“And how do you propose to protect me when you’re locked in the cell next to mine?”

“Don’t you worry about that,” he says dismissively.

“I already have a prince upstairs trying to convince King Azure to free me. At least he’s on the right side of the bars.”

“That prince,” he spits, “is just as ruthless as his father. That prince will not watch over you. If anything, he will use you as leverage to get what he wants. Now he’s in possession of King Pine’s top fighter and his only daughter. Your prince is only pretending to have your best interests at heart.” He pauses for a beat. “Which one of King Azure’s sons is he?”

“Lucas,” I say softly. Could all he’s saying be true? Am I leverage in the battle between kings?

“Ah, the most vicious of the bunch. I’ve seen him slit the throat of a man before. There was no hesitation. He killed him and moved on to the next person.”

My hand flies to my mouth. I have a hard time believing that the Lucas I met could do such a thing, but I don’t really know him. He did say he is part of an elite team who protects their kingdom. I haven’t seen the ruthless side of him yet, and after hearing this, I don’t want to.

Oliver’s voice interrupts my thoughts. “What’s your name?”

My voice trembles. “Alison. Alison Wescot.”

“Alison, that is not your true last name.”

“It is as far as I’m concerned. I wasn’t raised here, nor have I ever met my father. Wescot is my name and will remain so.”

“As you wish.”

We stop talking. I honestly don’t know who to believe or who to trust at this point. My mom said to find King Pine, but after Lucas telling me that he killed his best friend, I’m not so sure I want to meet him. Now I hear that there’s blood on Lucas’ hands as well. What the hell goes on in this place? Are they always at war with one another? I need a history lesson and a biography on everyone here. I’m so far out of my element.

Time passes. I’m not sure how much. My legs begin to ache, however the thought of sitting on the cot makes my stomach turn. As I start scanning the floor to see if there is a less grungy spot, I hear voices and the sound of keys clanging.

Perking up, I walk to the bars, my hands grip the cold metal. Something flakes off on my palm. Great, I’ll probably get tetanus now.

“Princess, get back,” Oliver whispers harshly. “Stay away from the bars.” I roll my eyes. Seriously, what the hell is he going to do for me while he’s locked up? Reach through the bars and swat at people?

Three men stop in front of me. One is Lucas. “Release her,” he commands.

“If you release her, then you must release me as well,” demands Oliver.

I notice Lucas’ lip curl up on one side. “Oliver Sage, I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” he hisses.

“She’s not yours, Luke. She belongs with the Pine family.”

Lucas moves from my view to stand before him. “Listen to me closely, Sage. The princess is under my guard, not yours. She does not belong to you.”

“She belongs to me more than she does to you,” Oliver sneers.

“Release her!” Lucas bellows.

The guard with the keys quickly steps up and unlocks my door. I bolt out of it, not wanting to spend another moment in that disgusting space. Lucas is there to catch me, when I trip over a lip in the stone floor in my haste to leave. His strong arms wrap around me, and I can feel his cheek on the top of my head. I don’t want to move away. No matter what Oliver said, there is good in this man holding me. I know it.

Oliver yells from his space still behind bars, “Get your hands off of her, Azure! I’m warning you!”

Lucas turns his head, but doesn’t release me. I shift slightly in his arms to take in Oliver. He’s young, younger than I expected. Maybe around thirty, if I had to guess. He has dirty blond hair and a few days’ worth of facial hair. His eyes are a hypnotizing green. I look over the rest of him. His lips are in a thin line, his jaw is set hard, the muscles in his arm are bulging due to the grip he has on the bars. He’s attractive. Very attractive, in fact, even in his clothes that look like he’s been sleeping on the cot in the cell. Blotches of dirt are scattered over his knees and elbows.

“Do you think I’m scared of you?” he asks Oliver. “You, the grand leader of the Pine Army, rotting in a dungeon in my kingdom. Great job getting captured, by the way.”

I can see the pure hatred in Oliver’s eyes. “You know she belongs with me!”

Lucas gently releases me and places his body between Oliver and I. “Yours? How can she be yours, when you’ve never met her before today? How can she be yours, when she didn’t even know you existed until she was placed down here? You know nothing of her,” he seethes.

“And you know nothing either, because if you did then you’d know that she was promised to me by her father. He said his first daughter’s hand would be mine. You’d know that I’ve waited my entire life to meet her.” Oliver’s eyes turn toward me and soften. “Princess Alison, please, don’t go with him. I’m yours and will protect you with my life. I need you to stay with me for your safety.”

My mouth hangs agape. I’m promised to him? What kind of place did I step into? I’m not going to be forced to spend my life with someone I don’t even know. This revelation makes me want to get as far away from Oliver as possible. I need air. I need to get out of this dreary space.

Looking up at Lucas, I plead, “Take me out of here.”

“No!” Oliver shouts. “You mustn’t leave with him! Princess!”

I ignore his calls and walk with Lucas and the guards out of the dungeon. I can hear him yelling for me all the way up the stairs. We don’t stop when we reach the top; we keep moving until we’re outside, and I can feel the sun warm my skin. I close my eyes and tilt my head toward the sky. I’ve never been so happy to be outside before.

There’s a gentle tug on my hand, and I open my eyes to see Lucas gesturing for me to follow him. With one foot in front of the other, I move forward. He places an arm around my shoulders and whispers into my ear, “We need to talk, but not here. There are too many ears, which would love nothing more than to get a piece of gossip. Although, I’m guessing they will be gossiping about us anyway.”

Looking around, I notice all eyes are on us. People are still in the courtyard, packing up their goods for the day. I duck my head into his shoulder and try not to think about everyone watching me. The further we walk, the fewer people we see. Eventually we stop in front of an ordinary looking, wooden door attached to a small building made of the same weathered red stone as the other structures.

“This is my home,” Lucas says. He opens the door and gestures for me to go in first. I take a few hesitant steps inside and wonder if I’m doing the right thing. Should I be in here with him? Alone? Maybe I should insist he take me back to the cottage. I don’t know for sure I want to leave him behind, but too many things have happened since I stepped through that door, and not all for the better.

I turn to him, “I need to know what happened with your father. What did he say?”

He scrubs a hand over his face and shuts the door behind him. “We fought. Loudly. He insisted on keeping you down in the dungeon until he could arrange a trade with King Pine. He’s keeping something from me, but avoided me when I brought it up.”

“A trade?”

He nods. “King Pine is holding two of our men. My father wants to trade you and Sage for them. He also wants to use you to get him to sign a peace treaty.” He takes a deep breath. “We’ve been at war for so long with the Pine Kingdom and lost so many men. My father may seem like a hard and difficult man, but he’s only looking out for the best interests of his people. Every time we attack one another, too many lives are lost. Women lose their husbands. Children lose their fathers. It’s been going on for so long that I don’t even know the root cause. For me, it’s personal. I want vengeance for the slaying of Leo. I don’t want a war, only one man. Your father.” The fury is evident in his eyes.

I can’t blame him for wanting to fight the person that killed someone who meant so much to him. My father could have had his own reasons for killing him, though. I don’t know. There are too many questions up in the air. All of which I wish I had answers to so I could make the best decisions for myself. I really wish my mother would have told me about this place when she was still alive.

Then his words really sink in. “He wants to trade me?” I start to tremble.

Lucas’ hand rests on my forearm. “I told him there has to be another way. That I won’t let him place you in the hands of that monster.” My inner voice points out that Lucas could be a monster, too. Oliver did say he’s seen him kill. I need to go with my gut above everything else. It’s never lead me astray, and right now, it’s saying that Lucas is my best hope and that I can trust him.

“Alison, I promise to keep you safe. I will guard you with my life.”

I scoff. “Oliver said something similar, that he would protect me.”

His hand drops from my arm and he starts to pace the floor in front of me. “That horrible knight! You should forget you ever laid eyes on him. He’s no good.”

“Is it true that I was promised to him? That I’m his?”

He turns sharply to face me and takes two long steps, until his face is only inches from mine. “You are not his,” he bites out. “And if I have my way, you never will be.”

What does he mean, his way? My head is swimming with everything that has happened today, and I start to get dizzy. I reach out to steady myself, only there is nothing for me to grab. Lucas grips my arm and holds me up. He escorts me over to a chair at a table. I sit with my head in my hands and my eyes closed.

“You’re clammy,” he notes. “When was the last time you ate?”

I don’t lift my head. “Yesterday.”

“No wonder. Stay there. I’ll prepare a meal for you.” I don’t have the strength to tell him no. I can eat the bar I have in my bag. My bag!

“Lucas, where is my backpack?” I ask nervously.

He points to the chair opposite of me. “I asked one of my men to bring it here while I went to retrieve you. I only trust them for now; not the other guards and not my father.”

I release my breath as I see my bag there. The pewter box is in it along with clothes and other items. “Did he go through my things?”

“Yes. He said he wanted to make sure you weren’t carrying anything that could harm us, but I have a feeling he was looking for something.” If he knows where I’m from, then I wonder if my letter wasn’t the first time he’s heard about the mysterious skeleton key that rests in my pocket. I’m glad I had the forethought to keep it on me and not put it back in the box.

Resting my head back in my hands, my eyes flutter closed again. I must have drifted off, because the next thing I know, Lucas’ hand is on my shoulder, and he’s gently saying my name while he shakes me slightly.

I blink my eyes a few times and focus on his handsome features. He’s sinfully sexy. I can’t help all of the lustful thoughts running rampant in my sleep fogged mind. What I wouldn’t give to feel his lips pressed to mine. Would they be soft? Would his hands be gentle when he touched me? I bite my lower lip.

“Alison?” His voice snaps me out of my daydream.

“Sorry, what?”

He gives me a lopsided smile. “Dinner is ready.” Dinner. Is that at what part of the day we’re at? I’m so disoriented I have no idea what time it is. It feels much later to me, but I notice the sun setting through the window.

Looking down, I see a brushed silver plate filled with noodles, stew, and a buttered roll. “You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”

“Nonsense,” he says. “I had the stew already made. It was only a matter of heating it up and cooking the noodles.” My stomach lets out a loud grumble and I dive in. I didn’t realize how hungry I am. Sure, I feel weak, but I thought it was due to all I had been through today.

He sits across from me and eats. We don’t talk, however it’s not uncomfortable. We look at each other every now and then, both of us smiling. I wonder what he’s thinking. Here’s this strange woman in his home, that he doesn’t know, and is his enemy’s daughter. Yet, I’m welcomed and he’s fed me.

As I’m finishing up, my nerves start to act up. I’m alone with Lucas in his home. Am I to sleep here? If so, where? I look around the space and see a comfortable living area, the kitchen and stairs to an upper level. Maybe there’s more than one bedroom. I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with him. Maybe we could do more than sleep. Damn, I need to get ahold of myself. I haven’t been with anyone since my ex. I don’t know if rushing into something with Lucas would be smart. Hell, I don’t know if he even wants me that way.

I stand when he’s finished and bring our dishes to the sink, much to his dismay. He insists I sit down, and he’ll take care of everything, but I refuse. I tell him I’m feeling much better. I offer to wash the dishes and he stands beside me to dry.

“Do you want to go somewhere with me?” he asks shyly.

I look over to him and see his head is down, concentrating on making sure the plate he’s holding doesn’t have a drop of water left on it.

“Depends. It’s not back into the dungeon, is it?”

His head snaps up and his eyes go wide. “What? No!”

I gently bump my shoulder into him. “I’m only kidding. I’d love to go somewhere with you.” Now that I’ve eaten, I have some of my energy back.

He nods, nudges me back, and goes back to work drying.