The King

by Jennifer Armentrout

  “I need to make sure that I have everything I could possibly want,” Tink defended himself. “Plus, I had to pack Dixon’s toys—”

  “And his cat house and cat tree.” Fabian smiled. “Along with a cat bathing suit.”

  My brows lifted. “They make cat bathing suits?”

  Tink’s eyes glimmered. “I found it on Amazon, and I cannot wait to see him in his swim trunks.”

  I glanced down at the cat, wishing I could be there when Tink attempted to introduce Dixon to swimming. Poor cat.

  “My Prince,” a fae said from the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, but there is a message for you from the King.”

  My stomach did a stupid little tumble at the mention of Caden.

  Fabian nodded at us as he stepped around the coffee table. “Please excuse me.”

  I waited until he was out of earshot. “He’s always so polite.”

  “I know.” Tink widened his eyes. “It’s annoying.”

  “Shut up,” I laughed. “It’s a breath of fresh air.”

  “It is.” Tink scooped up Dixon. “But his politeness makes me feel uncivilized, like I was raised by animals in the wild.”

  “Well…”

  He shot me a look as he placed Dixon in front of the carrier. The cat seemed to sigh but climbed in. “By the way, I think that’s the first time someone said ‘the King’ around you where you haven’t muttered ‘asshole’ under your breath. Turning over a new leaf?”

  “No. He’s still an asshole,” I said without much heat.

  Tink looked at me over his shoulder. “He is trapped by duty. That is what he is.”

  “What kind of duty?” I asked, thinking of what Caden had said about the traditions.

  “Lite Bright, there is not enough time to talk about all his duties.” Locking the door on the carrier, Tink met my stare. “But suffice it to say there are a lot of things that he has to do and say because of that. He had to sacrifice what he cherished most to become King.”

  “What would that be? Freedom to do as he pleases?” Which would be a lot.

  A faint, almost sad smile appeared on Tink’s face. “In a way, I suppose.”

  Fabian returned then. “It is time for us to leave, Tink.”

  My heart grew heavy at those words, and as I looked around my living room, it already felt emptier. “Have fun.” I plastered what I hoped was a bright smile on my face. “And take pictures and send them to me.”

  “I’ll take so many pictures, it’ll blow your phone up!” My laugh was cut off as Tink all but tackled me with his embrace. We held onto each other for so long, I didn’t think he’d ever let go, but he did, and I saw that his eyes appeared damp when he pulled back. “Tink,” I whispered, sliding my palms down his arms until I reached his hands. I squeezed them. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “And you’ll be okay?”

  “Of course. Do not worry one second about me.”

  He opened his mouth as if he wished to say something, but then he just nodded. “I suck at goodbyes.” He popped forward, kissing my cheek, and then he hurried to Dixon’s carrier, all but running out of the house. “Oh, there’s a package coming from Amazon with the name Peter Parker on it,” he yelled. “Don’t open it! Just put it in my room.”

  I laughed, shaking my head as I turned to Fabian. “I don’t even want to know what’s in that package.”

  “Strangely, neither do I.” Fabian came forward, hugging me. “You know, you are welcome to join us if you find yourself with free time. I would love to have you there.”

  “I’ll think about that.”

  “Please do.”

  “Take care of him,” I whispered as I hugged Fabian, thinking how strange it was that a few years ago I never would’ve considered embracing a fae.

  “Always,” he replied, pulling back. “I imagine you will be heading out yourself, to the meeting my brother called.”

  Meeting?

  “I do believe Ivy and Ren are on their way,” he added, reaching down and picking up a tote. “They received word that they believe will lead them to the Ancient who wishes to free the Queen.” His gaze caught mine with meaning. “Be safe, Brighton.”

  I turned, watching him leave. Something told me that he knew I was unaware of the meeting and was telling me about it. My stomach knotted. Caden had information about Aric and didn’t tell me. I wasn’t exactly surprised by that. While he may be more accepting of me being out there hunting, that didn’t mean he was going to help me find Aric. But it still stung.

  The silence of the house settled around me.

  Snapping forward, I hurried to the foyer and snatched the keys off the table.

  Uninvited or not, I was not being cut out of this meeting.

  * * * *

  I knew exactly where to find them.

  There were several rooms used for meetings on the main level of Hotel Good Fae, and we often moved from one to the other. But the two male fae standing outside the closed door with their backs rigid and their hands clasped was a dead giveaway.

  The Knights were always present when Caden was here. I imagined he must stop them from following him when he was at his apartment. Or if they did trail him, they remained well-hidden.

  I stopped in front of them, and one of them must’ve seen the look on my face because he stepped aside with a sigh.

  “Thank you,” I said sweetly, opening the door.

  Ivy and Ren sat across from Caden. Ivy was perched on the table, one leg curled up to her chest. Ren was sitting in the chair beside her. They looked over. Ren’s face went expressionless, but Ivy’s lips thinned. Faye and Kalen were also present, both standing by a window. The latter looked uncomfortable, but Faye looked well…annoyed. Like usual.

  Caden was speaking. “Even though he was seen alone….” He trailed off, and without even turning around, I knew he knew it was me. “I see my brother has loose lips.”

  The rather cold greeting after yesterday did more than sting, even though I told myself that this meeting wasn’t about us. It burned a hole right through my gut, but I lifted my chin. “I figured you just forgot to tell me.”

  “Brighton,” Ivy began.

  “Nope.” I held up my hand as I stalked across the room. Sitting down in one of the chairs, I calmly placed my purse on the floor. “I’m here. You all have some sort of information, and I’m a part of this whether you like it or not.”

  Ivy looked down at Ren as if he were supposed to do something.

  “We were discussing a possible lead.” Caden looked over at me, and our gazes met. Nothing could be gained from his expression, but heat bloomed across my cheeks nonetheless. His lashes swept down, concealing the amber hue of his eyes.

  “Oh, so now you’re okay with bringing her in on this?” Ivy demanded.

  Faye sighed, muttering, “Here we go again.”

  Kalen stared up at the ceiling.

  “I’m not okay with it,” Caden answered, refocusing on Ivy. “Not remotely. But it does not appear that any of us, no matter what we do, will change her mind.”

  Did including having sex fall in the whole no matter what we do equation? My eyes narrowed on him as a seed of illogical and ridiculous suspicion took hold.

  “This isn’t okay.” Ivy unfurled her leg. “I won’t be party to you—”

  “Stop.” Ren placed his hand on her leg. “He’s right. Nothing is going to change her mind. And at this point, we’re just beating a dead horse, and we don’t have time for that.”

  Ivy looked as if she wanted to argue. “Fine,” she snapped, sending me a look that said this wouldn’t be the last time I’d hear about this.

  Great.

  Kalen stepped forward at Caden’s nod. “We’ve learned that Aric is still in the city,” he explained. I stiffened. “He was seen this afternoon.”

  “Where?” I breathed.

  Kalen looked at Caden before answering. “He was seen exiting Flux.”

  “What?” I twisted in the chair and turned toward Caden. />
  “Before you ask, yes, we’ve had eyes on Flux. He was not seen going in, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t well-hidden.” He paused. “Like some do when they go to Flux.”

  I ignored that. “And where did he go?”

  “That, we don’t know,” Ren answered. “They were able to tail him for a couple of blocks, but they lost him on I-10.” Based on Ren’s tone alone, I knew how ridiculous he thought that was. Yeah, depending on the day, traffic sucked, but…come on. “But he’s here. We’ll let Miles know so all Order members are on alert.”

  “And we’re increasing our own presence,” Faye added. “Between the two groups, we’ll form a net that can sweep the entire city. We will find him.”

  My gaze shot back to Caden, and I knew without a doubt that he would be out there tonight and every night until Aric was found. “I will—”

  The door opened, and I looked over my shoulder. It was Tanner and a younger man that I’d never seen before. They weren’t alone. There was a tall, lithe, dark-haired female fae with them. She wore a pretty, off-the-shoulder, pale blue and gold dress that would’ve looked great on a beach and terrible on me—someone who actually had hips. She was gorgeous, with delicate features, and whoever she was, she didn’t attempt to conceal the quicksilver tone of her skin. The male beside her didn’t glamour himself either.

  “My King.” Tanner bowed slightly before correcting himself and slipping into a full bow. His gaze flicked to me and then away. He swallowed, probably worrying that I was going to start screaming curse words at his King at any second. “I am sorry to interrupt, but I was sure you would want to know the moment our guests arrived.”

  Caden stood, but he did not speak as his gaze flickered across the two standing behind Tanner. A hardness settled across the King’s features, and tiny balls of unease formed in my stomach. I took a closer look at the two new fae, sensing that Caden was either not thrilled with the interruption or not exactly happy to see them.

  “This is Sterling,” Tanner advised. “And his sister Tatiana.”

  “I am pleased to meet you, my King.” The woman stepped forward, hands clasped under her breasts as she bowed deeply with the grace of a dancer. As she straightened, she smiled. “And I am honored to become your Queen and serve our Court together.”

  Chapter 7

  I couldn’t… I couldn’t have heard her right. Honored to be his Queen?

  A sharp blast of icy panic sliced through my stomach as I stared at the beautiful fae. No. No. There was no way I’d heard those words or understood them correctly.

  Because if I did, that would mean…that Caden was to be married. That he was engaged and belonged to someone else while…while I’d had him in my arms and inside me. If what I had heard was correct, that meant I’d never had him at all because he already belonged to someone else.

  My chest rose and fell with short, quick breaths as disbelief ripped through me. Knots formed in my stomach, and a tremor started in my legs, traveling rapidly throughout my entire body.

  “As I am honored to be joining my family with yours,” the brother spoke, bowing as gracefully as his sister.

  My heart started thumping harder, and then it was racing. Pressure seized my chest as I slowly turned my head toward Caden. He was speaking. I knew this because I saw his lips moving, but I couldn’t hear the words over the pounding of my blood in my ears.

  Caden was…he was to be married.

  I was going to be sick.

  Nausea twisted up my insides. I could taste bile in the back of my throat. I needed to get out of there. I needed to be far, far away.

  Placing my hands on the arms of the chair, I started to stand but couldn’t. The muscles all along my calves and thighs seemed to have turned to liquid.

  Caden looked at me then, and our gazes connected. I saw… I saw nothing in his expression, and I knew he saw everything in mine. He faced the door. “Give us a moment, please.”

  There was a brief hesitation. Tanner murmured words I couldn’t understand. Then Ivy and Ren shuffled out when they realized that Caden was asking them to leave. I felt Ivy’s stare, but I couldn’t look away from Caden as what we’d done the day before played over and over in my mind. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. That every breath I took did nothing to inflate my lungs or push oxygen through me. Faye and Tanner leaving momentarily blocked Caden from my view, and I…

  I hadn’t known what to think about yesterday or what it had meant. I’d been too wary about allowing my heart to run away from me. But I’d loved him before we had sex and I loved him afterward.

  And he belonged to someone else.

  Caden’s amber gaze collided with mine once more. My fingers began to ache from how tightly I was clutching the arms of the chair.

  God, I was so incredibly stupid, so recklessly naive to believe that him not wanting to feel what he felt for me meant that he felt more than he should, not that he only wanted me physically. Never once had I considered that perhaps he’d been fighting what he felt for me—whether it be more than the physical or not—because he was already committed to someone else. Obviously, this wasn’t the first time he’d heard about this…engagement. As if he weren’t involved in the whole damn process up until a handful of minutes ago. I doubted even the fae operated that way. Caden knew he had been promised to another when he kissed me, when he stripped my clothes from me and fucked me. Because that’s what he’d done, right? We hadn’t made love. We’d screwed. We’d fucked.

  And I was the other woman.

  “Say something,” he said.

  I opened my mouth, then closed it before I tried again. “What do you want me to say?” My voice was too hoarse, but I couldn’t clear my throat.

  His gaze searched mine. “Anything.”

  A sharp giggle tittered out of me. “You want me to say something? Me? You…you’re engaged?”

  “I am.”

  The blow his words landed knocked the wind out of me. My fingers eased off the arms of the chair. “How long?” I heard myself ask as if I didn’t already know the answer or that it would somehow change things.

  “Shortly after I ascended.” Caden looked away, his gaze fixed on the window. “It was…” A muscle flexed along his jaw. “It’s what’s best for… The Court wants their King and Queen united,” he replied, his voice monotone. “I am their King. It is my duty to serve them.”

  I stared up at him, anger slow to break through the disbelief, but it was there, heating my skin and my blood. “Was it the best for your Court when you fucked me yesterday?”

  Caden’s shoulders tightened.

  “Twice?” Anger solidified the muscles in my legs. I stood.

  “I told you before that there could be nothing between us,” he said.

  “Yeah, and then you fucked me—”

  “I didn’t fuck you.” His gaze shot to mine, and those amber eyes now burned. “That is not what we did.”

  “It’s not? What the hell do you call screwing someone who is not the person you’re engaged to.”

  “It was…” He looked away again. “It should not have happened. Yesterday is on me. Not you. You did nothing wrong.”

  “I know I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not fucking engaged to someone else.”

  “All I can say is that I’m sorry, Brighton.”

  “You’re sorry?” My chest felt as if it were caving in on me. “Which part are you sorry about? What happened between us? Or the fact that you failed to mention that you’re engaged?”

  His jaw flexed once more. “All of it.”

  My heart fissured into millions of pieces. I’d been a lot of things in my life, but I’d never been a mistake. I’d never been a mistake with the same person twice. What did my mom use to say when I was younger? “Fool me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice. Shame on me.”

  “You don’t understand.” He glanced at me. “You cannot possibly understand—”

  “Because I’m not a fae?”

  His eyes met mine, and an etern
ity stretched between us as a wild array of emotions flickered across his face. And then it all went away as if he’d shut down whatever he was feeling. “Yes, because you are not like me. I am a King. I must have a Queen, and you… You’re a distraction. A weakness that I will not allow to be exploited.”

  I jerked back a step. Deep, wounding hurt collided with fury. My legs knocked into the chair. Thrown off balance, I stumbled. Caden stepped toward me, reaching out.

  “Don’t touch me!” The sound of my voice was shrill to my ears as I straightened myself. A burn crawled up the back of my throat and then entered my eyes. “Don’t ever touch me again.”

  Caden—no, he wasn’t Caden. He was the King, and I shouldn’t forget that. The King pulled his hand back, and our gazes connected once more. The pressure in my chest continued to expand until it felt like something might burst.

  And then words did break free of me. “I want to tell you I hate you. I want to tell you that I despise you, but you would know that it’s not true.”

  He remained quiet, and a long moment passed between us as a hundred quick, in-complete thoughts flashed through my mind, forming all the things I thought I wanted to say to him.

  But only one fully formed.

  “I never once thought you were terrible for all the things you did while under the Queen’s spell. I hated that you held yourself responsible for things you had no control over. It killed me a little, but this….” A shudder racked me. “You did this. You led me on the first time, and you did it again. No, you didn’t make me any promises, but you know me better than most. You knew before yesterday that it was going to mean something to me. And you turned around and made me the other woman. You made me feel shame and regret, and for all of that, I think you’re terrible.”

  The King closed his eyes.

  Turning away from him, I picked up my purse and walked out of the room with my head held high, but my heart broken, and my body weighed down.