Page 37 of Earth Dragon
The fact that her father had spoken so openly of his most basic belief—that dragons should be dragons—had flummoxed her, but neither Ewan nor King Ellard seemed to have made much of it. Perhaps it was the sort of talk that male dragons were used to from other males. Thumping of chests and eyes glowing while they said it, most like.
Only, for her father it was not for show. It was what he felt through his inner dragon. More so than anything else, he wanted the skies filled with dragonkin; their wings spread wide to catch the winds.
Then she noticed Ewan watching her.
“Where did you go just then?” he asked.
She smiled. What could she say?
“The skies,” she said.
“You know, there is a place you can shift within the castle walls,” Ewan said, reaching out and taking her hand in his.
Her hearts fluttered annoyingly, and she almost pulled her arm back out of self-preservation but couldn’t quite bring herself to. She knew where they were headed before the Pavilion came into view. It was lit up by the continued decorating that was happening within. There were candles everywhere. It looked as though someone had condensed the night sky.
“It’s magical,” she murmured. Ewan chuckled.
“That’s what they’re going for,” he whispered in her ear, making goosebumps spread over her arms, and she definitely should pull her hand out of his. But she didn’t.
She glanced over her shoulder, but if Sir Patrick was trailing them, she couldn’t tell.
Was he there to send a message to her father?
What were they planning?
“Ewan,” she said as they approached the Pavilion. “There’s something I should tell you.”
“Is it something to do with your father?” he asked, growing serious.
Her stomach lurched unpleasantly. How did he know?
“He doesn’t like me very much, does he?” Ewan asked. “Is it because my father is in his debt? He thinks less of me?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. Though the answer was most likely yes. “No, that’s not what I need to say. I’m…”
She trailed off.
What could she say? How could she phrase it that would take the edge off? She was a traitor. Anything she told him would confirm it.
Run away, her mind told her.Help him, then save him, and free yourself.
“What is it?” Ewan asked, squeezing her hand lightly.
“This dress,” she said. “It’s very uncomfortable.”
He smiled then, bringing her fingers to her lips and grazing them briefly with the lightest of kisses. “I shall have to remedy that,” he said.
The underlying innuendo of that statement was one that she wanted to embrace too eagerly. Getting the dress off her sooner rather than later would obviously be the most effective remedy. But instead of getting to work on the lacing at the sides, she got a hold of herself. She merely gave him a look and finally pulled her fingers out of his grasp, reminding herself of all the reasons for why she shouldn’t give in to any of her female urges.
Her inner dragon purred softly, as though longing as much for his inner dragon as she did for him.
She swallowed.
Stop it, she told herself sternly.
She found a welcome distraction as she walked up to the open glass doors of the Pavilion. There were three sets of enormous doors, and she walked through the middle pair. The activity of the day was slowing at this time of night and servants were fluttering about, putting out the candles one by one. The air was growing heavy with the scent of their smoke.
“Make a wish,” she said as the light slowly grew dimmer around them.
