Lilliana
The rain finally relented near morning, but sleep had eluded me most of the night through. I remembered tossing and turning, trying in vain to sleep, but I was sure I’d gotten to my feet and walked out of the room at some point. I just don’t remember getting back to bed. I must’ve received a blow to the head fighting that vagrant in the alleyway, and it was surely worse than I’d imagined.
Ephrem had given me the guestroom to sleep in, and it’d been quite comfortable. What a gentleman. I was still holding out hope that he wasn’t a serial killer or anything crazy like that. A girl can never be too careful, especially since neutral territory meant it was a free-for-all for everyone outside the two main royal strongholds.
The sun snuck through the slits in between the curtains, slamming me right in the face. I turned away, pulling a pillow over my head as I groaned. Life sucked right now. What did I have to look forward to? Everything I’d been used to was gone. My entire life had been swiped away from under my feet, and it had left me without any future. All I had left was a past that meant nothing to me now.
“Absolutely nothing,” I mumbled, and let out a defeated sigh.
“What did you say?”
I jumped at the voice, my heart racing. Ephrem stood at the doorway, a tray of food in hand, looking confused. I wondered how long he’d been standing there watching me feel sorry for myself. I had a lousy poker face; every emotion spilled out across my features. From his expression, I could tell I’d been contorting my face as I fought out my internal battle. He probably thought I was insane.
Perfect.
“I—I’m just thinking about… you know… stuff. What’s that?” I eyed the tray of food he was balancing. Not exactly servant quality, but I’d forgive him if he dropped anything just to get another glimpse of his rock hard body.
Ugh, there I went again. Not like he wasn’t something to look at. I’d just been deprived of any decent sparring between me and a guy since I’d come of age. It was like my family didn’t want me to fall in love with any potential male suitor. The why of it all eluded me. I was a nobody royal, not even royal now, but still, there hadn’t even been a whisper about me getting betrothed to anyone. Was I supposed to remain celibate forever? Hell, no.
My poor attempt to evade his scrutiny wasn’t missed by Ephrem. His suspicious eyes had lingered momentarily before he broke our connection to place the tray on the bedside table.
“I made breakfast. I make my own every morning, just added extra for your plate.”
“Wow, I—you didn’t have to do that. Really.” Strike that. I was starving.
“Nourishment is not a favor, it’s a necessity. Please… eat. You’ll need your strength.”
I lifted an eyebrow, questioning his statement.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Training. You need to start your training today if you’re to survive the streets of Temple without pack protection. You can’t stay holed up in the apartment all the time. You’ll need to walk the city now and then, especially if you need things. I can’t always watch you, either. You’ll have to learn to fend for yourself.”
“Whoa… whoa now, soldier. I’ve been trained. Believe me. You saw for yourself! That was one thing I did get a say in at the palace. A secondary royal with no chance of reigning over a pack or even getting married, for that matter, usually gets to do whatever the hell they want to do to keep busy. I chose to train in the art of fighting, if you must know. I’m pretty sure you can’t take me down as quickly as you think you can.” I shoved a strip of bacon into my mouth and chewed aggressively. He was underestimating me. Just like everyone else did. Good grief.
He scoffed and shook his head, looking like he didn’t believe me. I didn’t blame him. Most royals don’t voluntarily choose to be trained in the arts of self-defense and martial arts. Yes, all royals were trained in the ArcKnight stronghold, but maybe he didn’t know this. I wondered if the MarkTiers trained their royals at all. Maybe not. Maybe they depended on the assistance of bodyguards more than my pack did. Maybe he’d joined the guard so he could get a little adventure.
My pack? No… my former pack.
I sighed. Screw it all. I wasn’t going to put myself in any more danger if I could help it, but I could defend myself. I had always been more of a tomboy when I was younger, and my parents had been more than happy to keep me busy by sending me off to be trained. I was one less person to mind when they had the affairs of the kingdom to keep them occupied. I knew this more than anyone else did and had taken the opportunity to learn something I desperately wanted to learn.
“All right, I believe you. And I did get an excellent show of it last night. Even so, we need to test your abilities and expand your training. You don’t think they actually took training a royal seriously, did you? Your trainers didn’t do you any favors.”
It was my turn to frown at this, knowing he’d just insulted my formal training. What a jerk, but that was fine. I was game. I could take him down if I wanted to. I didn’t need a test or anything crazy like that. He didn’t know what he had coming, and I would relish giving him a few bruises.
“Fine,” I mumbled. “Can I get more bacon?”
He nodded and turned to leave the room. “There’s more on the stove. You are free to use anything in the apartment as yours, m’lady.”
“I told you to stop calling me that!” I called after him, but he’d already left the room, leaving me talking to the air.
I hated that, but I stuffed down my anger when I eyed the tray of food he’d handed me. No one can stay angry around food when an empty growling and protesting stomach was involved. I hated to admit it, but the eggs, sausage, toast and bacon he’d piled high on the plate looked absolutely delicious. How could I say no to such a feast? Oh, heck no!
Jumping off the bed, I felt a thump against my sternum. I looked down and saw the talisman Ephrem had been wearing last night. How the hell was it around my neck now? I peered down at it, running my fingers over the warm metal and rotating it in my hand.
The runes were unfamiliar, like a language I’d never seen before, yet they felt like I’d seen them before. The metal felt alive and warm, like it produced its own heat. I swore I could feel it humming just under my skin. The stone was the color of the moon and shimmered under the sunlight from the window.
Was it an Ardent Talisman?
I shook my head and let it drop back to my chest. I’d have to ask Ephrem about it later. There’s no way he had one. It was only for those of royal blood, right? I sighed. Too many things swirled in my head to add one more. First, breakfast was calling with a fury.
I stuffed the deliciously greasy food down my throat in five minutes flat, only scowling when it was all gone. I hadn’t realized how famished I’d become. Getting banished was hungry work.
It wasn’t all that bad having a hot warrior who could cook looking after me now. Maybe banishment wouldn’t be so dreadful after all.
Chapter Seven