The Summer King Bundle: 3 Stories by Jennifer L. Armentrout

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  My mouth dropped open. “I would love to see you try to do that. Seriously.”

  His head cocked to the side, and then he unfolded his arms, taking a step forward.

  I threw out my hand. “If you so much as touch me, I will cut off your nuts and stab you in the face.”

  “Damn.” He chuckled, sending a fine shiver down my spine. The sound was as deep and as nice as I remembered. “That’s aggressive.”

  “I’m feeling really, really aggressive.”

  “Hmm.” He tipped up his chin. “Normally when I touch you, you want to do other things to my balls.”

  My lips parted on a sharp inhale. A dozen different things I could do to his balls danced like really weird sugarplums in my head, and none of them included kicking him.

  Then I saw the way his jaw had softened and noticed the curve to his lips. He was…amused.

  Fuck that.

  I stiffened my spine. I’d be damned if he found me amusing. “You know what? You’re right. There was a whole lot of things I wanted to do to them. Kiss them. Lick them. Suck them.”

  His humor vanished as his gaze sharpened on me. An almost predatory glint filled his eyes, making them luminous.

  “I wanted to get so familiar with them that we were on a first-name basis,” I continued, keeping my hand up. “But that was before. Not anymore. Now, I’d rather cut them off.”

  “You sure about that, sunshine?”

  “Don’t call me that. And, yes, I’m a hundred percent positive. A hundred and twenty-five percent, to be exact.”

  “A hundred and twenty-five percent?” he murmured. “Interesting. Then why haven’t you engaged your blade with me?”

  With a frown, I glanced down at my wrist. He was right. I hadn’t triggered the blade from the cuff.

  Damn it.

  Damn it all to hell.

  Chapter 3

  Why do you view yourself so poorly?

  The King’s words haunted me throughout the evening and all night long. Was that what he thought? That I had no self-esteem or sense of self-worth? Just because I couldn’t understand why he’d pursued me and then wanted nothing to do with me.

  Stewing over what he’d said, what it could have possibly meant, had kept me up for hours. But what woke me a few hours before dawn on Sunday morning, was the little voice that kept whispering that there might be some truth to his question.

  After all, why did I think that he’d said all those wonderful things about me? Why had he kissed me and brought me such mind-numbing pleasure? Was it because he felt that he owed me for getting his brother back to Hotel Good Fae when he’d been hurt? Or because I had allowed him to feed on me when he was gravely injured with wounds that wouldn’t have been so serious if he’d been feeding in the first place? He’d been shot the night I’d found Elliot, one of the missing fae younglings that had turned evil, presumably due to the tainted nightshade.

  Not once did I think to myself that he’d simply been attracted to me, despite the fact that I was human, and he was surrounded by stunning, ethereal fae.

  And there was a good chance that he was still attracted to me despite cutting things off. It seemed like he’d been about to kiss me on Saturday night. Hell, his lips had touched mine. Barely, but still. And what if he had kissed me? Would I have allowed that? I couldn’t seriously be questioning that. I knew that I would’ve, and likely would have been pissed off at myself afterward.

  I needed to get my life right.

  Starting with finding and killing Aric and not allowing myself to be wooed by the King. Both, at this point, seemed of equal importance. None of this stuff with the King mattered, and neither did my possible lack of self-esteem. If I survived my showdown with Aric, I’d work on that with self-help books or something.

  Sighing, I watched the early morning sunlight creep across the floor toward the edge of the bed where Dixon lay curled in a tight ball. He hadn’t been there when I fell asleep.

  The sudden creak of a footstep landing on the loose board I kept planning to fix stirred the cat awake. Dixon’s furry head lifted toward the door I knew he’d managed to nudge open at some point during the night.

  He started purring, sounding like a mini-engine.

  Figuring it was Tink, who was probably about five seconds from dive-bombing the bed, I rolled onto my back and looked toward the door—

  My heart stopped in my chest.

  That was how it felt, like it came to an unexpected, jarring halt. My lips parted as my brain tried to process who I saw standing there. It wasn’t Tink.

  It was him.

  The King.

  He stood in the doorway of my bedroom like he belonged there, as if he’d been invited. And he most definitely had not been invited, nor did he belong in my house.

  At all.

  But it was him, his golden hair free and brushing the full breadth of his shoulders, his plain black shirt following the lines and curves of his muscles.

  All I could do was stare at him.

  One side of his lips curved upward. “Good morning.”

  I sat up so fast I startled Dixon. The cat stood, shooting me a baleful glare before hopping off the bed. “What are you doing in here?”

  “Tink let me in.” He glanced down as Dixon brushed against his leg, the cat’s tail high. “You know, most people usually respond with ‘good morning’ when they are given that greeting.”

  “I don’t care what most people do,” I exclaimed, promising myself that I would straight-up murder Tink. Which was a promise that I made a lot. “Why are you up here? In my bedroom?”

  Reaching down, the King scratched the cat’s head, earning himself a rather loud purr from the feline. “I wanted to see you.”

  It took me a moment to get my tongue to work. “I think I made it pretty clear the other night that I have no interest in seeing you.”

  “I know.” The King gave Dixon one more pat, and the cat scampered off down the hall. The fae rose to his full height, those tawny eyes meeting mine. “But we both know that’s not true.”

  “I-I—” I sputtered in disbelief. “You’re out of your mind. Seriously.”

  “I was never in it.” His gaze flickered over my face and then moved lower, lingering. “Definitely not now.”

  My brows puckered as my gaze followed his to the deep vee in my sleep shirt. The pale pink top had slipped off my shoulder, and the material was thin enough to reveal that there was a chill in the room. That was the reason my nipples were hard. It had absolutely nothing to do with the King’s presence or the way he was staring at me.

  Nope. Not at all.

  I clenched the edges of the blanket. “You could’ve just waited until I got up.”

  “I’m not very patient.” He strode forward, and I tensed, my eyes glued to him as he sat on the bed—my bed.

  “I didn’t say you could sit down.”

  “I know.”

  I stared at him.

  The King stared back, his infuriatingly sexy half-grin appearing. “I wanted to talk.”

  “About?”

  His gaze flicked from me to the wall. “About Aric.”

  Every muscle locked up. That was unexpected. “And this couldn’t wait until later? Like when I’m not in bed?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “I’ve found catching you off guard makes conversation with you easier.”

  My brows slammed down. “I don’t think that was a compliment.”

  “It actually was,” he replied, his gaze tracking over my bedroom, lingering on the stacks of books and framed pictures of my parents and me. “He’s truly evil.”

  I blinked, not following him.

  “Aric. You wanted to know more about him. That’s what you need to know. He’s pure, unadulterated evil, and I do not make that statement lightly. Nor do I believe most have ever come across someone who is actually evil,” he said, and I could not stop the shiver of dread from curling down my spine. “He cut straight through me in battle, w
eakening me so I was susceptible to the Queen’s spell. But he wasn’t always my enemy. At least I had not known him to be. But you knew that already.”

  I did.

  “He wasn’t just one of my Knights, assigned to protect me. We grew up together, his family closely linked with mine. He was one of my closest confidants. My friend. And the whole time, he was plotting to betray my family and our Court.” The King looked away. “How does one look another in the eye, day after day, have supper with their families, and be privy to their secrets and desires, all the while hating them enough to destroy those closest to them?”

  “I…” I swallowed. “I don’t know.”

  “Neither do I.” He cleared his throat. “He drew our Court into war by killing many of our younglings before taking someone who meant a lot to my family…to me. He did not just kill his captive. No, that would’ve been too easy. He did things that no creature—human or fae or animal—should ever suffer through. And he did this, all the while pretending to help us find our loved one, eventually leading us right to the body of…” He shook his head. “It’s something I will never forget seeing. Even under the Queen’s spell, the images… They remained.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, reaching out without thinking and placing my hand on his arm. His skin was warm under my palm as I squeezed gently. “I really am.”

  He looked down at where my hand touched him and, after a moment, he continued. “It wasn’t until we were in the middle of the battle that he revealed that he’d been behind it all. And he reveled in my shock, my despair. He got off knowing how deeply that cut because I looked upon him as a brother—not of my blood, but of my heart.”

  Sickened, I had no idea what to say.

  “And he made damn sure I knew what had been done to the one he took. To all of them. I saw the proof his words carried on the bodies of his victims,” he said. “I saw what he was capable of. I felt what he’s capable of. Some kill because they have to. Some because they enjoy it. He’s the latter.”

  I believed that beyond a doubt.

  “Do you understand why Aric is so dangerous? He is capable of anything.” The King lifted his gaze from where my hand still rested on his arm. “Not just because he’s loyal to the Queen, but because he is truly evil. A real monster who enjoys inflicting pain and terror. He’s not like others you’ve faced. He’s not…he’s not even like me when I was under the Queen’s spell.”

  “I do understand. He’s done terrible things to you. To me. He’s dangerous, and he’s evil,” I told him, swallowing the thick lump of emotion that had taken root in my throat. “But I’ve always known that about him. I know that I—”

  “That you will most likely die seeking vengeance?” he cut me off. “A slow, most definitely agonizing death? Is revenge truly worth that?”

  I pulled my hand back. “I think you of all people know the answer to that.”

  A muscle flexed along his jaw. “Brighton, please—”

  “There’s nothing you can say. Nothing you can do—” My words ended on a sharp inhale as he moved too fast for me to track. He was suddenly over me, his arms caging me in against the headboard. I inhaled, drowning in his citrusy scent. My heart thumped against my ribs as his warm breath coasted over my lips.

  “I won’t do it,” he growled.

  “Do what?” I whispered, shivering as he lifted a hand, placing his palm against my cheek.

  “I won’t do it,” he repeated, sliding his thumb over my lower lip. I gasped. His head tilted as his hand slipped down my throat and over the bare skin of my shoulder.

  My eyes drifted shut as heat filled my blood. Part of me hated how my body responded to him, how my heart swelled and raced whenever he was near. All of me wanted him, though, and I loathed that most of all.

  “I too am capable of just about anything,” he said, voice thick and low. “And I will not let you get yourself killed.”

  My eyes flew open, but the King was already gone.

  * * * *

  “Bri?” Ivy waved a hand in my face.

  I blinked, focusing on her. “What?”

  Her pretty visage broke into a smile. “You haven’t been listening at all, have you?”

  Glancing around one of the meeting rooms tucked away on the first floor of Hotel Good Fae, I saw that Ren was still poking around the box of doughnuts. The impromptu late Monday morning meeting hadn’t kicked off yet.

  “Sorry.” I looked over to where she and Faye, one of the Summer Court who’d helped Ivy escape captivity a few years back, sat across from me. “What were you all saying?”

  “Nothing of importance,” Ivy replied, grinning. Her mass of red curls was down today, framing her face. There was a sort of elfin quality about her, but there was nothing delicate about her strength. “You just looked like you wanted to punch someone over there.”

  “My resting bitch face is strong today.” I picked at the hem of my pale pink skirt. I was dressed as if I worked in an office, while Ivy wore the more standard Order attire of cargo pants, a cotton T-shirt, and the kind of boots you could kick ass with. Miles, the head of the Order, had me on the bench. Well, I’d always been benched, regulated to research, which wasn’t bad. I mean, I loved learning things and tracking down info, either from scouring the internet or flipping through pages of books that smelled old. At least, I’d loved it up until recently.

  Until I had to hide the fact that I was hunting, even from Ivy and Ren. All they knew was that I had been working with the King to find the younglings. They didn’t know I was patrolling, just like they were.

  And when the shit hit the fan, no one called me…unless they needed to know a location or needed someone to pick them up.

  Now, I was feeling, well, not all that useful.

  “No one’s RBF is as good as Faye’s.” Ivy leaned back, hooking one leg over the other.

  The dark-haired fae slid Ivy a long look, and…yeah, that was a really strong RBF. “Pot, meet kettle.”

  Ivy grinned. “Tink’s leaving today, right?”

  “This evening. I’m going to miss him,” I admitted. “Don’t tell him that, though. He probably won’t go if you do.”

  “I’m glad he’s going. It’s about time he gets out there and sees something that doesn’t involve the Amazon website.”

  I laughed.

  “The community in Florida is excited to meet Tink,” Faye commented. “None of them have ever seen a brownie. It’s a big deal to them.”

  “They can keep him,” Ren chimed in from sifting through the doughnuts.

  “Whatever.” Ivy rolled her eyes. “You’d be sad if he didn’t come back.”

  Ren didn’t respond to that, and I thought about how quiet my house was going to be tomorrow. No Tink. No Dixon.

  “So, what’s going on?” Ren returned, half a powdered doughnut consumed. How his shirt didn’t end up looking as if he’d shoved his face in a pile of cocaine was beyond me. “Why the meeting?”

  “I honestly don’t know.” Faye twisted the long strands of her hair. “Kalen texted this morning saying we needed to meet.”

  No sooner had she finished that sentence than the door opened. Tanner, who was like the head honcho of the day-to-day goings on at Hotel Good Fae entered first. I saw the way he presented himself to humans for only a few seconds before the glamour faded away. The only thing that didn’t change was his hair. It was salt and pepper, proving that he was aging like a normal person would. There seemed to be more white each time I saw him. He hadn’t fed in a very long time.

  He wasn’t alone. Kalen followed him, dressed very similarly to Ivy and Ren in dark cargo pants and a plain shirt. Fair-haired, he looked to be around Faye’s age—in his mid-twenties, maybe a little older. Both he and Faye were fighters, warriors, and I was pretty confident that neither fed. Besides being highly allergic to iron, they could be taken out in just about any way a human could, even though they were faster and far stronger than we were.

  Tanner smiled as his gaze moved ove
r us, stopping on me. His grin faded a little. I sighed. He was still irritated with me. I started to look away, but then a third individual entered the room, and the air seemed to be sucked right out.

  It was the King.

  I wasn’t surprised to see him here. He was always at these meetings, impromptu or otherwise, but no matter how many times I saw him, it was still a shock to the system.

  Especially when he wore what he did now. There was just something about a loose, white dress shirt rolled up to the elbows that got me hot and all kinds of bothered. I had no idea why.

  My gaze flicked up, and I saw that, like the last few times I had seen him, he wore no crown. I’d only seen it once, when he revealed it. How he made it appear and then disappear, I had no idea.

  I looked away, exhaling long and hard. Today, I would just pretend that he didn’t exist. I wouldn’t interact with him, and I wouldn’t rise to the bait. He could say whatever he wanted, tell me as many terrible stories as possible. It wouldn’t change anything.

  Faye rose, bowing elegantly in the King’s direction.

  “There’s no need for that,” he advised her. “I keep telling you that. All of you.”

  “Habit,” Faye murmured.

  Despite what he had just said, all but Kalen waited until the King sat in one of the upholstered, gray chairs before they took seats themselves. Kalen remained standing just to the left of the King.

  Because I apparently had no self-control, I glanced over to where the King sat. Our gazes immediately connected. Crap. I refocused on Tanner, my heart thrumming.

  “Thank you all for coming.” Tanner leaned back, clasping his hands together. “Unfortunately, Kalen has some distressing news that we felt we needed to share.”

  “Why don’t you guys ever want to meet with us when you have good news?” Ren asked, having finished his sugary treat. I had to wonder the same thing.

  Kalen gave a faint half-grin. “For a while, we had no bad news.”

  “And you never really called,” Ren replied, sitting on the arm of the couch that Ivy sat on. “I’m beginning to think you all don’t like us that much.”