Page 35 of Earth Dragon
“Of course,” the lord bent his head in agreement. “On a different note, I would like to thank you very much for taking such good care of my daughter.”
“She is very easy to care for,” King Ellard assured him, raising his cup to Shannon. She smiled tightly, raising her cup in return, bringing hers to her lips for her first sip of the spiced wine. Ewan could tell she enjoyed the taste.
“It’s made on the slopes of the Eaganor valley,” he said. “Someday I shall take you there.”
“But, my lord,” she said, glancing at their fathers. “I am to beconfined.”
He’d completely forgotten that they were supposed to take it slow and put on a show for his father. He wondered if the king would not be eager to believe his son had found love, though. All they had to say was that feelings had lingered for the better part of the year they had spent separated and now they had been thoroughly rekindled.
“Hosh, posh,” the king said, getting both their eyes on him. “As long as you have Petrus and Eric with you, I can’t see the harm in some exploring. And clearly neither can my son.” He said the last with laughter stuck in his throat, smiling as he brought his cup to his lips, eyes on Ewan.
“Hosh, posh, indeed,” the lord agreed, glancing at Shannon who glared at him.
“We shall go after the Bell of the Ball,” Ewan said.
“Please, do not declare it without first asking if I wish to,” Shannon bit. Then she rose to her feet. “I’m sorry, sire, please forgive me,” she said to his father. “This is my second meal here and my second time leaving in the middle of it. I’m unwell. I hope I shall feel better tomorrow.”
“Well, of course, my dear, if you’re in need of rest.”
“I am,” she said and, with a nod to her father and none to Ewan, she left the room. There was no lull in the conversation this time. Everyone had already gotten used to her presence. But Ewan watched her go, a soft wrinkle between his brows.
What was it that was bothering her out of the myriad of possibilities? Her confinement? Her allegiances? Guilt?
He couldn’t make a show of running after her, but he would get to the bottom of it before the evening’s end. That much he vowed to himself.
Chapter 10 - Shannon
The evening air hit her like a soothing stroke across her cheeks, chilly but welcoming. She walked down the steps from the back terrace, the gate she had brought her horse through that morning somewhere to her right, and the darkness of the forest stretching impossible black before her. Her inner dragon growled softly. She wanted to run, spread wings, take flight. Shannon knew the feeling, wished she could give into it. Wished it desperately.
Then a soft noise made her frown.
It came again.
She knew that noise.
But it couldn’t be.
She walked off the bottom step, across the sliver of grass and onto the deep carpet of pine. Further in among the trees, listening.
The noise did not come again until the lights from the terrace barely touched her anymore and she was on the brink of being swallowed by the shadows.
A soft thrill of a noise, like a bird singing its first tune to the sunrise.
She squinted into the darkness and said, still disbelieving, “Patrick?”
He stepped out from behind the tree he’d chosen. His face hidden in shadow, but his form unmistakable.
“Patrick,” she repeated, moving forward to embrace him. Her hold tightened when he hugged her back. “I thought you were dead,” she said.
“So did I, for a moment or two,” he confessed, and even through the darkness she knew he was smiling.
She stepped away from him, suddenly remembering where they were. And who he truly was. And if he caught even a whiff of the possibility that she’d had a change of heart he wouldn’t hesitate to rat her out. He wasn’t there because he had missed or wondered how she was doing. He was there for him. Always.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“As unsentimental as ever, I see,” he said.
“I can be sentimental,” she rebuffed. “But only when it’s warranted. How did you even get onto the castle grounds?”
