Page 12 of The Dragon of her Dreams

I clenched my jaw to stifle the groan that rose. They’d run off and left me with a foreign king and queen? Did they not know anything about me?

“Are Damon and Cass far behind you?” Lucy asked, her manner soft and friendly.

I glanced out the large window behind us, not seeing anyone yet. “Damon said they wouldn’t be long.”

“And how are you doing with everything?” the queen asked.

I raised my eyebrows. “In regard to?”

She laughed, “Ah... joining the royal family as the illegitimate, eldest son?”

I blinked at her.

The king took pity on me and put his arm around his wife. “Apologies. Lucy doesn’t beat around the bush, as the human saying goes. Leave him be, wife.”

“But I might not get any time with him later once everyone else arrives.” Lucy pouted. “I understand it’s a sensitive subject over here, but it’s not as big a deal where I come from.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her. My illegitimacy was a huge deal for me, and I’d spent my life running from the implications of my birth. But I could also see the queen wasn’t trying to offend. She was from a completely different realm, so I understood her curiosity. “Well, to answer the question, it has been an interesting few days, to say the least.”

Lucy grinned at me warmly. “I can imagine. Your clothes arrived this morning, by the way. So, I’ll show you to your room, if you’ll follow me?” The queen moved to step away from her husband.

The king made a soft growling noise.

I couldn’t help the reciprocal noise I made in response.

The king’s eyes widened for a moment before he nodded his head at his wife. “Lucy, sweetheart, you stay here and greet Cass and Damon when they arrive. I’ll take Jaegar to his room.”

She raised an eyebrow at him as if unimpressed. “Do you even know where he’s sleeping?”

The king rolled his eyes and got directions.

Meanwhile, I watched the entire exchange with fascination.

When they were finally done, the king clapped me on the shoulder, and we were walking down the corridor and away from the queen.

I didn’t say anything at first, unsure how to approach the fact that I’d just growled at the King of Bravadok. Was that a punishable offense here?

“I’m glad you came,” Stavrok said once we turned a corner and headed down a second corridor. “It took courage to seek Damon out after so many years.”

I huffed a little. “Yeah, that or stupidity.

He stopped aside a dark wood door, then stared at me with an intense gaze. “Do you want the crown?” he asked.

I flinched, though I didn’t mean to. “Hell, no. I never wanted anything from him.”

Stavrok stared at me for another moment, then nodded. “We’ve got a few hours before the party, so take your time getting ready. We’ll see you tonight.” Then he nodded and walked away.

I watched him go because it had been a long time since I’d seen a man with the sort of strength he had. When I pushed open the door tomy room, I stood and gaped. It wasn’t quite as big as the bedroom I’d been given at Damon’s palace, but considering how many people would be staying at the castle, I was shocked to see I wasn’t sharing with Theo and Barry. The traitors had left me the moment they could.

Bloody bastards.

I shut the door and wandered around the space. The carpet beneath my feet was lush, and the drapes were thick and made of velvet. Everywhere you looked in this castle there was a painting or a vase, or some expensive looking trinket. It was much more opulent than the Winter Palace, that was for sure.

I checked the adjoining doors and found a small but well-appointed bathroom, for which I was grateful. I didn’t want to be wandering the halls of the palace in a bath towel. After a short, hot shower, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. My new clothes that Queen Cass had ordered for me were hanging near the fireplace, so I had time to relax.

I didn’t mean to fall asleep, but I dozed, swimming in and out of dreaming. And there she was, my fated mate. Her long, dark hair trailing over her back as she walked away from me. I reached out for her, but she threw me a soft smile and sashayed away, always just out of reach.

When my body finally felt rested, I rolled to my feet and stood by the fire, listening to the sounds around me. There were people walking above my head, and others running down the hallway outside the door. I’d lived in a tiny house my whole life, with no one except my mother for company.

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