Page 5 of Cherish

“There’s growing dissent from clans who think my mother isn’t capable of ruling now that she doesn’t have a dragon. They’ve asked her to step down, and she’s refused, so they’re working to bring a vote of no confidence against her within the Dragon Court.”

A vote of no confidence? Against Nuri, the most badass dragon queen imaginable? It seems inconceivable. “They won’t win, will they?”

“I don’t know.” Flint picks up Eden’s water and drains it in a single sip. “There’s more of them every day.”

“But there must be something the Montgomerys can do about it,” I suggest.

“I don’t know what. The other clans appear to want us all gone.” He says it flippantly, like it doesn’t matter. But I can see the pain in his eyes, hear it in the studied blankness of his voice.

“What they want,” Jaxon snaps, “is for you to stop flaunting a vampire around their precious Court. And for their ruler to have her dragon heart back.”

“Yeah, well, neither of those things is going to magically happen,” Flint bites out. “They’re just going to have to get used to it.”

“What about your father?” Hudson asks quietly. “Can he rule in her stead?”

Flint sighs. “He’s royal by marriage only, and that’s not enough for the throne without my mother.”

“Right.” Hudson nods like that makes sense, even though it sounds ridiculous. Then again, the whole right of royal primogeniture seems archaic to me. To Hudson, too, I know. It’s one of the many reasons he announced he would be abdicating, though that won’t be “official” until a ceremony in a few weeks.

“So what’s going to happen if this whole no-confidence thing succeeds?” I ask.

“What’s going to happen or whatshouldhappen?” There’s a touch of bitterness in Jaxon’s tone.

“Is there a difference?”

“Fuck yeah, there is,” he tells me. “Whatshouldhappen is Flint stepping up and taking the fucking throne.”

“You know why I can’t do that.” Flint shrugs.

“I know why youwon’tdo it,” Jaxon mutters. “It’s not the same thing.”

Tension stretches between them, taut as a circus highwire, and I can’t think of anything to say to defuse it. But then Eden comments, “You never did tell us who attacked you guys. Surely it wasn’t someone on the Council?”

She seems as tense as they are as she waits for the answer, which I can totally understand. It’s one thing to be bringing a no-confidence vote. It’s another to brazenly attack the crown dragon prince with no fear of reprisal.

“Yeah, right.” Flint scoffs. “They only do their work in dark rooms where no one can see their faces. They hired someone to attack us.”

“One of the outlying dragon clans?” I ask, because I can’t imagine who else would be short-sighted enough to do something like this.

“Worse,” Jaxon says with a disbelieving laugh. “Humans.”

“They hired humans to try to take you down? That doesn’t make any sense.”

But even as I say it, I think back to that moment on the street when Hudson stepped in front of me. He’d sensed some kind of threat, though neither of us picked anything up when we scanned the street. Could someone have been following us to get to Jaxon and Flint?

The thought horrifies me. The last thing I’d ever want is to bring something to my friends that might hurt them, even inadvertently.

But when I mention it to the group, Flint shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it, Grace. I already know they’re watching my every move. There’s nothing you could do that would make their scrutiny of us any deeper. Besides, Jaxon and I can handle whatever comes our way.”

“It’s not about what you can handle,” I counter. “It’s about not putting you in the situation to begin with. Believe me, we all know you and Jaxon are badasses.”

“Hey, what about me?” Eden squawks.

“Oh, you’re definitely a badass,” Heather answers, batting her eyes. “Though, I have to say, who knew dragons were so needy?”

“Everyone,” I answer. “Everyoneknows dragons are needy.”

“Excuse you! I am the least needy one here,” Flint exclaims.

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