Page 42 of Warrior Princess Assassin (Braided Fate #1)

A tear leaks out of my eye to make a hot path down my face. “Asher,” I whisper. “I know you weren’t working with the Draegs. What really happened in Morinstead?”

The question startles him, because he recoils slightly, his eyes flicking away. But his jaw remains set, every angle of his face bearing a sharp edge.

“Tell her,” says the king. His tone is quiet, the words simple, and to my surprise, Asher obeys.

“I was given a job,” he says, and his voice is tight.

Controlled. “Just as I said. But I had to travel, and sometimes that’s.

..challenging. In Perriden, I don’t have to worry about getting picked up by the slavers.

” He scoffs. “Most of them know me. But outside the city, bondsmen see the lines on my face, and they think I’ve escaped.

They think I’m a problem . They see a man who lies, who refuses to obey, who refuses to submit.

You saw the way the innkeeper acted downstairs.

I had a Guild ring, but in Morinstead, the bondsmen didn’t care.

They said it was fake—and they decided I needed to be put in my place.

They locked me in a cell and...did whatever they wanted.

” His eyes flash dangerously at the king. “I’ll spare you the details.”

Ky doesn’t flinch from his tone. “How did you get away?”

“I know how to be patient,” he says, and his voice is somehow belligerent and heartbreaking at the same time. It makes me think of all the other times he was delayed.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” I say.

“Because I loved you, Jory!” he says, and his voice is so rough and broken that I almost flinch.

“I loved you back!” I say desperately. “I always —”

“No.” He draws back, running a hand across his face. “You loved someone who didn’t exist.”

The words hit me like a fist to the gut.

Asher’s not done. “You think I wanted you to see me as a whore? A criminal? A killer?” He rattles the chain that keeps him tethered to the king. “An animal to be kept on a chain?”

“You’re none of those things.” My voice is barely more than a whisper.

“I’m all of those things!” He looks so vicious, and it makes my breath catch. “I know who you are, Jory. Our paths have always been set in opposing directions. Always! The only difference is that now you see me . And you will never see me as anything else.”

I think of every moment he appeared in my chambers. The times he held me after Dane did something upsetting. The way he’d make me laugh when I felt so lonely.

The way he risked his life to save me. The way he shrugged out of his coat when I was cold.

The way he lit the stove, even though I know he was terrified of the king’s magic.

I was so cavalier, asking him to help me escape. Asking him to rescue the king. With absolutely no regard for what he risked—because I didn’t know. “I do see you, Asher,” I whisper. “I do. And you’re none of the things you said. None of them.”

He draws back, silent. His eyes don’t meet mine now. It’s clear what he believes.

“Please,” I say. “Forgive me. I didn’t know. I should have—I should have protected you—”

“You can’t .”

That hits me like a slap, and emotion swells to fill my chest. Another tear snakes down my face, and I hastily swipe it away.

A muscle twitches in Asher’s jaw, and he swears under his breath. “I don’t want your fucking pity , Jory.”

“It’s not pity.” But it is. I swipe another tear away. I inhale sharply, ready to beg, to plead, to find a way to fix this—even though I have no idea how. “Please—Asher—”

“Princess.” The king’s voice is low, quiet. I look up in surprise, and he adds, “He’s had enough. Leave him be.”

That makes me look back at Asher, and I realize he’s pulled his arms against his abdomen, his hands gripping his elbows. His jaw is set, every muscle tight and bunched. His eyes are dark and shadowed, and that faint sheen of sweat has broken out across his shoulders again.

A pulse of regret pierces my heart. “I’ll fix this,” I whisper. “I swear to you, Asher. I’ll find a way to fix this.”

He says nothing.

I suddenly realize he doesn’t believe me.

But of course he doesn’t. I couldn’t fix it when he was dragged out of the palace the first time, and I couldn’t fix it tonight.

I was powerless when Dane backhanded him in the throne room, then set his penalty to a million silvers—and if Ky hadn’t demanded that Asher should be subject to Incendrian justice, he’d be back in the dungeons right now.

The thought gives me a jolt. With a start, I look up at Ky, reevaluating everything that’s happened since the moment he drew me aboard that horse. I begged him to release Asher, and he refused. He demanded my presence for a month, and I hated him for it.

But I consider what my life would’ve been like if Maddox Kyronan had left . The way Dane would have blamed me for unraveling the alliance. The way Asher would be back with the slavers, with no end in sight.

Instead, we’re here, and we’re safe.

The king is staring down at me placidly, his arms folded, his golden eyes revealing nothing.

“The day has been long,” he says, and his tone is cool.

Official. It cuts through the heady emotion in the room.

“You both should rest. Princess, I would feel safest if you would remain here, on the other pallet—but if you would prefer to take the other room, I will have Sev make guard assignments.”

“Fine,” I say, though I’m hardly listening. I can’t stop thinking about the way I’ve spent hours hating him for his betrayal...all while he was taking steps to get us safely away from Dane.

“Thank you,” I say to him.

“For what?”

For protecting my friend. For protecting me.

But I can’t say that. Not right now. Not when I feel so powerless.

I’m not even entirely sure if it’s true.

Not when Asher is chained to his arm, and I’m not sure what either one of them would do if he got free.

Asher’s anger is still a potent force in the room, and I’m afraid to consider how much of it is directed at me.

But we’re here and we’re safe, and this is nowhere close to where I thought we’d end up.

I look back at the king. “For your kindness,” I say.

He seems struck by that, but only for a moment, because he blinks it away, any softness vanishing from his demeanor. The formidable warrior is all that remains.

“Yes, Princess,” he says, giving me a sharp nod, leaving me to wonder if he even knows what I’m thanking him for.

And before I can respond, he turns away and calls for his guards.