Page 8 of Beautiful Beast

“Prince Andaros thought he would bed me tonight. The threat of my blade was the thing that held him off.”

Her mouth fell open, but I didn’t stay to see. I strode straight into my workshop and pulled on gloves. The potion still had to brew, and I would set it to work while Helena painted me. The jar on the table moved a little.

“Helena,” I said. “I need to tell you something.”

“What a glorious ass you’re intended is?”

I laughed once. “Sadly, no. But before I tell you, I must swear you to utter secrecy. On the Fallen.”

“What?” Her eyebrows rose. “I’m sworn to you, Lena. You know that. I cannot betray you.”

When I came of age, she swore her vows to me. Vows on her life that she would never betray me, in the same way her grandmother had served mine, until death, and beyond if necessary. There was no way to make an unbreakable vow, but to her, breaking them was unthinkable.

“Still, please.”

“I swear on the Fallen I will not speak of what you tell me.”

I nodded. “Put down the ink as well. I don’t want to startle you.”

She obeyed, but now she looked more curious than afraid. Pulling the jar across the table, I lifted the lid. “All right, you can come out now.”

When the dragon climbed out onto my hand, he was no longer the color he’d been when he went in. He was a silvery shade of blue, like a lake limned in moonlight. I’d never heard of a dragon who could shift its color before. But perhaps it was merely a young dragon whose scales hadn’t settled yet? I didn’t know.

Helena gasped. “By all the stars. Where did you get that?”

“I found him in an alley while hiding from some guards in the city. It didn’t feel right to leave him behind. Not when most others would snap his neck on sight.”

The small dragon crept up my arm and pressed his head gently against my shoulder, like he was thanking me for rescuing him.

“I understand why you asked for the vow, though you know I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“I know.” Reaching out, I scratched the top of his head with a finger. “I don’t know what to do with him. Do you know anyone who might smuggle him out of the city?”

She shook her head. “No one who would be able to retrieve him in time.”

In three days we would leave with the Craisos delegation to travel to our new home. “See if you can think of something. Until then, he’ll stay here.” I gave the dragon a careful look. “But if anyone else comes in, you must stay hidden.”

He bumped my arm with his head again.

“Good.”

I set him on the table and moved to the ingredients Taia had given me. The potion was already resting in a pot near the fire, and I moved it closer on the hook so it would boil.

“The other thing you must keep secret is what I make here tonight. Why I had to make the trip to see Taia and Baris. There were ingredients I needed that I could not get elsewhere.”

“Is this different from your other creations?”

Every other day I had some new potion or experimentation. Helena was used to it. Despite my fascination with the science and craft, I had yet to delve into the potential magics of ingredients and all the possibilities. I hoped to one day.

“It is,” I said. “This one is a known recipe. A very old one, and it cannot be undone.”

Unfolding the packet of fade flower, I carefully sprinkled the petals into the warming liquid. Then the Thym de Sariette, and finally, the Sikala. They disappeared into the black mixture, only the petals still visible.

“Lena, please don’t tell me you are choosing to end your life.”

“No,” I said quickly. “No, it’s not that. But this…” taking a breath, I met her gaze. “This will render me unable to conceive.”

I heard her sharp intake of breath.

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