Page 18 of Quest for her Knights (The Lost Souls of Dyconia #5)

Chapter sixteen

Elora

T he journey to Ravenbrook takes us six nights.

Each night, either Arrow or Blaze, or both, lie beside me to help me sleep.

But I always wake up alone and confused, wondering if they just stayed with me until I fell asleep.

I spend most of the journey in the carriage, but when the road grows bumpy, Ranger is quick to stop the carriage and pull me out to ride with Draven.

I’m not sure why he’s the only one I ride with, but I enjoy his silent company.

He’s like a calm, protective shield at my back, and riding with him often ended with me falling asleep against him as we rode on for hours.

We arrived at Ravenbrook earlier today, and they welcomed me very eagerly into their home, where we enjoyed dinner before moving to their parlor for a drink.

The lords here seem much more interested in me than the Carmichael brothers had been.

Hopefully, that means they don’t have a secret girlfriend, too.

Maxwell, Jonathan, and Aaric are kind and flirty.

As we sit in their plush chairs, they tell me about some of the places they’ve visited, and I smile and nod at the appropriate moments.

They’re saying and doing all the right things, and they’re even quite attractive, but I’m worried because I don’t feel a spark with them.

I try to remind myself that not all love connections are instant, and I should give them a chance.

“Would you like some whiskey, Princess?” Aaric asks as he pours himself a glass.

“Oh, yes, thank you,” I say, hoping the alcohol will calm my nerves.

I don’t know why I feel so nervous. Ranger has spent the past week teaching me how to act, and these men seem very interested in me.

I should be excited, I should have butterflies dancing in my stomach.

But sitting in this parlor, the only thing that seems to get those butterflies fluttering is when Ranger or Draven’s eyes light up with anger… or jealousy.

They said nothing can happen between us, but I hadn’t so much as touched one of these men, and both of them seem on edge. Arrow and Blaze might be reacting the same way, but they’re standing at the wall behind me, so I can’t see them without turning around.

Aaric sits down beside me, his thigh grazing mine as he passes me a glass. “Here you go, Princess. Cheers. ”

We clink glasses, and as I take a sip, my eyes meet Ranger’s as he glares in our direction. Is he mad I’m drinking?

Feeling a bit of liquid courage, I decide to press my luck to see what sort of reaction I can get from him. What would happen if I pushed him too far?

I turn my head back to Aaric, who's watching me with a smirk on his face. I lick my lower lip and twirl a strand of my hair around my finger. “This tastes really good,” I say, taking another small sip.

“Glad you like it.” His eyes move to my lips.

“So, what does a strong man like you like to do for fun?” I ask, batting my eyelashes at him before eyeing his biceps. He was bigger than his brothers, but smaller than all of my knights.

“Hmm, lots of things. Maybe I can show you some of them later?”

I bite my lip and smile at him. “I think I’d like that.”

Movement catches my eye as Ranger storms up to me.

My eyes widen as he stands over me, barely containing his anger. “Princess, I need to speak with you for a moment,” he grits out between clenched teeth.

“Ah, I’m kind of busy. Can it wait?” I ask, giving Aaric a side glance.

“No,” he says, motioning for me to stand and follow him.

I stand up and turn to Aaric. “Excuse me for a moment.”

“Of course, Princess. I’ll be right here,” he says, leaning back and placing his arm along the back of the couch .

The touch of Ranger’s hand on my lower back makes me turn to the door and rush out into the hall. Ranger pulls me into a small office a few doors down and shuts the door.

I turn on him instantly. “What is wrong with you? That was embarrassing, Ranger!”

“You’re worried about being embarrassed? Do you even know what you were doing out there?”

“Yeah, I was flirting!” I yell at him angrily. He told me I needed to open up to these lords. He’s made it abundantly clear that he’s not interested, so why does he care?

“That’s not how a Princess should act. You keep it up and they’re going to—” He cuts himself off, snapping his jaw shut and glaring at me.

“What? They’re going to what, Ranger?” I ask him, crossing my arms over my chest.

He’s barely able to respond through gritted teeth. “They’re going to think you’re offering them a free sample.”

“And so what if I am?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. “What’s it to you?”

“Princess, I’m warning you.”

I throw up my hands in exasperation. “What do you want from me? You tell me to try and be open to them. Well, that was me being open! Now you’re saying to stop? I don’t understand you!”

His eyes bore into mine as he stalks towards me. The look in his eyes scares me, not from fear, but from nerves. I step backwards until my back hits the wall, but he continues to move toward me, placing his hands on either side of my head and leaning down so close his face is only inches from mine.

My breath comes out ragged as I try to take a deep breath and take in a big whiff of his intoxicating scent. Sandalwood and pine.

“Listen to me very carefully, Princess,” he says quietly as he stares into my eyes. “I need you to tone it down for me. Talk to them, get to know them, but don’t twirl your hair, don’t bat your eyelashes, don’t make sexual innuendos, and for the love of god, stop biting your lip.”

I instantly release my lower lip from my teeth as I stare up at him with wide eyes. He pushes back and turns away, slowly pacing in front of me while I try to regain my composure, going over what he just said.

Was I really doing all of that? Was it really that bad? Oh god! Did I look like a moron?

“You should get back in there, Princess. Just remember what I said.”

I nod my head, feeling embarrassed, and turn towards the hall, hesitating a moment before glancing over my shoulder. “Is my flirting really that horrible?”

His heated eyes meet mine. “No, Princess. It’s the opposite of horrible, and I can’t handle it. ”

My eyes widen, and instead of questioning him on that further, I take the coward's way out and quickly run back to the dining room.

He can’t handle it?

Wait—Did that mean he was jealous ? A smile plays on my lips as I enter the parlor and rejoin Aaric on the sofa.

“Everything alright, Princess?” he asks as I take a seat.

“Yes, everything’s fine. So you were telling me what you like to do for fun,” I say, picking up where we left off. I concentrate on listening to Aaric’s response instead of letting my eyes drift to Ranger. He just told me not to flirt with these guys because he couldn’t handle it.

Well, tough titties. Flirty was my middle name, and I wasn’t going to act differently to make him comfortable. Besides, seeing Ranger all riled up was H-O-T, hot .

“We like to practice sparring, perhaps you’d like to watch us tomorrow morning?

” Maxwell suggests, coming to sit on my other side and gently placing his hand on my knee.

It’s a friendly, flirty touch, but the feeling that races under my skin, isn’t a good one.

I swallow the lump in my throat and smile at him, trying to keep my unease hidden.

“Yes, I think I’d enjoy that, thank you.” His smile is a shade short of creepy, so I take a sip of my drink as my eyes move to Ranger. I see him clenching his jaw as his eyes narrow on Maxwell’s hand, still on my knee .

Feeling like I might be pushing Ranger, and myself, a little too far, I quickly stand and move over the bookshelf between Draven and Blaze as I pretend to peruse the titles. “You have a big selection of books here, do you all enjoy reading?” I ask, keeping my eyes on the books.

“Reading was a large part of our education. Each of us has read every book here,” Jonathan says, as he moves over to join me.

To distract myself from all the testosterone in the room, I try to focus on the book titles, and a few start jumping out at me.

From Poor to Rich

How to Get That Girl

The Journey From Poverty to Royalty

How to Rule for Wealth and Prosperity

How to Train Your Wife

None of these titles makes me feel great about the contents that might be in them, considering my reason for being here, but it’s the last one that has my hackles rising. Johnathan scans the shelf as he continues. “I admit I enjoy reading for fun sometimes, would you like to know my favorite book?”

I grab the last title I read and pull it out, turning the cover for him to see. “Is it this one?” I ask, not holding the judgment from my voice.

His eyes widen in surprise as he reaches for the book. “Oh, I, uh, don’t know how that got in here. ”

I quickly pull it to my chest and turn it away from him so he can’t take it.

“No, you said you’d read every book here, so I’m curious what exactly you’ve learned from this one?”

“What is it?” Maxwell asks as he stands and moves towards us.

Instantly, Draven and Blaze appear on either side of me, offering me their silent protection. Their presence makes me feel bolder as I read, “ How to Train Your Wife. ”

I feel a body press against my back and instantly know it’s Arrow. I let myself lean against him as I flip the book open and start reading a random passage.

“Women are simple-minded and have no need to learn about your business dealings. In fact, in many cases, it becomes too much for them and they suffer mentally from too much information,”

I practically grit out the end of the sentence.

“What the fuck?” Arrow whispers behind me.

I flip to another page.

“If she continues to disobey you, locking her in a small space such as a closet is a good reminder of who runs the household.”

I almost drop the book in shock, but Draven grabs it from me and tosses it over the other men’s heads to Ranger, who promptly throws it into the fireplace behind him.