I had to forget about being a queen and forget about the king. I had to focus on Trip.
And focusing on Trip wasn’t hard at all.
16
Trip
Troop movements and supplies. Tactical advantages and numerical superiority. That was my entire morning, one war issue after another, over and over again.
It was important work. I couldn’t deny that. It held the fate of my country. Everything I did could sway things one way or the other.
But I was just one man, and as soon as I got that text from Bryce, I knew what I wanted to do with my break.
And so I found myself striding through the halls, smirking to myself. There was nothing I wanted more than to take a break by seeing Bryce, the only person in the entire country who made me feel anything anymore.
Few people understood the stresses of being king. Few people could possibly understand the toll that sort of constant pressure could take on a person. I needed an out, a release. I needed something to take my mind off the horrors that were happening in my country, at least for a few minutes.
And Bryce was perfect. She wasn’t just a distraction; she was a welcome distraction. She made me feel something other than stress, and that was what I needed.
Although what that feeling meant was maybe a little more complicated than I wanted to admit. At first I thought I simply wanted to possess her. I thought she was just some gorgeous, fiery, and exciting foreigner I wanted to make mine. But as I got to know her, I realized she was much more than that. She was more than I could have ever imagined.
I knocked on her door. She answered quickly.
“Hi, Trip,” she said.
“Bryce.” I grinned at her. She was wearing a cute, short dress that made her eyes look gorgeous. “Ready?”
“Sure.” She stepped into the hallway. Our security detail moved back to a respectful distance. “Where are we going?”
“I want to show you the last interesting part of the castle.”
“I thought I got the full tour already.”
“Not quite.”
We strode through the hallways and took a short turn. Ahead was a doorway. I pulled it open and we stood in front of an old stone spiral staircase.
She frowned. “Looks like a tight fit,” she said, stepping up onto the steps.
“Yes, it does,” I replied, looking at her perfect ass. “But I think I’ll fit into it sooner or later.”
She turned and frowned at me. “What?”
“I was just admiring your fucking perfect ass. That’s what you were talking about, right?”
“I meant the staircase. Very funny. Do men in your country joke about that sort of thing?”
“I don’t joke about wanting your ass. I don’t joke about it at all.”
She shook her head and began climbing the stairs. I grinned and followed her, twisting up and up.
“It was built like this on purpose,” I said to her. “Back in the day, it made it so it was hard to swing a sword in these tight spaces. Defenders would have shorter swords and they’d have the advantage of height. Plus, attackers wouldn’t know who was coming or how many there were.”
“Interesting,” Bryce said. “I thought they just didn’t know how to build staircases.”
I laughed. “No. They built them very, very well.” We climbed and climbed until finally Bryce pushed open a small wooden door.
And the outside air came rushing in.
“Whoa,” Bryce said. “Are we on the roof?” Ahead of us, a relatively wide stone walkway stretched out toward the other wall.
“Something like that,” I said. Al and the security detail stepped up to the top. “Al, stay here. Do not open this door unless you hear me command. Understood?”
“Your Highness—” he started, but I stopped him.
“I’ve had a rough morning, Al. Stay here.”
He nodded. “Very well.”
I stepped outside next to Bryce and shut the door.
“Alone at last,” she joked.
“Entirely,” I agreed. “Nobody can see up here.”
“Where is this exactly?”
“These are the battlements. Come here.” I walked farther ahead to where there was a break in the wall.
Bryce stood up next to me. “Holy shit,” she said.
Spread out around us was the city of Stehen. It was a beautiful view from the very top of the castle. The city was absolutely gorgeous from the battlements.
“Very few people see this anymore,” I said. “Defenders used to stay up here all day and all night. Now just a few people get to come up.”
“I’m honored,” she said. “This is so beautiful.”
“Come on. There’s something cool over here.”
She followed me down the battlements toward the center of the wall. There was another break in the stone, but this time in the center of the stone was a statue.