Page 16 of Oath of Revenge

He didn’t stop to see if she obeyed. Instead, he was back beside Eirwyn, helping her into the bed. She sighed when she laid back on the towering pillows and closed her eyes.

“Are you—are you napping?” His whisper was barely heard over the thunder of footsteps outside the door.

“No,” Eirwyn said, her nostrils flaring and her lips pursing. “I’m breathing through the pain, Knox.”

Her body relaxed as she sighed and finally opened her eyes. She pointed a shaky hand toward her sitting room door.

“There’s two letters on my desk that need to go out today, one for the Confederation in Vidrland and the other to the dwarves.”

Knox shook his head, taking her hand in his as his green, noxious gas sunk to the floor. He was breathing too heavily, his heart racing at all the terror filled thoughts that flashed through him.

“It can wait. We’ll send them with news of our babe’s arrival,” he said, squeezing her hand.

Eirwyn’s eyes flashed, and she opened her mouth to argue. But Helga, Hobbs, and Leopol threw open the door and piled into the room.

“Is it time?”

“I’ve sent for Lailant.”

“What do you need?”

Knox pushed the sweaty hair from his mate’s forehead and barked orders.

Eirwyn squeezed his hand, and he took a breath. He looked down to see her smiling, her eyes twinkling.

“Relax, I’m fine and so is the babe.”

“But you could—“

“But I won’t,” she said, her jaw firming and her eyes narrowing. “Just because I’m having the first dragonling in hundreds of years doesn’t mean everything comes to a stop. You still have a job to do. Send my messages. See if the eagle rider has had any more success taming the things, because we’ll need the way clear for visitors when spring comes.”

She hissed and squeezed his hand again, her eyes closing as her body stiffened. This time, she moaned, and the sound sent terror through him.

Lailant pushed through the door, her gnarled hand gripping a walking cane tightly. Her pale purple dress was faded, but the white apron was clean aside from berry stains on the hem.

Gray braided hair, wrinkles giving evidence of her advanced age, and yet her eyes were clear and focused. She took in the scene in a blink, then pushed him aside.

“The queen is right. Go downstairs and take care of things while I take care of her. I’ll call you if you’re needed.”

Knox protested, but then found himself on the other side of the door as it closed in his face. He blinked and paced in front of it, his jaw stiffening as he heard Eirwyn moan once more.

Green gas filled the hallway, and he waved a hand to disperse it. He turned on his heel, his tail whipping around and hitting the wall. He paid it no heed, as Leopol came up the stairs followed by Hobbs and a towering pile of fresh linens.

“I’ll take it,” Knox said, reaching for the stack, needing an excuse to go inside the room. He pushed open the door, but the sight of Eirwyn’s creamy thighs covered in blood made him swoon.

Hobbs took the stack and stepped inside. Lailant looked over and pointed her bony finger, her eyes flashing. “Get out, I said.”

The door slammed in his face at the force of her words. Knox blinked. Had Lailant shut it with her magic? He didn’t think healers had that ability.

Leopol’s icy hand on his shoulder made him look over. “Come, Knox. Let’s go downstairs. Time to hurry and wait, eh?”

Knox ran a hand over his neck and tilted it, cracking it several times as they walked to the stairs. “Tell me that’s normal,” he pleaded.

Leopol nodded as they went down. “Absolutely. Your father wasn’t even allowed in the manor. He was absolutely feral when you were born.”

“Really?” Knox asked as they went to the library, his father’s former office and now his own.

“Oh yes. He snapped at the servants so much and threw magic wildly. It was the most out of control I’d ever seen him.”

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