Page 39 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

The memory fades, but the gooseflesh on my arms remains.

"Very well," she allows, pointing to the chair opposite hers at the table.

I sink into it and try to gather myself. "It's about my mate. Ember."

Her name is velvet on my tongue. Longing and need and connection.

"Yes, I would imagine so." My mother takes a sip of tea and sets her cup back down just a little too hard, rattling the saucer beneath it. "Your guards had quite an interesting report for me last night."

This should come as no surprise. I'm the crown prince. An escort follows me everywhere, and I'm well aware that the guards all report back to the queen.

There's something about the way she says it, though. I feel like I'm eleven and in trouble.

But I'm not. I'm a grown man, free to come and go and keep whatever company I please.

With effort, I push away the uneasiness that has threatened to settle over me. I reach for my mother's hand, the way I always have when we have spoken of matters close to our hearts. It's my way of telling her that I am speaking to her as her son, and not as her second in command. This is a fine line to walk, but we've done it before.

She places her hand in mine warily, and I hold onto her with a gentle grasp. I try my best to be completely open.

"She's incredible, Mother. Everything I could have dreamed."

My mother raises a brow. "Everything?"

I refuse to listen to her doubt. "Everything--maybe more. We spent the day getting to know each other."

"Yes," she interrupts. "I know."

I pause, confused by the tartness in her tone.

The night Ember arrived and I recognized her as my mate, my mother was happy for me. Has something changed?

"You certainly got to know her on the beach," she says sharply. "I hear you put on quite a show."

My face glows with embarrassed heat, but I refuse to be ashamed. What Ember and I shared in the sea last night was sacred. We tapped into deep, elemental magic. I've never felt so connected to my powers or my dragon or another person in my life.

"We did not realize we were being observed," I tell her truthfully. The guards may keep an eye on me, but they've never done so literally before. They've always exercised discretion.

"Malik, my darling boy." Her voice warms, but only slightly. "Do not mistake me. I feel joy for your union. But she is still a stranger to our lands. You may have the luxury of throwing caution to the wind, but I do not."

On one hand, that makes sense, but on another it's absurd. "She's soul-bonded to me. If she had bad intentions, I would know."

"Your judgment is clouded."

I shake my head. "It's never been more clear."

I've never had such a strong sense of purpose, such acuity to my senses. Such feeling in my heart.

"Was it clear when you brought her to the sacred pools?"

I flinch. I knew when I did it that my mother would not be pleased. But it was important to me to show my mate the depth of magic running through the veins of my kingdom--and it was worth it, too.

"Crystal." I'm pleading with my mother--with my queen--to understand. "She felt the magic in the waters." I shake my head, overwhelmed with emotion. "The things she can do, Mother. The things we can do together..."

Her eyes take on a new gleam. "My son..."

But I have to keep going. There's a reason she came. "The other men she arrived with, Mother. She can do magic with them, too. Deep, elemental magic."

Any joy I might have imagined I saw in her expression fades away. "All the more reason they're a threat."

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