Page 1 of Tarnished Crown
CHAPTER1
My father always said my big mouth would be the death of me someday.
I had thought he was kidding, but the joke was on me because here I was, a twice-over prisoner in an enemy kingdom, headed toward what was sure to be my untimely demise.
All because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
Though, I certainly wasn’t the only one to blame.
I glared at Lord Evander’s profile, the hair that was even darker than his soul falling carelessly onto his brow while the bastard had the nerve to take a catnap after casually ruining my life.
My fingers twitched toward the dagger sheathed on my thigh.
To do what?Could I kill a man while he was sleeping, even if he was a monster?
I didn’t know.
And if I could, what would I do then, surrounded by his guard, and beyond that, by a kingdom who would just as soon see me hanged as help me, based solely on the color of my hair?
I couldn’t go back to Theo and risk him getting caught up in a war on my behalf. I couldn’t get home until the mountain pass opened. I was well and truly stuck here.
Still, I would feel better with my dagger in my hand.
Keeping my gaze fixed on Evander’s face, I slid the seafoam colored skirts of my borrowed dress up, inch by inch, careful not to jingle the charm on my bracelet. We hit a bump in the road and I froze, but his eyelids didn’t so much as flutter.
When I reached the sheath, I slowly worked my way up to the hilt, wrapping my fingers around the bare-chested siren and tightening my grip as I removed the blade from its casing.
I only took my eyes off of my captor for a fraction of a second to make sure I didn’t cut myself, but it was still too long. A hand clamped around my wrist, stopping my arm in its tracks.
“I wouldn’t.” Evander’s lightly accented voice rang out in the enclosed space.
I went still, fear creeping along my spine and stealing my breaths. Had he sensed the movement, or had I made more noise than I meant to? Slowly, deliberately, I met his eyes.
“I would hate to have to put you on a leash, Lemmikki,” he purred.
The light shifted in the carriage, the shadows on his face making him appear even more sinister than his voice sounded. Storms churned in his pale gray eyes, a quiet lethality brimming just under the surface, and I scoffed.
“Somehow I doubt that.” Especially considering he was still calling me hispet.
He leaned forward, one hand still holding my wrist, while the other removed the dagger from my grasp. Fire rose up inside of me, but I loosened my grip and allowed him to take it, shrinking away as soon as he sat back.
He chuckled, a cold, empty sound. “You may as well get some rest, Princess. We won’t stop until nightfall.”
He didn’t break eye contact even long enough to look at the dagger, tucking it inside his partially buttoned coat before leaning his head back against the carriage wall.
Blood pounded in my veins. I still couldn’t believe this was happening. That everything, starting with a single ill-fated trek down the tunnels, had led to me here, with my life in the hands of the heir to the most savage clan in all of Socair.
CHAPTER2
The carriage jolted over the bumpy roads, and the jostling craggy landscape only added to my queasy stomach. Though most of that was nerves. Or fury. Or both.
I managed to hold my tongue for a solid ten more minutes before I couldn’t stand it anymore. “For someone who claims they didn’t want another war with my kingdom, you’re doing a damned good job of starting one.”
His features twisted with derision. “Don’t sell yourself short, Princess. You did that all by yourself.”
Arrogant. Arseling.
“Only one of us made the conscious decision to incite a war,” I reminded him.