Page 110 of Beautiful Beast

“Like?” Zovai asked.

For once, I knew something they didn’t. Though they were royalty, they had never spent time in a real court. I didn’t get the impression the Elders held it in the same way as human royalty. But based on what Soza had already done, I felt the actions could be the same.

“Words don’t physically hurt me. Nor does dumping wine on my dress or hair. Even tripping me in an attempt to get the dress to rip wouldn’t fall under that category.”

Both of them looked horrified, and I giggled again. “Females, both human and dragon, are creative when they’re angry, and I just took away the chance with you from all of them.”

Zovai’s brow furrowed. “They never had a chance with us.”

“They won’t see it that way.”

Their emotions rumbled through our connection, along with determination to keep me close. I wasn’t going to argue.

“We should go,” Sirrus said. “At the very least make an appearance and have a couple of dances before I can no longer resist the temptation to tear this dress from your body.”

“Don’t you dare tear it. Belleo made it for me.”

He surged forward, teeth finding his mark on my shoulder. Need poured over me like a waterfall. “Fine, mate. I will very carefully unwrap you from this dress before I pin you to the bed.”

“I won’t argue with that.”

“Good.”

They tugged me out of the library and down into the main courtyard. Endre waited, looking out the arched door and down a path curling through trees and flowers. “We’re walking?”

“We thought you might like to see the city. And that we should keep our clothes intact for a little while.”

“Good,” I shot back.

They chuckled at the possession they felt from me. Now that they were mine, I didn’t want anyone to see them bare except for me, and they felt exactly the same way.

I wrapped my arms around Endre from behind and pressed my face to his spine. “I am sorry.”

He grabbed my hands. “It is my pain to bear. Not yours. And I am used to it.”

“That doesn’t mean you should have to be.”

Turning, he kissed me. “I love you.”

There were no more words. Instead they guided me out of the house and down the path. As soon as we stepped out onto the central road, everything was different. Sounds filtered to us where the grounds of the house had been quiet. Dragons walked in human form and beast form along the way as well as flying, and there were no colors I couldn’t see. Every combination I could imagine and many I hadn’t. But there were no black dragons, just like Endre said.

As we walked, everyone we passed stopped and bowed. More than a few dragons stopped in shock when they saw the marks on my skin. If gossip here flowed the way it did in Rensara, there would be few who did not know what happened last night.

“Are we returning to the same place? The circlet?”

“Yes.”

I winced, and Zovai took my hand. “There is no trace of it. I already made sure.”

If I were honest, I wasn’t sure it mattered. I would always look at that spot and know what it was like to think I was about to die. But they knew, and without even speaking I felt they would reassure me. I felt it. They would keep me distracted any way they could, and that included ways that weren’t at all appropriate.

A flash of gold fluttered across my vision, and a weight smacked straight into the center of my chest. Varí crawled up onto my shoulders, rubbing himself over my face and beneath my hair. “Why, hello,” I laughed. “You seem happy.”

“He is.” Idroal approached us with a smile. They too, looked resplendent in rich red robes that brought out the intense green of their eyes and the pale gold of their hair. “And he wanted to show you.”

“What?” I held out my hand for Varí to perch on, which he did, flaring his little wings and showing off the new pouch that matched the gold scales he currently wore. Shining in the same way as my dress. “That’s beautiful.” I glanced up at Idroal. “Did Belleo make it to match?”

“She did.”

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