Page 89 of Wrath of the Dragons
“Then you’re perfect for each other.” He mimics my position. “Where would your death have left her? Think of Elowen. She may have married you but there’s no heir to secure the line of succession.”
Flames fill my veins at the mention of fatherhood, something I’ve always rejected entirely. “All I have done from the moment Elowen came into my life is think of her! Dragons will secure a throne much more than a child, so I suggest you stop speaking ofmy wifeas if her worth is entirely based on what comes from between her legs. Insult me all you want, but do not bring Elowen into this. You’re acting like an immature prick, reprimanding me as if I ran toward the bomb when all I did was limit the death toll from an inevitable attack.”
His face drops as he collapses back into the chair. The walls feel like they’re closing in on me, but I clench my jaw and claim my seat aswell. Saskia will be here with Finnian and Elowen shortly, and it is smart to have a meeting now that we’re en route to Galakin for an alliance.
I pull up my sleeves and glare down at the new markings on my arm. I hate that I can’t stop loving her, but I sickeningly never want to be freed of this cursed torment. Her screams continue echoing in my mind, and I’d already be halfway to the pit beneath the Demon’s Den if we were back in Vareveth, needing to take my anger out on something. Fear is a pitiful emotion, but I could practically taste it when Elowen sliced her palms open. It was the only thing stronger than my self-loathing.
I’m deeply selfish, and my actions throughout my life reflect that. I kill when needed. I steal when needed. I lie when needed. I can generate some degree of feeling if prompted, but I don’t navigate life with emotions.
Elowen has always been the greatest flaw in my logic.
It perplexed me to no end in the beginning. I’d lie awake trying to pinpoint the reason her happiness and safety began to matter more to me than freeing her dragons. I’d step off the battlefield or out of the fighting ring and pick through flowers with blood-coated hands and imagine her smile when they arrived in her room. She’s the only good part of me, but when I think of the pain I caused her, it makes me want to bury my emotions so she’ll never know the true depths of them. All my life I’ve been taught that love is a weakness, that all it does is spawn misery, and I wish I could be different, but I’m not.
Elowen crashes into the room like a storm as the ship lurches over a patch of rough water, and I manage to stand and wrap my arms around her before she slams into the table. “You’ll find your sea legs eventually.”
“I much prefer my land legs,” she huffs.
“My lap is still available if you’re scared of the sea monsters swimming below.”
She groans, looking up at me over her shoulder. “I’ll send you to them if you continue reminding me of their existence.”
I pull her down next to me despite the dark emotions churningwithin, or maybe it’s because of them. Her presence has always had a way of making the darkness bearable. She’s the center of my universe and everything else revolves around her. I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, my thumb rubbing over her pulse point several times, and if she notices what I’m doing she doesn’t comment on it.
“First thing,” Saskia says, shrugging off her thick fur cloak and throwing it over a chair as Finnian takes the spot beside Elowen. “Since we’re on our way to Galakin, let’s discuss how we’ll get Prince Zarius to join us.”
“Kidnapping.”
“Blackmail,” Elowen says.
“Threats,” Ryder adds.
Saskia drops her head into her hands as Finnian laughs. “You’re the royal family of Vareveth. You must be able to negotiate with rulers properly, without blackmail. Even if he’s a disinherited prince.”
“Gaining the upper hand by any means necessaryisnegotiating properly,” I say. The ship lurches again and Elowen squeezes her eyes shut and reaches for my hand. I pull her chair closer to mine and wrap my arm around her waist, kissing the side of her head. She grabs the wine bottle beside the lantern and tosses back several gulps before I rip it from her. “You haven’t eaten.”
“I’ll get drunk faster, and time will go by quicker.”
“Not when you’re vomiting into a barrel.” I give it a solid day before she’s singing a different tune and falls in love with sailing. “We’ll deal with the prince when the time comes. The best plans are born from improvisation anyway.”
“You planned for several years before finding Elowen,” Saskia points out in a prim tone.
“That was different.”
“She was also a disinherited royal.”
“With a bond to five dragons, the daughter of my enemy, and extremely beautiful.”
“You didn’t know the last part.”
“My hope was fulfilled.”
A flush creeps up Elowen’s neck as she clears her throat. “Putting Prince Zarius on the Thirwen throne will benefit both us and Galakin. Not only will it provide us with another ally in the world, but Cordelia must crave answers about her sister who went missing and sparked the war between their kingdoms.”
“No matter how much he wishes to hide, a royal can’t remain a ghost forever.” Finnian gestures to Elowen as proof.
“Zario is known for its gambling dens. It’s just outside of the royal city. We’ll check there before moving along to the castle,” I say.
“Won’t it be seen as an insult for us not to go directly to the royals?” Saskia asks.
