15. Thorne

FIFTEEN

THORNE

T he king awoke with a clear thought in mind. The ball had ended rather abruptly the evening before, but the night was sealed off with indelible lovemaking. He enjoyed how easy it was for Breya to express her attraction to him. He felt them falling into a succinct rhythm of lust and appeasement. But Thorne was smart enough to know that all that, as robust and thrilling as it was, wasn't going to be enough to solidify Breya's interest.

He wasn't just wooing a random peasant woman into bed either. He was attempting to court a witch into staying with him forever.

That was going to take some strategic thought and consideration.

So once they had both woken, Breya with those rosy, adorable cheeks, he decided it would be a good idea to take a trip into town. He wanted to check in on those who were injured from the earthquake.

There was also something about the fissure that was itching at him that he couldn't quite put his finger on. As he and Breya had breakfast, he made his suggestion for a day away from the castle.

"It would be a good opportunity for you to show your face, and to show everyone who you really are," he said plainly.

Breya seemed pleased.

"That's a good idea. What else is there in town?"

She appeared spritely and well-rested from their night of fun. Her eyes were stirring with interest again, and the king loved the sight.

"There's also a place for smaller injuries, connected with a charity group," Thorne said, beaming. "Of course, there's shopping, a training ground, and places to eat. I will call my men to help lead us around."

Breya nodded with enthusiasm, then her smile slipped away. It always bewildered the king to watch how quickly her expressions changed.

"You're thinking about something else now, aren't you?" she prodded.

Thorne blinked slowly, unaware of his own thought process for a long moment.

Then, the image of the fissure rose in his mind.

"Oh, yes," he said, swirling the last of his coffee in the mug. "I'm having concerns about the fissure from last night. I'm thinking of getting some of my men to look into it. Seems a trifle strange to show up so suddenly and so close to the castle."

"An anomaly."

Thorne smiled, then chugged back the coffee. Breya was looking radiant as usual, the ringlets in her only mildly crushed from their roll in the sheets. Just the thought of last night made his lion rumble in a low, pleasurable growl.

"Something like that. Did you want to get ready now?"

Breya dressed in another sleeveless jumpsuit that looked airy, this time in a sleek wine red. The temperature was climbing rapidly, so the king wore breathable clothing, always with his shifting suit tucked neatly beneath. He had to look presentable at all times, even if the trip was meant to be casual. On the heels of Breya's sudden presence, he was sure they were going to be inundated with overbearing eyes and curious observations.

Vale, along with two other enforcers, led the king and Breya into town. It wasn't far from the castle, which sat at the crest of a winding road adjacent to barren drylands. To a visitor, the sight was bleak. But to someone who'd lived in Savanna their entire lives, the wasteland imagery was commonplace.

Within the town is where life thrived. Thorne was proud to have made his mark there, responsible for the construction of the community building, the botanical gardens, and its various internship opportunities, as well as the extra wing of the healing building. Some of the buildings still reflected their ancient ancestry, but since Thorne's reign, their modern upgrades forcibly throttled them into the current century.

Breya and Thorne visited the medical location first and foremost. It wasn't only for the sake of optics. The king genuinely cared for his people and that was a big part of what had earned him the reputation of a beloved figure.

But when they entered the healing wing, he felt Breya's energy sour. She was bright and sweet when talking to a handful of the wounded, which thankfully, there weren't very many, but once they were alone, he could sense that something had altered. Again.

Thorne had just finished speaking to one of the children who had fallen into the fissure and twisted his ankle. It hurt his heart to see the swelling, but the way his little face lit up at the sight of his king somehow healed both of them.

Breya had stood back respectfully, then offered the little boy a coin. It was from her village, as she explained, and considered good luck. The little boy, who would one day become a mighty lion shifter, pulled the coin to his chest like a teddy bear, humming a jolly tune.

Then they'd walked down the corridor with Vale leading the way, murmurs of healers and helpers behind them enchanted by the king's presence.

But Breya looked waxen, all of her excitement about the day having evaporated out of her like moisture in the sun. Thorne was baffled.

"They don't like me," she said, shaking her head. "I can hear it, Thorne. They don't want a witch as their queen."

He had no clue what she was talking about. At that moment, he wasn't going to question her reality. After all, she possessed the ability to intuit far more profoundly than he had, so perhaps she was picking up mixed signals from a handful of watchers.

Thorne rested his hand against her lower back as they moved toward the elevator.

"It's not that they don't like you, Breya, they are more likely just unsure. It has been some time since they had a queen who wasn't a lion shifter. Give it time."

She placated him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. That was no good to Thorne.

Next, they went to the village center and then the botanical gardens. Breya was her lovely, charming self, but the king knew her well enough to recognize when it was all a visage. Plus, it was fucking hot, the sun having peaked nearly an hour earlier.

Thorne could feel his shirt sticking to his lower back as sweat began to pool there. He decided once they were finished in the gardens to show Breya around some of the more luxurious sides of town—the areas where only the most affluent could enter.

They visited a jewelry vendor set up under a tent with open sides.

"I had no idea it was… so scorching here," she said.

"It can be. Unfortunately, you arrived at the beginning of a heat wave."

He gave her a wink. Breya didn't exactly recoil, but she didn't open to him either. The king was going to have to take out the big guns and spoil his woman.

He swept his hand around the tables, pointing at the various extravagant pieces that barely a handful of citizens in Savanna could afford. In fact, the jeweler was looking a little flustered by their presence.

"My King, My King, what can I do for you today?" the balding man asked, dabbing his forehead of invisible sweat.

"I am looking for a piece fit for a queen," he said, his voice booming through the establishment. "My Queen Breya."

He gazed at her with pride. Breya bowed her head meekly.

"Oh, oh! I have just the thing."

The jeweler rushed out of their sight. Vale walked around, having left the other enforcers out in the blistering heat. The king stood before Breya, her eyes round and timid, and swept the cascade of ringlets from one side of her neck to the other. Little beads of sweat gathered around the pinnacle of her bosom, slipping down into the abyss.

"Thorne, what are you doing?" she asked cautiously.

The jeweler returned with a black silk box in hand. He cracked it open carefully.

He revealed to them just what the king had anticipated. An emerald and diamond necklace . It shined out of the box like treasure, and for a second, Thorne thought that Breya was going to faint.

"That's…" she stuttered, face gone chalky. "What are you..."

The king gently lifted the ornate piece from its box, then let the emerald gemstones kiss the cool skin of Breya's chest. He reached around her head and clasped it, taking a step back to look her over in astonishment.

"It reminded me of your eyes. Not as gorgeous but damn near close to."

Her reaction wasn't as he had conjured in his mind. He didn't think of Breya as a vain person, but what woman, especially a witch from some stray boring human village, wouldn't be pleased by the sight of real diamonds dancing along her neckline?

Breya lifted a finger to trace along the bottom of the chain, but she did not touch it. Thorne only had one thing left to do.

"Billy, give me the price. Get this necklace ready for my queen."

Breya was looking ghostly, her mouth gaped open in stunned silence.