Page 69 of The Dragon King's Curse
My long skirt swept behind me as I ventured down hall after hall. From the ballroom, I wandered into the library. Walls of books stretched up to the high ceiling. A fireplace surrounded by cozy chairs invited me to sit.
The nerves that had me quaking would not allow it. I continued to move around the large room, trailing my fingers over the book spines. Why would Noxx have withheld such vital information from me? Was he trying to deceive me?
Perhaps I’d grown complacent. Letting myself forget that this man had been the enemy of my people. Maybe he had been manipulating me from the start, and I’d fallen in love with a lie.
I circled the library a few more times before leaving. Every corridor was lined with artwork. Most of it paintings of dragons. One particular piece caught my eye. A black dragon with a green shimmer perched atop a mountain. It looked so much like Noxx that it pained me.
What was I supposed to tell my mother and father? Not only had I broken the curse of their enemy, but I’d become bound to him as well. I should have asked Cleo if the mate bond could be broken and how it might be done. Something told me it wasn’t that simple.
The sudden sensation of being watched gripped me. I turned slowly, surveying the corridor behind me. Nothing. Wandering off alone after an attack may not have been the wisest choice. I hadn’t even brought a weapon.
Maintaining a casual gait, I turned and proceeded back toward the ballroom. I’d come quite far already. If someone were to accost me now, there would be no one around to help me. Everyone was in the ballroom or out with Noxx searching for those who’d escaped.
I couldn’t shake the sensation that someone crept along behind me. I resisted the urge to break into a run. No doubt this silly dress would only trip me up anyway.
A telltale flutter in my stomach made me pause. I knew that feeling. I felt it when sensing Noxx’s approach. Was he here?
Before I could call out for him, he appeared. Stepping from the shadows in an intersecting hallway, Noxx wrapped me in his arms from behind, pulling me against him.
“Caught you, princess. Care to tell me why you’re wandering the castle alone?”
A swell of sadness lodged in my throat. I turned in his arms to face him. “I think I’ll be the one asking the questions. Why didn’t you tell me about the mate bond?”
CHAPTER FORTY
FERYN
“Let’s go upstairs to the bedroom. This isn’t something we should discuss here.” Placing a hand on the small of my back, Noxx ushered me along.
I understood his reluctance to speak of something so delicate in a place where anyone might hear. This wasn’t a discussion I particularly wanted to have with witnesses either. Hell, it wasn’t a discussion I wanted to have at all.
Every step that brought us closer to the tower housing his bedroom made the butterfly wings inside me beat harder. The sound of my own heart grew loud in my ears. Of all the things I’d faced, the battles and death, none of it had scared me as much as the conversation we were about to have.
I gathered my skirt as we ascended the stone stairs. Needing to fill the silent void that had fallen between us, I asked, “Did you have any luck catching the two that escaped?”
“Only one of them, unfortunately. The other lives to tell my sister about what happened here tonight. I’ll have to start making arrangements to confront her before she can make another move against me.” Noxx stared straight ahead, reluctant to meet my eyes.
“Her alliance with the fae is concerning. Do you think they will come?” Many armies in the four realms had attemptedinvasions on enemy realms before. Some were successful and some were horrible failures. I wasn’t sure how Atlas would approach this situation.
Noxx swept a hand through his hair, leaving tufts standing up where his fingers had been. “I think Atlas and Nika will do whatever it takes to secure victory. Although I’m not sure either of them are strategic or cunning enough to pull it off.”
We reached the top of the tower. Noxx shoved open the bedroom door, waiting for me to enter before following me through and closing it behind him. I twisted my fingers together nervously. All I could do was dive right in.
“How could you, Noxx?” I demanded. “How could you do this to me?”
He pulled off the cloak he wore, tossing it onto the bed. The scabbard on his hip holding his sword followed. “It was never my intention, Feryn. It wasn’t in my control.”
“How was it not in your control? You bit me. You put your teeth in me and you bound us together.” Standing several feet away, I crossed my arms over my chest. There was no restraining the flood of emotion now.
“You don’t understand. It’s not that simple. The dragon inside me has a mind of its own. Even though it is me, it’s something else entirely. Something magickal that acts of its own accord. In that moment, I couldn’t stop myself.” To his credit, Noxx appeared apologetic. His expression crestfallen, his eyes filled with regret.
“What does it mean?” I asked, afraid of the answer. “No lies or deception. No withholding information. I want to know everything.”
Noxx paced the floor next to the bed. Gnawing his bottom lip, he appeared conflicted. “It means that we are bound. You are my mate, and I am yours.”
“It means more than that too, though, doesn’t it? What are you leaving out?” My voice shook with every word.
When Noxx came toward me, I automatically backed up several steps. He had a way of getting inside my head, making me lose myself in him. I couldn’t allow that right now. I didn’t trust it.
