The King's Obsession

by Tanya Bird

  ‘Leksi,’ she said, waiting for him to look at her.

  He checked the girth of his saddle again before turning. ‘Yes?’

  What could she say that did not sound like whining? ‘Be careful.’

  She received only a nod in response.

  She watched him ride out while Josse stood behind, watching her. Leksi glanced over his shoulder before he disappeared from sight.

  She felt a familiar pull in her chest whenever he left. As much as she hated to admit it, she had grown dependent on him. He was the only friend she had, except for Hali of course, who often ‘found herself in the area’ and called in for a quick visit that often stretched across the entire afternoon.

  ‘I am going for a walk,’ she said to Josse. She was already resigned to the fact that he would trail behind her, always lingering at the edge of her vision.

  It was just past noon and the sun was high in the sky, the air sticky as the warm season headed to its peak. She removed her shoes and wandered down to the shore, standing at the water’s edge and gazing out. She must have stood there for some time, because eventually, water ran over her feet. The tide was coming in, but instead of stepping back, she let the sea wash over her, not even bothering to lift the skirt of her dress. It felt good, so she took a few steps forwards, the water splashing up her calves.

  The ocean can wash away anything.

  Soon her dress became heavy as it soaked up the water. If the young guard had not been standing behind her, she might have taken it off. She waded forwards, deeper, until she was thigh deep.

  ‘Miss,’ the guard called to her.

  She stopped and held a hand up, indicating that she was fine. A large wave rose and broke, white water rushing around her. She squealed, completely wet now and not caring at all.

  ‘Miss!’ The guard was more urgent that time.

  She turned to look at him as she moved deeper into the sea. He was standing at the water’s edge, stepping back every time a wave raced towards his feet.

  ‘I am fine,’ she called to him, laughter in her tone.

  He glanced back at the house, looking unsure.

  Turning away from him, she took a few more steps so the water rose to her chest. She had a strange urge to dip below the surface and let the ocean work its magic. Drawing a deep breath, she sank down into the sea. A wave rumbled overhead, and she watched through murky water as small pieces of seaweed and debris swirled around her. Pushing off the sandy bottom, she emerged and drew a deep breath, surprised to discover a smile on her face as she wiped water from it.

  ‘You better come in now,’ Josse shouted.

  She really wished he would shut up and leave her alone. ‘In a minute,’ she called absently. She moved out deeper, held her breath, and slipped beneath the surface once more. The water rocked her gently, making the skirt of her dress balloon around her. She surrendered to the sensation. Even with the roaring noise above her head, it was possibly the most peaceful moment of her life. It was a shame she needed to draw breath at all.

  Her feet felt for the ocean floor so she could push herself up, but it took her a moment to get her bearings as the waves rolled her over. Finally her toes brushed the sandy bottom.

  She was about to push herself up when two large hands took hold of her. Surprised, she inhaled, taking water into her lungs as she was dragged to the surface. The moment her head emerged, she coughed violently, trying to take in air and failing. Then she was face-to-face with Leksi, who was chest deep in the water, his hazel eyes burning at her.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Another cough. ‘You almost drowned me!’ She glanced at the shore, searching for Josse, who was now wading out of the water, clothes dripping.

  ‘What am I doing?’ Leksi replied, his grip on her tightening. ‘Saving your life.’

  He was awfully close to her face, and angry. ‘What are you talking about? I was fine until you scared me half to death. I swallowed half the ocean.’

  ‘You could’ve drowned,’ he said, his tone filled with accusation.

  She tried to pull herself from his grip. ‘You are being ridiculous. My feet can touch the bottom.’ Of course, at that moment they could not, because he was holding her up to better shout in her face.

  She looked him straight in the eye. ‘You are hurting me.’

  He immediately let her go, throwing his hands up in the air. A large wave arrived, crashing over her head and knocking her underwater. Two hands grabbed her once more, that time dragging her towards the shore while she struggled to find her footing. More coughing.

  ‘I was just putting my feet in the water,’ she said as he pulled her by the wrist. Then realising how ridiculous that explanation sounded, she added, ‘It seems I got carried away.’

  He made an exasperated noise, eyes straight ahead. ‘Did you forget the part where you can’t swim?’

  He was moving too fast for her and she fell to her knees. He pulled her up without slowing down, hurting her wrist.

  Now it was her turn to be angry. ‘Slow down or let go of me,’ she said, almost falling again.

  ‘I’ll let go when we’re standing on the shore.’

  ‘Sir Leksi—’

  ‘Don’t.’

  She closed her eyes and staggered after him, the weight of her wet dress making the basic act of walking rather challenging. She had never seen him truly angry before, at least not at her. It was unsettling.

  When they were finally standing on dry land, Leksi released her arm and approached the young guard so fast that he took a step back. ‘You wait for me at the house,’ he hissed.

  Josse nodded nervously before scurrying off in the other direction. When Leksi turned back to her, she knew it was not over. She made herself as tall as possible as he stormed towards her.

  ‘You are completely overreacting,’ she said, getting in first.

  He stopped a few feet from her, his hands going into his wet hair as he drew a long, shaky breath. ‘I expected to find you dead,’ he said. ‘That’s assuming I found you before the tide carried you out to sea.’

  She glanced at the water. ‘I told you—’

  He held up a hand to silence her. ‘There are undercurrents in that water, and you can’t swim. If I hadn’t reached you in time, you would likely have drowned.’

  Petra realised at that moment that all of his anger was really just fear. Lifting her chin, she said, ‘I did not know that. I am sorry.’

  He just shook his head, but at least he was looking at her now. ‘I’m not really interested in your empty apology.’

  ‘It is not empty. I really did not think I was in any danger.’ She hugged herself, shivering in her wet clothes. ‘I am sorry,’ she said again, putting feeling into the words.

  His eyes moved over her. ‘You’re freezing.’

  ‘I am fine.’

  He walked over to where his tunic lay in a crumpled pile next to his boots and snatched it up. Going to her, he said, ‘Take your dress off and put this on.’

  She glanced at the house, then back at him. ‘What?’

  ‘I assume you’re wearing something beneath it,’ he said.

  ‘That is hardly the point—’

  ‘I’ve seen you covered in blood and horse shit. Take off the dress.’ He stood holding the tunic open for her, staring out at the water.

  She hesitated before removing the garment, numb hands fumbling with the buttons. Stepping out of her dress, she turned so he could wrap the tunic around her shoulders. The fabric was warm from laying in the sun, and she shuddered beneath it.

  ‘Thank you.’ She secured it around her and looked up at him. Still, he could barely look at her. ‘You are still angry at me. I told you I am sorry.’ She felt vulnerable standing in front of him when he was holding so much anger towards her, but she did not step away.

  ‘Let’s get you inside,’ he said.

  She needed him to look at her, to know everything was all right between them. ‘Leksi—’

  ‘Oh, now it’s Leksi?’ He wa
s walking away. ‘What happened to sir?’

  She caught up to him. ‘Tell me what I have to say to fix this and I will say it.’

  ‘Spoken like a true Companion. How about some sincerity for once?’

  She stepped back as though he had slapped her, and he stopped walking, bringing a hand to his jaw, clearly regretting his words.

  ‘I didn’t mean that,’ he said.

  She looked down at the sand, then stepped past him and headed for the house. ‘Yes, you did.’

  He linked his hands on top of his head. ‘I thought… I thought you meant to drown yourself.’

  She stopped walking and turned to him. ‘Why would you think that?’ It was almost a whisper.

  He threw his hands up again. ‘Why wouldn’t I think that? We can’t find your son, you’re faced with the prospect of being handed over to a man who hurts you, and…’ He had to take a moment to regain his composure. ‘And the first day I met you, you told me you left because you knew if you stayed at Masville, you would make the same choice.’

  She stopped shivering, all of her energy going into recalling her words. Yes, she had said that, and at the time she had probably meant it. But that was before Veanor and the ocean. That was before she had rediscovered laughter, enjoyed food with friends and danced because she wanted to, not because she was instructed to. ‘I did say that,’ she admitted. ‘But that was before all of this. That was before you.’

  A pained expression crossed his face, and then he closed the distance between them, taking her head in both hands and kissing her. She grabbed hold of his wrists, and for a moment she was not sure whether she was going to push him off or pull him closer. It was a hungry kiss, but he held her so tenderly it melted away all of her hesitation. The warmth of him, the taste of him. Then she felt the same pull at the base of her belly that she had felt the first time, but she could not blame it on the wine any longer.

  Her eyes sank shut.

  ‘Keep your eyes open,’ he murmured into her mouth. ‘I don’t want to lose you this time.’

  She nodded, but the sensation of him was too much and her eyes closed once more.

  ‘Look at me,’ he whispered.

  She did. Pushing up on her toes, she let go of his wrists and slid her hands up his neck and into his wet hair. Her body leaned into his, and she felt as though she were submerged in water once more. He placed a hand on her back, drawing her in closer, if that was possible. Her mouth opened in response, her own need matching his. Leksi pulled away and studied her face.

  ‘Are you all right?’

  She nodded.

  His gaze fell to her mouth. ‘You’re so cold,’ he whispered. ‘Your lips are blue.’

  She really did not want him to stop kissing her. ‘So warm them,’ she breathed, raising her face to him again.

  ‘My lord!’ came a voice.

  Leksi kept hold of her, his forehead on hers for a moment while he composed himself. They were both breathing hard. After a few seconds, Petra turned her head and watched as Charis ran down the slope towards them.

  ‘Your squire wants you.’

  ‘I’m going to drown that boy with my bare hands,’ he replied, releasing her.

  She felt a pang of disappointment as her feet flattened on the sand.

  ‘There better be an army riding this way,’ Leksi called to Charis as he stepped back from her.

  The squire held up a letter. ‘From Lord Yuri.’

  Exhaling, Leksi walked towards him, snatching the letter from his hand. He broke the seal with a quick slip of his finger and unfolded the parchment. Petra remained where she was, her heart hammering away, her entire body trembling from cold and something else. She gripped the tunic with both hands and pulled it tightly around her.

  ‘What does it say?’ she called to Leksi, unable to read his expression.

  He frowned at the letter for a moment longer before folding it up and handing it back to Charis. ‘Nothing for you to worry about.’ Though he did not look at her when he said it.

  Charis’s eyes widened suddenly. ‘My lord, you’re wet!’

  Leksi patted his squire’s shoulder. ‘I see those sharp observation skills aren’t failing you. Go saddle my horse.’

  ‘I just unsaddled her,’ he said, looking confused.

  Leksi pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘All right, well, apologise to her for the mixed signals, and then pop the saddle on her back.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ Petra asked.

  He offered her a reassuring smile. ‘Lord Yuri has asked to speak with me.’

  She walked towards him. ‘Did he say what it is about?’

  ‘I’ll be back in a few hours’ was his reply. ‘You go inside and get yourself dry and warm.’

  Petra looked at Charis. ‘Could you give us a moment, please?’

  The boy looked between them before turning and walking off in the direction of the house.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Leksi asked once they were alone.

  ‘I might be speaking out of turn,’ she began, ‘but I feel very much in the dark about everything at the moment.’

  ‘As I told you, it’s nothing for you to worry about.’ He bent and kissed her forehead, like one does a child. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’

  She studied his face, an uneasy feeling growing inside her.

  ‘Come,’ he said, taking her hand. ‘I need to have some stern words with the guards before I go.’

  Chapter 16

  Petra sat on her bed, drying her hair with a towel. Every now and then she brought her fingers to her lips, remembering the feel of Leksi’s mouth on hers. She had never really known desire, and now the knight had woken something long dormant inside her.

  The sound of a distant horse made her still to listen. Leksi had not long left, but perhaps he had returned for something. She looked down at her still-wet clothes and leapt off the bed, peeling off the wet undergarments and slipping into the dry clothes she had laid out. The bath would have to wait.

  Exiting the room, she walked to the window closest to the hearth and peered out. Charis was out front, cleaning tack, but the sound had caught his attention also. Before long, Josse and Morris passed the window, their eyes on the road. She leaned closer to the glass, trying to get a better look. It was not one horse she had heard, but many.

  Five mounted soldiers appeared on the horizon—all in gold uniforms.

  They had found her.

  Charis turned to the house, eyes meeting hers through the glass. She ran for the door, reaching it at the same time Charis burst through it.

  ‘They are Corneon,’ she said, pulling him inside.

  ‘I know.’ He looked around the room as though searching for something. ‘Go to your room and don’t come out until I come get you,’ he said, doing his best impersonation of Leksi. Then, spotting his bow, he went to get it.

  She shook her head and grabbed his arm as he went to run past her. ‘You cannot fight. You are not even of age.’

  He scowled. ‘I cannot hide in the bedroom either.’

  She dragged him towards the room. ‘You are not going to hide. You are going for help.’

  ‘I can’t leave you,’ he protested. ‘Leksi will have my head.’

  They stepped inside and she gripped his arms. ‘Let the guards do their job. The best thing you can do for me right now is get word to Leksi.’

  The sound of swords clashing made them both glance at the door. She let go of him and shoved her feet into a pair of shoes before walking over to the window.

  ‘Stand back,’ she said.

  Charis stepped away, looking confused. Raising her foot, she put it straight through the glass. It sprayed the grass on the other side. She continued to kick at the remaining shards until the frame was mostly clear.

  ‘Go,’ she said, stepping up to him and shoving him towards the window.

  ‘You should come with me.’

  ‘They will not chase down a frightened child, but they will if I am with you.’
/>
  ‘I’m not a frightened child.’

  ‘Of course not, but we do not want them to know that.’ She gave him another push. ‘Go. Quickly now.’

  He jumped through the window and sprinted towards the yard to fetch a horse. Thankfully, the bridles were still hanging on one of the fence posts.

  Fear prickled her skin. She held her breath as he galloped towards the trees, expecting an arrow to reach him at any moment. Only once he had disappeared did she release the breath she had been holding.

  She ran back out to the main room and peered through the front window. It was the worst possible timing, because at that moment a sword went through Josse’s stomach, exiting his back. Her hands went over her mouth, pressing tightly to stop herself from screaming. Two Corneon soldiers lay dead on the ground, but there were still three very much alive, and only one Syrasan guard between her and them. A mounted soldier fixed his gaze on the house, then turned his horse, riding towards her.

  Petra backed away from the window, her mind racing. There was nowhere for her to hide where they would not find her.

  She turned and rushed back to her bedroom, opening the drawer beside her bed and snatching the cloth bag containing her jewels. Shoving them into the pocket of her dress, she crawled through the window, careful not to cut herself on any shards that remained in the frame. She practically fell through it, landing on the grass with her hands outstretched to break the fall.

  She winced as glass pierced her hand, but without giving it another thought, she pushed herself to her feet and turned to the remaining horses in the yard. She immediately dismissed the idea, as she had no clue how to bridle a horse, or get on one without a saddle, or ride it for that matter. She had only her own feet and bad sense of direction. That would have to do.

  She took off at a run towards the trees, confident they had not travelled across Syrasan only to shoot her in the back. When she reached them, she stopped and looked behind her. The soldier was probably searching the house; as soon as he saw the broken window, he would know where she was, and he would come for her.