Page 20 of The Queen of Ash and Magic

“Do you want us to dump all of the information on you,” Eyrx asks.

“Yes,” Drake snaps.

“She was regularly beaten by her family, including her mother, sometimes with a metal rod. Her brother had an incest relationship with the queen. She was severely malnourished when she got here. Lysa has gained a little weight in the last week and looks far lesssickly than she did though. She was raped for the first time the day after her father killed Unika at six,” Eyrx says.

“I am going to burn that damn country to the ground,” Drake snarls.

“Who is my dad then?” I ask.

“I’m not sure,” Julianna says. “I’ve looked at our records, and around the time that you would have been conceived, Thalorin only had one dragon shifter in their custody. He returned to Vulkara just under seven years later. I’m guessing it is him. I’ve never met him, but we can certainly visit him.”

“Why not bring him here?” Drake asks.

“Because after being cursed, the people need to see that you are healthy and strong again. They need to see that you have a mate. We have a few hybrids and witches, so it’s not like she won’t be accepted,” she explains.

“Okay,” Drake says. “Juli, can you help her get dressed to go out?”

“Yeah,” she says happily. “Any requests?”

“Use your imagination,” he laughs.

“Aww. I’m going to get fucked in public, aren’t I?” I ask.

“That’s a safe bet,” Julianna laughs.

“Can… I try a spell real quick?” I ask. “I have most spells memorized and realistically I should be able to do them by thought alone.”

“Let’s see it,” Drake says. I stand and face them but focus on Eyrx. Within seconds of me attempting to summon an object, it appears above his head. When it bounces off and hits the ground, Drake and Julianna laugh heartily.

“A ham hock for the ham hock,” I say sweetly. Eyrx growls at me and Drake wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me against him.

“You’re like an annoying little sister,” Eyrx complains.

“I’ve always wanted a brother that didn’t fuck me,” I remark casually.

“I’m leaving now,” Eyrx says. “Drake, your wife’s sense of humor alone makes the two of you perfect for each other.”

Drake grabs my chin and tips my head up for me to look at him. “I think she’ll make a perfect queen,” he says.

“Didn’t you just say I wasn’t fit to be queen?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t have an excuse for my rude behavior, but I will work on finding a way to communicate more efficiently with you.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Get dressed and meet me in the foyer,” Drake says as he gently kisses me.

“Mmkay,” I say sweetly.

Julianna takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom. I take a moment to clean myself up while she gathers clothes for me. When I look at myself in the mirror, I’m confused. I don’t recognize myself for a moment. “Juli,” I say tentatively.

“Yes?”

“Why do I look different?” I ask.

“Well,” she says. “When your powers developed, it starts to heal you. You are no longer malnourished, so you’ve gained some weight. Your scars are fading.”

“This is how I was supposed to look?” I ask.

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