The Summer King Bundle 3 Stories - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,77

was seen.”

No point in lying. “And if you’re here now, there’s no way he’s going to show up.”

The King’s smile was real, stealing a little of my next breath. “Exactly.”

My hands curled into fists as the realization that tonight had been an utter waste slammed into me. The only thing I got out of it was being groped. If the King was here, Neal would be nowhere near.

“You’re a jerk,” I spat, spinning around and stalking off.

I didn’t look back to see if he followed as I cut around the dance floor and made my way toward the exit.

I hadn’t seen the King the entire week and a half I’d been out here looking for Neal or Aric—or any fae who may know where they were. A few times, I’d felt the creepy sensation of being watched, but if that had been him, he’d never revealed himself. Until now.

Shaking my head, I slammed my hands on the door and stepped out into the cool evening air, letting it wash over my sticky skin. Goosebumps rose, but I didn’t care. In a few weeks, it would be as humid and horrible as Satan’s balls.

Part of me wasn’t surprised that the King had found me so easily in the club. Like I’d admitted while I was getting ready, he always knew it was me, no matter how drastically I altered my appearance.

How bizarre was that?

And I also wasn’t surprised when I heard his voice behind me. “You should be home.”

“You should mind your own business.” A horn blew from somewhere along the packed Warehouse District streets. Ever since developers had decided to reclaim a lot of the empty industrial buildings and turn them into expensive apartment complexes, clubs, and bars, the traffic was getting as bad as it was over in the Quarter. I shot him a glare over my shoulder. “And you better not be talking to Tink about me. That’s not cool.”

“I’m not,” he answered, and then his brow creased. “But he did tell me about something to do with tuna and a possible food illness.”

My mouth gaped. “Tink told you about that?”

The King nodded.

I was going to kill that damn brownie with my bare hands. I picked up my pace.

The King easily caught up to me, walking on the side of the traffic. “What you’re doing is my business. You’re my business.”

I shot him a look. “Yeah, no, I’m not.”

“You’re out here hunting a fae—”

“That you want to kill yourself. Cool story.” I stopped at the street sign, tugging down the hem of my skirt. Power walking in spandex was not advised.

“That’s not why. It’s not safe.”

“I can defend myself.” The moment the little green man appeared on the light, I hurried across the street, toes cramped in the narrow boots.

The King was right beside me, his long-legged pace easily matching mine. “I do not doubt that.”

“You don’t?” I forced out another laugh.

“No, I don’t, but this is different. You’re looking for a Knight. A skilled warrior who has killed indiscriminately in the past. If you thought the Order had a right to fear me when I was under the control of the Queen, they should be even more worried about him.”

That made me stumble. When the King had been under the spell of Queen Morgana, he’d been a psychotic killing machine. But I already knew that Aric was just as bad. I had the scars all over me to prove it.

But in reality, I knew very little about the Ancient. There was nothing in my mother’s journals or on file with the Order. I’d checked. And it wasn’t like the King and I had been on speaking terms beyond trading death glares.

I stopped, ignoring the muttered curses of the guy behind me. “Tell me about him. I want to know everything.”

The King looked away, jaw tight. “He was my Knight, and he betrayed me, stabbing me through the chest while I fought.”

“I know that. Tell me what he’s like. What makes him tick. What—?”

“Why? Why do you think this information is important? So you can build a profile on him?” Fiery amber eyes met mine. “Nothing I tell you will help you fight him and survive. You,” he said, stepping into me, “you are just…”

“What?” I challenged. “I’m just a human?”

“You’re just Brighton,” he said. “You cannot defeat him.”

Just Brighton? What the hell was that supposed to mean? I didn’t think I wanted to know. “Look, I don’t care what you think. I’m going to find Aric, one