It didn't take me long to find where Keial was, given that a crowd was gathered around him.

The King and his 'group' that hunts with him had gone outside the walls into the monster-infested forest to 'kill off some steam' and when they returned, they came with all kinds of dead creatures.

That wasn't the reason why a crowd gathered, it seemed when I arrived, that the King had only just taken off his blood-covered shirt and was splashing water on his face as he and the rest of the men bathed by the river.

It felt weird just watching him, the water mixed with blood dripping down his muscled, sun-kissed chest, and down his beautiful face, with his messy wet hair making him seem more laid back than he was.

He really was a beautiful man.

I almost totally forgot why I came here in the first place.

Damn it, I needed to stop drooling over him like the rest of the girls that had gathered and just go over to him, after all, I was his 'lover' I should at least act like it, right?

I had to make a point that he was taken, right?

Taking a deep breath, I pushed through the women, and some of the men to get to where Keial was, wiping his face with a clean cloth to clean the rest of his face free of blood.

When I got close to him, Keial turned around and saw me coming and to my and the onlooker's complete shock, Keial smiled at me and dropped the cloth.

"Felix." He meets me halfway, his eyes going down my body until he focuses on my face.

"What are you doing out here?"

I pulled my eyes away from his chest and tried to pretend he was fully dressed and focused on his face, but with him this close to me, his scent thick with blood and Keial's scent, it was incredibly hard.

Focus, Felix... Everyone is watching.

"I just wanted to see what you were doing." I smiled back, making Keial's brows raise as he hummed.

"I am yours, after all." I said confidently, despite my heart feeling as though it was going to beat out of my chest from how nervous and embarrassed I was by saying that.

"You are..." Keial said slowly, looking past me to the crowd of women and then back to me with amusement in his eyes.

Then without warning, Keial had leaned down and pressed his rough, wet, and dominating lips against mine whilst his right hand rested on the back of my head.

Keial was kissing me, and even though his men, the servants, and some of the townspeople were there, watching us, it didn't seem to bother Keial, as he kissed me passionately, only stopping to bite my bottom lip.

"If you wanted to prove a point that badly, you could've just dropped your pants." Keial whispered against my lips, his golden eyes on mine before moving away.

I felt my face flush with heat and my heartbeat in my ears.

I was so embarrassed and I knew Keial had done that on purpose because I suddenly grew confident.

That's the last time I was going to prove something...

"Keial, I got some of the-" A familiar voice rings out, then stops talking once I lock eyes with him.

"Niff." Gregor stares down at me, as I smile back, despite him not being happy to see me.

What was Gregor doing here? And I wish he'd stop calling me Niff.

It was because of him that everyone knew I had peed myself the first time I met the King, even though it was his fault I peed myself in the first place when he knocked me out.

I still hadn't forgiven him for that.

"Is there a reason you are here, and not working?" Gregor asked, making me clench my jaw and try not to roll my eyes at him.

"Actually yeah." I forced another smile, turning my head to Keial, who was looking between Gregor and me.

"Can we talk somewhere more... private?" I asked, looking around nervously, as his golden eyes watched me.

I ignored the look Gregor gave me as he scoffed and turned around to walk over to the other men who were getting out of the water to dry themselves, and the people behind me who were still googling Keial and his men shamelessly.

"Follow me." Keial said, turning around and starting to walk.

I followed Keial further down the river and away from the prying eyes, and ears of those who were most likely desperate to know what I could have to say to their 'precious King'.

Keial stopped once we were far enough away so no one could hear us and then turned around to look down at me, his eyes making me more nervous and shy than I felt before.

Why didn't he put a shirt on?

This would be a lot easier if he had one on...

"I feel like you're breaking up with me." Keial grinned humorously as I felt my face flush.

"N-No, it's nothing like that." I laugh awkwardly, avoiding his intimidating gaze.

"I... I wanted to ask you about someone I heard." I started and then swallowed the dryness in my throat.

I was so nervous, this was none of my business, but to do my 'job' I needed to know the truth, so I knew how to handle things like this in the future.

Keial was here, right in front of me and nobody was here, the time couldn't be more perfect, so... here goes nothing.

"I... I want to know what happened to Stellia, n-not rumors, I want the truth if I'm going to do my job, I-I need to know."

My heart was beating loudly in my chest, and once I found the courage to raise my head to look at Keial, I was half afraid he would be mad, but instead, he was smiling, making me only more nervous.

"That's it Felix?" Keial shakes his head and then runs his long fingers through his wet hair.

"I thought you'd have something more interesting to ask, but you disappoint me." He sighs, then crosses his arms over his chest.

Keial's eyes look at mine and then after a few moments, he sighs.

"She was hired by the council to murder me." He said, making my eyebrows raise as he took a step forward and erased the space between us, by putting his hands on my hips.

"At first I entertained her efforts to know more about me, and her subtle attempt to seduce me amused me, but in the end, her time with me had to come to an end, like all things do."

Stellia was an assassin... a spy?

So, Keial didn't murder her... or get rid of her family...

"But I heard you were lovers." I blurt out, then cringe as Keial's brows raise in amusement.

"Lovers?" He hummed, finding enjoyment in this despite how serious the subject was.

"I slept with her once, and that was all it took for her to admit she was sent to kill me." He said as he leaned forward until his lips rested over my neck, his nose tickling my ear.

"Nobody quite handles me the way you do, she broke easily in bed with me, unlike you." He whispered huskily, sending shivers down my body.

"K-Keial people can see, w-what are you-" I go to shove him off me, but Keial tightens his hold.

"Whatever nonsense you have heard, it's not true." He mumbled deeply, his stubble tickling my skin.

"I slept with her, then I killed her once she admitted her betrayal, she was neither pregnant, mated, or with family... she knew what she was getting into once she approached me."

"Are you satisfied with the truth, or did you want me to be the bad guy in this scenario?" He asked, pulling away from my neck to look me in the eye as he pressed his forehead against mine.

"Given how you blush around me, I'd say I'm more sweet on you than I was with her, I haven't made you cry yet, have I?" He smirked, his eyes shining with amusement as I felt my face grow warm.

"You can let me go now." I shrugged against his hold until he let me go with a deep chuckle.

"Jealousy suits you, now if only you acted like that last night, my night might have been more entertaining." He joked, as I took a step back and glared at him, my body overheating with embarrassment and shame.

"F-Forget it, I just wanted to know, I'm not jealous." I huff, turning to walk back to the castle.

"Felix, wait."

I stop and turn around and see that Keial is back to normal, his stoic handsome face giving me the chills from how intimidating he looked at me, despite how only moments ago he had a playful look on his face.

"I've never lied to you, and if you ever have questions or doubts, all you have to do is come find me, and ask, even if it makes you fear me more, I will not lie to you."

There was silence as I went over what he said again in my head while my heart skipped a beat, and his serious intimidating yet beautiful eyes stared into mine.

Keial then moved from the spot he stood and walked over to me until we were shoulder to shoulder, he then leaned down until his hot breath tickled my ear, and then he said those magical words, the words that made all those worries slip away.

"See you tonight."