Chapter 21

KNOX MET SCARLET"Sgaze as he hung his cloak by the door. He turned to do the same for Eirwyn, taking her bright red cloak now dirty from the ride and hanging it next to his.

Eirwyn eyed Scarlet carefully as Olive peeked around the kitchen wall, still in her nightgown and robe.

"There you are! Scarlet was just filling me in on all that"s happened tonight. Are you alright, dear?"

Olive pulled her into a warm embrace, and he let her hand go, stepping over to the fireplace and warming his hands.

He couldn"t take his eyes off her. A tightness settled on his chest at the tear that fell down Eirwyn"s cheek.

"I"m sure I"ll be fine, but I don"t know why he wants to kill me."

Olive pulled back and held the princess" cheeks. "You poor child. I"ve put on a fresh pot of coffee and some scones. Are you hungry?"

"I am rather hungry, yes. I missed dinner at the wedding reception."

Scarlet frowned and kept picking at her nails with her dagger, her leg thrown over the arm rest of the other stuffed chair by the fire. She looked relaxed, but Knox knew she was ready to spring into action at a moment"s notice.

"Tell me about the wedding, dear."

Olive bustled over to the kitchen and poured Eirwyn a cup of coffee. He pulled the bench seat out for Eirwyn, then sat at the head of the table.

Eirwyn chatted about all the details that had gone into the wedding and how the past few days since she"d last been here had flown by.

His body turned to her. He wasn"t a Hunter, but she had triggered a hunting instinct. He wanted to chase her down and devour her. But he would bide his time and make sure it was safe to do so first.

The old woman"s words gave him hope that maybe there would be a way to be with Eirwyn without killing her.

Olive pulled the scones out of the oven and set them in the center of the table. "And is the new queen as beautiful as they say?"

Eirwyn"s spine stiffened, and she nodded with a frown as she stood and washed her hands at the sink. "Yes, she has the ageless beauty befitting a queen. It"s probably why the king decided to marry her instead of the princess of Glathen."

"Do you think the king ordering your death is political?" Scarlet asked.

Eirwyn"s face crumpled, and she blinked rapidly as she shook her head rapidly. Olive wrapped an arm around her shoulder, helping Eirwyn sit on the bench again.

Knox couldn"t keep from reaching for her too. His chest had grown tight as the emotions flew across her face. His hand settled on her knee under the table, and he felt her body tense at the touch.

But her tears slowed slightly. He wanted to comfort her and protect her from her stupid brother.

Olive said, "There, there, child. It"s going to be alright."

"How can it be alright when my brother wants me dead?" Eirwyn choked with a gasp.

Scarlet sat up and leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees as the dagger hung between her legs. "The bigger question is why. Does he just want you dead or does he want your heart specifically?"

Eirwyn sat up a little straighter, her hands dropping to her lap as she frowned. "What do you mean?"

Olive released Eirwyn and glared at Scarlet. "Did you really accept the job without knowing?"

Scarlet shrugged. "Coin is coin, grandma. And I needed to get her away from him and back to Knox."

Eirwyn"s eyes widened and her mouth opened, but Knox shushed them, tracing his thumb back and forth on her skirt. "The only way find out for sure if he wanted her heart or just wanted her dead is to ask. He"s already expecting Scarlet"s return, so you"re going to have to go back to the king with a heart."

Eirwyn gasped and jerked out of his hand. He turned to look at her, reaching under the table for her knee again.

"A heart, not your heart. I can hunt an animal down–a deer, a boar–it doesn"t matter. Then Scarlet will take that heart to the king and ask some questions, observe and listen to how he reacts. His motivation will determine our next steps in keeping you safe."

Scarlet snorted. "And it could just be that the king doesn"t want a threat to the crown. Maybe that"s why he sent those three men to jump you a few days ago."

Eirwyn"s eyes widened. "Wha–what do you mean? They were normal thieves, right?"

Scarlet shook her head. "No, the king sent them to kill you. He was complaining about needing to hire a Hunter because the cheap thugs failed. He specifically said, everything has failed. No more fake accidents. "

Knox felt his rage simmer at the king"s blatant disregard for Eirwyn. A king was supposed to protect his people, not murder them. Not destroy the forest. Not tax the people into losing their homes and businesses.

"Gods, he"s the worst," he murmured. He wanted to pull her onto his lap and just hold her.

Her hand found his under the table and her fingers linked with his. Some of his anger eased, and he took a deep breath as the knot in his stomach lessened with it.

Eirwyn"s big blue gray eyes looked at Scarlet, a frown marring her smooth forehead. "No more fake accidents? What does that mean? Has he tried to kill me before?"

Her voice grew higher and higher, and he squeezed her hand and tugged. She turned to look at him, her eyes wild in panic.

"Breathe with me, princess. That"s it. Nice and easy," Knox said softly, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "We"re going to talk about this calmly and rationally. It"s going to be alright because you"re safe now. Nothing to worry about, alright?"

She took a deep breath and nodded, her shoulders relaxing.

He smiled. "That"s better. Now about him trying to kill you before... Didn"t you say you were sickly as a child?"

She frowned, nodding slowly. "Come to think of it, I"ve not felt that great this week either. I even went to bed a few nights without dinner. It"s why I wanted to reschedule meeting you at the tavern."

Olive said, "How do you feel after eating the stew?"

"I feel fine now."

Scarlet pointed her dagger at them. "Then yeah, he was probably poisoning you for years."

He ran a hand over the side of his head, jerking slightly in surprise. He"d forgotten that he wasn"t wearing his hood. It was amazing that Eirwyn hadn"t run screaming into the night.

He looked at her, no doubt that hope shone in his eyes. If she could handle him like this, perhaps she could handle all of him. He needed to ask Olive about fated mates, but first, they needed a plan.

Knox turned back to Scarlet, his mind working furiously as he thought through the possibilities.

"Red, if the king finds out you didn"t kill her, find the Robins in the taverns."

She sat up in her chair. "The Robins? Are you fucking serious?"

He nodded. "I know your work is mostly against them, but if he turns on you, the Robins will get you safely out of town."

She sighed dramatically and threw herself back against the chair, pulling one leg up to dangle on the arm rest and ignoring him yet again.

Eirwyn yawned. "So that"s the plan? Scarlet will take a heart to my brother, and we"ll see what happens?"

Knox nodded and released her hand. "Why don"t you go upstairs? You"ve had an exhausting day and should get some rest."

She blushed furiously and leaned closer. "Will you be sleeping there?"

He leaned closer to her, drawn like a moth to a flame as his heart raced at her nearness. "Do you want me to?"

Scarlet gagged. "Ugh, barf. I know you"ve waited for this your entire life, but I veto any sex happening in this house."

Olive gasped, her eyes widening. "Yes, I agree. My house, my rules. No sex tonight for any of you."

Eirwyn giggled and her eyes twinkled. "That might be a greater tragedy than my brother trying to kill me."

Knox chuckled and leaned back, crossing his arms. Eirwyn"s gaze slid over him, making the hair on the back of his hands stand up. She stared at him the way a fox stared at a chicken.

He licked his lips and grinned. "I might have to agree with you on that one."

Scarlet"s brows rose. "Nice to see you learning to flirt, brother. But this is the princess you"re talking to."

Eirwyn shrugged her delicate shoulder and stood. "Even princesses have needs, Scarlet. But all this talk of sex has me suddenly realizing how filthy I am. Does anyone have anything else I can wear? Something clean?"

Olive nodded, "Scarlet, take her upstairs and get her some of your old clothes. They should fit well enough. And run her a bath while you"re at it. Heavens knows she might not get one up with the dwarves."

Scarlet"s boots landed on the wooden floor as she stood, stretched, and walked to the stairs. Eirwyn"s bright eyes caught Knox" before she walked around his chair. Her fingers trailed from his shoulder, up his neck, and over his scales and horns.

It surprised him yet again that he was just sitting in the same room as her with his head bare. At her touch, a shiver of ecstasy swept him like a flash flood.

Then she was walking away, her hips shaking in her silk blue, white, and red dress.