The Forsaken King

She held the dart between her fingertips, closed one eye to aim, and then threw it at the board.

Bull’s-eye.

One of the guys groaned before he pulled out a pouch of coins.

Elora took the pouch and tossed it in the air a couple times. “Nothing better than robbing a man right in front of him.” She gave him a wink then strutted toward the bar.

I stepped in front of her because she hadn’t noticed me. “Looks like you’re buying me a drink.”

She’d just tossed the bag into the air when she stopped. She caught it without a glance as her jaw dropped open. “I didn’t know you were home.”

“Arrived a couple hours ago.” I couldn’t suppress my smile, not when she lit up like that.

She jumped into my arms and gave me a bear hug. “I’m so glad you’re back. You were gone for so long.”

I squeezed her back, my chin resting on her head.

“It sucked. Don’t do that anymore.”

I pulled away. “Well, I’ve got bad news… I’m leaving again in a couple days.”

Her eyebrows furrowed in her anger then she stuck out her tongue. “How long?”

“I don’t know…but probably a while.”

“Ugh.” She turned to the bar. “Let’s get that drink. Now I really need one.”

We took seats side by side, ordering a couple of ales and some stews. She pivoted in the stool toward me, her legs crossed, her breeches tight, with thick boots on her feet. “So, did you grab the girl?”

“I did.”

“That went smooth?”

Smooth wasn’t the word I’d use. “A hiccup here and there…”

“Now what?”

“I’m taking her with me to the isles in a few days.”

“Just the two of you?” she asked incredulously. “Gonna have her tied up the entire time?”

I shook my head.

“Then how do you know she won’t try to kill you?”

“Because she knows she’d be dead without me.”

“What’s she like?”

I shrugged. “A pain in the ass…”

She turned to her stew and took a couple bites. “Is she in the dungeon?”

I held her gaze for a while, unsure what to say. “Yes.”

She continued to eat. “How was the outpost?”

“Cold. Got attacked by the Teeth and a yeti.”

“Oh shit. What happened?” She dropped her spoon back into her bowl.

I told her the story—and left out Ivory’s part in it.

“They haven’t attacked in forever,” she said. “Why now?”

I told her that story too.

“Wow, you’re right.” She took a drink of her ale. “She is a pain in the ass.”

I noticed the way the other men in the bar looked at her, always had her in the corner of their eye, as if they had any chance with her. If a stare lingered too long, I stared back until they backed off like a fucking pussy.

“Ian?”

“He’s fine.”

“Are you worried about him being at the outpost alone? Now that we know what’s going on with the Teeth?”

I always worried about him. He was my little brother. It was my job to worry. “I’m confident in his abilities.”

“I hope you mean that…because now I’m worried.”

I washed down my fear and brushed it off. “He’ll be fine, Elora. What’s been going on with you?”

I entered my house behind the gate and made my way upstairs. The glow from the fireplace was visible, shadows on the walls, so I knew she was there. Hoped she was naked in bed, because I’d been thinking about her since I’d walked out the door.

My eyes immediately went to the bed, but she wasn’t there waiting for me.

My eyes flicked to the open doorway that led to the bathroom. “Ivory?”

She came out of nowhere, and with a dagger in her hand, she stabbed me right in the stomach.

My guard was down. Otherwise, that wouldn’t have happened.

Her hand was still on the hilt as she held it inside me, her eyes more vicious than my mother’s on her worst day.

I didn’t grimace or wince, didn’t make a single gesture of discomfort.

She yanked it out of me, the blade red with my blood.

I could feel my body immediately begin to heal once the weapon was gone.

“Is she your girlfriend? Or is she your wife?”

My eyebrows furrowed.

“I followed you—and now I know why you wanted me to stay here.”

Elora.

“Sure didn’t look like a whore to me.”

Now it all became clear.

“You were away from home a little too long and couldn’t say no? What were you going to do? Never tell her about me?” Furious, she walked away and threw the bloody knife on the dresser. “You’re a fucking piece of shit…”

My eyes watched her movements, aware of the blood that had soaked into the fabric of my tunic and splashed onto the floor. The blood stopped as quickly as it started.

She paced around the room with her arms crossed in front of her, her chest heaving with her anger. When I didn’t say anything, she turned to regard me. “That’s it? You have nothing to say?”