Masked Prince - Nikolai Andrew Page 0,26

they came from. I don’t know who they are—were, but they came and they…and then Nellie, and…” She trailed off, looking down at the older man on the floor, and also at the cow, who stood in a pool of blood, milk, and shards of glass.

I had understood the situation at first glance. She didn’t need to explain it. Queen Patara sent her guards. The guards killed her father. They scared her up the post. Bottles broke around the cow. I was up to fucking speed. And yet, I knew that her telling me was as much about her making sense of it as anything.

“I know,” I told her, keeping my voice firm and steady. “It’s okay. I just need you to fall into my arms. And then we can get out of here.”

Her chin trembled now, and tears made her eyes glisten. “It isn’t okay, Randal. It…”

Iris’s eyes fluttered shut as she lost consciousness and let go of the beam. I was ready. She fell hard but I had her, and I broke her fall easily and softly. Even given the shitty circumstances, it felt so good to have her back in my arms again.

The head wound wasn’t as bad as I had feared, but she’d sure-as-shit had her bell rung. She’d be feeling that one for a while. The rest of her was unharmed, but she’d need some caring for. As well as some cleaning up. But then, I’d planned on that no matter what. Especially after I claimed her as mine.

I knew now, more than ever, that the situation between us was fucking complicated. I might not be able to marry her, but there was no way—no fucking way—that I was going to let her go ever again. She was mine. And I was going to fucking keep her. Forever.

I carried her out to the stables and loaded her gently over the back of my horse. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something moving. Instinctively, I drew my blade, but it was only the young girl I’d met on the road already headed for the farm, begging for someone to come help her mistress. The poor thing couldn’t be more than nine or ten, but she’d come back to check on Iris when I had expected her to flee home. I sheathed my dagger and went over to her, crouching beside her so that I didn’t scare the shit out of her with my size.

“Did you see anymore of them?” I asked.

She shook her head. Her eyes were wide and alarmed. Those fuckers—they’d terrified not only Iris but also this equally innocent young girl. If I’d had time, I’d have tortured the guards until they begged for mercy and then killed them. But as it was, I had to get Iris back to the castle and fast; the Queen would send more guards when the three I’d killed failed to return.

Cockroaches love to fill a void.

“There’s some men who are dead in there,” I told her, cocking my head toward the shed. “Ignore the soldiers; I’ll send someone to get their bodies later today. As for Iris’s father,” I said, reaching into my pocket for a gold coin, “arrange to have him buried. Whatever you think Iris would want. Do you think you can do that?”

Taking the coin from me, she nodded quickly.

“Yes, sir. Of course. I know where the gravedigger lives. Thank you.” She finally smiled a little, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked at me. “And thank you for coming to help. They’d have killed her. I know it.”

The very fucking thought made me feel like I was going to explode. But I stifled my rage and pretended to be busy with my horse’s throat latch.

“Get out of here, girl. Go straight to the gravedigger,” I told her. “Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” she said, and took off running for the towpath behind the barn.

Finally, Iris and I were alone. She was still out of it, but her breathing was steady and the injury to her head had stopped bleeding.

Using a bucket of fresh water, I took a minute to clean her up, savoring the opportunity to finally—fucking finally—run my hands over her body as I’d been fucking aching to do.

I cleaned her perfect skin, running my fingers over her scrapes and bruises. Those sons of bitches. They’d dirtied my most prized possession, and they were fucking lucky I didn’t feed their bodies to the hogs.

But all that was done. It was