Page 38 of Wynter and the Stone Dragon

His breath rushed out of him, leaving him dizzy. His fingers trembled as he caressed her cheek and slid his hand into her hair. They moved forward at the same time, kissing passionately.

It wasn’t until Adham cleared his throat that he reluctantly released her. Even then, he continued to gaze into her shimmering emerald eyes. She touched the braided bracelet wrapped around his wrist.

“You came back to me,” he breathed in an unsteady voice.

“Always,” she replied.

“Who is this woman?” Qavus demanded.

Khalid didn’t look at the man as he replied. “She is my betrothed,” he declared.

His announcement created an uproar that rippled through the crowd. The only ones who remained silent were the few who knew the truth about Wynter.

“You would soil the bloodlines of Aethon with a commoner? A foreigner who will weaken the royal house?” Qavus demanded.

“Sheikh Qavus-Malka is right. You must marry a princess,” Sheikh R’ad Saifullah said.

The murmur of agreement in the crowd finally pulled Khalid’s attention from Wynter. He tightened his grip on her hand as he faced the crowd. Anger surged inside him. He had lost his parents to this country. He had fought to bring it back from the edge of despair. He had bled, sweated, and given everything to his people. The one thing he would not give up was Wynter.

“I am a princess,” Wynter said, smiling at the men who wanted to tear her away from the man she loved.

“You are no princess,” Qavus scoffed, eyeing her long dark brown coat, white shirt, trousers, and boots with disdain.

“She is a child of the desert. She is ‘amirat khurafiat alsahra,” Dhat-Badan stated.

Wynter smiled. “Hello, my friend,” she greeted.

“It is good that you have returned. You can open these idiots’ eyes and prevent them from making the biggest mistake of their lives,” Dhat-Badan said.

Of course, the ‘idiots’ were outraged by Dhat-Badan’s comments. Wynter chuckled and turned mischievous eyes to the men who were turning red in the face. She tilted her head, her eyes on the claw at the end of the staff.

“Would you like to see what a real dragon’s claw looks like?” she asked.

The crowd quieted, staring at her as if she had lost her mind. Behind her, Khalid chuckled while Giaf and Adham snickered.

“Wynter…,” Khalid cautioned.

She lifted her hand and looked at him over her shoulder. “Trust me. If all else fails, my father is excited to meet you.”

He waved his hand in a motion for her to continue. Perhaps a little shock value would go a long way in silencing the critics challenging his every decision.

A growl came from beyond the ring of people gathered around the fire. The rumble caused the desert sands under their feet to vibrate and shift. Several in the group looked toward the protective wall of the city, debating if they could escape behind the massive walls. Others glanced nervously out into the darkness of the sands. The few who stood in defiance scowled with unease.

“What kind of trick is this?” Qavus demanded, glancing back and forth between Wynter and Khalid.

“Pow-pow, would you be so kind as to show Sheikh Qavus what a real dragon’s claw looks like?”

A rumbling chuckle drew gasps and cries from the crowd. People shoved each other as they scooted away from the sound, their eyes round with fear as they scanned the darkness in the direction of the amused laugh.

“With pleasure, Your Highness,” the invisible dragon replied.

The ground shook as Pow-pow stepped forward through the gap in the crowd that had been left when Wynter arrived. Khalid smiled. He knew from experience that the dragon could walk lightly enough to barely leave a trace in the sand. The stomp had to be for effect.

Qavus’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as he gazed across the fire at them. Heat radiated off the dragon’s body, and Khalid knew if he were to stretch his hand out, he would touch Pow-pow’s hard scales.

Giaf and Adham must have felt the unusual warmth as well, because they did reach out, their palms laying flat against Pow-pow before they jerked their hands away and scooted several steps to the side.

“You think to make a fool of me?” Qavus accused Wynter.

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