Page 62 of Exquisite Monster
Frowns followed, and a woman stood. She wore Denaoan colors and a jeweled circlet. But there were no ruling queens. Was this their princess? “While the wine you have provided is excellent, Your Majesty, it is not strong enough to make me see things that do not exist, and there are no dragons here,King.” She threw his title at him with what sounded like disdain.
This was the reason Belleo was here. Not only for protection, but because they all agreed hiding from the humans was no longer an option. Revealing their human forms was a calculated risk. If the Elders knew, they would have forbidden it entirely. But there was no binding command preventing this.
Without saying a word, she shifted, filling the space in our small bubble. Karadi pushed the shield wider to make room. Even though Belleo was the smallest, she wasn’tsmall.
I couldn’t breathe.
Screams tore through the air, and people ran from the room. They were falling and fighting to get away from Belleo at the same time as the guards surged against the shield once more. This was the most vulnerable moment, and my heart leapt into my throat.
She lowered her head next to me, smoke escaping in a delicate curl. Her scales were a pale gold that shimmered in all the torches and candles. If there was a dragon who could appeal to a room full of royalty, it was one who looked as if they were made of gold.
In less than a minute, half the room had fled and the other half watched in rapt horror and fascination. My heart still pounded in my chest. That same instinct that had been screaming at me for months rose. We were the distraction, but we couldn’t drag this out forever. It was a delicate balance that would only last so long.
The neckline of my stolen dress exposed my shoulders and part of my mating marks. I gestured to the whorls on my skin. “You want proof? Here it is. I am the mate of the Heirs of the dragons. I have no shame in that. I only hope to help heal the divide between us. Humans will die if we do not. Viria will not heal on its own.”
Every eye in the room was on my marked skin and the words I’d said. That I was a mate to dragons. Plural. More than one.
“The only way to heal the divide is the end of their species,” Andaros said in a scathing tone. “Nothing else. You came here for nothing.”
In my chest, I felt a change from my mates. Hope and determination. Resolve. Movement. They were going to be free. It was working.
“None of what this woman says is true,” Nelis said, striding to stand before the shield. “It is all a lie.”
“And yet that woman just changed into a dragon,” the same princess said. “So, no, not all of it is a lie.”
Hope was an unfamiliar sensation. “History has been altered,” I said. “What we believe happened is not the truth. We began the war, and the dragons have not forgiven us. Nor will they if we continue in the same way.”
Andaros looked smug. “The Elder dragons have made it abundantly clear they will not make peace.”
“And how would you know that, Your Majesty? Unless you had seen and spoken to the Elders yourself?”
He went pale.
“You bargained with the Elders for my mates, telling them you wanted revenge for your father’s death. Another lie. You want to use them to spearhead your war.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is true. You are using them to forge the scalefire you need for your assault. And what is also true? I did not come here solely to share our real history with Viria’s royalty. It is a benefit, but not the cause.”
A younger man in the colors of Trutis spoke. Dark skin and darker eyes, yet they gleamed with curiosity. He sat next to their king. Their prince? “Then why are you here, Your Highness?”
By speaking my title, he gave me standing. Proving to the others that I was worth listening to and believing. I wouldn’t yet call him an ally, but there were open minds here.
I lifted my chin. “To rescue my mates from where Andaros has them imprisoned.”
Andaros laughed once more. So loud and hard that most of the room joined in with him. I noted who didn’t laugh, or who did, but with hesitation.
“More and more, I am glad I did not wed your daughter, Rhole. It seems her mind is not stable. She claims I hold the Heirs of all dragonkind prisoner? You all know me.” An amused smile played on his lips. “If I had such a prize in my possession, would I keep it a secret?”
More laughter.
I leveled my gaze at him. The posture he held on the throne was relaxed, but the fear in his eyes was real. “Do you truly believe dragons haven’t come for you out of the kindness of their hearts, Andaros? The Elders are using you. Because they cannot cross the barrier at Evrítha, they are making you come to them. You will play right into their hands and get every member of every army killed. Even as arrogant as you are, I don’t believe you want that.”
“Barrier?”
“We would all have been dead long before now without it. Held in place by the same stones you claim are poison. How does it feel to know that the thing your ancestors slandered, tarnished, and tried to destroy is the same thing that has saved your life?”
Andaros stared at me, rage pulsing just below the surface. His hands flexed. If he could reach me, my neck would have been broken by now.
