King of the Wilds - Tasha Black Page 0,26

convince him that what he’s doing here is wrong. Will you be okay until the others get here?”

I can’t let her go alone.

I can’t let them destroy this forest.

“Let’s wait for them together,” he offered. “Then we can both go talk to your boss.”

As much as it pained him to leave the forest, his instinct to protect his queen trumped everything else.

“No, that’s not a good idea,” Miranda said, looking startled. “He’s not fond of strangers and I’ll have a hard enough time convincing him on my own. Please just take care of this. I’ll report back soon.”

“Oh,” Bron said stupidly. “Sure, I’ll stay. But, Miranda…”

He wanted to tell her what he felt for her, to explain how much she meant to him, but he didn’t have the words.

“Yes?” she asked, looking impatient.

“Be careful,” he told her.

“Sure, of course,” she said, smiling up at him with those beautiful sparkly eyes.

She ran to her car and pulled out of the driveway, weaving between the vehicles that had brought the workers.

Bron felt as if his heart were being pulled into pieces before she even left his sight.

How would he bear it as she drove farther away from him and his realm?

15

Miranda

Miranda tried to keep her eyes on the road, but it was hard not to keep staring at the vines around her ring finger.

Her whole world felt unfamiliar, yet filled with hope. The shaded ridge above the road was a deeper, more beautiful green, the terra cotta roof of the cottages a rich pumpkin, the air a little sweeter.

And Miranda herself felt unstoppable.

She had friends. She had a boyfriend - no, a king.

And she was going to convince Cullen Ward to call off his pet project, one way or the other.

Her plan was to try her best to convince him just by laying out the facts. He was a smart man. She hoped he would see the error of his ways. If not…

Though she hated to do it, she would use her powers if she had to. This was for the greater good.

The weird thing was, she wasn’t sure if they would work on him.

The more she thought about it, the more she suspected Mr. Ward was actually aware of her power. He often encouraged her to convince people to do things.

She had never been sure if he thought there was anything special about her, or if he just thought she was charismatic and good with people.

But now that she knew more about herself, it all started to make a lot more sense. Why else had such a powerful man been so eager to hire her at such a young age, especially when she had almost no resumé at all compared to his other choices?

Her phone rang on the car speaker and she pressed the button to pick up.

“Miranda Cannon,” she said automatically.

“Miranda.” Cullen Ward’s voice was low and smooth with a slight rumble. “You wanted to speak with me.”

“Thank you so much for calling me back, sir,” she said. “Are you back in the office? I’m headed there now, and I was hoping we could sit down together—”

“—I’m leaving the office now on a business matter,” he said brusquely.

“Oh,” Miranda said.

“We can set something up for next week if you want,” Mr. Ward offered. “Or you can get to the point.”

Crap.

“Mr. Ward, you may not know this, but I’m originally from Tarker’s Hollow,” she said.

“Of course I knew that,” he chuckled. “Why do you think I sent you to that silly party?”

“I see,” she said. “I know you have your reasons for choosing the Rosethorn Valley site, but I’ve been doing some research, and I think there are two better options in Maryland, where you’ll also have a tax advantage. The people in Rosethorn Valley, they—”

“—I’m going to cut you off right there, Miranda,” Mr. Ward said. “This is not a conversation I’m going to have with my assistant. I’ve made up my mind about the site and that’s all you need to know. I’ve told you what I want, now it’s your job to make it happen. Do I make myself clear?”

His voice had grown cold and sharp.

“Yes, sir,” she said, setting her jaw.

“Excellent,” he replied, his voice smooth and modulated once more. “I’ll see you at the office on Monday.”

He hung up without saying good-bye.

“Shit,” she said to herself, slamming her palm on the steering wheel. “Shit, shit, shit.”

After all the years she’d worked for him, he still wouldn’t let her finish a sentence.

Now she would have to turn