Page 11 of Quest for her Knights (The Lost Souls of Dyconia #5)

Chapter ten

Draven

E lora is a strange woman. I know she didn’t grow up as a princess, and this is all new to her.

I imagine it’s only a matter of time before she becomes comfortable in her new role and starts acting more like the Princess of the North I’ve known for the past fourteen years, cold, cruel, and malicious.

But I have to admit, that would be a far cry from the woman before me, the one who’s worried about not being likable. The problem is that she’s too likable. Everything she says and does is so… so… cute.

Fuck, I hate using that word. But that’s what she is, cute, kind, friendly, funny. I try not to notice, because when she wears the same face as the woman I hate, it’s hard to separate them in my mind .

“All right, I think it’s time we retire for the evening,” Ranger tells us, and we all stand and head to our rooms. I make sure to walk directly behind her as we ascend the stairs.

I saw how she almost fell earlier; this way I can catch her if she stumbles backward.

Carting her around with a broken foot would be a nightmare; she’d probably become bossy and demanding.

Part of me almost hopes that she’s hiding her true personality from us, that any moment, we’re suddenly going to see the real, cruel side of her. It would make it easier not to like her if she acted more like her predecessor.

Because liking her doesn’t help anything, it’s not like we could be friends, or anything else. She’s a princess, and I’m her knight. No, a knight, not her knight.

Ranger and Blaze get her situated in her room, but I head to the washroom to get ready for bed.

When I come out, all three doors are closed, so I head to my shared room with Blaze.

The room has two single beds, and he’s already chosen the one by the window.

I strip down to my underwear before climbing into my own.

“Draven?”

“Hmm?”

“What do you think of her?”

“Who?” I ask, playing dumb.

“Elora, obviously.”

“I don’t know. What do you want me to say? What do you think of her? ”

He sighs a deep breath before speaking again. “I don’t know, man. She’s so different from the other Elora. It’s hard to wrap my head around.”

“What’s there to understand? She’s the princess. It's our job to keep her safe. End of fucking story.”

“I guess you’re right.” He’s quiet for a minute before he adds, “Goodnight, Draven.”

“Night.” I close my eyes and let sleep quickly overtake me.

Sometime later, my eyes flash open, and I sit up with a start.

What woke me? It must be the middle of the night with how dark it is, and I can hear Blaze breathing heavily, obviously deep asleep.

Why did I wake up so suddenly? My chest feels tight with tension.

I strain my ears, and just when I’m about to lie back down, I hear a soft cry, then a thump.

Immediately jumping out of bed, I yell, “Blaze, get up!” I don’t bother waiting for him as I tear the door open and run into the hall. Ranger must have heard it too as he reaches her door first and throws it open, with me hot on his heels and Arrow behind me.

My eyes widen at the sight of a strange man lying on top of Elora, his hands around her throat. Ranger wastes no time ripping the man from her and throwing him to the floor. Arrow quickly moves to help, so I rush to Elora.

She has tears streaming down her face as she gasps for breath, a look of sheer terror in her eyes. I sit beside her and gently drag her sideways into my lap, wrapping my arms around her. She flinches at the sound of Ranger and Arrow’s fists meeting the stranger's skin, so I lift her up and stand.

Blaze barrels in, eyes wide as he looks around in shock. “What happened?”

I say nothing as I brush past him and carry her back to our room. I place her on my bed, but when I try to stand up, her arms cling to my neck.

“No, please stay with me,” she rasps.

“I wasn’t going to leave the room, Kitten,” I say.

Why did I just call her Kitten ?

“I—Can you please just hold me for a few minutes?” she croaks out, her throat obviously sore from being strangled. Her big, round eyes look up at me with so much hope.

She wants me to hold her? I don’t know how my presence can possibly make her feel better, but I can’t deny her either. And I have to admit that after what I just saw, I want to keep her as close to me as possible, just to know she’s safe.

I lift her again, then sit on the bed with her in my lap, pulling my blanket over us both.

I'm only now realizing she’s just wearing a small satin nightgown with tiny straps, and I’m only in my boxers.

She starts to shake, so I pull the blanket right up to her chin and rub her arm, gently rocking her.

She rests her head against my bare chest, and I can feel it grow damp from her tears, making me groan in frustration. I can’t handle her crying.

“Princess, please don’t cry. ”

She sniffles but then starts to cry even louder as she stutters out, “I’m s-sorry, I c-can’t h-help it!”

I hold her tighter as a full-body sob comes out of her.

“It’s okay, Kitten. Just let it all out,” I tell her, rocking her back and forth.

Fuck , I let that stupid nickname slip out again. But I can't help it. She’s like this tiny little kitten in my arms that I want to take care of and cuddle. I drop my head back and groan.

What is she doing to me? I’m just her knight… a knight… not hers .

Eventually, her tears settle and her breathing evens out, and I’m thankful for it. Hearing her cry literally gave me chest pains. I don’t like seeing her upset.

“Is she asleep?” Arrow asks softly, and it’s only then I realize he’s sitting on Blaze’s bed, his feet planted firmly on the floor as he watches us.

How long has he been in here?

I nod my head, and he sighs in return. “Fuck, man. That was… brutal. Did she tell you anything?”

“No, she just asked me to hold her and cried. She’s really shaken up from it.”

“I’m not surprised. We told her she’d be safe here, and someone breaks into her room while she’s sleeping and tries to kill her. Fuck, what a mess.”

“Who was he? Where is he now? ”

“We’re not sure. He’s being taken care of by Ranger and Blaze.”

“Good.” Attacking a royal only had one outcome, and I was thankful for it.

“You should get some sleep. I’ll stand watch,” Arrow tells me.

“I don’t want to move her,” I admit, looking down at her snuggled against me.

“You don’t have to. I’ll give you a pillow for your head so you can stay there with her.”

I lean forward as Arrow tucks a pillow behind me, and I’m grateful for it, finally able to rest my head with Elora held tightly in my arms.

The way she fell asleep with me after such an ordeal tells me how much she must trust me, and something about that thought makes my chest warm. I slowly trail my fingers through her hair as I close my eyes and let sleep overtake me.