ALL MY LOVE (Lovemark #5)

2. Dori-1

Chapter 2

Dori

One thing I hadn’t considered when I’d hitched a ride with a group of prostitutes was that I would then be considered a p********e as well.

Slight miscalculation there.

The wagon hadn’t even come to a full stop before we were surrounded.

Most of the men clamoring for our attention were fully-armed soldiers, which at first, made me freak, worried they had figured me out—oh no, a dreaded Graykey was in their midst; hang her from the highest tree.

Or maybe they knew I was an alien intruder on their quaint planet.

Either way, my muscles coiled tight with dread, and I started looking for the fastest way to escape.

But it didn’t take me long to realize their intentions lay elsewhere. About six inches below their beltlines, to be precise.

Rumor must’ve gone up the line that this was a wagon full of working girls because they immediately started asking about prices and availability.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, please,” Naveen called above the commotion as she lifted her hands to demand order. “One at a time, now. There’s a full wagon of us here; plenty of love to go around. So you…” She pointed at a particularly eager-looking guard. “Who’s your pleasure, handsome? I’ll price you for a quarter-hour.”

The guard, who was not handsome, motioned to Althea. She hummed appreciatively as she ran a hand over his bulging biceps then nodded her approval. So Naveen tossed a number at him, and he pulled up a coin purse, more than ready to pay for a bit of time with the girl.

The next guy wanted Naveen herself, but she laughed and waved him aside, telling him she was going to save herself for the king’s harem, so he settled on Erinn instead.

Meanwhile, I excused myself from the group by making my way to the tailgate area of the wagon, where I intended to inconspicuously climb out and follow my mark to the only reason I’d joined these people, to begin with.

One of the soldiers met me there as if to be a gentleman and assist me down, but instead of helping, he paused me to ask, “What about you? What’s your fee, milady?”

“Oh, Rowena’s new to our ranks,” Naveen spoke up, immediately noticing a side hustle taking place without her. “For an unknown like her, the price would have to be—”

“Not for sale,” I said, cutting in and casting her a hard look for daring to speak for me.

When she furrowed her brow in confusion, I cleared my throat and turned back to the soldier. He too looked discombobulated.

Crap. Maybe I should’ve run with the hooker disguise.

Okay, then.

“Sorry, but, uh… I…” I fumbled a moment before inspiration struck, and I finished with, “I, too, am saving myself for the king.”

Hey, if the excuse had worked for Naveen, it sounded like a good enough lie for me.

And, wow, the guard nodded in respectful compliance before immediately backing off. He even reached out to give me a hand off the wagon. Yeah, I had to give serious props to some inhabitants on this planet for being so dang polite.

“Thank you,” I told him with a bright smile, only to wince when I landed on my feet because riding in a wagon for hours on end really did a number on the old muscles.

The guard kept hold of my arm until I was able to straighten and look up at him, nodding that I was okay.

When he met my gaze, however, he blushed. “The name’s Tolman, milady, in case you change your mind.”

“Oh! I…” Oh boy. I hadn’t meant to catch myself such a persistent admirer.

Since he seemed too sweet to upset, I inclined my head and murmured a kind, “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”

I glanced toward the harem girls I was leaving behind as I hobbled away, thinking I’d never see them again, only to catch Naveen’s dark scowl following me.

“Don’t forget, Rowena,” she called with tight-lipped displeasure. “You still owe us fare for the ride before this trip’s over.”

I gulped but replied, “Got it.” Then I turned away and hurried off because that was the first I was hearing about having to pay.

I had definitely pissed off the boss mama.

I’m not sure if she wasn’t a fan of the way I hadn’t let her manage me or if she didn’t like how I put myself in direct competition with her for the king’s attention.

But whatever.

It didn’t bother me. She could have old King Kole all to herself as far as I was concerned. And as soon as I met my “supposed” soul mate and realized this true love-detecting nonsense was pure malarky, I’d be on my way back to Elaina, and then home to Earth, and she’d never have to deal with me again. So…problem solved.

Blowing out a breath, I started gingerly toward the rest of the caravan, wincing as I worked out my stiff joints with each step, and I moved in the direction that I instinctively knew I needed to go.

Thankfully, my queasiness had dissipated. Actually, it was hard to imagine that I’d even been ill at all a few short minutes ago. I flattened my hand gratefully over my settled stomach and took in my surroundings properly.

There had to be at least a dozen wagons, carrying supplies and dignitaries, cooks, maids, and servants, not to mention the soldiers that rode on horseback. The King of Lowden had to have between fifty and a hundred people with him, seeing to his needs.

I shook my head and sniffed in degrading amusement, unable to imagine Vander being so pretentious when he traveled. His cousin must be from a different ilk, that was for sure.

I mean, I hadn’t actually gotten to meet… Shoot, I couldn’t remember his given name now. Not that it mattered; I’d been forbidden to meet King Kole when he’d been visiting Vander.

Apparently, Vander had been open and honest with his cousin and had told him all about me—my earthly plus my Graykey status—and the Lowden King had adamantly opted not to meet me.

I couldn’t say I blamed him. I guess the Kingdom of Lowden and the family of Graykey had a bad past together. The Graykey clan had a nasty habit of either overthrowing Lowden democracy and taking control of it in a dictatorship rule, or they completely ravaged it in a fit of mass destruction. And until this Graykey curse was broken, the Lowden people and Graykey family were pretty much destined to keep hating and killing each other. So I’d been kept far away from King What’s-His-Face Kole while he’d been in Elaina.

I had no intentions of getting in his way now, either, or entering his beloved kingdom, for that matter. I just wanted to meet the man at the other end of this calling, and I’d be on my way again. Simple as that.

Meandering past a slew of servants, who seemed busy trying to prepare a meal for their ruler, I whistled idly to myself—old King Cole was a merry old soul—and tried not to get too antsy when the calling in my mark grew stronger, letting me know I was getting closer.

I wasn’t even sure what to say to the guy when I met him. Unity had told me that most people outside High Cliff weren’t even aware of what the love marks did. They knew the tattoos meant that person was a High Clifter, but they had no clue how strongly the marks tied you to your one true love.

If I went up to this guy—who was obviously from Lowden—and just announced, “Hey! My tattoo thinks we’re soul mates,” he’d probably assume I’d lost my mind. And I’d probably have to agree.

So maybe I should try to just introduce myself first and get to know him before dropping the whole true-love bomb onto his lap.

And even if he was aware of this love-mark stuff, I still needed to be sensitive with such a life-changing announcement. I mean, what if he was already taken or didn’t like me or…

I blinked, sobering immediately. Unity and Vander had been years apart in age, which had worked against them for most of their lives, and I had heard that Vander’s older brother had found himself paired with a servant woman, which had not been accepted well by their father, the old king. He’d given them a b***h of a time because of it.

With my luck lately, I could only imagine what kind of obstacles I’d be facing.

Crap. What if my true love was an ancient old man? Or just a boy? Or a cruel, heartless asshole?

“Oh, you better not have paired me up with a prick,” I warned under my breath.

The tattoo pulsed with a spark of hot pain, and I yelped, “Hey!” Frowning, I touched the tattoo and rubbed the sting away. “I’m just saying… I’d appreciate a man I can actually stomach, thank you very much.”

The tattoo rippled with a fizzing sensation, and I could damn near picture it folding its arms over its chest and sniffing acerbically at me for making any kind of demand. I swear, it also answered, you’ll get what you get, and you won’t throw a fit.

“Fine.” I lifted my hands in surrender. “Show me what you think is best for me, then, oh great and wise mark. Geez. What a crabby tattoo.”

This ought to be good. The little bastard was probably going to try to hook me up with some brainless brute, who thought his woman was supposed to keep her mouth shut and legs open. I was fully prepared to tuck tail and run.

Even though this small, hopeful bubble in my chest began to expand as it wondered what if…

What if I did find someone who could complete my entire world and show me a life I never even knew I could have? What if I did have another half? A soul mate? A one true love and perfectly balanced partner I could share my life with?

Argh, being a hopeless romantic wasn’t very practical at all.

But I couldn’t help it.

As long as this didn’t get me killed, I decided, there was no harm in meeting him. And I had no idea how simply introducing myself to some guy could be detrimental, so…

Let’s do this.

I followed the call from my mark past a couple more carriages until it pulsed louder, growing more excited, and I stepped around a trio of horses tied to a tree, only to spot a canvas tent that had already been erected at the edge of the forest.

There.

Whoever my mark thought I belonged with, he was inside that tent. I could feel him.

God, this was so strange. There was no way I’d ever be able to describe the intoxicating draw these freaking love marks had to anyone from Earth. They’d never understand. It was like the very blood in my veins was pointing in one direction—at that tent—and it all concentrated and pooled in my tattoo, making me a bit light-headed and more anxious and exhilarated than I’d ever been before. Then it spread out to all my extremities until even my fingers and toes pulsed with vitality.

My entire future was only a few short yards away.

I mean, maybe my future. I wasn’t ready to get too carried away yet, but still… The sensation was pretty damn potent.

I stepped forward, holding my breath and cradling all my hopes close.

Only for a sword to flash out and press against my jugular.

“What do you think you’re doing, girl?” The guard who owned the sword stepped into my path and lifted one extremely dark and bushy eyebrow as he glared down at me.

Holy s**t. Tweezers totally needed to be a thing here.

“I, uh…” Swallowing over how cold and freaking deadly a sword felt snuggled up to my throat, I cringed up at the metal-clad soldier and pointed past him. “Sorry, I just… I wanted to go in there. That’s all.”

Hoping Eyebrows would step aside and let me on my way, I shifted my cringe into a hopeful, pleading smile.

If anything, his scowl deepened, and his eyebrows grew even shaggier. “You’re not allowed in the king’s quarters,” I was told bluntly. “You should know that.”

“Oh, but I don’t want to go into the—wait. Did you just say the king’s quarters? That’s the king’s tent?”