Page 8 of Dragons' Bride
I can’t talk. Can’t breathe. Can’t move. The prince who’d once kissed me so thoroughly is nowhere behind the cold eyes that glare down at me. I’ve seen the guardsmen train in Lord Agam’s courtyard and I’ve never felt a desire to join the brutality. Now, experiencing it first hand, I like this even less.
“Do I have your full attention?” he demands again.
“Yes…” I gasp in the air. “Yes, my prince.”
“Good.” Quinton snorts in disgust and lets me up to my feet. “Now, fall.”
I throw myself to the ground full force, lest he decides to help me down once more.
I don’t know how long Quinton keeps me at it, but by the time I am allowed to crawl back to my cabin, the sun is up and we’ve gathered enough of a crowd that Captain Dane has to bark at his crew to get everyone back to task. As I lower myself down the ladder, I catch sight of Quinton’s hard beautiful face watching my descent. His jaw tenses as if he is about to speak.
I pause, waiting, even though everything inside me begs to run. Crawl. Hide.
“Same time tomorrow,” says Quinton and walks away.
* * *
"Stars, are you still alive?”Nora grabs my arm and tows me inside our cabin the moment I crack open the door. She is dressed in a similar turquoise outfit to yesterday’s, but now I notice a silver ring piercing her belly button. “There was a pool going on whether you’d make it through the morning, you know. I am pretty sure you bankrupted half the crew when you did.”
I’m not sure my current state counts as making it through. I rub my elbow, surprised to find it still in one piece, and collapse onto the cot. The swaying of the ship, which had turned treacherous on me during the morning, is now back to a soothing lull. Or had it always been thus and just felt worse? “Tell them not to worry,” I assure Nora. “I’m certain I’ll oblige them tomorrow.”
Nora brings over a pitcher of fresh water and runs a wet washcloth over my face. The coolness feels divine on my sweat-covered skin and something between a meow and a moan escapes my lips.
“Was I summoned?” Hauck opens the door without knocking and sticks his head inside.
I jerk up into a sitting position and throw a pillow at him. “Most certainly not.”
The prince snorts and retreats from the room.
Nora shuts her eyes. “You are going to get us both killed, my lady.”
“My name is Kit.” I collapse back onto the cot, and take the washcloth with me. “And I’m pretty sure my death warrant is already signed no matter what I do.” After a few seconds of thought, I rise on one elbow and frown at my maid. “That way you keep talking about the princes, makes me think you know something I don’t.”
Nora winces. “No offense intended, my lady, but I’m getting the notion that everyone on this ship knows something you don’t.”
“Which is?”
“That they are not to be trifled with, for starters.” She sits cross-legged on a chair. “Basically, if you close your eyes and picture a kind, gentle male and then imagine the opposite of that – well, that’s who you are dealing with. Though if this morning’s exercise with Prince Quinton didn’t drive the point home, I’m not sure that anything I might say would do better.”
“It’s not like that.” I sit up all the way, unsure why I feel the need to defend Quinton’s tactics. "That is just his way of showing that he'd rather me not get killed at the Equinox Trials."
"By killing you himself?”
“Precisely.” I stretch my shoulders, and Nora takes advantage of my shifting position to start brushing my hair. She seems glad to have something to do with her hands, and I am too drained to argue. “I don't think he is actually intending on killing me. At least I hope not. Which doesn't mean the asshole knows his own strength either. Must be nice to be immortal."
Nora leans forward. "Do they truly not scare you? Not even Prince Quinton?"
My brows pull together and I reach back to braid the hair Nora had just brushed out. Do the princes scare me?
"They did at first," I admit. "Until a few weeks ago, I'd never met a fae, much less a dragon shifter. And they are... well, you know how they are. Bigger than life and they know it. But there is more to them than just power." And more ache inside them than anyone but me likely knows. "So yes, I'm still afraid of what they can do. But also, I like how I feel when I'm with them. Most of the time at least."
"And how is that?" Nora asks.
"Like I matter."
"Of course you matter," says Nora with all the conviction in the world. "Not just to them, but to all of us. Without you to secure the bloodline and throne, Massa'eve will likely plummet into civil war. But, um, no pressure, alright?"
A bell sounds from the deck above and Nora swears, jumping off the chair. "We need to get you dressed for breakfast. This whole ship – hell, the whole rutting royal navy – worships the timetable above the stars."
