Page 9 of The Dragon King's Curse
Fine with me. I wasn’t in the mood for a frightened slip of a girl who couldn’t handle a man like me. The second woman was older, perhaps even older than me. She looked me up and down before brazenly plopping onto my lap.
“Looking for some company tonight, King Noxx? I’d be more than happy to warm your bed.” She slipped an arm around my neck, leaning in to press her heaving breasts to my chest.
While I didn’t need her to convince me, I appreciated her efforts. Not a trace of fear on her. She would do.
The rest of the night passed in a blur. I took what I needed from the woman, leaving her money on the bedside table. Then I promptly passed out.
When I woke in the morning, she was still there in the bed beside me. I blinked a few times. What the hell was she still doing here? I nudged her awake. She stretched out like a lazy cat, in no hurry to leave.
“You need to leave now. We’re done here. I’m not interested in anything further.” I got out of the bed, heading for the washroom to get cleaned up, giving my wings a good stretch as I went.
“As you wish, Your Highness. I had a lovely time. Look me up next time you’re in town. My name is Cecily.” She slid from the bed, donning her dress before reaching for the cash.
I said nothing in return. I had no intention of seeing this woman ever again. She merely scratched an itch and had done a piss poor job of it too. I’d have done just as well with my own hand. Not that she hadn’t tried. Maybe I’d simply become too bitter. Too hard to impress.
After bathing and getting dressed, I ventured down to the tavern in search of food. They had a decent menu of various meats and vegetables. After living off the land for several days, I felt ravenous.
“Gods, I’m starved. I feel like I could eat an entire cow.” Flynn sat heavily in the chair across from me. He rubbed a hand across his eyes, squinting at the menu. “I haven’t been this hungover in ages. I usually hold my liquor better than this.”
I wasn’t feeling quite so well myself. “The liquor here is absolute shit compared to what we have back home. No doubt that’s why you feel that way. Or it may possibly be the massive amount you drank last night.”
Two more of my men joined us as we stuffed ourselves with roasted pig and vegetables. Even the food here wasn’t as good as back home. Nothing compared to the Fire Realm. Still, I ate everything on my plate. When the server offered us drinks, we requested large jugs of water instead. We needed to get back on the road first thing tomorrow morning. Today would be a day of rest and rehydration.
Cain’s hand went to his head. He rubbed his temples in slow circles. “Does anyone else feel dizzy? It’s like the entire room is spinning.”
“Maybe you’re still drunk,” Flynn joked. Pausing, he reconsidered his statement, a hand going to his stomach. “Actually, I don’t feel all that great either. Maybe the meat was bad.”
My vision began to swim. I struggled to focus. Everything seemed to be spinning.
“We’d have known if the meat was bad. We’d have smelled it immediately. It’s something else. Something isn’t right.” I started to get up, my knees buckling. I fell back down into my seat, almost sliding off onto the floor.
Realization hit me with a startling suddenness. We’d been poisoned.
I opened my mouth, trying desperately to communicate my certainty to the others. No words would come out. My brain struggled through confusion, unable to speak.
What kind of absolute fool would dare to drug the Dragon King? Surely the fae had to be behind this. They must have put the innkeeper up to the task. I’d foolishly let my guard down, trusting that we were safe in this town. A careless mistake.
Again, I tried to rise. This time I collapsed to the floor, my face hitting the hard wooden planks. As darkness closed in, I felt the sensation of someone dragging me by the ankles. The person that dared to do something so undoubtedly stupid was going to die a horrible death when I regained consciousness.
CHAPTER FIVE
NOXX
A cold hard stone pressed against my face. The scent of dirt and filthy bodies reached me. Faint traces of blood mingled in with the other unsavory aromas. Where the fuck was I?
It took several attempts to pry my eyes open. All I saw was gray. Finally, I realized that I stared at a stone wall. This wasn’t good.
My arms were shaky as I got them beneath me, pushing myself up onto my knees. My body still felt weak from whatever poison I’d been given. It wasn’t easy to dose a dragon. No doubt they’d used something powerful.
With my disheveled hair falling into my eyes, I peered around at my new surroundings. A grimy stone room. Chamber pots in one corner. Fae, a vampire, two humans, and two elves. One massive wall of bars with guards standing watch.
I was in a goddamn fae prison. I’d known those filthy bastards were behind this. There was no one as underhanded as the Fae King. A known trickster. They all were. Unable to face me man-to-man, so he’d resorted to having me drugged and thrown into his disgusting prison.
Aside from my unfortunate new environment, the first thing I noticed was that none of my men were with me. Had they been killed? Left behind?
An immediate swell of fury filled me. It had been some time since Atlas Rein had dared to fuck with me or my people. The vile piece of shit would die for this. My dragon may have been trapped inside me, but it was still very much alive and well. It raged around within me, demanding release from this shithole.
No doubt the iron bars were not only strong but magickally enhanced as well. There would be no simply walking out the door. I needed to get my head on straight. To let the poison finish leaving my system so I could think. If Atlas had brought me here, surely he’d had a reason. Since he hadn’t killed me, I knew that he must want something from me.
