Queen of The Hill (Knight Games) Read Online Free PDF Page A

him as my own.”
    My jaw dropped. I stared at her, waiting for the punch line. When she didn’t say anything else, I turned to Rick.
    He shook his head and faced her head-on. “You misunderstood. I never promised to be your caretaker. I never promised anything beyond helping you manage your new territory.”
    “And did you think you would do that as a human?” she snapped, voice rising in pitch.
    “Yes,” Rick said firmly.
    “Well then, we have a problem. I am owed a great debt.” Tabetha looked pissed.
    “The contract is null, as the spell was not completed. I did not use it as intended,” Rick stated.
    Tabetha’s perfectly shaped red lips pulled into a grimace and ripples of power blasted like sound waves from her body. Crocuses exploded from the ground, growing in fast forward. The atmosphere became warm enough that I was tempted to unzip my coat. But when the goddamn tree branches started to reach for us with their gnarled branch hands, I knew we were in trouble. We’d practically been transported to the dark forest in Snow White or the Wizard of Oz . It was freaking me out.
    “Are you suggesting that I am owed nothing for my effort?” Tabetha seethed. “Are you going back on your word?” Her eyes burned into him. Worse, the look was familiar. Tabetha was a woman scorned. She had feelings for Rick. Crap.
    “I will return the remaining candle to you,” Rick said. This time he looked away from her when he spoke, as if he were ashamed. As if he recognized that he owed her something.
    With a wave of her wand, Tabetha made it clear she did not accept his answer. She knocked Rick on his ass. Rick’s eyes bled to black, and his beast exploded from his skin. The winged creature Rick shifted into had the scaly body of a dragon with tufts of hair protruding from the points of his ears and between his scales. Shifted, he was big—T-rex big—with jaws that could swallow a human-sized creature whole. His mere presence was foreboding.
    I assumed his change would be a conversation ender. I was wrong.
    One twist of Tabetha’s wrist, and a blast of purple light hit Rick’s beast. By force, his beast transformed, his bones bending and snapping painfully until he was human again.
    “Rick!” I ran to his side. He’d collapsed to the ground, shocked and disoriented by the quick change. What a bitch! Fine, Tabetha didn’t get the payment she expected for her magic, but she didn’t need to get violent about it. I stepped in front of Rick and pointed a finger at her. “You say my caretaker made an agreement with you regarding the candle and that the price was himself?”
    She nodded. “I have a contract signed in his blood.”
    Signed in blood! I glared at Rick. I desperately wanted an explanation, but now was not the time. “There’s been a mistake,” I said. “Rick had no right to make that agreement with you. As my caretaker, his soul is mine and not his to give.” I glanced at Rick, who gave me a ghost of a smile. “However, I also understand that you worked hard on the candle’s enchantment and deserve some compensation. What price would you consider suitable payment?”
    She popped out her hip and shifted her jaw from side to side as she considered me. Finally, she avoided my question altogether. “Are you denying our agreement, Enrique? Are you denying that you begged me for release from your connection to her?” Tabetha’s shrill voice made the surrounding tree sprites clutch at the bases of their throats and leer at Rick in silent union.
    He looked her directly in the eye. “It was a mistake.”
    “Mistake or not, you are mine.” Power, thick and palpable, rolled off her skin. The trees swayed, reaching for our heads. A gnarled branch gripped my bicep, bark digging in. Another wrapped around Rick’s neck and squeezed. The tree sprites growled and closed in, wrestling Rick toward Tabetha. I tried to help him, but the goddamned forest restrained me. Pain tore through my ankle as a thorny vine