Page 62 of A Warrior's Heart

Lorcan’s green eyes burned with hatred, though when he spoke, he kept that hatred at bay. “King James. Such a surprise to see you here. To what do I owe the honor?”

“You flatter me.” James put a hand to his chest. “The honor is mine. It’s been so long since we’ve last spoken. After the battle of Black Hallows, was it not? My, my. Four years must’ve passed since then, though your beauty still shines just the same.”

Alek tensed at my side, keeping a short distance from Lorcan. I could tell he yearned to be closer to his mate, but he couldn’t without giving himself away.

King James didn’t know Alek’s soul had found a different body. It was a thing he could never know either, not without making the tension between us even worse. The entire battle at Black Hallows had inadvertently been because of Alek. His ancestor, a dark mage by the name of Hamon, had possessed Alek’s body and led a powerful army of dark mages against us.

“What brings you to Ritherdale?” Lorcan asked.

A wicked gleam sparked in the king’s eyes. “Come have a drink with me. Have you eaten yet this morn? I can treat you to a warm meal to break your fast.”

Deflecting the question.

We had intended to leave port that morning. The unwelcome visit had put us behind schedule. However, refusing his request would raise suspicion, putting us in a rather difficult predicament.

Lorcan came to that same conclusion. “It’d be my pleasure to join you. Give me a moment.”

“Do not keep me waiting, little fish,” King James called up to him.

“Little fish,” Alek growled after Lorcan stepped away from the railing and out of sight of those who waited below. “I’ll gut him like a fish.”

“Calm yourself, my love.” Lorcan gave him a light kiss.

“I don’t trust him.”

“King James is devious, yes,” Lorcan responded. “But you forget that I know his mind. I’ve seen it at work. I will not be fooled so easily.”

The prince glanced at me, and I followed him as he walked down the plank to the dock. I looked over my shoulder at Ervin. He nodded and disappeared from my sight. He and Shar would shadow us from a distance. Undetected.

“Ah, yes. I remember you,” James said to me once we were in front of him. His blond hair held a gentle wave, but there was nothing gentle about his topaz eyes as they scrutinized me. “A man of your stature isn’t easily forgotten. You are the prince’s personal guard.”

I nodded to him.

“Doesn’t speak much, does he?” the king asked Lorcan before embracing him. My hand twitched as I fought the urge to place it on my dagger. James smiled as he pulled back from Lorcan. “I was delighted to learn you were here.”

“Howdidyou learn of it?” Lorcan asked.

“Late last night, I visited the tavern.” James began to walk, keeping a hand on Lorcan’s lower back. I clenched my jaw and took slow, deep breaths as I kept pace behind them. “One of the whores mentioned meeting the most extraordinary man, you see. She spoke of his silver hair and even mentioned his pointed ears, which she’d seen when his hat fell to the floor after she shoved her tits in his face.”

Lorcan’s shoulders tensed, then relaxed again. “The woman was no whore. Only a tavern wench trying to make some extra coin.”

“They’re all whores if you pay the right price,” King James said. “Although, women hold little interest to me.”

As we moved along the dirt path into the busier part of town, I surveyed our surroundings. James was no fool. Four guards walked alongside me, but I suspected more laid in wait elsewhere, prepared to strike at a moment’s notice. His politeness was a farce. He played at being nice, all while calculating the best method to take his opponent down. It was all a game to him.

He was arrogant. Manipulative. Conniving.

“Your majesty,” a man said in shock once spotting the king. He bowed until we passed.

A crowd had gathered, all people who wished to see a glimpse of their king, probably wondering what brought him to their town. I wondered the same, yet a part of me suspected the reason. He was on the same path as us.

Had Lorcan been correct? Was Ezra working with the human king?

I moved my gaze around the market, searching for any signs of Ezra. He had the same silver hair as my prince. But his eyes were crimson, like blood-soaked earth after a gruesome battle.

King James stopped every so often to touch fabrics from trader’s carts or hold up jewelry to Lorcan.

“This would look stunning on you,” he said, grabbing Lorcan’s hand and placing a gold bracelet on his wrist. A thin chain connected the bracelet to a ring that was worn on the middle finger. The king touched the emerald stone in the ring. “It’s the same shade as your eyes.”