Page 23 of The Forsaken Heir
“It is, indeed,” Aurelius said with a smile. “Built into the very bedrock of the surrounding mountain. It’s been here forcenturies. We only added the outward mansion façade in the late eighteenth century.”
I pointed down a stone stairwell. “What’s down there?”
Aurelius’s smile faded a bit as he looked down into the dark lower floors.
“Down there is the hatchery. It’s the deepest part of the castle, and the most guarded. It’s where every female dragon came to give birth, whether they were part of House Decimus or not. Then, for the first several years of life, all young dragons would live here, studying and learning about our history—how to shift and fly, how to be the dragon they were born to be. At least, this is where thatusedto happen.”
“Your numbers are shrinking,” I said.
“They have been.” He glanced at me. “There hasn’t been a single dragon birth in over twenty years. In fact, you’ve met the last dragon to be born with the ability to shift.”
“You?” I asked, frowning at him.
He shook his head and chuckled ruefully. “No. Not me. Vincent. He was the last to be born. His father, Benedictus Beatrix, sees him as a bit of a stain on the family name.” Aurelius looked at me warily. “You’ve probably noticed he’s a bit different.”
That was an understatement. Vincent was an intriguing person, that was for sure, but I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. Hell, I was peculiar myself. I guess everyone was in their own special way. Vince was nice and polite—for a kidnapper, that is. Sure, he had strange tendencies like repeating his movements, and hyper-fixating on certain things, and he lacked tact and subtlety, but that was no reason todismiss him as a stain on the family. Although, I could relate to that.
“I noticed,” I said.
“He’s become like family to us here, which is strange since his father is one ofmyfather’s biggest rivals. His father loves him, of course, but he’s…” Aurelius sighed and shook his head. “He’s disappointed in the man Vincent is. He’d have been happier with a more strait-laced politico or businessman like himself. Vincent is more of a free spirit. Possibly a bit on the spectrum.”
“Interesting.”
It looked like there was even more about the dragons that I didn’t know.
“Come on,” he said, taking my hand again. “There’s more to see. It’s not getting too late for you, is it?”
Glancing at my watch, I found it was already nearly two in the morning. Rather than feeling exhausted, though, I was wired. I’d had a nap prior to Vincent stealing me away. And with the adrenaline coursing through my system from this whole situation, I didn’t think I could sleep if I tried.
“I’m good if you are,” I said.
He grinned. “Great. Dragons are fairly nocturnal. Wolves?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Somewhat,” I said, skirting the truth I wasn’t ready to reveal yet. “More crepuscular, but for the most part we keep normal human hours. Helps us blend in better. Staying up late doesn’t bother me at all, though,” I added, not wanting my time with him to end.
“All right, then,” he said.
Aurelius led me back into the newer portions of the home, showing me all the amenities—a game room with an antique pool table; a theater room with over two dozen leather recliners; even a fitness room with every kind of exercise equipment I could fathom. It was a lot larger than the gym Delphine and I went to. The place was absolutely massive. Knowing the dragons’ numbers were shrinking, the sheer size of the house filled me with a sadness I didn’t care for. It was like the place had been built for life and activity, but now that was fading.
“Not a bad place to spend time,” Aurelius finally said as he escorted me back to my room.
“You’ve got that right. It’s like a billionaire’s wet dream. Oops,” I yelped, clamping a hand to my mouth. “Sorry. No filter.”
Aurelius grinned, and his gaze slid down my body, then back to my eyes. Heat flooded my cheeks and between my legs. God, he was gorgeous. I wished he’d say something. The silence stretched on for what felt like years, when in reality it was only a few seconds.
“I like you, Elle. You’re a breath of fresh air, and I needed that.”
“Uh, well, I’m glad I could, uh, help with that,” I muttered.
“Hmm.” He grinned mischievously, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
He looked like he was about to say something else, but before he could, the door of my room burst open. Rasp came barreling out, eyes wide in horror.
He nearly ran me over as he exited.
“Oh, thank God!” he shouted, pressing a hand to his chest. “Shit! I thought you’d vanished.”
“He means he was worried you’d escaped,” Vincent said from behind him, his eyes downcast and a furrow between his brows. “Rasp thought you might have gotten out, and were bringing back an army of wolves to vivisect us into bloody piles of meat and bone while we slept.”
