Page 71 of A Witch and Her Dragon
I’m encompassed by black.
Chapter 32
Raelan
THE HALLWAYS IN THE CASTLE are exactly the same as when I left, yet somehow, everything feels different: the light slanting through the high windows, the polished shine of the floors underfoot, the scents that hang in the air. I’ve not been gone long—only a couple months—yet I feel like this place has changed in my time away.
But perhaps I’m the one who has changed. All because of her.
I tossed and turned all night once I finally arrived back at the castle. My bed in the barracks isn’t near so comfortable as the one in my room at the academy, and even when sleep arrived to tug at the edges of my awareness, Alina’s face would come floating in, waking me again, making me question whether anything I’ve done has been the right thing. I feel like I’ve made a mess of all of it.
Even now, as I tip my head at two passing maids on myway to the king’s study, I wonder if I’ve made a terrible mistake.
He knows the truth now, knows that Alina is my mate, knows that I had to separate myself from her lest my beast finally succeed in taking over. The thought of what he could do to me—or more specifically, to my family—has my heart beating fast in my chest.
I’d typically take the three hundred stairs to His Majesty’s study, but this time, I opt for the air tunnel. I’m already sick inside with anticipation, and I’d rather get this over with as quickly as possible.
The metal gate closes behind me, and I only have a moment to catch my breath before the air wraps around me and sends me shooting upward through the narrow tunnel. Despite my love of flying, the air tunnel has always made me feel woozy, and when I step out onto the top floor, I have to brace my hand against a wall and catch my breath.
“Look who’s back,” one of the guards stationed outside the king’s study says.
The other gives me a once-over. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
I ignore them both as I adjust my uniform and step up to the king’s door. After one sharp rap of my knuckles against the wood, he calls, “Enter!”
With a steadying breath, I take hold of the door handle and step into the office.
The space is warm and lit with firelight and the thin gray sunlight that manages to slip through the thick cloud cover outside. It’s a drizzly autumn day, with a biting wind thatsends you hurrying for the hearth after being outdoors for even a moment.
King Jorvick’s pale eyes find me from across the room. My chest squeezes.
“Your Majesty.” I bow my head deeply to him.
This is the moment I discover whether or not I made a terrible mistake. Whether my mother and sisters will still have a roof over their heads. Whether—
“How do you take your tea?”
I lift my head slowly. The king sits in one of the armchairs before the fire, stirring cream into his cup of tea.
“Cream?” he asks. “Sugar?”
“No, Your Majesty. Black is fine with me.”
He lifts a hand and gestures for me to join him before the fire. When I sit down, he offers me a cup of steaming dark tea, and I take it with a grateful nod.
“Raelan,” he says, and the use of my name draws my gaze toward his.
For some reason, I’m hesitant to meet his eyes, afraid of what I’ll find there. But he’s looking at me with the same gentle contemplation he’s had since I was a young boy first brought under his wing, a dragon child with the potential to do both great and terrible things.
“It seems we’ve much to discuss.” He stirs sugar into his tea—he’s always had a sweet tooth—then sighs as he leans back into his armchair.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” I curl my fingers around the teacup, not flinching away from the heat against my skin. “Please allow me to apologize for keeping the truth fromyou for so long.”
“Why the secrets?” he asks, voice level, no hint of anger in his tone.
This is the moment of truth.
“My mother and sisters,” I say simply. “I feared revealing the truth to you would result in me losing my position here and them losing their home.”
