Page 56 of Beautiful Beast

This time the dragon next to me was the one to flush with pleasure and excitement. She dropped the fabric next to Ellemar, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out the door. Varí fluttered after us, chased by the sound of laughter.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

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KATALENA

I’d never seen such a place. Not in real life.

In Rensara I was told there were places like this at the university, and even larger ones in Kingdoms outside Gleira. But it was hard to imagine something grander than this.

The cavernous space deep in the mountain had no windows, but it was bright and light like sunlight itself poured through the ceiling. I spotted crystals that were filled with light, but I didn’t know how they held it.

Glass bottles of ingredients lined the walls alongside scrolls stuffed into places far too small. A large central fire burned much like the Heirs’ room, but this had pots around it, each brewing something different. Smaller pots and open flames sat on tables cluttered with measurements and notations, reminding me of the chaos in Taia’s shop.

It was incredible.

“What is this place?”

Belleo laughed. “It doesn’t have a name. Not really. No one comes here except for Ravi, Mesene, and myself.”

“And every time you do, your beauty makes it shine a little brighter.” The voice came from elsewhere. Around some shelves, muffled, like the source was covered with a cloth.

I looked at Belleo, and she shook her head with a smile. I knew that look. It was the look Taia had when Baris did something foolish, yet she still loved him. But the dragon behind the shelves wasn’t male. A tall female dragon with hair of the palest violet bent over a scroll with a magnifying glass, trying to make out script so faded I could barely see it.

“You will ruin your eyes,” Belleo said.

“How could I, when seeing you heals them every time?” The dragon straightened and turned, ignoring me completely in favor of Belleo, sweeping her into an embrace and a kiss far beyond what would have ever been appropriate in the human world.

“You know that’s not how it works,” Belleo said.

“Well, we don’t know that. Who have you brought me?” She finally turned her eyes on me. Sharp intelligence lay there. “The human princess?”

“Human, yes,” I said. “Princess, I am no longer sure. I was studying the craft of potions, but looking around, I fear I will be out of my depth.”

Varí crawled down my arm, dropped to the floor, and scuttled away to explore. “Be careful,” I called. There was so much glass, I didn’t want him to disrupt any of what was being created here. He puffed his wings in answer.

“Mes, I grabbed as many roots as I could. They’re growing thinly this year. We’ll have to be careful if we want them to continue growing naturally.”

A male dragon appeared, startling when he saw the two of them, then smiling. “Sobatí.” He kissed Belleo too, and then Mesene.

I couldn’t help but stare in shock. Belleo had told me as much not minutes ago. That anyone here was free to take their pleasure with anyone. The heirs mentioned sharing. But it still had never occurred to me?—

Turning away to give them privacy, I realized how little I knew of the world. Beyond merely being cloistered behind palace walls, so much was obscured by the blind hatred of all that dragons were and the message that they took something from humans.

So far, nothing could be further from the truth.

“Lena, this is Ravi and Mesene. My mates.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

Belleo’s eyes sparkled. “I’ll leave you in their care and let you know when the clothes are ready.”

Before I could say anything else, she embraced her mates and slipped through the tables and bubbling potions out the door.

I clasped my hands over my stomach, unsure of what to do. “I apologize. I asked if there was a place I might study. I thought it might be a library.”

Mesene studied me carefully. “We have a library, but I’d much rather have you here. I must say I am fascinated. A princess who studied potions seems out of place in the human world.”

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