Page 59 of Bride of the Black Dragon
My stomach drops like a stone.
I’d forgotten. Somehow, in the wonder of it all—in the flight, in the connection, in the magic of that moment—I had completely forgot what was waiting for us.
The Queen…the Nobles…the fight with Dorian yesterday.
Dread crawls up my spine like icy fingers. My chest tightens.
“She won’t be happy,” I whisper. “About yesterday…or about your Drake. All those people saw us. Saw you.”
“I know.” His eyes are solemn. But then, to my surprise, he smiles faintly and lifts my chin with one finger. “Never mind, little dove. If there’s a punishment waiting, I’ll take it gladly. Whatever it is, it’s worth it to have spent this time with you.”
Oh Goddess, I think, my throat tightening. What did I do to deserve someone like this? A man willing to shield and protect and care for me, no matter the consequences.
I have no answers.
Xaren takes my hand and leads me back toward the massive iron door. As we near it, I notice something I missed before—a woven basket tucked just to the side, half-hidden in the shadows.
Without comment, Xaren crouches beside it and rummages through the contents.
“I keep spare clothes in here,” he says as he pulls out a ragged pair of dark trousers. “Just in case I forget to strip before I Shift.”
“Do you often forget?” I ask, smiling a little in spite of the tension coiling in my belly.
“Often enough,” he replies with a dry look. “It’s not exactly a calm process.”
I turn away respectfully as he pulls them on, though part of me wants to sneak another glance. I can still feel his skin against mine from when he held me. Still feel the shape of him in my arms. Still feel that connection. However, I can’t stand there staring at him—no matter how intimate we’ve been.
But then the moment for intimacy has passed, and reality presses in like cold fog. We have to go back now and face the Queen. No doubt she’s going to be angry—very angry. The question is, what will she do to us?
Clothed again, Xaren steps up to the door and raises one hand. His voice lowers as he speaks a spell.
He chants:
“Steel and fire, sealed and bound,
Locked in silence, underground,
Drake’s domain, no path shall show,
Close the gate and let none know.”
There’s a soft clang like a bell struck underwater. The iron door glows faintly with red-gold runes that fade almost as quickly as they appear. The magic door seals itself shut with no visible keyhole, handle, or seam. Just solid metal and silence.
Then we retrace our steps.
Back through the narrow tunnel that winds like a serpent through the stone.
Back down the winding, steep staircase, where I keep a tight grip on the wall, grateful for Xaren’s steady presence ahead of me.
And finally, back through the hidden panel that leads into his chambers.
The door clicks shut behind us, and for one breathless moment, I think we might have a little more time before the consequences begin.
But then?—
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The sound of fists on wood reverberates through the room like a thunderclap.
