House of Shadows (Royal Houses 2)

Kerrigan sighed. “Father!”

“I know. At the time, it didn’t seem to matter.”

“Of course you’d say that.”

He shrugged. “I was in a low place. She was unlike anyone else I’d ever met in my life. Her husband found out about our relationship and nearly beat me to death.”

Kerrigan froze. She’d seen this. The man larger than life who had beaten her father while a woman screamed in the background of her nightmares. The vision she’d had at her bonding that made no sense at the time. Was it possible that she’d seen reality?

“This man,” Kerrigan said quietly, “was he massively tall with blond hair and wearing a white almost drape across him?”

Kivrin froze. His calm demeanor disappearing as true horror crossed his face. He dropped the cigar and grasped her by both shoulders in alarm. “You have seen him?”

“No,” Kerrigan said quickly. “I… I had a vision of him. I saw it at my bonding ceremony.”

“Gods,” he said, releasing her and running a hand back through his hair. “If you see this man, you must run at all costs. Tell me you will run, Kerrigan. Promise me.”

“Kivrin, what are you talking about.”

“Promise me!” he demanded, shaking her slightly.

“All right,” she whispered. “I promise.

“I tried to protect you,” he said hollowly, releasing her. “Your mother made me leave after I was beaten. She showed up here nine months later with a baby girl in her arms. She told me to keep you safe and that if her husband found out, he would try to kill you.”

“And did he find out?”

Kivrin nodded slowly. “You had just turned five years old, and word reached me of a giant man in Lillington village. You were out riding, and I met you. I tried to remain calm and show you that everything would be okay. But then I bundled you up and ran. I told Helly that you were in danger, and we left you with the House of Dragons. You were far safer there than with me.”

Kerrigan held her breath. “Did he ever find you?”

Kivrin swallowed. “Yes. He came to Waisley shortly after I returned. It was why I’d spread the rumor that you’d disappeared. So, by the time he came calling, everyone already believed you were gone. I had to bury you or else he would keep looking.”

“But… but why? Why would he want to kill me?”

“Vulsan cares about one thing and one thing alone: power. The fact that you existed at all was anathema to him. I did what I could to protect you.” He put his hand out and covered Kerrigan’s. “I am so sorry that I made you believe you were not wanted all those years. I’ve always wanted you, but I wanted you to live more than my selfish desire for you to be my daughter.”

Kerrigan looked up into his eyes and saw the sincerity there for the first time. The act of playboy prince that he continued to wear to this day to keep her safe. To keep a crazed man from slaughtering her because of her very existence.

Tears welled in her eyes, and for the first time in twelve years, she stepped into her father’s embrace. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her tight. They couldn’t make up for the twelve years they’d lost, but they could at least start today on a new foundation.

41

The Village

“I don’t believe this is the best use of our time,” Fordham said.

“Well, I already promised that I’d go.”

Fordham crossed his arms over the black silk of his shirt. “What is this really about?”

Maybe she had. They’d stopped early the last two days and sat down for dinner with her father. She wasn’t improving, and the extra practices didn’t seem to matter, so she might as well spend the time with her father.

“I haven’t been to the village in twelve years, and they want me to join them, Fordham,” she said quietly. “I didn’t hate everything about Bryonica. I loved this house and my lands and my people. I don’t want to disappoint them. Surely, you can understand that.”

He nodded and sighed. “I can.”

“Good. Then, grab your coat, and let’s go.”

He muttered something under his breath but followed her out anyway. Warby had horses saddled for them, and she hoisted herself up into the saddle. The beast felt strangely small after riding Tieran all week. He was the smallest of the lot of dragons but still significantly bigger than a horse. She took up the reins and directed her horse out onto the road.

“If it were only this easy,” she grumbled.

“What’s that?” Fordham asked, trotting up next to her.

“Nothing.”

They continued the short ride to Lillington in silence. The village was a mere mile from Waisley. Likely the only reason her father had been able to carry on a relationship with a local girl without anyone knowing the extent of it. She was surprised to find that guards circled the village before they crossed into the village limits. She didn’t realize that her father had a patrol this close to town.