Page 39 of A Bond of Fire and Roses

“Let’s go before she bursts a lung again.”

“Again?” I repeat, and Erax chuckles.

I can’t help but smile as I follow him down to where the dragon eggs are kept. We pass an arena on the way where the dragon riders go to train. I can hear them training as we pass by the entrance and move down towards the sound of rushing water of the waterfall near the back. Erax leads me to the left of it, to a large dug in hole.

“This is the nursery,” he explains. “The most vital part of the keep.”

“If the realm were alive this would be its heart,” Zepheira says, appearing behind us. She pauses beside me and takes a moment to admire the view. “Isn’t it spectacular?”

The word makes me look up at Erax, who winks at me.

“There is no time to waste. We have an egg to hatch!” Zepheira cuts through us carrying a steaming basin between her hands. “Ooh, I do hope this one makes it, Erax. It has been so long since one of its kind hatched. Your father, gods be with him, was a boy when it happened.”

Erax snaps his attention to her. “It’s an ice dragon?”

“Yes! Her mother returned just a few weeks ago, and would you believe it? She brought her egg with her. I found her swimming in a lake she had completely frozen over.” Ummm… “Be warned, both of you, this mother is a feisty one.”

“And by feisty do you mean?—”

“Three guards, all dead.” Zepheira grabs several hot stones from the furnace and drops them into the basin. They hiss and sizzle when they hit the water, creating a cloud of steam. “I did warn them not to approach her, especially when she was still settling in. She seems to only let females come near her.”

Erax turns to me. “You’re not going near it.”

“Of course, I am.” I frown and cross my arms. “In case you haven’t noticed, Erax, I’m female and quite capable of listening to whatever Zepheira tells me to do.”

“Believe me, I have noticed my wife is female. More than noticed, in fact.” His words make me blush. Damn him! “And you’ll listen to a crazy old dragon lady but not your husband and king?” He glares at his grandmother. “I will not endanger my wife or put her at risk with an untamed dragon.”

“I might be old, but I am quite capable of protecting our queen. Or do you not recall I had you down here before you could walk? We had several untamed dragons roaming the nest back then and you remained safe.” Zepheira nods over at me. “Have faith in our queen. Her Majesty will be safe so long as she listens to me.”

“I’ll listen,” I say, my body filling with a mixture of excitement and nerves. “As long as you just fed this dragon too.”

Zepheira laughs at that, a loud booming sound. “Oh, I believe her appetite has been quite satiated, my queen.”

“Maelena is fine.”

Erax stares at me as if I’ve grown another head. “You are unbelievable.”

“Thank you.” I smile and return the wink he gave me before. “You’re unbelievable too.”

He drags his hand through his hair and gives a surprisingly loud, frustrated groan. “Un-fucking-believable,” he says, peering through his fingers at me. “I think my wife is as crazy as I am.”

I smile at that. “You have no idea, Erax.”

For now, the truth can wait. I’m about to witness the birth of a dragon.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

We’re standing in front of the waterfall where the dragon eggs are kept hidden on the other side. It’s a secret entrance only Zepheira and the dragon riders know about. The nursery is the most important part of a nest, so even though the Keep is already heavily guarded, the nursery has more guards patrolling the grounds. There’s even an area where the riders can rest and train between flights. Among them are women cloaked in periwinkle robes. They nod and bow as they pass but none of them speak.

“They’re nurses,” Erax explains when he catches me looking at them. “They tend the eggs when Zepheira isn’t around.” He turns his attention back to his grandmother. “So how did my men die?”

“How do you think?” Zepheira huffs at him. “They thought they knew better than my nurses simply because they were men. Stubborn little fools. They couldn’t tell a dragon from its head to its arse.” She looks over at me, her eyes narrowing quizzically. “Do you know a dragon from its head to its arse, my queen?”

“I like to think I do.”

Zepheira laughs again. “Then we’re all good. If the mother comes back, just do what I tell you and you won’t end up like those sorry bastards.” At the sight of Erax’s disapproval, she quickly adds, “We are all perfectly safe, Erax. Now let us go before we miss it.”

Zepheira holds out a black cane with a gleaming gold tip. She pushes the edge into the waterfall, causing the water to split and fall around her. She steps through and I follow suit before Erax can stop me. I can tell by the look on his face that he’s still nervous, but he follows me through, his hair slightly wet from the water. I shake my own hair as I look around me, stopping when I take in the view. The nursery is even more incredible than I imagined. Beautiful cascading waterfalls and flowers bursting from every rock make up the nursery. I can feel the magic of this place and the feeling only grows more intense when I see the nests, and the many eggs within them.

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