Page 4 of Dragon Heir

“What is it?” he asked me as he looked me over. Raines hurried into the room with a washrag slung over one shoulder. Will didn’t even turn his head to snap off his command. “Close the door!” His servant did as he was bidden.

The light streaming through the window and Will’s presence made my terror vanish. Well, most of it.

I managed a shaky smile even as I clung to him. “I-it’s okay. I just had a bad dream.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Tell me about your dream.” I described what had happened and the more I revealed the deeper the shadow on his brow became. He whipped his head around to his servant. “The window.”

Raines rushed over to the glass and flung open the panes. He leaned out and inspected the area before he ducked back inside and shook his head. “I see nothing, My Lord.”

“It was probably just a dream,” I insisted.

Will, however, moved over to the foot of the bed. He brushed his hand against the post and came away with something slick and wet on his fingers. Will examined the strange liquid substance before his eyes trailed up the bed. He moved over to near where my stomach had laid and cupped part of the bedding in his hands.

I noticed something move that wasn’t part of the sheets and leaned forward. “What is it?”

He opened the folded sheets and revealed some blackened bits of ash. “The remains of our intruder.”

The color drained from my face. “Then I wasn’t dreaming?”

Will shook his head as he wrapped the ashes tight inside the sheets. “Unfortunately, no. It appears your magic destroyed whatever it was.” He stood, taking the top sheet with him. “From now on you must never be alone.”

My face drooped and I looked between the men as Raines came up to Will’s side. “Do I get a choice of who stays with me?”

“We will keep watch and I believe Lord Allard will help us,” Will told me.

Speak of the devil and he will come. A knock was heard on the door and Lord Allard’s voice called through the wood. “Lord Thorn? Is everything alright?”

“Let him in,” Will instructed his servant.

Raines strode over to the entrance and opened the door. He made sure the hall was empty before he stepped aside. “Please come in here, Your Lordship.”

The doctor stepped inside and Will closed the door behind him. I was beginning to feel a draft from all the times that the door was being opened and shut this morning. The other lord took one look at my face and frowned. “What has happened?”

“Something tried to attack my bride,” Will informed him as he met the doctor halfway across the room. He opened the sheets in his hand. “Do you know what this is?”

Allard leaned closer and squinted his eyes. “It appears to be the ashened remains of something.”

“A black worm,” Will told him.

The lord lifted an eyebrow. “What sort of worm?”

He wrapped the bundle tightly and shook his head. “I cannot say but my bride’s magic destroyed it. It came in through the window and I believe it attempted to attack her.”

Allard folded his arms and furrowed his brow. “This is most suspicious.”

I blinked at him. “What is?”

“That we should arrive only shortly before you were attacked by an unknown assailant,” the doctor explained.

“Were you at all followed?” Will questioned him.

Allard shook his head. “Not that I saw but I must admit I was not paying attention to my surroundings.”

“All the more reason Rose should not be left alone,” Will insisted as he settled his eyes on me. “I will take the first watch.”

Allard clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder and smiled. “That will only last until my compatriots are finished with their cleansing. They wish to be shown about the grounds, particularly Lord Ware.”

“Why him?” I spoke up. “Does he think that there’s danger out there?”

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