Their Royal Ash

by Lia Davis

  “How?”

  “Buy bringing you to the Harvest Ball.” He stood straighter and grinned.

  Narrowing my gaze, I opened my mouth to tell him I wasn’t going back to the palace, then froze when I heard horse’s hooves approaching the house.

  Elion’s expression turned all hard angles and pursed lips. He took my hand and positioned me behind the door as he opened it. My heart hammered as I peeked through the crack and saw the king’s guards. “Sup!”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing at Elion’s greeting. Apparently, he hadn’t stopped annoying the guards. However, my amusement was short lived when one of the guards spoke. “The king thought you might need assistance on your trip.”

  Oh, no. He knew. The king knew they were up to something. Dizzying fear made my blood run cold. The urge to run swirled in my mind.

  Elion snorted. “Cut the bullshit. You know as well as anyone my father can give two shits about me. What’s the real reason you nosy bastards followed me?”

  The guards snared at him but before the one in front of the others replied, a familiar voice booming around us.

  “You may leave now. Thank you for finding my brother for me.”

  Conell. Had he sent the guards?

  “But Your Highness, the king said—”

  “I know what he said and I’m changing the plan. I need Elion to join my quest. Tell my father we will be home in time to prepare for the Harvest Ball.” Conell’s tone carried much more authority than I remembered.

  I couldn’t see him from where I was, but that didn’t mean my insides didn’t fire to life in a nervous knot.

  Without another word, the guards left. I sank to the floor and drew my knees into my chest. That was too close.

  I couldn’t stay here. The guards would surely start poking around and asking questions. I crawled from behind the door and stumbled to my feet and ran to my room. Elion called my name, but I ignored him.

  Tears fell down my cheeks. Thoughts of Kieran and Elion danced in my head. My heart broke. I had to leave them again.

  After grabbing my travel bag—full of the important things I’d need on the run—I turned and froze. Conell, Ayen and Jonah stood just inside my room.

  Conell’s lips twitched. “Where are you going, princess?”

  Chapter Five

  “I can’t go back to the palace.” I shook all over.

  Ayen crossed the room to me and drew me into a bear hug, lifting me off the ground. His dark chocolate scent washed over me. I hugged him back. “Thank the gods you are alive.”

  Tears streamed down my face. I hadn’t realized how much I missed them until that moment, with them in my house. Because there was a time the four of us were close, before my mom died and the king turned me into a slave.

  Conell took me from his brother’s arms and held me to him as he spoke. As the oldest and the heir of the throne, he wasn’t as playful as his brothers. Something in the way he held me was comforting and caring. “I’m taking the throne. I will challenge my father publicly at the Harvest Ball. Those in this room are the only ones who know about this plan. However, Father is getting suspicious.”

  “More like paranoid.” Elion pointed to Jonah. “DD told golden boy over there to increase security around his room. Too bad Father doesn’t know Jonah is a traitor.”

  I glanced at Jonah and frowned. I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. Elion took my bag from me and tossed it on the bed. “My big brothers brought food that is already prepared.”

  I glanced at Conell and he gave me a ghost of a smile. “I picked something up in the market.”

  Nodding, I allowed Elion to lead me down the hall to the dining room. Three baskets full of a variety of foods sat on the table. Fresh baked breads, fruits, cheese, and nuts were in two baskets. The third had a cooked dish of some kind.

  “What is this?” I glanced to the guys, noting the way Jonah hung back at the archway between the living room and the dining room.

  Conell pulled out a chair and motioned to it. “Sit and eat. This will get us by until we leave tomorrow. Once we get back to Kregon, you will have a cook and a lady’s maid.”

  Shaking my head, I sat. “I can’t go back there.”

  “You will be protected and wear a disguise. No one will recognize you until we are ready for them to.” Conell sat beside me and his brothers followed. As a true king, his tone said not to argue. Elion sat on the other side of me and Ayen took the seat across the table. Conell glanced around and said, “Where is Kieran?”

  “Hunting,” Elion said.

  “I’m here.” Kieran entered the room, his gaze meeting mine. “I smelled you guys and the guards.”

  Breaking the eye contact, Kieran scanned the room, meeting each of the guys’ stares briefly. Then he took the seat next to Ayen.

  Conell tapped his fingers on the table. It was something he’d always done when thinking and solving problems. “The plan has holes in it and I was hoping Tia could help fill them.” He met my gaze. “But that’s not the only reason we searched for you. I need to find Father’s journal.”

  Yes, he did. “He documented everything in it.” I kept my voice low. Anger bubbled up as the memories of the first time I read the entry about how my mother really died.

  Conell covered my hand on the table. “Do you know where it is?”

  I swallowed and stared down at the table, studying the grains in the wood. I knew where the journal was, but I didn’t want to go back to the castle.

  Jonah broke his silence from the archway. “The king destroyed his office and bedroom searching for the book. He claims someone had stolen it from him.”

  All attention shifted to me. I sighed and sat back in the chair. “I took it, but I don’t have it here. It’s hidden, but Elion said he looked and it wasn’t there. Someone else must had overheard me tell him where it was.”

  “My guess is one of the guards.” Conell let out a frustrated groan.

  A sob broke in my throat. “I can’t go back there.”

  Conell scooted his chair back, the legs scraping against the hardwood floors, then pulled my chair out and turned it so I fully faced him. He framed my face with his hands. His blue eyes darkened slightly. “I promise you, that bastard and his guards will not touch you again.”

  “But without the journal as proof...”

  The anger in Conell’s gaze melted away, replaced by compassion. “You don’t have to go searching for it. One of us will.” He released my face and lowered his hand to mine. “I can’t leave you here alone either. Especially since the guards were already here.”

  Kieran growled. “Their suspicions are turning into obsessions.”

  “Are the rumors still floating around?” Ayen asked.

  I glanced at him, narrowing my eyes. Scanning the faces of his brothers, the vampire, and the wolf, a jolt of fear shoot through me. “What rumors?”

  Kieran was the one to answer my question. “An anonymous tip came in that you aren’t dead. King Balsatra has offered a reward for your return.”

  All the muscles in my body tensed and I was glad I was sitting down because I would have fallen. My body shook from the inside out.

  Conell lifted me from my chair and held me against him. “We had to be sure we were the first to get to you. The guards believe I’m heading up the search. Jonah has become my personal guard. Together we kept the rumors from spreading too far and ensure Father believes our goals are the same as his.”

  I glanced at Jonah and frowned. He walked toward me and I shrank back. I wasn’t sure I could trust him. He pushed me off a cliff and I almost drowned. Lowering his shoulders, he whirled around and stormed out the house.

  I met each of their stares. “Why is he here?”

  Conell eased me off his lap and stood. “To make amends. To ensure you never have to face my father again.”

  I folded my arms over my chest and stared at the door. “I’m not ready to trust him.”

  Fixing an intense stare on
me, Conell leaned in and whispered, “Give him a chance to tell you his side of things. He’s proven more than once whose side he’s on.” Conell snapped his fingers then pointed at Elion, while speaking loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. “Go with Jonah to set up the safe house and make sure it’s secure. Ayen, Kieran, Tia, and I will leave tomorrow morning.”

  Like the king, Conell had a strength in his voice. When he gave a command, people scattered to do his bidding. His brothers included, only they moved at a much slower pace.

  Elion closed the distance between us and kissed my cheek. “See you in a couple of days, Ash.”

  My heart filled with belonging. And I knew my cheeks were red as cherries. Lifting my gaze, I met Jonah’s stare through the kitchen window. Longing and regret darkened his hazel depths. Maybe Conell and the others were right. I needed to hear Jonah out and make a fair assumption.

  But it seemed it’d have to wait until we got settled at the safe house.

  After a moment, Jonah broke the eye contact and moved out of my sight. An ache formed in my chest. I pursed my lips. We’d have to face each other soon. He would answer my questions.

  Elion gave me a tight hug before he followed their guard out the door.

  “You all right?” Kieran caressed my hand with an index finger.

  “Yeah. You guys sure know how to turn someone’s world upside down.” I let out a nervous laugh, then added, “The real question is will I be all right when I have to finally face the king?”

  Chapter Six

  I curled my legs up on the oversized, wicker chair on the back porch as I stared off into the dark forest. The day was filled with Kieran, Ayen, and Conell strategizing over the murder of the king. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Yes, the king needed to pay for his crimes. But kill him?

  The smell of hot chocolate and mint drifted in the air, drawing my attention to Conell stepping out onto the porch. He carried two mugs, and a sensual half-smile brightened his features.

  Sitting up straighter, I took one of the mugs from him. I wrapped my fingers around the warm cup and inhaled. The rich minty aroma tantalized my senses.

  Two days after each beating, a mug of mint hot chocolate was by my bed when I returned to my cell or room after the daily shores. I always had my suspicions where it came from. “I knew it was you who sent me hot chocolate.”

  He nudged me to scoot over by poking at my hip. Frowning, I uncurled my legs. When I didn’t move fast enough he set his cup on the table and lifted me, drawing a squeak from my lips. Then he sat in the chair, placing me on his lap. “I made the hot chocolate. Ayen took it to you.”

  Shadows passed over his features. Creases formed on his forehead. Cupping his cheek, I said, “Don’t be sad for me.”

  “I’m not sad. I’m angry. Angry at my father who killed your mother and mine.” He hugged me tight and buried his face into my shoulder. But not before I saw the pain darkening his blue eyes.

  I hugged him back. The journal detailed his plot to kill his wives. The name of the poison he used to make it appear they died of natural causes. I never understood why he did it, though. Why detail each act? Was that normal for a killer? A way to relive his crimes?

  And as much as I didn’t want to go back, I needed to grow a set of balls and face my fears. Face the man who hated me and abused me every chance he got. I wasn’t a child anymore.

  I released a heavy sigh. “I guess we’re going back to the palace.”

  Lifting his head, he smiled and kissed me quickly on the lips. I gasped and jerked back a little. Involuntarily, I touched my lips. They tingled as if they were touched by a low current of electricity. It wasn’t our first kiss, but it was unexpected. For a moment, I’d forgotten we didn’t have to hide. Not here.

  He took my cup from me and set it on the small table beside the chair, then framed my face in his large hands. “At the ball, I will be announcing you as the new queen. After I deal with my father.”

  “Queen? But I can’t—“

  He silenced me with a finger over my lips. “You can and are exactly what the people need after everything the bastard has done.”

  “I think dethroning the king would be enough. I’m no one special.”

  A poke in the side made me giggle and jerk sideways. Then he drew me closer so our bodies were pressed together. “You are more special than you realize.” He kissed me again, letting his lips linger over mine. “And beautiful.”

  Our lips touched again and he pressed harder. There was a raw, primal possession in this kiss. My insides vibrated as tingles ran wild over my skin.

  Snaking my arms around his neck, I sank my fingers in his long black hair and moved my mouth with his. A moan escaped me as his tongue slipped through the seam of my lips, meeting mine.

  Awareness of another person cut through the drunken desire clouding my mind. I broke the kiss and glanced to the door leading into the house. Not one, but two someones stood on the porch staring at us.

  Heat filled my cheeks and I pushed at Conell to let me go, but he didn’t. Kieran and Ayen smirked and advanced to us. They pulled up chairs and positioned them so we sat in tight circle.

  Worried, I sat up straighter in Conell’s lap, giving them my full attention. “What happened?”

  Kieran frowned but looked at Conell as he spoke. “Hounds are snooping around the edge of village. Ayen and I are going to lead them away from here, confuse them.” Kieran glanced at me. “I’ll need something with your scent on it that you don’t care if you get it back.”

  Fear and dread lodged in my chest like a block of ice. I nodded and stood. Conell released me instantly. After removing my underskirt, I hand it to him. “This would be the only thing. I’m careful not to allow my dirty clothes to lay about.”

  Kieran took the white cotton skirt, fisting it in his hands, then leaned forward. “It won’t be much longer before you are free to live without covering your tracks or in fear.” He kissed me quickly and straightened.

  Ayen touched my cheek, a sadness in his eyes. It reached out to me. I wanted to grab him, hug him, and hold him. Too quickly, he left to catch up with Kieran. Both men disappeared into the forest.

  Conell stood beside me and pulled something out of his pocket. He moved to the railing of the porch and placed a palm-sized crystal on it. “Praesidio.”

  Magic charged the air, then snapped into place, forming a circle of protection around the house. When he turned, he lowered his gaze. The next thing I knew he gathered me into his arms, his head buried in my shoulder.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  My heartbeat slowed and I hugged him back. “For what?”

  He squeezed me a little tighter. It wasn’t painful. It was like he needed to feel me close. I relaxed and waited for him to answer.

  “I did nothing. All that time. I couldn’t bear facing you.” He lifted his head. His blue eyes shone with tears. It broke me on a level the king couldn’t with all his beatings.

  I pressed my fingers to his lips. “Don’t blame yourself.”

  Taking my hand in his, he shook his head. “The bastard told me if I ever had contact with you or helped you in anyway, he’d kill you. Then he’d let the kingdom know I raped a child.”

  I gasped and stepped back. Cold fear mingled with the rising rage from deep within. Conell and I were five years apart. Any attempt to be more than friends before or after my mother died had to be secret. Like notes we shared and I burned as soon as I read them.

  And that one kiss the night of my sixteenth birthday. “Someone saw us?”

  “Not sure. He knows how I feel about you. Or thinks he does. He used it against me. Out of fear for your safety, I left you alone. I tried to get him to focus on something or someone other than you.” Conell reached out and wrapped his arm around my waist, drawing me back to him. “Father kept saying you were just like your mother. I never understood what he meant by that. He’d only say such things when we were alone. When I asked about his meaning, he’d go into a r
age and remind me the power he held. That was when I started to believe the man is not well. He’s crazy.”

  “He’s addicted to power and somewhere along the way had become the male version of a black widow.” Sadness swelled in my chest. I glanced to the ground. “I don’t understand how he could be so cruel.”

  “Hey.” Conell lifted my chin with his index finger. When our gazes locked, he raised both brows and gave me a half smile. Just like that my sadness faded while hope for a future took root deep inside me. “I missed you.”

  A breathy laugh blew past my lips. “I missed you, too.”

  “And we’re all alone.”

  Yes, we were. Rising on my toes, I pressed against him and kissed his lips quickly. “What will you do with the me?”

  One side of his sensual mouth lifted in a crooked smile. Desire swirled in my belly and made my bones feel like they’d been turned to gelatin. There was a wicked promise of pleasure in his blue depths.

  “There are so many things I want to do to you.” He scooped me up in his arms and entered the house, closing and locking the door behind him.

  Walking into the bedroom, he kicked the door closed. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach. I’d never been a lone with any of them for long periods of time. Except for when Elion stayed to night in my cell tending to my wounds.

  That last thought made me think of my scars. I was imperfect. Damaged. Squirming in Conell’s arms, I pushed at him to release me. Instead, he tightened his hold. “What’s wrong?”

  I shook my head. “I can’t…you can’t…”

  “Tia.” He framed my face, forcing me to look at him. “We can’t what?”

  After a long moment, I let out a sigh. “I don’t…want you to see the scars.”

  His features softened as he traced my lower lip with his thumb. The sensation sent a ripple of desire through me. “I’ve seen your scars.”

  Closing my eyes, I leaned into his touch. He wouldn’t let me argue with him. I knew that. I tried so hard to forget that all the guys saw my imperfect skin. They were present for most my beatings. All except Kieran.