out everything around them until only Eli and the man who’d tried to end him remained. One of them would not walk out of this room.His concentration was broken when he heard another recognizable voice shout, “Goedwig! You&rsqu
The door to the castle was nearly nonexistent. Shards of wood hung from the upper posts, a few clung to the doorjambs, but for the most part, what had been an elegant entryway was now reduced to nothing but splinters and flecks of gold paint, thanks to the battering ram Eli had mentioned earlier.Realizing the only weapon she had was the small dagger, Kit scoured the ground for a sword. She saw one lying on the floor just inside of the castle entrance and picked it up, certain the poor fellow reposing nearby would no longer need it. She turned to tell her ladies they should do the same but noted they were already armed. Seph and Isla both had swords, though not as large and cumbersome as the one Kit had just procured, and Avinia had a bow she must’ve been carrying on her saddle, a quiver strung to her back.Armant and the other men who had come along with him stepped forward. “This is where we must leave you. We’ll head to the infirmary and check on t
“Are the two of you at peace now?” Kit asked Eli and Cassius.“I suppose so,” Eli began. “If he wants to go off and get himself killed, there will be one less person to share you with.” He smiled at Cassius, a mischievous twinkle in his eye, and the larger man reached around Kit and popped him in the arm.“You’d better not get yourself killed. Any of you.” Kit looked around and saw all seven of the men she’d chosen nearby, five of them already saddled and ready to go, the other two done arguing. While she hadn’t made Drake’s appointment official, she would, as soon as she knew the outcome of the battle at hand.Kit’s hip was still aching from where she cut it on the door earlier. Normally, she’d be able to mount Belle by herself, but with her leg torn up, she decided it would be easier to ask for help. Turning to Eli, she asked, “Will you give me a boost?”&ldq
Avinia had quite an entourage with her, including several wagons’ worth of food and water, clean clothes, a few weapons, and Armant with medical supplies. She’d enlisted some castle servants to drive the wagons, and as soon as they reached the remaining prisoners, they also helped the physician as he began to assess wounds and care for the sick and injured. Bea, his nurse who was also a faithful member of the revolt, was there to help as well.Kit wasn’t sure who to go to first. Both of her cousins, along with their husbands, dropped down from their horses, and Kit could see Avinia’s eyes searching for her through the crowd. But she also wanted to run to Drake and Danyen, who were bringing up the end of the line, along with Gavin, Asher, and a few of the other remaining Representatives.The men would have to wait. Avinia rushed over, embracing Kit quickly before she backed up. “You smell terrible.”“Thank you. I just sli