Chapter One

Lady Eleanor Buckingham sat at the table, deaf to the conversation flowing around her. She wasn't sure why these men had plotted against her grandfather, King Phillip, or how they'd even discovered he was her grandfather. Perhaps, it was the way he doted on her and showed her special attention whenever she was around. All she knew was she was a weapon to hurt the man who meant the most to her, her maternal grandfather. Worse, there was nothing she could do about it. She was once again caught in a web made by men, and the spider poised to devour her sat at her side, his arm on the back of her chair, fingers grazing along her shoulder. His thumb brushed along her neck under the heavy fall of her hair, making her skin pebble as shivers tickled through her.

Gavin Montrose. War King. Bastard son. Husband. The last title raised her anxiety since the wife attached to that word was her. She had two days before their marriage was to be consummated, but he'd stated she would spend each night in his bed regardless.

"What do you think, Nori?"

She glanced up, having no clue who'd asked the question. At the moment, she didn't care. The last few days had her on edge and the only thing holding back her temper was the fact her lips were closed.

"You'll answer my sister, Nori," Gavin commanded at her side.

"And which one is she, my lord?" she snapped. "Or should I just answer the table. Yes, why don't I do that? My name is Eleanor, not Nori. Only those close to me are allowed that intimacy, and none of you have it." She glared at Gavin. "None of you. As for the question, I have no clue what was asked. Until this moment, not a single one of you has spoken to me. About me, yes. Around me, yes. So excuse me, if I find your conversational skills lacking and unworthy of a response."

Silence filled the room, and Nori knew Gavin felt her shaking under his grip as he leaned close.

"My king."

"What?" She flicked her gaze at him but refused to hold his stare.

"You'll address me as my king."

She snorted. Didn't even try to contain it.

"You might have coerced this farce of a marriage, but you are not my king. In fact, I think I'd prefer to take my dinner with my king."

She stood, but Gavin refused to let her push back her chair.

"I said—"

"You'll sit down and apologize to the table," he ordered.

She fought briefly against his hold on her chair, but he refused to let her leave the table. It took all she had to settle back in her seat instead of crawling over or under the table. She kept her mouth shut.

"Nori."

She ignored him. She had no reason to apologize to anyone in the room.

"You're right," a woman with golden-brown hair offered. "None of us have taken the time to introduce ourselves, and my brother hasn't taken the time to make introductions."

"Ah, the sister with the question. I apologize for not listening when you spoke to me. Then again, I didn't realize you were."

"I apologize for that, Eleanor. I'm Rory. Gavin's sister."

"My condolences," Nori said.

"Oh, I really like you," another woman said with a laugh. "I'm Jo, married to Gavin's brother."

"Theo," the big guy next to Jo introduced himself.

Nori let her gaze bounce between the three of them.

"Theo and I have the same father but different mothers," Gavin said beside her, but his voice was hard. It didn't sound as if he liked his father much.

"My mother was forced to marry their father when she was pregnant with me," Rory continued, and Nori realized, though Rory claimed sibling status, there was no blood connection.

" Your king sold her mother to the abusive bastard," the male next to Rory snarled.

As quickly as her anger had surged, exhaustion replaced it. She let out her breath, slumping in her chair.

"I'd like to be excused now, Gavin."

"You haven't eaten," he stated, and she hated that he'd watched her closely enough to realize that.

"The hostility has stolen my appetite."

"There's no hostility directed at you, Nori."

"I'd like to be excused," she asked again. "Please."

"I'll escort you to our room."

She had her chair scooted back and was out of his reach before she addressed him again. "I can see myself upstairs. I'm sure you have more evil to plot with your friends."

"Nori."

She hated the way the hard command in his voice affected her. "Eleanor. And you've done enough. You've made it clear I'll be in your bed tonight. I'd like a few moments alone to collect myself, so I don't try to kill you in your sleep."

His full lips twitched, drawing her attention. It looked as if he were trying not to smile. She hated how he stood so close to her, the way he reached out and touched her as if it were his right. Husband or not, it wasn't.

"Should we be worried for you, brother?" Theo asked.

"She won't harm me," Gavin stated as if his decree alone was enough to stay her hand.

"Depends on your definition of harm," she snapped. Apparently, her anger wasn't gone.

"I'll take her above and show her your room, Gavin. This is my home—"

"Childhood home," the man beside the woman who'd spoken said.

"Childhood home," she corrected. "I'm Genevieve Blaywolf. That's my husband, Marcus."

"I'll come too since it was my father who stood proxy for your groom. Serena Lyons," she introduced herself. "And my husband, Geoffrey."

"Jo and I will come, as well," Rory said as she stood. "I believe our mothers were cousins, which makes us family."

"I…" Nori paused and shook her head. "I don't have any family."

Silence again and she realized some of her sadness must have come through. She hadn't meant to show that. It was too much. She dropped her head, gaze toward the floor as the first teardrop fell. She hated tears, but her control was gone.

A hard hand reached out, fingers clasping her jaw as her head was forced up. She refused to meet his gaze, but she couldn't hide the tears. With a growl, he swept her up into his arms and carried her from the room. She held herself as stiffly as she could, but she couldn't stop the tears.

"My king, do you need anything?"

Gavin paused and turned. Nori glanced at the two men waiting for Gavin's answer. They were exact replicas of one another. Twins.

"We're good for the evening. Have the men gather in the courtyard in the morning. No reason to ease up on training while we're here."

"Are you going to introduce us to your bride?"

Nori buried her head in Gavin's neck. At the moment, he was the lesser of two evils. She definitely didn't want to meet these two when she'd been crying. At least, their interruption had allowed her to get a handle on her emotions.

"I'll introduce you to my wife tomorrow. She had a long trip and needs to rest."

She wanted to bite him for the way he made it sound as if he held concern for her wellbeing. His actions told a different story.

"Until tomorrow then, my queen. My king."

"My queen. My king," the second one said before Gavin carried her toward the stairs.

"Who were they?" she asked, lifting her head from his neck.

"Crispin and Conrad, or Cris and Con as I call them. My seconds. One of them will be with you at all times when I'm not around."

"Why?"

"Because you're my wife and a queen of the Dread Lands. Your safety is my number one priority."

She snorted. "Do you often pass your priorities on to others?"

"I can't be everywhere," he growled.

"No, of course not. I'm sure you have to prioritize by level of importance. Your wedding obviously didn't make the list."

"Our wedding," he corrected.

"Oh, there was nothing of me in that farce of a ceremony. Tell me, should I expect a proxy when my two days are up and it's time to consummate?"

She quickly found herself trapped against the wall. He turned her so they were chest-to-chest and his groin pressed against her most intimate part. She felt him, the fullness of him, and there was no controlling the way her body trembled.

"No man will touch you but me. Ever."

"Until you prove to me that I'm truly a priority, neither will you."

"Make no mistake, Nori. This marriage will be consummated in two days, but there's a lot we can do before then."

She shook her head. "You won't touch me without my consent."

He grinned then, and the way it reflected in his blue eyes made her catch her breath. "You'll enjoy my touch. Beg for it. The way you're rubbing against me right now assures me you'll be as passionate a lover as I could ever desire."

She felt her skin flush as she accepted she was brushing herself against him. It was mortifying. She didn't even understand why she was doing it. What the hell was this man doing to her?

"I don't want you."

"You want me," he disagreed. "Even more, you need me. More than you realize."

She shook her head, but he ignored her, sweeping her into his arms again and continuing down the hallway to his room. He set her on her feet once they were inside the door and dropped a kiss atop her head.

"I'll have a bath sent up for you and dinner, as well. You didn't eat. You'll eat and bathe, or I'll feed you and wash you myself. I won't have you hungry and uncomfortable. Not even to spite me. I will take care of you." He turned back to the door but paused and glanced over his shoulder at her before exiting. "I'm sorry I couldn't come get you myself. When you're ready, I'll explain everything. I'll see you soon."

Nori watched him shut the door. Only then did she take a deep breath. Since a group of soldiers had arrived at her family home and set her life into upheaval a few days ago, she'd encountered every emotion she could think of. She'd been prepared to hate the man she was married to. She wasn't so sure anymore.