Page 66 of The Forbidden Dragon King
I’m only dressed in a light, white nightdress but I’m still sweating. My hair is plastered to my neck. The only jewelry that I’m wearing is the bracelet that Aurelius gave me, and which I never take off, even when I bathe.
I frown.
Have I caught some illness?
My limbs are heavy and achy. My mind is hazy, and I struggle to clear it.
I groan. “Fuck a troll, what’s wrong with me? I better not have caught some kind of freaky dragon flu. Not today. Daire needs me…”
My charming rogue — soulmate. I smile at the thought, touching the silver snowflake on my wrist.
Daire has landed himself back in the Shadow Court dungeons again. He’s spent more time in them than out of them.
Aurelius cooly told me yesterday without looking up from signing a document, “You’re in charge of feeding Kit. He’s in the dungeons again.”
Theagainsounded weary.
I try to push myself up because Daire will be hungry. I’ve discovered that he has a bigger appetite than I do for everything: food, touch, plotting, laughter, and fucking life.
Shadow Fae are meant to be death, but I’ve never met anyone who lives as fully,dangerously, as Daire does.
I struggle to my elbows, but my muscles are weak. I collapse onto my back.
On the moon, what’s wrong with me?
I stare up at the beamed roof. “What did you do this time, my raven soulmate? Bribery? Spying? Gambling?Another assassination attempt?”
I grin.
Daire calls itmisdirection.
Aurelius would never believe that Daire would betamed fully straight away. He thinks that his pet is no more than an impulsive scoundrel.
On the journey, under the guise of bringing food and water to Daire, we whispered plans together.
It was agony not to be able to stop my fated Alpha, both god and king, from suffering beatings from the guards, being tormented on the long journey, then being jeered at and pelted with mud and rotten food, as he was dragged in his iron cage through the streets, while Aurelius rode at the head of the army in triumph.
Yet I had to wear a mask because soulmate or not, Daire is meant to be a conquered enemy.
Daire wouldn’t be swayed in his decision thathewould be the one to play thebad petand take the punishments.
After all, it would be what was expected. It would also misdirect the dragons from our real, greater scheme.
Then I could be thegood pet.
Soon, no one would even question seeing me working around the palace. As I had in the Moon Court, I could listen to the inner circle around Aurelius, his Golden Family, who are almost always hanging around him like his bodyguards.
I am the spy that Aurelius has invited into his own rooms…into his dragon’s nest. Because that’s what these three rooms at the heart of the palace are. I’ve heard several of his friends mutter bitter warnings about that.
One of them, the brutal Legate, War, eyes me like she wishes she could burn me. Daire and War circle around each other with words every time that they meet like they’re sparring.
Hate stabs through Daire’s emotions in the bond the moment that War steps into a room.
I brush my fingers across the snowflake, concentrating.
Hunger and pain.
I swallow, struggling to stand up.
