She leaned in close, her smile sharp as a blade. “Your shameless flirting isn’t going to win you any battles in here tonight, Archer Bramwell. There are no hearts left for you to break.”
As she stalked away, Archer clutched his chest in mock offense. “I’ve never broken a heart in my life! I merely… borrowed it briefly and returned it slightly used.”
“You’re impossible. How will we ever find you a bride when you’ve exhausted all the options in Stirling?”
“We could try Perth,” he suggested brightly. “I’ve only been there a handful of times. Statistically speaking, there must be at least three eligible women I haven’t offended yet.”
“Or we could import one. From, I don’t know, one of those fancy northern kingdoms where they don’t know your reputation.”
“They’d find out soon enough.” He slouched further in his chair, his usual easy confidence slipping for a moment. “Besides, what kind of woman wants to marry a fake prince with a tragic story to tell?”
“You’re not a fake prince.”
“Fine. What kind of woman wants to marry a reluctant prince with a tragic story and a magical bond to a small child and his best friend? That doesn’t exactly scream ‘stable husband material’.”
My expression softened, and I reached across the table to squeeze his hand. “The right one will see what we see. A good man who’d sacrifice anything for the people he loves. A man who makes everyone around him laugh when the world gets too heavy. A man who’d make an amazing king, if he’d just stop thinking he doesn’t deserve the crown.”
Archer swallowed hard. He deflected with humor, as always. “Are you volunteering? Because I’m pretty sure Thorne would turn me into a very stylish pair of boots.”
I snorted. “I’m pretty sure that would break some fundamental rules of our bond. And Thorne would do much worse than boots.”
“You’re probably right.” He sighed dramatically. “Besides, the boots would probably be hideous.”
A commotion at the door drew our attention as a group of rowdy men burst in, led by a woman with silver-streaked black hair and the confident stride of someone who commanded respect without asking for it.
“Zara Blackwood,” I whispered. “She’s actually from Perth. I guess not everyone’s hiding in Thea’s Underground.”
“Hey, I’ve seen her. A few nights ago she was at the Parlor. She cheated me at cards twice,” Archer said, studying Zara with newfound interest. “Never did figure out how she did it.”
“A woman who can outcheat you?” My eyes widened in mock astonishment. “I think I’ve found your queen.”
“Very funny.” But he couldn’t tear his eyes away as she settled at the bar, the men gathering around her like moths to flame. There was something magnetic about her, a wild kind of freedom.
“I dare you,” I said, an impish grin spreading across my face.
“Dare me what?”
“Go talk to her. Charm her. See if the famous Archer Bramwell swagger works on a woman who clearly likes the spotlight.”
“I changed my mind. I don’t want to do this. How do we change the castle rules again?”
I dropped my chin to my chest. “If we could change the rules, your father would have done that and never married Farris’s mother. Have you even seen Tuck lately? He’s nose deep in everybook and record he can find. You can’t change the rules unless you’re king and you can’t be king unless you get married. Now perk your ass up and go say hi.”
“You’re mean. Has anyone ever told you that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, yes. All the time.” I snatched his tankard from the table and the room spun at the sudden movement. “I’m not giving this back until you have a fiancé.”
“So, you’re just going to sit in this tavern and rot while I court the kingdom? The fact that Thorne hasn’t come charging in that door yet, is already surprising. I’m guessing we havemaybeanother hour before he melts the walls off this place to find you.”
I lifted a shoulder. “He knows where we are.”
Archer’s eyes, though partially unfocused, doubled in size. “You told him about our best, worst idea ever? That was supposed to be a secret. We’re fighting now.”
“Let’s just say I left him a note with some very vague instructions on what wemightbe doing and he’s definitely in the process of narrowing it down right now.”
“Remember that time when we snuck down to the catacombs and he almost killed me? Think I’m safe because of the whole king thing?”
“I think you’re safe because he likes his balls and I would have to remove them from his body if he so much as thought about touching a single blond hair on your head.”
