Page 11 of Oath of Revenge

Eirwyn’s shoulders seemed to wilt, and Knox brushed her long black hair over her shoulder. “First, I have to give birth to an egg. Then we have to wait for it to hatch. I’m just so tired of waiting.”

Knox held her gently, nuzzling his head to hers. “According to the dragon books, it’ll just be a few more months. Think of it this way. It’s almost the end of winter, and we need to focus on the villages while we wait. They’re relying on us to see them through when food stores run low.”

Eirwyn sighed, “I’m just so tired of not being able to get things done.”

Scarlet’s chest tightened. She wanted to get things done too, mostly reversing the curse. Eirwyn might have been friends with the queen back in the day, but Scarlet had sworn revenge on the woman who had cursed them all.

If the evil queen wouldn’t reverse the curse, Scarlet would rain down vengeance and make her wish she’d died along with the king. Then after the pain and suffering, she would die for her crimes.

As much as Scarlet loved her brother and Eirwyn, someone had to step up and take care of the situation with the queen of Busparia. Scarlet was perfectly willing to enact justice for all the lives that had been ruined. Not just those who’d been cursed, but those who’d died fleeing the curse too.

Delivering the first dragon egg in centuries was Eirwyn’s primary concern. Knox could handle the villagers, and Scarlet could handle the evil queen.

Rumors flew through the villages in the forest, as no one really knew how long it would take to deliver the egg and then for it to hatch. This birth was stressing not just them but the entire tiny forest kingdom.

Scarlet sighed. “I’ll keep an eye on the situation in Busparia. All you need to do is focus on the dragonling. Do you want me to get Grandma and bring her here for the birth?”

Eirwyn and Knox looked at her, Knox now sitting on the chair with Eirwyn sideways on his lap, his arms tightened around her protectively.

He nodded, “Yes, that would be helpful.”

Eirwyn’s lip wavered and her eyes glistened. “Yes, please. We’re at an impasse with both the east and the west, I’m afraid. All we can do is prepare for spring and the baby.”

Scarlet looked at Knox and tilted her head to the side in question. Before he could reply, Eirwyn struggled to stand. Knox helped, one hand on her elbow as his other pushed her up.

She finally sighed and brushed her hair back as she stood. “I’m going to the bathroom yet again. I’ll be back.”

Knox nodded, shifting on his feet as he watched her waddle away. He was so protective, it made Scarlet smirk.

When he looked back at Scarlet, he arched a brow. “What?”

She grinned and crossed her arms. “Nothing, it’s just… you’re already a great dragon king and husband, but you’re going to make a great father soon too.”

Knox sighed and sank into the chair again, even as his cheeks tinged pink. “You think so? You think your dad would be proud?”

Scarlet’s chest tightened and a sudden knot formed in her throat. “Yeah,” she said, her voice rough and low. She cleared her throat. “Yeah, he would. Now what aren’t you telling me?”

She took a deep breath, despising the emotions, the vulnerability. The longing. She blinked, setting the thoughts aside.

He sighed, “While you’ve been scouting in Busparia in the east, our messengers from the west returned. They will agree to the trade agreement and formal recognition of the nation of the Feral Forest but only after we meet in person.”

Scarlet nodded. “Which we can’t do yet.”

“Exactly,” Knox said. “We’ve scheduled a meeting for the spring, after the hatchling is safely here. We hope. So in the meantime, we’ll continue building the villages.”

Scarlet read his aura and pursed her lips. It flared bright with jagged edges, radiating from his head. “You’re more worried about the birth than you’re letting on, aren’t you?”

The dark circles under his eyes were deeper than normal, but she’d thought it was just because he was new to being a king. Not that he was new to leading people, as he’d led the band of merry outlaws for years without telling her. She was still mad at him about that secret.

He nodded. “I’ve read all the books I could find here and at the dwarves’ place, but what if the birth of the egg goes wrong? What if it takes hundreds of years for the egg to hatch like it did me? What if—“

“You can’t what-if this, Knox. You’ll drive yourself sick with worry. Have you talked to the old medicine woman, Lailant?”

He nodded. “And the druids, and the dwarves, and Leopol. They all say it’s going to be fine, that the mate bond will help her.”

Helplessness made his shoulders droop, and she gave a wry smile.

“Well, you’ll know soon enough.”

---