14. A Little Massage for the Angry Elf

Chapter 14

A Little Massage for the Angry Elf

At the inn, I got Jasper into his room. While he was more than eager to have a sleepover—even offering to sleep on my floor—I needed some space. Particularly since Nylian and I had to have a chat in private, and I didn't want Jasper around while Nylian read me the riot act over my failure to obey his rather simple instructions.

I'd barely closed my door and peeled off my boots when there were two hard knocks. With a sigh, I opened the door in stockinged feet and waved for the pissy elf to enter.

"Look, I know what you're going to say. I should have followed your instructions and taken Jasper straight to the inn, and I'm sorry for worrying you. We were walking to the inn when we saw those four men corner Adeline in the alley. Jasper freaked out, demanding we help her. I figured you were busy with the other three. I thought I could distract them long enough to give Adeline a chance to escape, and then Jasper and I would run. But things went…"

Steam ran out on my words when I found myself trapped in Nylian's narrowed gaze. The ice from earlier had melted, and now he was a boiler about to explode under the mounting pressure.

"Did it not occur to you that I was winnowing down the number of men chasing that thief? That maybe you were in my way when you picked up a shovel to defend yourself?" Nylian demanded through clenched teeth.

"Oh. No. It didn't."

"And what were you going to do, Lord of Distractions, when your first plan failed?" Nylian took a step toward me, and I backpedaled.

"I was still working that out."

"Luckily, you had an untrained wizard with you to turn them all into ducks."

The undercurrent of rage in Nylian's voice faltered for the first time when he mentioned the fowl end for those bruisers. His lips twitched as if he were trying not to smile, but I could see amusement twinkling in his eyes. I was pretty sure I was off the hook. The elf had needed a chance to vent and make sure I was chastened.

"What would you have done if he'd hit you with that spell?" Nylian growled.

"Quacked up?"

Oh, God! I was responsible for all those store names. I should have known I wasn't above a bad pun opportunity.

Nylian was not amused.

I cleared my throat and tried again. "You would have strangled me. Would you have roasted me and had me for dinner if Jasper turned me into a duck?"

Nylian's voice dipped low and turned deliciously dark. "I would have devoured you."

It felt as if he had already tossed me onto the fire. Heat suffused every inch of my body, and my mouth turned bone-dry. Some tiny voice in the back of my mind whimpered, Yes, please! Not that I was entirely sure what it was begging for.

Nylian took a step closer to me, and my brain snapped out of its fog. I placed my hands on his stiff shoulders and pushed him until he dropped into the only chair in my room.

"Thank you for saving Adeline. I know you're not her biggest fan, but I appreciate your efforts," I stated. "After talking to Jasper for a bit, it sounds like they've had a tough go of things. She's been caring for her younger brother as best she can after orcs killed their parents. And it hasn't been easy for her to get jobs when she has a little brother tagging along behind her."

The elf huffed and looked away from me, but I could see a touch of color rising in the tips of his pointed ears. I had the most insane desire to run my finger along the edge of one of those ears to feel that it was real. However, I couldn't imagine that elves were big fans of weirdos touching their ears, so I kept my hands to myself. Maybe if we got to be good friends, or if I helped him catch the person who plotted the death of Orian, he'd let me touch his ears.

"Whatever. She saved us. I was only evening the score," Nylian muttered.

Except she was being paid for that service, so there was no score to settle. But he didn't seem to be in the mood to tolerate any teasing from me.

"Besides," he snapped, his head whipping around so he could once again pin me with his angry gaze. "You had me worried the entire day. What happened with the governor? I'm assuming you convinced him you're the prince, since you're out walking free."

"Actually, no." I took two steps to the table where I'd stashed my new lotions and soaps, but had to return to Nylian's side to push him down into the chair.

"What do you mean, no? What happened? If he knows you're not really Victor, how are you still walking free?"

"Sit. Relax. I'll tell you."

He flopped onto the cushioned chair with a mutinous glare, as if he thought scowling would hurry my story along. I snatched up the bottle with the lotion and took the stopper off. Holding it out toward him, I waved it in the air. "Do you like this scent?"

"It's nice. Now talk."

I put some in my palm and returned the stopper to the jar. At his side, I picked up one of his hands and rubbed the lotion into his skin, paying attention to the various acupressure points while working slowly up each individual finger. It had been prickling in the back of my mind since I'd met with Governor Brimsey that Nylian was a prince. He'd been born to a pampered life of the finest things, people waiting on him.

But in the past several days, even weeks, he'd been on his own. No one to see to his needs. No one to take care of him. And with each passing day, more and more weight was piling onto his shoulders. He was growing prickly and short-tempered.

Would it be so hard for me to pamper him for five minutes?

That was when I thought of my favorite salon. Their prices for haircuts were ridiculous, especially for a guy, and my cut was stupidly simple. I didn't go there all the time. Only as a treat after I finished a book. And my favorite part was the shampoo. They took the clients to a separate, darkened room where soothing music played. A warm, scented towel was placed over my eyes; my hair was washed; my scalp, neck, and temples were massaged. They even massaged my hands before returning me to my stylist's chair. It was an incredibly relaxing experience that helped to shed weeks of tension in a matter of minutes.

Nylian fought it for five seconds. Then his shoulders lowered, and his perfectly straight spine curled as he sunk into the chair.

"Governor Brimsey admitted that my performance was rather good, but I fucked up when I thanked a servant. I don't even remember doing it," I admitted. Nylian opened his mouth to ask more questions, but he shut his mouth again with a warning look from me. "That weasel we cornered in the alley—Barnaby—was Victor's personal servant for years. He recognized I wasn't the prince in an instant and ran off to whisper in the governor's ear. That's why he invited me to breakfast."

"Considering you're still alive, I would guess that the governor has a scheme to use you," Nylian said, sounding much more relaxed.

I winced. "Scheme might be too big of a word for this. Apparently, after hearing you'd been exiled and the Wolfrest court was in turmoil, Prince Victor ran off to cause problems. He was being reactive to what happened to you and your brother. I don't think he was the mastermind behind your brother's poisoning. My guess was that he intended to kidnap you and torture you for inside information about Wolfrest's defenses. He wanted to start a new war between Wolfrest and Edros. Governor Brimsey is not a fan of that plan."

"Nor am I," the elf grumbled, slumping even farther in his chair. I pressed my thumbs into the palm of his hand, working away the new bit of tension creeping into his body.

"That's why the governor was rather pleased to hear that I didn't want the throne and I didn't want a war with Wolfrest. He's happy that King Gerald has mellowed with age and Prince Rufus, who's next in line, also doesn't want a war."

Nylian stared up at me, a half smile lifting one corner of his full lips. "So, he's going to let you impersonate the prince because you won't ruin his comfortable life here in Riverhold."

"Pretty much."

I put his hand on the arm of the chair and stepped back. Nylian lifted his relaxed and lotion-soft hand, moving it slowly as if surprised by how the tense muscles had disappeared. Trust me, I understood the feeling.

"What about that Barnaby fellow?" Nylian asked. He lifted his other hand and held it out to me, nudging for me to continue my massage. I held in a laugh as I poured more lotion onto my palm and worked on the other one.

"The governor said he'd take care of the man," I replied, my brain shying away from what those words meant. "He's doing what he can to stop the rumors, but we walked right through the front gates. Countless guards saw my face. By now, someone has sent a missive to Gushan about Prince Victor's appearance here."

"Where they've told the king or someone else in power that Prince Victor Montcroix was spotted traveling with the exiled Prince Xeran," Nylian finished for me.

I grunted and fell silent for more than a minute as I worked on his other hand. "I'm worried."

"That someone will guess that you're not the prince?"

"That, or maybe they'll think I've kidnapped you and I'm about to start a war. Or a hundred other weird ideas that people with too much time on their hands can think up." I existed in a world where something hideous called social media existed and false information spread like a plague in the blink of an eye. Yes, this world didn't have social media, but there were still plenty of gossips and people with bad intentions.

A sigh escaped my parted lips as I worked my way along his pinky before returning to the center of Nylian's palm. While the massage had been to help Nylian relax, it had done wonders for my chaotic thoughts. It also could have been giving voice to all the things that had been floating in my head all day.

"I wonder if it would be better for me to go to Gushan and play the part of Prince Victor. Tell this crazy story about how you saved my life from ogres and I traveled as far as Riverhold with you. If I'm careful, I can slowly convince people I've changed, that my opinion of Wolfrest has evolved because you saved my life. It could ease a lot of tensions between Wolfrest and Edros."

I released Nylian and took a step away, but he caught my hand and held tight, trapping me in place. "While it is a noble idea, the problem lies in Victor's allies. There are plenty of people secretly on his side, wanting a war."

"For God's sake, why?"

He smiled at me, and I got the feeling he thought I was being na?ve. He was right.

"War brings endless suffering for the people of both countries, but for the nobility and the ambitious, war creates almost limitless opportunities. People die in war, especially important ones. If you want to climb to a new position of power and there's someone in your way…"

"It's not too difficult to push them in front of a sword or arrange for an ‘ambush,'" I muttered.

"It doesn't even have to be that dramatic. Sometimes, you just need to turn the tide of opinion against them in court, and they can fade into obscurity." His hand tightened on mine, almost to the point of pain. "I don't think the people supporting Victor will fade quietly if he changes his mind about attacking. In addition, these are people who will know Victor the best. They will be harder to fool."

"And the first to denounce me out or try to blackmail me." A heavy weight sank into the pit of my stomach. This sounded more and more like a terrible idea, but I would still go through with it if it meant taking more pressure off Nylian.

"Going back won't help me find the person responsible for the poison ending up on that sword, and that's the only thing that matters to me. You got the answer I was seeking regarding Edros—the royal family wasn't involved. This wasn't an attempt to spur a new war." Nylian released my hand, stood, and grabbed my shoulders. He turned us a hundred and eighty degrees and shoved me into the chair. With both hands resting on the arms of the chair, Nylian leaned forward, and I pressed into the chair as far as I could, my heart jumping into my throat. What the hell was he doing?

That question was still forming in my brain when he smiled. "Thank you for taking that risk and helping me."

"Oh. Yeah. Of course. I told you I would be helpful to have traveling with you. I'm better at more than distractions."

Nylian straightened and rubbed his hands together, appearing to enjoy the softness. "Tomorrow, I would prefer no distractions. We're staying very low key. We need to be as discreet as possible." He paused and stared at me for a second. "Get some rest. We will start early. You might want to consider shaving, though."

"What?" I jumped to my feet and rushed across the room to gaze at my reflection in the mirror. The mustache and goatee looked a little long, but it wasn't messy or scruffy yet. It could do with a trim, but to shave it all off seemed extreme. "You don't think I look bad, do you?"

Nylian leaned on my back and reached around to trail one finger down my mustache to brush over my pursed lips to bump across my chin. "No, I don't think it's unattractive. It draws the proper amount of attention to those adorable lips of yours."

I smacked his hand away and straightened, while the elf chuckled and dodged my attempts to hit him with ease. "Annoyance."

"We will talk more about it tomorrow." He spun away and walked to my door, but I stopped him again.

"Wait. I want to ask a favor."

Nylian paused with his hand on the knob, his brows lifted in silent question.

"When we have a free moment, like when we're on the road, would you be willing to teach me how to use a sword?"

There was no denying it any longer. Distractions wouldn't be enough for me to remain useful to this man. The farther we traveled, the more dangerous it was becoming. He needed someone who could physically protect him. There was no hope of me learning magic, and in this world, you knew how to use a sword or you died.

All the laughter disappeared from Nylian's face, and the prince surprised me by bowing his head to me. "It would be my honor to teach you."

Without another word, he slipped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

My hand drifted up to my lips, which still tingled from his touch. Sometimes I was sure I could guess his thoughts, and there were others that I hadn't a clue what was filling his head. I obviously didn't know him as well as I'd thought when I began writing his story.

Speaking of…

With the hour still early and no one trying to kill me, I had a chance to make a few notes. I dragged the chair over to the small table with the somewhat sturdy legs. I grabbed a clean piece of parchment and one of my new quills and listed anything I could remember from my plotting notes or even character notes. I'd started working on the book with three main ideas for who'd arranged for the death of Orian.

Naturally, the first was Victor Montcroix, but that turned out to be one of my red herrings.

The second was the king and queen of Galinaes, who we were going to dig up some dirt on next.

And, finally, there were all of Nylian's siblings. Both he and Orian stood in their way of inheriting the throne. Killing one and getting the other exiled was an excellent way to clear the deck.

But I hadn't a clue how we would investigate them. Definitely didn't know how to broach that subject with him.

Oh, and by the way, which of your two younger brothers and three younger sisters do you think is most likely to want you and Orian dead?

Yeah, not a conversation I wanted to have with him.

With a groan, I grabbed a fresh piece of paper and created a different list. I could remember only fourteen names, but that was more than enough. Six of them were crossed out immediately, though I hesitated over Adeline's. Was it too late for him to fall for the thief? Now that they were traveling on the ferry to Ulmenor, there was a chance for them to get to know each other in a quieter setting. We were back to forced proximity. Nylian had said he was bi. That meant women and men.

Cursing myself and the stupid book, I tossed the quill aside, ignoring the ink splatter across the middle of the page, and slumped low in my chair. Was this my fault? Had I misread the character?

Nylian was supposed to be sex on wheels. Women should be fainting at the sight of him and throwing themselves at him left and right.

Yes, he was sex on wheels. The man was fucking hot. His features were sharp and alluring. That golden hair left you wanting to touch it. When we walked down the street, women everywhere stopped and turned to watch him stroll by.

Fuck, men stopped to gawk at him.

So, it wasn't a sex appeal thing.

But he wasn't very flirty.

Yes, he flirted with me, but he didn't mean that. He flirted with me to annoy me. That wasn't about attraction or sex.

However, maybe I was the problem. My presence was screwing with the timing of the book. Sitting up, I glanced over the list of names I'd marked off. Half of those he'd never met because I'd forced him to skip entire chunks of the original story. I didn't understand why he and Adeline hadn't hit it off, though.

Unless…maybe they were secretly meeting up, and neither of them wanted me to know about it. Could that be it?

Whatever. I threw my hands up and shoved away from the table. Maybe this book wasn't meant to be an action-adventure, political intrigue epic that included a harem story with lots of sex.

However, there was one big test coming up in Ulmenor. After we got through that section, I'd know whether Nylian was meant to have a harem.