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Chapter 31

Tahlia

T ahlia followed Durniad into his bedchamber. A massive bed with curtains occupied the far wall. A table stood to the left of the door, wine pitcher and goblets readied for them. Woven in yellows and blues, a circular carpet covered the wide floor planks. Beside the bed, three windows looked out on the courtyard. A downspout ran along the left side of the window that hung closest to the large bed.

The guards shut the bedchamber door, leaving Tahlia alone with Durniad. Yet another mistake on their part. The first error they’d made was allowing her to take a quiet moment in the feasting hall before the guests arrived after the ceremony. She’d stashed a nice little eating knife between her breasts.

Durniad faced the tray sitting on the side table. “Would you like a glass of wine, my bride?”

“So many glasses.” Tahlia removed the elaborate veil Durniad’s assigned handmaidens had braided into her hair. Tossing it onto the floor, she drew Durniad’s attention away from her, then she pulled out the knife. Keeping her hand against her side—the side facing away from Durniad—she held the weapon flush against her wrist with the hilt in the palm of her hand.

Durniad turned and handed her some wine. She took it and drank it down in one go. The burn was lovely. He finished his, his gaze roaming about her face and body, then set both their glasses back on the tray.

“Do not fight me, Alanna.”

“That isn’t my name.”

“I have decided it is.” His tone was brusque. He appeared to have mastered his impatience since their earlier spat, but the pulsing vein on the side of his forehead said his calm wouldn’t last. “This is all very simple. Do as I say, and you’ll live as a queen. I will treat you with care and appreciation.”

“As long as I go by the name you prefer,” she said. If she could get him to rush her, his weight alone would help her pierce his chest or throat.

He sniffed and studied her face like he was trying to read her intentions. “And do exactly as I instruct. I won’t bother you often. I am a busy man.”

“Busy claiming titles and tyranting along the coastline?”

His eyes narrowed, and that vein grew even more pronounced. “I don’t believe tyranting is a word.”

“If you get to make up names, I get to make up verbs.”

“Kiss me, my bride. Kiss me, and let your new life begin. Or you can try to stab me with that little knife of yours and die trying.”

So he had noticed. Hmm. He didn’t attempt to disarm her, so she decided to move the conversation for the moment.

“How are you going to get the crown back?” she asked. “Or do you not really need it?”

His face flushed, and the vein practically waved at Tahlia. Ew.

“I will make a plan to retrieve the crown from that monster as soon I as receive word from my allies. Tell me where he will take the crown and I’ll see to it that you have free time every day to walk wherever you please.”

“I assume he’ll destroy the crown the moment he is able.”

Some of Durniad’s bravado slipped as his eyes bugged out. “What?”

“He’s not like you.”

“What do you mean?”

She shrugged, her heart beating quickly now. “He’s not attempting to be a god.”

“Then he’s a fool.”

“Who are your allies?” Steeling herself for what was about to happen, she worked to even her breathing.

Durniad drew his fingertips along Tahlia’s collarbone. She fought the urge to puke the wine he’d given her right back at him. Maybe later.

“Well, Alanna, my allies are many. First, we have the Witch. Ah, I see you know of her. Of course you do. Yes, she is on my payroll. The Eelsmen are another ally in my pocket.”

Tahlia swallowed a bitter taste on the back of her tongue. The Eelsmen were a group of northern pirates known for the way they used prisoners as bait for the midsized kraken they caught for prize money.

“I also have a group of wild Fae working for me in your Fae king’s forest. They’re just there to stir up trouble and cause distractions.”

“I have bad news for you on that one.”

He frowned and ran a finger down her arm, toward the hand holding the knife. “Explain.”

Tahlia grimaced. “Unfortunately, we set them all on fire.”

“You did what?”

“With our dragons. You do remember the dragon element to this whole equation, right?”

His face went purple, and his hands went for her throat. Bracing her feet firmly on the floor for balance, she jabbed the knife between his ribs. He dropped to the floor, gasping and yanking on her dress.

He tried to yell, but she had nipped him in the lung. “Guards! Please…”

“My name is Tahlia, you prickbrain,” she said as she flipped the knife and dragged it across his throat.

The door burst open, and five guards spilled in. Tahlia turned and ran for the windows, wishing she wasn’t wearing a damn dress even though it was actually very pretty.

One thought spun through her mind as she balled up the skirt of her dress and punched through the window glass. She’d killed yet another person and she was totally fine with it. She climbed out the window while the guards shouted and followed. Well, that bastard deserved death as much as the pillaging thieves in the Gwerhune and Ophelia had, and she wasn’t about to waste any energy on being upset about spilling his blood.