Not the Bride He Wanted novel · Chapter 9 of 24

Chapter 9: His Shirt

"He's on the north road," I said. "He rode out at ten."

Kirsten tugged the shirt collar closed at her throat.

"Is that what he told you?"

She stepped past me, close, and the shirt smelled of cedar and smoke and him.

I caught her by the wrist.

"Let go, Bren. You're hurting me."

"I'm not, and you know it."

I walked her down the passage to the top of the stairs.

There was a brass bell on the landing for fires and for the dead.

I rang it.

It was very loud at midnight.

Doors opened all over the Hall.

The housekeeper came out in a hairnet.

Tilde came out with a cricket bat.

Two guards ran in from the front door with their hands at their belts.

My stepmother appeared at the guest wing door in a satin robe, and went white.

"Kirsten Nyberg came out of the King's bedroom five minutes ago in the King's shirt," I said down the stairs.

"I'd like everyone to see it."

Kirsten put her hand over her face.

"He asked me to," she said through her fingers. "I didn't want to, but he's the King, and I..."

"The King's been on the north road since ten."

"You can't prove that."

I held out my hand to the nearest guard.

He looked at it, then put his radio in it.

I keyed it.

"This is the Queen. Is the King with you?"

There was a crackle, then the Beta's voice, out of breath.

"He's right beside me, Luna. Fifteen miles up. We've had our eyes on Sund's truck since ten-thirty. Why?"

The whole stair heard it.

Tilde lowered her cricket bat.

"Oh," she said. "Oh, that's so much worse."

Kirsten's face came out of her hands.

It wasn't crying anymore.

It was furious.

"Fine," she hissed. "I borrowed a shirt. I couldn't sleep in that cold guest room."

"You lay in my bed."

"It's a big bed."

The front doors opened, and the cold blew in, and Magnus came in with the Beta behind him.

He'd heard the bell from the bottom of the drive.

He looked up the stairs.

He saw Kirsten in his shirt.

His face went so still that the guards stepped back.

"Get her out," he said.

My stepmother made a noise.

"It's the middle of the night, she has nowhere..."

"She has a pack and a husband and a house," Magnus said.

"A truck leaves for the Ridge in ten minutes. Both of you will be on it."

He didn't come up the stairs.

He stayed by the door, as far from her as the hall would allow, and his hands were fists at his sides.

Kirsten started to pull the shirt over her head.

"Keep it," I said. "I won't wear it after you."

The truck left at twelve-twenty.

I stood at the top of the stairs until its lights were gone from the drive.

Then I went into our bedroom and stripped every sheet off the bed.

I threw them out the window into the rain.

When I turned around, Magnus was in the doorway, muddy to the thighs, watching me.

"I didn't let her in there," he said.

"I know."

"Brenna."

"I know. I'm not angry at you."

I was breathing hard.

"I'm angry," I said. "I'm so angry I can't stand still."

He shut the door behind him.

"Then don't."

He shut the door behind him.

"Then don't."

I crossed the room before I told my legs to move.

My hands were at his collar, pushing the wet coat off his shoulders.

It hit the floor with a slap.

"Brenna."

"Shut up."

I shoved him.

He let me.

He went down onto the rug on his back, and I followed him down, straddling his hips, my knees pinning the wet denim of his thighs.

The fire hadn't been lit.

The room was cold and the window was still rattling and I didn't care.

I pulled my sweater over my head and threw it behind me.

His hands came up to my waist.

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