Page 78 of Wrath of the Dragons
Hardly a moment passes before she closes the gap between us, and I twist her until she’s flat on her back beneath me, writhing and panting exactly how I want her. My tongue presses into her neck, trailing down the valley of her breasts as she moans, and gods I love that sound.
A knock pounds against the door as I’m kissing her stomach, and she stiffens.
“I thought you said we’d be undisturbed.”
“I did.” Saskia, Ryder, and Finnian said they’d stay at the castle while Elowen and I celebrated our wedding however we wanted to, and the servants were told to leave us be. I climb off her, throwing on my black robe and leaning down to press my lips to her forehead. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
By the time I make it to the door in the sitting room, that same familiar sense of dread latches on to me again. My instincts are telling me not to open it, to ignore the world and keep Elowen in here, but that’s just a dream. Quiet mornings untouched by war isn’t our life yet, but it can be.It will be.
Braxton stands on the other side, an apology he doesn’t voice lining his amber eyes. “Thirwen has been spotted. We still have time, but if we’re to follow through with the plan—”
“We’ll have to leave by nightfall,” I state with no emotion. “Summon the others. We’ll meet in a half hour to discuss strategy.”
He dips his head before retreating down the hall and I softly shut the door again. I feel Elowen’s eyes on my back, knowing she heard the whole interaction, and turn to face her leaning against the doorway in one of my shirts. “And so it begins.”
I nod. “To war, my love.”
Part III
The War of Four Kingdoms
Chapter
Forty
Elowen
I lean back on Venatrix’s chest,keeping one boot crossed over the other as I watch the dark water lap against the shore. Our anchored ships bob in the rocky cove, and soldiers continue flooding the beach in black-and-blue armor. They shove their rowboats far enough up on the sand to keep them from being taken by the tide. With the cover of darkness and the distance between us and our target, we won’t be spotted, but we need to strike quickly.
This is the first battle in the war I’ve been fighting since the day my dragons and I were put in chains. I’m not fighting this war for validation. When history is written, it rarely favors women. I don’t care how I’m perceived; all I care about is survival and retribution. I want a better world, and the only way to achieve that is by anointing the earth in the blood of my enemies.
Two crossbows are attached to my saddle with capped quivers of spare arrows alongside them. I’ll always prefer knives, but I’ve come to enjoy the feeling of firing the weapons. Finnian approaches first, and I take a moment to trail my eyes over him in full armor. Like the rest of the army, quilted blue velvet covers the steel on his chest, and the House Veles sigil is imprinted on the plate that attaches his shoulder guards. I’ve seen many versions of him over the years, but never a commander, and I think it suits him. His shoulders are stiffer, his chinhigher, and he’s packed on a bit of muscle from training with Cayden and Ryder.
“The battalions are ready to march,” he says.
Nerves prickle my palms, not for me, but for him. “Are you going to be leading the charge?”
“No.” He looks down for a moment. “Cayden advised against it since I’ve never been in a battle of this magnitude. He told me to find my footing on the field before I rush to the front.”
Relief is prominent, but not enough, knowing Cayden has the experience and that he’ll be on the front lines. Similar to my approach regarding my dragons, Cayden won’t send soldiers into a battle he doesn’t lead—especially not when the revenge he’s chased for years is finally within his grasp. The urge to ask Finnian if he’s ready for this burns through me, but I shove it down for his sake. “You were given this position because you deserve it. You’re a fearsome fighter, Finnian. I wouldn’t be leading a charge if I was fighting on the ground either. I don’t have the experience.”
He nods, seeming relieved by my faith but not replying as Cayden approaches in a set of entirely black armor aside from the House Veles sigil on his chest. Cayden is already larger than most men, and the armor emphasizes that fact and even makes him taller. Dragon scales cover his chest and upper thighs in two short panels, and shine above the chain mail that separates his shoulder guards from the spiked gauntlets that cover his wrists and hands. He wears a helm resembling a dragon with wings flaring away from his face and two curved horns jutting from the top. It hides his features entirely aside from his eyes, and the ominous sight is enough to inspire fear in any foe.
Finnian looks over his shoulder quickly. “I’ll be getting to my post.”
I throw my arms around him, murmuring into his chest, “Shoot straight.”
His arms tighten around me, pressing me closer to him. “I suppose I should tell you the same thing now.”
I laugh softly, patting my knife-clad thighs. “I might still get a few throws in.”
“You always do.” He nods to Cayden as he retreats, making it back to the Aestilian soldiers.
Cayden stops a few feet away and removes his helmet, soaking in every detail as he always does before a battle. He starts low, dragging his eyes up my leather coat also covered in dragon scales with high double slits for my blades to be easily accessible. The fur lining the interior keeps me warm, and two panels of dark blue fabric hang down from the dragon heads on my shoulders. I didn’t want to wear full armor, knowing I’ll need to move with Venatrix. My hair is styled as it always is when I fly, with several small braids along my skull leading to one large one that falls to my waist, and a golden House Veles sigil rests along a golden band at the center of my forehead.
“No flower?” he asks, and as a response I offer him the back of my head where I tucked a few of the flowers he gifted me. It’s hard to believe mere hours ago we woke up in bed, eating pastries and trading gifts. A faint smile blooms on his lips, but there’s an intensity in his eyes that can’t be drowned out as he steps closer, grasping the back of my neck. “Hit them hard and fast. Don’t linger. Don’t yield. Don’t show mercy. You do whatever you must and come home to me. It doesn’t matter if the wyverns have riders, you’re better than any of them. Fire burns in your blood. Your dragons are faster and fiercer, but you’re the most fearsome of all.”
I nod, soaking in his words, letting them pound through me like a war drum. I dip my fingers beneath my neckline to pull out the two rings I added to my necklace beside my moonstone pendant. “Against my better judgment I seem to quite enjoy your presence.” I tuck them back where they were. “Keep your eyes on the field, not the sky, soldier.”
