Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Xaren considers for a moment, cocking his head like he’s listening to something I can’t hear.
“He’s bigger than the biggest beast you’ve ever seen,” he says finally. “But…” His lips twitch into a half-smile. “He tells me to tell you he promises to be very careful around you.”
“Oh.” I swallow, hard. My palms feel sweaty. “But…what if he breathes fire?”
“He says he won’t,” Xaren assures me. “I would never ask you to meet him if there was any danger. He cares for you. He’ll be as gentle as a lamb—I promise.”
Gentle as a lamb. I try to picture a creature that large being gentle. A beast with wings that could block out the sun and talons the size of swords being gentle. It doesn’t sound possible.
I draw a breath and remind myself that I’m not some cowardly Court flower. I’ve survived a horrible marriage, been sold like property, and lived to tell the tale. I’ve seen Xaren’s face—both sides—and kissed his scars. I’ve taken him into my mouth and swallowed his seed with pleasure.
I can do this.
“Then of course I’d like to meet him,” I say, my smile only slightly forced. “Er, but when and where can we do it?”
“We’ll go right now—this morning,” Xaren says. Then he grimaces. “Before we have to deal with the consequences of yesterday.”
“You mean what happened in the gardens with Dorian?”
He nods shortly.
“There’s definitely going to be a follow-up. By now the whole Court will have heard of it.”
My stomach tightens.
“What do you think they’re going to do to us?”
He shrugs, his broad, bare shoulders rolling with the gesture.
“Probably I’ll get another whipping.”
“What? But why? What happened wasn’t your fault!” I sit up, outraged. “You saved me!”
“I know, but that’s not how my mother will see it. Dorian is her favorite and he’ll certainly bend the truth when he goes to complain to her.”
He says it with a calm detachment, but I can feel the tension thrumming through his muscles. His eyes blaze for a moment before he pushes his dark thoughts aside, seemingly with an effort.
My throat thickens with emotion.
How many times has he taken punishment for things that weren’t his fault? And now he’ll have to take another punishment for me. He’s already been whipped for me once—it’s not fair!
But fair or not, that appears to be life here in the Citadel—at least for the Dark Prince.
“We can’t stay here in my rooms forever,” Xaren says softly, interrupting my thoughts. “But we can delay the moment of reckoning.”
“Delay sounds good,” I say in a small voice. “I’m not ready to face the Queen again.”
“Then come. I know a secret passage that will take us out of here with no one the wiser. Get dressed, little dove. My Drake is eager to make your acquaintance.”
I nod and slide from the bed. My legs still a little wobbly from last night’s pleasure. My gown is crumpled on the floor where he pulled it off me. I retrieve it and dress quickly, then pull on my robe. No court finery today—just what I wore to seduce Xaren last night. I hope his Drake won’t mind.
Xaren watches me the whole time with open appreciation in his eyes. When I slip my slippers on and look up, he offers his hand.
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
He leads me to the tall armoire at the edge of the room. When he opens it, I expect to see clothes or armor—but instead there’s a narrow, shadowy tunnel carved into the stone wall beyond.
“A hidden passage?” I breathe.
He gives me a half-smile.
“The palace is full of them. My grandfather had them built during the last rebellion.”
We slip into the shadows together, and the armoire closes behind us with a quiet click.
What am I doing? I think as we make our way up the narrow stone stairs, lit only by a few flickering witch lights along the way.
I’m going to meet a dragon. A massive, fire-breathing beast with wings and scales and a tail that could smash a house. And not just any dragon—Xaren’s Drake. The one who lives inside him. The one who shares his thoughts. The one who has that strangely shaped cock that’s still tingling in my memory when I squeeze my thighs together.
My mind whirls with questions as we climb the narrow steps.
Why does he want to meet me?
What if he doesn’t like me after all?
What if I disappoint him… or scare him… or he scares me and I run?
I take a deep breath and square my shoulders.
No, I won’t run.
I didn’t run from Xaren and I won’t run from his Drake.
I just hope my courage doesn’t desert me when I meet him face to face.
The steps are narrow, carved straight into the rock itself—steep and spiraling so tightly that I can barely see more than two steps ahead or behind us. I have to stay close behind Xaren just to keep from losing my footing. There’s no railing, only rough stone walls brushing my fingertips and a constant trickle of cool air that smells of damp earth and ancient stone. It feels like we’re climbing into the bones of the mountain the Citadel is built on itself.