didn’t think you capable of compromise.”
He smiled ruefully. “Not normally. And if we’d found you that first night, I would have killed every single one of these men for taking you.”
“Why?” They were his Knights. His friends. He’d known them far longer than her.
Instead of answering, he said, “I agreed to shoot the men with some of the sleeping tonic we found near the drugged soldiers at your castle.”
“These men are asleep?”
“For now.” He rubbed his forehead, examining them. “What do they want with you?”
“They said Anna instructed them to take me to the Knights’ headquarters so she could maintain control over Dexter. However, that doesn’t make any sense.” She chewed on her bottom lip, working it out in her head.
“What are you thinking?” Ackley asked.
“That Anna wanted you to assassinate them. I think she’s trying to kill all the Knights. In order for her plan to work, she has to eliminate the organization.”
“Then we need to proceed as if that’s what happened.” Ackley nodded at the three men heading their way.
As they got closer, Reid noticed Dexter’s focus was pinned solely on her.
Ackley chuckled, the sound anything but funny. “I’m pretty sure if he came here alone to deal with these men, he would have killed them all when he saw the state you’re in.”
“That’s because you don’t know him,” Reid insisted.
He didn’t reply.
When Dexter was close enough to hear her, she said, “I’m fine.” He scanned her body, obviously searching for injuries.
The two Knights with Dexter knelt to examine their comrades.
“As promised,” Dexter said, “they’re asleep, not dead.”
Ackley tilted his head. “How’d he get you to come willingly?”
“He’s our prince,” one answered. “He ordered us to stand down. Said Anna had sent an assassin after our unit. He said if we came willingly, he would ensure none of my fellow Knights were harmed.”
“And you believed him?” Ackley asked.
“I wasn’t sure. I figured I’d come and if I didn’t like what I saw, I’d kill him.”
Reid didn’t think the Knight would have been able to kill Dexter so easily. However, she kept that opinion to herself. “Now what?” she asked.
“We proceed as if the assassinations took place,” Ackley replied. “Anna can’t know Dexter thwarted her plan.”
“Did you figure out who set my castle on fire?” Reid asked. “And is everyone still okay?” They had been the last time she saw them.
“Everyone is fine,” Dexter assured her. “As for who burned your home, after questioning one of the men we found in the forest, it appears the king gave the order.”
“Then what were the Knights doing there?” Reid asked.
“Anna heard the king sent soldiers north to assassinate Duke Ellington and whomever was with him,” Dexter explained. “So she must have used them as a cover for the Knights to sneak in and kidnap you. Ackley wasn’t supposed to know the Knights took you. He was supposed to think they were the king’s men. Anna must have hoped he’d kill them before realizing who they were.”
Reid rubbed her temple, trying to think it through. In order to stay one step in front of Anna, Reid had to figure out what her mother intended to do next. “We proceed as if everything went according to Anna’s plan. Ackley saved me, these Knights were eliminated, and now we’re traveling to the City of Buckley to gather what’s left of the Marsden army.”
“Correct.” Dexter turned to Ackley. “How long until they wake up?”
“I gave them a low dose, so ten, fifteen minutes.”
“We need to get moving,” Dexter said. “Anna could have someone in town who reports to her.”
“Assuming Ackley just slaughtered a dozen men, what would he do next?” she asked.
“I’d burn the bodies.”
“Then we need to make it look like that’s what you’re doing.”
Ackley nodded. “I’ll go shoot some deer. We can use the blood and bones at the scene of the massacre. Then we’ll set the area on fire.”
Once he left, Dexter turned to the two Knights. “I’m going to take Reid and get her cleaned up. You stay here with your men. When they wake, let them know the plan.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” they replied.
“What are your names?”
“He’s two, I’m one.”
“Very well.” Dexter took hold of Reid’s hand, gripping it. “I’ll be back with my wife in twenty minutes. When Ackley returns, help him prepare the area.”
When Dexter called Reid his wife, both men’s eyes widened. They’d probably only thought of her as Anna’s daughter.
Dexter pulled Reid up the hill and out of sight from the Knights. He walked so quickly Reid