Page 139 of The Discount Damsel

“You said you wanted a challenge,” he replied in that velvety voice. “Let me know when you need rescuing.”

“Never,” she laughed. “I felt your hands when you tied this knot. Coarser than a cat’s tongue after licking a dock full of barnacles.”

He leaned forward as if to touch her. “I could be gentle.”

Bradley lunged out of the alcove’s shadow. “What the hells is going on in here?”

The princess’s head whipped towards the door, flinging an arc of staticky auburn hair over to the opposite shoulder. “Oh, hello, Bradley,” she greeted cheerily.

“Sir.” Sir Beauregard’s voice was flat, unwelcoming.

“Sorry ’bout that. Was my training disturbing you?”

“Training?” Bradley spat.

“Of course. What’s it look like?” She made a show of lifting her chin off the mattress and looking around. “You think I want to learn how to get out of advanced bondage face-down on the training room floor? It’s harder than this knight’s codpiece.”

Sir Beauregard swelled as if she’d given him the compliment instead of his codpiece.

“Should someone bind you up, and hopefully gag you,” Bradley ground out, “what’s more likely, Tula? You tied up on a fat feather bed or wallowing in the filth of a dungeon floor?”

“This is called ‘baby steps,’ Bradley. Learn the technique first, then increase the difficulty. Ha! Got it.” The rope loosened as the princess pulled her arms to her sides. Scooching and shimmying, she backed up off the bed.

Bradley’s hands fisted as he saw how precariously close that wiggling backside came to brushing up against the knight’s groin, for Sir Beauregard hadn’t stepped back as common courtesy demanded.

The princess rolled her shoulders and swung her arms to restore the proper amount of blood flow. “Give me a minute, Beau, before we go again. Don’t want to go numb on you.”

“No, we wouldn’t want that. I want you to feel everything.”

The princess flashed a smile and sauntered to where the apprentice stood rooted in the doorway, face like a thunderstorm. She cocked an eyebrow, popped a hip out to the side, and perched her hand. “Yes?”

“Your wrist is red,” Bradley growled.

“I don’t doubt it. It’s probably rope burn.” Her brown eyes drilled into his own. “Are you just going to stand there?”

Why did that sound like a challenge? Suspicion rose, dampening his anger.

Is she baiting me?

Was the princess trying to make him jealous? Forcing him to make a move when he wasn’t even sure what to do with his feelings?

“No,” he sneered down at her. “I’m not.”

He turned away before his tightening jaw could shatter his teeth. Did this insolent tula think she could bully him?

“Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, then,” she called after him as he climbed the stairs. Her voice had taken on a spiteful edge. “I suppose I’ll shut the door to muffle the sounds, shall I?”

When he didn’t reply, she slammed the bedroom door shut.

Bradley marched up the steps and barged into Dirk’s room. The sleeping Mini Red was in his tub, cuddling his enchanted warhammer and snoring.

“Dirk.”

The baby dragon didn’t wake.

“Dirk.” Bradley shook his shoulder.

Green light flashed, both from the warhammer and from the dragon’s irises when Dirk awoke. Bradley lurched back with a surprised grunt when a muzzle of pointy white teeth snapped after his hand.