Borrowed Magic (26 page)

When she didn’t respond, he took a step
towards her. Every instinct she had told her to back away, to keep
as much distance between them as possible. Instead, she forced her
feet to remain firm and put her hands behind her back as she slid
the dagger from her bag.

Kern was now only a few feet away. “To what
do I owe this pleasure?”

Her palms were sweating against the leather
grip of the dagger. And still she held her ground, waiting for the
right moment, focusing on the exact spot under his ribcage where
she would strike.

“I want your word.” Now Kern was close
enough she could reach out and touch him. “I want you to promise
you won’t hurt Philip or Adare – even after this is all over.”

He laughed. “You can have all the promises
you want. I have everything right where I want it.”

She didn’t know whether she was more angry
at his arrogance, or relieved that perhaps the threat against Adare
and Philip wasn’t as great.

Kern took another step forward and brushed a
hand across her cheek. “After the evening you’ve had, you probably
need me to take the pain.”

She glanced up at him from under her lashes
and nodded. Then she pulled her hand from behind her back and hid
the dagger in the folds of her dress. Kern lowered his head. He
would kiss her. He would be distracted. This was her chance.

His lips pressed against hers and his hand
slid behind her head.

She gripped the dagger and shoved with all
her might. It slid through his skin and penetrated deep until the
hilt rested against his ribs. She fought back revulsion just as she
heard his sharp intake of breath.

And then it was over.

He grasped her wrists and yanked, squeezing
until she lost all feeling in her hands.

His eyes bored into her, and she couldn’t
bring herself to look away. She wanted to see his expression as he
realized he was going to die. And she wanted to be looking at him
when the pain came.

Only it didn’t.

Instead, he threw back his head and laughed.
“Like you could really kill me. Still, well done. When your potion
plan didn’t work, I thought you’d give up. But this,” he glanced to
the dagger embedded in his side. “I didn’t think you had it in
you.”

He thrust her away from him, and she
stumbled backwards and fell. So he’d known about the potion all
along. Somehow, it didn’t surprise her.

He pulled the dagger from his side and
studied the growing red spot on his shirt. “Inconvenient, but not
impossible.” He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

She watched in amazement as the blood
disappeared, as if it was drawn right back into the wound. When he
opened his eyes a moment later, there was no evidence he’d even
been injured.

“That was actually quite serious,” he
finally said. “It might have killed someone without my particular
talents.” He gave her an appraising look. “Maybe you are worthy to
be my wife.”

She stared up at him in disbelief and
confusion. That was it? No torture. No threats. He just laughed and
told her he approved. “Get out.”

He frowned. “Excuse me?”

“I said, get out.”

“And leave you here alone at a time when
your emotions are obviously so unbalanced?” He laughed again and
pulled her from the floor. “What kind of fiancé would that make
me?”

She ducked away from him.

“I don’t care what you do to me. I don’t
care about anything. I just want you gone.” She didn’t even know
what she was saying anymore, didn’t care. “You’ve hurt everyone I
care about. You’re the reason I’m dying. You’re the reason I had to
sit there tonight reliving one of the worst moments of my
life.”

“Ah, poor Maren.” He laughed again. “I think
you hate me.”

“There aren’t words to describe what I feel
for you.”

He leaned back against the bedpost and
folded his arms over his chest. “And yet you’re going to marry me
and watch me kill Daric and become king.”

She opened her mouth to tell him she’d
rather be dead. Then her more rational side kicked in. She’d failed
tonight, but that didn’t mean everything was lost. Kern just had to
think she’d given up. She pressed her lips together and stared at
the floor. Submission.

“That’s what I thought.” He took her
trembling hands and stared down at the ring Daric had given her. “I
must admit, I wasn’t expecting him to go this far, but I can’t say
I’m not pleased.”

He lifted his eyes to hers.

For one moment, she didn’t understand what
she saw. Then his hands traveled up her arms, and she felt trapped
like an unsuspecting animal. It was hunger in his eyes. He was
going to kiss her. Not like before, to test her, to take away her
pain, to get a reaction from Philip. No, he was going to kiss her
because he wanted to. And somehow, that was even worse.

Panic seized her and she struggled to pull
away, but his grip on her arms was like steel.

“Please,” she begged, knowing her voice
shook with fear. “Just leave.”

But he still didn’t let go. “And what about
the pain?”

“I don’t care about the pain.”

His right hand slid around her waist, and he
pulled her to him. “Unfortunately I do care. I can’t have you dying
on me just as victory is within reach, and if I don’t take your
pain, I’m not sure you could last the night. But now that Daric’s
made you part of his family, you’re more useful than ever.” His
finger traced her jawline. Then he bent and brushed his lips
against hers.

If she was scared before, now she was
terrified. That kiss wasn’t like any of the others. It was more
intimate. As if he actually wanted to marry her for reasons that
weren’t part of his plan.

Her knees buckled, only letting him pull her
closer.

She tried again to step out of his grasp but
he held firm, and something inside her snapped. She beat against
his chests with her fists, screaming at him to get out of her room,
to leave her alone, to just let her be miserable in peace for one
night.

The next thing she knew, his hand was around
her throat, cutting off any air, and making sure she couldn’t
scream anymore. Her eyes went wide and she struggled with every
last bit of her strength, but he was too strong. His fingers dug
into her neck, and the world started to spin and go black around
the edges. She almost welcomed it. He’d said himself he still
wanted her alive. Leaving her unconscious was the next best
thing.

Instead, he let go. Her knees hit the ground
hard and her body followed. She gasped for breath, only making her
bruised skin and lungs burn more.

“Not your smartest move, Maren.” He yanked
her to her feet and pulled her so close she could feel his breath
against her hair.

She tried to claw at his face but, he caught
her hands and wrenched them behind her back. She tried to kick him
but found her legs bound by the same invisible cords he’d used
before. Desperate and on the verge of hysteria, she rammed her head
into his. He paused momentarily to run a finger along a cut on his
lip before picking her up and shoving her against the wall,
knocking her breath away and causing her vision to blur.

“Stop,” she begged. “Please, stop. Do
whatever you want. Just stop.”

A slow smile spread across his face and he
pressed his lips to hers, taking away every last drop of pain until
she slumped to the floor in relief.

“I’ll see you in the morning, my dear,” he
commented from the doorway. “Don’t worry, it will all be over
soon.”

Kira found her a
half hour later, still in a heap on the floor as shuddering sobs
wracked her body.

“Maren!” Kira pushed the hair out of Maren’s
face and forced her to meet her eyes. “Maren, what happened?”

She buried her face back in her hands.
“He…he…”

“I’ll get Philip.”

A few minutes later, Philip wrapped his arms
around her and pulled her close, running his hand along her hair.
“What happened?”

She told them. About trying to kill Kern.
About him healing himself. About him kissing her differently. About
his parting comment that it would all be over soon.

When she finished, no one said anything for
a long time. But Maren could feel Philip’s anger. It was in his
breathe on her forehead and the tension in his arms around her.

“We can’t let anything happen to the king,”
Kira finally said.

Philip pulled himself from the floor and
reached a hand to Maren. “I’ll assign someone discreet to watch his
room tonight. And tomorrow he’s going hunting. Kern will be there,
but so will a number of others. I’d go myself, but Daric has
specifically asked me to get a legion ready to send out to see
about some problems in the south. Kern knows that and would be
suspicious if I changed my plans. But I’ll send some of the Guard.
Daric will be surrounded by people who’s job it is to keep him
safe.”

“So we just need to decide what to do after
that,” Kira said.

Philip frowned. “There’s no way Daric is
going to let the Guard follow him around. And I can’t be with him
all the time.”

“What about telling a few of the Guard that
Daric is in danger?” Maren suggested. “Tell them Daric doesn’t want
people to know and get worried but ask them to keep an eye
out.”

“That might work,” Philip said. “It’s at
least somewhere to start.”

Maren should have felt relieved. Instead,
Kern’s actions tonight weighed on her. She couldn’t escape the
dread his words had brought.

Twenty-eight

Maren let
the warm, autumn breeze brush across her skin. It was one of those
days, where the bitter, harshness of winter loomed just over the
horizon but hadn’t yet claimed the earth as its hostage. Instead,
the sun sat high in the sky, promising that winter would come to an
end and life would renew.

She felt as if it were mocking her, because
right now, it was hard to see an end that included life and
renewal.

“What do you think, Maren?”

Her attention snapped back to Adare and the
other ladies who were gathered around a table in the garden.

“Well...” She examined the various blooms
that littered the table. “I think the red is too harsh. But the
white isn’t exactly what I like either.” She picked up a pink rose
with a color so rich and warm it caught her attention immediately.
It’s what she’d choose if she were marrying Philip. But it was too
beautiful for Kern. She placed it back on the table and picked up a
pale yellow. “I think this. With the cream as an accent.”

Kira took the yellow and held it up
alongside the cream. “It’s beautiful.”

“And since Maren’s gown is cream instead of
white, it’s the perfect—” Adare was interrupted by a commotion
behind them.

She glanced over her shoulder. “What are
they doing back already?” Adare sounded more perturbed than
anything. “We’re not done.”

Maren examined the group of horsemen riding
through the castle gates. “It’s not everyone,” she said, glancing
at their lack of numbers. “Someone must have wanted to come back
early.”

She turned her attention to Kira, who
studied a long list of names, some of whom Maren was merely
acquainted with, and some she didn’t know at all. “Who’s Lord
Cal—”

A scream so soul wrenching it made her heart
stop rent the air, and she spun around in her seat, searching for
its source.

Adare was already running towards the
horsemen. Maren followed a step or two behind, her body almost numb
from dread as she heard Adare’s continued cries of “No, no,
no…”

And then she saw what Adare had noticed
immediately. A man’s body was slumped over the saddle of one of the
horses. An arrow protruded from his back, directly behind his
heart, and even his crimson tunic couldn’t hide the blood.

Daric!

No! This wasn’t supposed to happen. Philip
had sent extra guards. They were told the king was in danger, that
they needed to make sure… She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t.
Neither could she push away the thought that by Daric making her
one of his family, he’d sealed his own fate.

She wanted to stop and fall to her knees
until the world was right again. But Adare needed her.

She caught up to the queen just as Daric’s
body was lifted from the horse. Adare grabbed for him, but Maren
caught her in her arms. “Let them take him inside where everyone
isn’t watching.”

Adare buried her head in Maren’s shoulder,
her body so wracked by pain that Maren could barely keep them both
upright. She motioned to Kira who helped usher Adare into the
castle where the men laid Daric on a table. Adare rushed to him,
brushing her hands across his face and pressing her forehead
against his. Worst of all, however, was listening to her call his
name over and over again in such anguish. It was horrible to hear
and to watch, and Maren stood in shock, not knowing what to do.

The only problem was that everyone else was
doing the same thing. No one had called for a healer – although
Maren knew it was useless. She’d seen death before. No one even
moved.

She motioned to one of the soldiers. “Go
fetch the king’s healer. Be as unobtrusive as you can. We don’t
want word of this to get out yet.”

Then she grabbed the captain of the Guard
unit. “Tell me what happened.”

He wrung his hands. “I don’t know. We were
riding just like we always do. Lord Teige and the king were at the
front, and they’d spotted a fox just inside the tree line. They
were laughing, joking about how good…” A shudder rippled through
his body. “The next thing I knew, the king was slumped forward in
the saddle with an arrow out his back.”

Maren frowned. Kern had been next to Daric.
He couldn’t have fired that arrow himself, but he was responsible
for this.

“Where are Lord Teige and the others now?”
she managed.