The Kingdom's Crown (Inheritance of Hunger #3) - Kathryn Moon Page 0,68

roles to play," Bryony said softly, gaze going distant.

I was surprised to find I wasn't injured by her hesitation. It was a great honor to be offered the gift of my family's bite, and not one that anyone usually refused. But Bryony was right. The combination of the tiger's magic and her own might have unknown results.

"Think on it. The choice won't go anywhere. You, on the other hand, are going somewhere."

"Am I?" Bryony laughed as I grunted, lifting her up from the floor with me, still wrapped around my body.

"Indeed. To bed. To sleep here in my arms, until someone wrestles you away, I suppose."

Bryony's arms tightened around my shoulders, and I secured my arms more firmly around her waist. They could try.

16

Bryony

While I have some support here—Scrapper's behaving while others are around, although he takes every private opportunity to tell me how shit it's all going—the simple matter is the court's king is away and some men have their heads too far up their own asses to fall in line. We're losing more members of our court than we're gaining.

I sighed and set Griffin's latest letter aside, pushing back from my writing desk and raking my fingers through my hair. Wind beat at the tall windows of the room, rattling the glass. The day was gray, dark tangled clouds gathering, and waves growing tall and frothy white before slamming against the shore.

"What's wrong, princess?" Aric asked.

I looked around the room, making sure Morgan and Nora weren't nearby, before crossing to curl up in Aric's lap where he was sitting in an armchair by the fire. "I've been feeling like a useless princess since my grandmother died, and now I appear to be an equally useless king."

Aric grunted and set aside his book, taking Griffin's letter from my hand and reading it himself. "I lost a quarter of the court when I first took it. Emory would've lost a great deal more. This isn't unexpected."

"The difference is that you were there."

"Did you want to be King of Thieves, princess?" Aric asked, looking up at me.

I paused, my mind going blank for a moment. "Well, no. I was just trying to keep your head on your neck. But now that I am…"

"You want to give up the life of the crown princess, move back north, and live as a rogue with seven men crowded together in a room above a tavern?"

I smirked at Aric. "I know you think it sounds like a nightmare to have us all in your den, but actually, that's not an unappealing picture you're painting for me."

Aric laughed and tossed the letter aside. "I'll write to Griffin if you like, give her a little advice. And I think you should reconcile yourself to the idea of giving up one crown for the other."

"Mmm, I suppose you're right," I said, wiggling down to nestle into Aric's chest.

"Are you getting comfortable?"

"Are you complaining?"

"Weren't you just saying you felt like a useless princess?"

"Ah, thank you, my love, for reminding me."

Aric laughed again and sat up, jostling me. "While you've been moping, I've been sitting and having a think."

"You really are too sweet," I snapped, sitting up, annoyed by how Aric's humor seemed to infect me even when it was at my own expense.

"Are you feeling well-stocked on magic?" Aric asked, and I nodded. "Good. I'd like to take you to speak with the mages."

"The royal mages?!"

Aric gave me a wry look. "I could take you out into the street to find some local ones, but I doubt it'll do us much good."

"You're in a rare mood, you know that?"

Aric grinned. "Maybe the rich food agrees with me. Come on. We'll grab Cress so he doesn't feel left out."

Meaning we'd have to take Cresswell anyway or he'd panic when he realized I wasn't in the suite. "Is it safe for me to go near the conduit you found?"

"I think so. I resisted its pull. I'm assuming you can too. But if you feel the slightest bit uncertain, we'll leave."

I stopped my feet as Aric tugged me toward the door. "Wait, I'm not dressed to see royal mages."

"How on earth should you be dressed? You're not indecent," Aric said, frowning as he looked me up and down.

I laughed. With high mourning at an end, I had a little leniency in what I wore, and I'd given up the heavy black gowns and underskirts in favor of the simpler clothing I'd worn in the north, still in black. To Aric, there was