Damien sat at the intricately carved mahogany table in the dining room of the royal quarters. Roast pheasant and a variety of sides covered the table. Uncle Andy sat to his left, Princess Karrie across from him, and Queen Audra to his right. After the attack that morning Uncle Andy had insisted he join the family for supper, as a reward or for protection Damien couldn’t say. For his part Damien was glad to have an excuse to escape the marathon torture session in the dungeon.

He’d never considered himself squeamish, but after two hours of listening to that woman scream he had been happy to beg off and get ready for supper. The assassin was tough, he had to give her credit. Alden had to quit after an hour and a half. While he recovered, a stunning young woman—blond hair, blue eyes, and a perfect figure—took his place.

The sight of perhaps the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen after Lizzy, torturing someone without blinking, amazed him. The strangest thing about the whole process was the lack of blood. Aside from a hoarse voice you’d never know anything had happened to the assassin.

“What’s wrong, Damien?” Queen Audra asked. She wore a blue gown, her long dark hair hanging loose down her back. Damien had never been as close to the queen as he was to Uncle Andy. Whenever his family visited the capital she spent most of her time gossiping with her ladies. Uncle Andy liked to play with him and Jen. “Isn’t the pheasant to your liking?”

Damien looked down at his almost untouched plate. Everything tasted like ashes after the torture session. As far as he knew the assassin was still screaming under their feet. Thinking about it soured his stomach.

“Everything’s delicious. I guess after the attack I don’t have much appetite.”

He looked up and found Karrie staring at him with her bright, green eyes. She batted her eyelashes, trying to play the flirt. Since he’d last seen her Karrie had grown into a pretty girl. Straight black hair framed a heart-shaped face and a slim body was just starting to show signs of the woman she’d be. In a couple more years, when she finished filling out, the noble boys would be fighting over her and not just because she stood to inherit the throne.

“It’s a good thing you were there today.” Uncle Andy took a sip of wine. “A lot of people might have gotten hurt otherwise.”

“My master said to make myself useful. Capturing assassins seemed useful.”

Uncle Andy laughed and dug back into his meal, an attempt on his life insufficient to blunt his appetite. Damien nibbled a few more bites. The pheasant really did taste wonderful. To his surprise, five minutes later, he’d cleaned his plate. He fought a yawn and lost. It had been a long day.

“You look all in,” Uncle Andy said. “What do you say we call it a night?”

Before Damien could respond a tremor ran through the room, setting the silverware to rattling. The little quake lasted for maybe five seconds.

“Bloody tremblers,” Uncle Andy said. “I swear, if it’s not one thing it’s another.”

Damien stood and stretched. The tremors were a nuisance, but basically harmless. “I think I’ll head to my room. I’m afraid I wasn’t good company tonight.”

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Audra patted his knee. “Don’t give it another thought. Go get some sleep.”

Damien bowed to the queen and shook Uncle Andy’s hand.

“I’ll walk you to your room.” Karrie popped out of her chair.

Damien’s jaw clenched and released. He tried to think of a polite way to refuse, but nothing came to him. The walk only took a couple of minutes. He could tolerate her unwanted attention for that long. It wasn’t that he disliked Karrie, she was a sweet girl, he just didn’t like her the way she wanted him to.

“That’s a good idea, sweetheart,” Uncle Andy said. “You need to spend more time with people your own age.”

Damien glanced at Uncle Andy. Was the king trying to set him up with his daughter? By heaven, he hoped not. Karrie had enough unreasonable ideas without her father encouraging her.

Karrie grabbed his arm and tugged him toward the door. He swallowed a sigh and let her lead him out of the royal apartment. Outside the sumptuous quarters waited the same plain gray halls as everywhere else in the castle. Damien loved visiting Uncle Andy, but it felt good to get back into surroundings he found comfortable. Now if he could just get Karrie to loosen her death grip on his arm so he could walk without tripping on her.

Damien turned right. His quarters sat on the same floor as the royals’, but in the opposite wing. “Could you give me a little space before we fall?”

“Are you sure?” She rubbed her small, firm breasts against his arm.

Damien hesitated a moment before he pulled gently away. He needed this complication right now like he needed to wrestle a demon barehanded. “I’m sure.”

She released his arm and pouted. “Why? There are half a dozen boys that would cut their best friend’s throat to walk with me.”

Damien didn’t doubt it, especially if she acted with them the way she did with him. “I believe it. You’re a beautiful girl, and a princess too.”

“Then what’s the problem?” She reached for his arm again and Damien sped up.

He needed to get back to his room before he said something wrong. He doubted Karrie heard no very often and he didn’t know what sort of reaction he’d get if he told her straight out he didn’t like her that way.

She hurried to walk beside him then laughed. “If you keep speeding up we’ll be running through the halls.” Karrie took his hand. “There, that’s not so bad, is it?”

“No.” A right turn and three more doors and he’d be at his room. He’d hold her hand for a couple of minutes and call it a night.

They finished the walk in silence. Damien tried to let go and reach for the door, but Karrie didn’t let him. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

Damien had no intention of inviting her in. He barely had to force a yawn. “No, I’m beat.”

Karrie stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him, her tongue darting in his mouth for a moment before she stepped back. Damien stared at her, no idea what to say, no coherent thought in his head beyond wondering where she learned to kiss like that.

“I told you when we were little I would marry you one day and I meant it. I hate those arrogant, soft boys, with their fake compliments and eyes on Daddy’s throne. Daddy already thinks of you like a son, Mom likes you too, and I like you a lot. The only one that seems to have a problem with this is you. I have to marry in three years, and get betrothed in two. I have no interest in fending off smelly, grabby noble boys for two years. You’re a hero and you saved Daddy’s life today. No one would complain if he announced our engagement after all you’ve done.”

Damien did his best to process her speech, but it overwhelmed him. After the battle and what was happening under their feet right now, he didn’t have the wherewithal to deal with this right now. “Good night, Princess. Sleep well.”

He freed his hand and fled into his room, closing the door firmly behind him. He took slow, deep breaths, trying to get his heart rate down. He didn’t know what to feel, what to think. He didn’t love Karrie, but that kiss… The pounding in his ears didn’t fade until the click of her heels moved beyond his hearing. He sighed and stepped away from the door. What was he going to do?

Something sparkled on his desk, distracting him from the princess. He locked the door and crossed the dark room to his plain wooden table. Glowing words sat on the top. They read: She broke. My office. Dawn.

So the archmage convinced the assassin to talk. He wondered for a moment what shape the woman was in then dismissed the thought as irrelevant. She had tried to kill Uncle Andy. She deserved what she got.