Page 21 of Beautiful Beast

Was that why they’d taken me? Maybe I’d been wrong, and they hadn’t intended to kill me at all, instead choosing to take me and use me for whatever ritual needed a human, and make a symbolic statement by taking me and destroying the alliance.

My mind spun. Would my disappearance destroy it?

If I had died, maybe. My father, furious at Craisos for bringing danger and death down on Rensara, might have revoked any deals he had made with King Edwan. Now? I was alive. They could choose to continue the alliance with the promise of trying to find and save me, for mutual benefit.

I shook my head. There were too many threads to keep track of. Dragons were no fools. If they took me and kept me alive thus far, there must be a reason why.

Stroking a hand down Varí’s spine, he curled into himself further, rolling onto his back. I scratched his exposed belly with a smile, watching as his scales turned into a happy shade of green.

All at once he jerked, sneezing. Flames came out and rushed around my hand so quickly I froze. Varí was on me in an instant, nudging my hand, trying to turn it over to see if I was hurt.

“I’m fine.” I held up my hand and showed him from every angle. “You missed me.”

He glared with suspicion, and it made me laugh. “I’m glad I let you stow away.”

The warmth and the relief of being here and alive suddenly crashed through me all at once. Exhaustion clung to every bone. I moved, lifting the blankets enough to snuggle beneath them. Varí came with me, curling up by my chest, and in minutes we were both fast asleep.

CHAPTER TEN

________

ENDRE

Katalena.

I observed the female from the shadows of the hall. She’d turned toward the wall, buried in blankets. Her hair shone like something between copper and rubies in the firelight. The gold from the traditional bridal paint still smeared her skin. She shone, and the most feral, dragon part of me saw treasure.

But treasure didn’t drag hell and punishment to our doorstep. Fury still clung to every piece of me, and I hadn’t even been able to speak to Zovai before I came here to see what had trapped him.

I could scent her from across the space, something at once gentle and wild. Like the scent of the sun and wind fresh off the sea and something more delicate and rich. Herbs and spices and flowers.

Perhaps the scent of the wind merely clung to her from our hours of flying.

I didn’t see anything that made her remarkable. She was beautiful, yes. And if he were to be believed, brave. But nothing that should have made Zovai turn so entirely on his orders and duty. We would have to see later. I was not such a monster that I would wake someone after a flight like that.

The poor human was probably terrified and exhausted. And hungry. Or she would be when she woke.

Moving silently, I set a plate of food through the slot which was meant for it. It was food that would keep until she was ready.

At the end of the bed, the remnants of her wedding dress remained, torn apart. I glanced at the sleeping female.

Interesting.

Torn beyond use during the attack and the flight? Or something else.

I retreated before I was standing there while I watched her sleep. Despite the fact that we would probably still have to kill her, it didn’t sit well with me to see her caged. Females shouldn’t be caged. Their wild nature was too much to be contained and was meant to be both savored and protected.

Katalena was not an ordinary human woman. She was the daughter of our enemy. Someone who wanted us dead. Zovai’s dragon thought otherwise, but I would not be swayed until we had proof.

I stalked through the bare caverns and back to the populated part of the mountain. The guards at the entrance to the cells bowed their heads as I passed. I doubted a human woman would be able to escape. Even if she did, she wouldn’t get far. But I wasn’t reckless enough to post no guards at all.

My shoulders eased as I passed back into the mountain palace, filled with light and warmth. Skalisméra was hardly the biggest city in the dragon lands, but it was my favorite. My home away from home. I’d been born here. A long fucking time ago, granted, but I still loved it. And I didn’t get to visit nearly as often as I liked. I got to visit my actual home even less.

One day I would be free to live where I chose until I faded. But I knew that time wasn’t now. Probably wouldn’t be for centuries.

Anger anxiety coiled in my gut, churning, telling me to shift back into my dragon form and take to the skies to burn it off. I shoved the feelings back down into a cage far less secure than the one I’d left the human in. My body was tired in both forms, and as much as my rage would benefit from more flight, I could live without the soreness of pushing myself beyond the bounds of my own strength.

I snorted.

---