Crown of Betrayal (Wicked Kingdoms Book 2)

by Graceley Knox

  I stand up and brush a hand over her hair and walk out. Dare’s standing across from the door with a foot propped up on the wall behind him. He’s talking with Dagan and I catch a bit of his final words to him.

  “I don’t care if she’s got your dick in knots. Figure it out and treat her with respect. She is not one of bastards who did this to you.” Dagan’s face contorts in pain and I can only imagine that Dare is talking about the elves that tortured Dagan during the years that their father declared war on the Light Elven Kingdom. If I thought he wouldn’t be shamed and appalled that I’d heard their conversation, I’d have reached forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. Instead I close the door behind me. The action shuts them both up and they turn to face me.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I hope I sound like I just walked up and didn’t overhear a very private conversation.

  Dare pushes off from the wall and comes to stand by me. Dagan follows and eyes the side of my face. I turn to let him get a good look.

  Dagan whistles low. “He got you good.”

  “It wasn’t Cashel. It was some dude wearing a deep blue cloak with a symbol on the back. Actually, I need to talk to everyone about it. Hopefully someone knows what it is and can help me figure out who the hell is helping him.”

  “Let’s go then. I’ll get everyone together.” Dagan starts to leave but Dare stops him.

  “Not tonight. You need to rest, Ever. You’ve been through a lot and were hit on the head. It can wait until tomorrow.”

  Tiredness weighs on my body as soon as Dare speaks and I nod. “He’s right. My small second wind is quickly waning and if I try to do too much more I’ll be junk for days.” I smile at Dare when he grabs my hand in his and starts tugging me back down the hall to my rooms. “Tomorrow though, Dagan. Can you ask everyone to meet up? Please?”

  Dagan smiles softly at me and I almost choke on my tongue in shock. He’s usually scowling at me and cursing each of us. “Of course, beag gaiscíoch. Tomorrow.”

  Little warrior woman. Ha! I stumble a step as Dare nudges me through the door into my room and I eye the bed. All I want to do is curl up in Dare’s arms and pass the fuck out. He and I have a lot to talk about and I have a lot to apologize for, but I’m afraid that if I don’t sleep soon, I’ll fall asleep mid-sentence.

  “Dare… I know we need to talk…” I look between him and the bed.

  “Yes, we do, little álainn. But it can wait until the morning. I think we’re all a bit worn out and tired. And you need to rest and heal.” Steel laces his tone, making it more of a demand rather than a request.

  “Yes… sleep. Good idea.” I sway on my feet and walk toward the bed. I kick off my boots and strip to my tank top and underwear before climbing in.

  Dare slides in beside me and I press up against his side and nestle in until I’m comfy and warm again.

  “G’night, Dare.” I yawn. “Talk tomorrow, ‘kay?”

  He kisses the top of my head and wraps his arms around me. “Tomorrow, mo grá.”

  I’m out before he finishes his sentence, and for the first time in a long time I feel safe and secure while I sleep.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-FOUR

  –Puck–

  I sift into the dank cell the former Queen of Goblin is being held in and take her in. She’s bruised and puffy and the flesh around her wrists looks raw from touching the cold iron. Her hair is ratty and matted and her head hangs listlessly as she sleeps. I feel no pity for her. I’ve watched kingdoms rise and fall with less to go on than the information she’s provided about her betrayals. I walk silently around the table and lean back against the cool metal surface. The metal screeches as my weight moves it back an inch.

  Odaine twitches awake and jerks her head up. “You.” She sneers.

  I smile. “Me.” I look around the cell and whistle low. “Quite the change of circumstance for you, Odaine.”

  “This is all your fault. You welched on our deal and didn’t fulfill your end of our bargain.” She pulls against the chains around her wrists and winces as the metal cuts into her tender flesh.

  “I fulfilled every part of our bargain. You called in the favor. In exchange for no longer owing you a favor I was to get Cashel out of the dungeons of the Light Elven Kingdom and tell him Ever’s location. I was not allowed to directly tell Ever of my actions, nor was I allowed to directly tell her who was behind it all. I did get Cashel out and to Ever and I did not tell her of my actions or who ordered me to do so. You never forbade me from answering her questions if asked.”

  “That is a technicality…” she sputters.

  “Yes, it is. But I haven’t lived this long without learning to use every loophole to my advantage.”

  Silence falls and Odaine stares intently at me. Her lip loses its curl and she narrows her eyes. I say nothing and wait for her to speak.

  “If I offered you a future favor to get me out of this hole, would you accept?”

  I chuckle. “What favor could a former queen who betrayed an entire kingdom possibly give to me?”

  Odaine’s gaze bounces around the room as she struggles to come back with a retort.

  “I’ve sons and daughters who could grant favors for me as well. Would that sway you?”

  I shake my head. “All your offspring have disowned you in favor of their father. The King of Goblin. The man whose kingdom you betrayed.”

  Her face crumbles in a perfect play of practiced facial expressions, but I continue.

  “What you forgot while you were betraying your people is that, as goblins, they are loyal to their own. And I don’t mean their blood or their species. I mean those under their care and those who have earned their places amongst them. You are neither in their care nor have you earned your place among them. You forgot what it was to be goblin, and for that I pity you.”

  “Do not pity me, Trickster. I will get out of here somehow. I will not die as a common mongrel.”

  “No, you won’t. You don’t deserve the respect they are given at their funeral pyre. You’ll be hung from the gates while the crows eat at your flesh, and then the gargoyles will use your bones as chew toys.”

  With those words, I look her over one final time. I didn’t think it was possible after thousands of years, but I’d learned something new. There are some things that are not worth the favor, and I wouldn’t make that mistake again. The results were like an earthquake and Odaine was getting off easy. She’d be dead and wouldn’t have to deal with the fall out while everyone else is left to pick up the rubble and work to piece it back together.

  *

  –Cashel–

  My body vibrates with pent up frustration and I pace back and forth in the small room they’ve given me. What is taking so long? The door opens on squeaky hinges and I whirl to face the man who has been my greatest asset while exiled. He wears his dark blue robe and his hood is still up. It hides his face from me, but I don’t need to see his face to know who I’m speaking with.

  “What is happening? Is Ever okay?”

  “She is fine. I didn’t hit her that hard.”

  “She is to be the Queen of the Kingdoms. You shouldn’t have hit her at all!” I snap.

  “It was hit her or let her see my face. She is not on our side right now, Cashel.”

  “She will see reason. She has to.”

  “We will try again to convince her of our ways. Our contacts are gathering as much information as they can.” The man sighs. “We must have patience. We have waited so long for this. We cannot fail now.”

  “I never fail. The prophecy will come to pass. I’ll make sure of it.” I scoff at his doubt. “Do not ever doubt me again. I may be forced to hide in caves for now, but do not forget I will be your king.”

  He bows his head low and his hood falls forward. “Yes, highness. My apologies. I’ll leave you now.”

  “Yes, go. We have things we should be doing.” I wave a hand in dismissal and watch as he backs out of the room with his head still lowered.

/>   Peon. He’s been useful, but he acts without asking permission. When would everyone understand that I’m the rightful king? When will they understand that Ever is mine and we belong together. I resume my pacing and think of ways to show them all that I am not beaten and forgotten. I’m lying in wait for the perfect moment.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-FIVE

  I wake up shaking and racked with pleasure. Dare’s mouth is between my thighs and I let out a moan. He circles my clit and continues the sweet torture as I wake up and join in on the fun.

  “Mmm, I like waking up to your mouth on me.” I tangle my fingers in his hair and drag him up from pleasuring me to my mouth. “I’ll like it even more if you fuck me.”

  Dare kisses me and I taste myself on his lips. “What if I’m not done enjoying you, little álainn?”

  “Too bad…” I smile and grip his thick erection in my hand. “I want you inside me.” I pump him a few times in my fist and he hisses out a breath through his teeth.

  He nips at my neck before he pulls back and straddles one of my thighs. He pulls my other leg up until my calf rests on his shoulder and I’m spread open for him. Slowly he pushes his length inside me and my eyes roll back in my head at the feel of his cock stretching me open. He sets a fast and punishing pace. From this angle, he hits every sweet spot I didn’t know I have.

  “Harder, Dare. Harder.” I dig my nails into his thigh as he pounds into me and my body starts to tingle.

  He reaches down and flicks at my nub and my back arches. My mouth opens in the perfect ‘O’ and a stream of incoherent moans cascade from my lips.

  “Play with those pretty tits for me.” Dare’s tone is growly and low and my nipples harden into diamond points. His focus zeroes in on my hands while his hips continue to push me higher up the precipice.

  I drag my hands up my body and cup both breasts before I scrape my nipples with my fingernails. I bite my lip and pinch first one nipple, and then the next. I throw my head back and let out a little whimper. Dare growls and knocks my hands away with his.

  “Fuck, Dare. Yes.” His hands are rougher than my own, and as they graze over my swollen tips they scratch at the sensitive skin. He plucks at my nipples until they’re bright red from his ministrations.

  I let my hand trail down to my clit and start strumming it exactly how I like it. My pussy clenches down on his dick and he groans.

  “Little tine, the feel of you clenching around me drives me mad.”

  I bob my head in agreement and keep pleasuring myself. I look down and watch as his cock, slick with my desire, shuttles in and out of me. I’m entranced with the way his muscles contract with every movement. His thrusts speed up and his grip on my breasts tightens until it borders on pain, but the sensation only excites me further.

  “Dare…”

  “I know. Not yet, Ever. Not yet.”

  I whimper again, this time in desperation as my orgasm shimmers just out of my reach.

  “Please…”

  “Just a little more.” He starts circling his hips on every down thrust and I scream out in pleasure each time he hits the back of my walls.

  I dig my nails into his forearm and hold on tight while I try to stave off my pleasure. “Dare. I can’t… please… let me.” I can’t formulate sentences, only moans.

  Both of his hands let go of their grip around my breasts and instead pinch at both of my nipples, hard and firm. The added pleasure pain sends me over and I hurtle toward the peak like a high-speed train.

  Two more thrusts and I crash. I scream his name and flashes of light dot my vision. My pussy clamps down on his cock like it’s trying to push him out, but with every burst of pleasure I cry out for more.

  “Fuck. Yes. Dare, more. Just like that.”

  He growls and pushes my thigh back to my chest. My head rears back and his hot release fills me.

  “Ever. Don’t stop. Keep milking my cock with that tight little pussy of yours. Mo dhia. Fuck, you feel so good around me.”

  He pulses inside of me and we each breathe hard while we come down. Dare rolls us so I’m laying on top of him and he’s still inside of me. I shiver at the movement inside of my sensitive center, but I settle as he rubs sweeping caresses up and down my back. I can feel his heart as it hammers against his ribs while we lay chest to chest. Dare grabs my hand and brings it up to his lips. He kisses the palm and smiles down at me.

  “Good morning, little álainn. How are you feeling this morning?” He eyes the side of my head and a shadow passes over his face, dimming his smile.

  I press my palm to his scarred cheek and smile wide. “I’m fantastic this morning. I don’t feel a thing, other than my legs still shaking.”

  Dare laughs and I bounce on his chest. “That’s good to hear. I should have been gentler with you.”

  I bite his chest in punishment. “No, you shouldn’t have. I’ve had worse in regards to injuries. I’m okay, I promise. Trust me to tell you when I’m not.”

  Dare inclines his head and we lay there in silence for a few more moments, just enjoying each other’s company. Reality slowly intrudes on our stolen bliss and I sigh.

  “What is it, little álainn?”

  “I’ve got a lot to do today. We need to talk at some point and I want to check in on Arela, and we should speak with everyone about the elves I saw helping Cashel.” I push up from his chest and he slips from my heat. I climb down from the bed and head toward the shower. Dare follows me as I go. “Going to join me?” I joke.

  “Yes.” He isn’t kidding.

  I laugh and climb into the steaming shower. I look down at the drain and red streams join the clear ones as the dried blood from my hair is washed away. I try not to feel too horrified that I probably look like I got hit by a truck.

  Dare grabs the soap and rubs it between his hands until suds form. He starts washing my back as I stand under the stream. “Ever, I know that we’ve had a few obstacles between us, but I need to hear you tell me that you understand that you aren’t just a duty to me. That you are important to me, not what is right or wrong or written on some scrap of paper. What I feel for you isn’t meant to follow the rules or bend to other people’s wills.” He turns me to face him and I look up at him. “I know you feel something, too. I know that this is right.” I search his face for any hint of hesitation. I find none. His eyes are clear, his mouth set in a hopeful tilt.

  “I wish I could say that I’m not still worried about being with you, Dare. I am. I have strong family ties in the Light Elven Kingdom. After what happened with Arela, I’m terrified that if I let myself fall for you, you’ll be ripped from me.” My breath hitches as I try not to cry for the second or third time in as many days.

  “I’m not scared of the Light Elven Kingdom. I’m scared of not giving this a chance and regretting it for my very long life.” His hands grip mine between his like he’s afraid that if he lets go he’ll lose his hold on me and my heart.

  His words light up my insides, but still, that little bit of ingrained fear of death for those involved niggles in the back of my mind. “We aren’t mates though, are we?” I twist my lips into a sad smile. “I’d hear you in my head if we were. I can’t let myself love you only to have to hand you over to the woman who is the other half of your soul. It would destroy me, Dare. When it comes to my heart, I have to be a little selfish.”

  Dare’s quiet as he turns my words over in his head. We both continue washing and I step out of the shower to dry off while he finishes rinsing off. We continue to get ready and he’s still quiet. His silence is like a knife to the chest because he knows that what I said holds truth.

  We aren’t mates.

  Not from what I can tell, and if I am wrong he’d have corrected me.

  I open my mouth to speak, but he beats me to the punch.

  “I know you can’t hear me, but I feel you, Ever. I feel you.” He presses a fist to his chest just above where his heart is. “Maybe we can talk to the Druids about it.” He looks up at me
from where he sits near the table. His shoulders are slumped as he leans his elbows on his knees, but his expression is full of hope.

  “And what if they tell you we aren’t mates? What then? What about when I find out who framed me with MECA? It may seem foolish to you, but I won’t let that go. I don’t know if I can work for them again, but I won’t go down in the books as a crooked guard. There’s something there, but I just can’t put my finger on it.”

  “We’ll cross all of those bridges when we come to them, Ever. For now, promise me you’ll give us a chance. Promise me you won’t run away from me again, that you won’t push me away.”

  “Promise me you won’t try to stop me from being who I am then. Promise that you won’t try to wrap me in blankets and keep me safe. I’m not that woman who can sit and wait as you go out to battle. I’m the woman who goes out there in the thick of it and fights beside you.”

  He stands. “I will try my best to not wrap you in blankets, but try to see it from my side, too. If I can protect you, emotionally or physically, it’s instinct for me to do so. That’s who I am.”

  “So I minimize unnecessary risks, and you don’t hover like a mama bear. I can agree to that. I can try.” I smile and lean up to kiss his hard jaw. “I can’t say I’ll be successful all the time, but I’m willing to try.” And while we try to make it work somehow, I’ll keep my heart wrapped in a few layers of those protective blankets. Because when Dare finds his mate, my heart will shatter, and I’ll be a broken shell of who I am now. My chest aches at the thought of it but, I’m determined to not regret giving him a chance.