Page 22 of Marked Dragon

Uther growled and glanced down the hallway toward the living room. “Now isn’t the time for games. The king needs information so he can communicate withthem.”

“This isn’t agame.” I suspected he was trying to pull one over on me, not the other way around. “I have no idea who the king wants to communicate with.” King Arman had told me he’d find me when he had a plan. This wasnothim finding me. If anything, this could be a test from Drake. After all, he seemed to trust Uther, especially when he could hold the safety of his daughter over his head.

He sighed and licked his lips. “Look, this isriskyfor me, but Drake isn’t the king yet, and my loyalty lies with King Arman.”

I studied him, gauging whether I should trust him. “This wasn’t what the king and I agreed to.” I watched his reaction to see if it would hint at his dishonesty.

“I know, but we tried to get him here.” Uther shuffled his feet.

Heavy footsteps walked from the back door toward the hallway. Ladon stepped into view and arched an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”

Uther tensed. “I was—”

“Heading into the bathroom with me,” I interjected then flinched. That could get him in hot water with Drake if I didn’t tread carefully, so I had to improvise. I clutched my stomach and hunched over. “My stomach has been upset this evening, and I kinda stopped up the toilet.”

Ladon’s nose wrinkled. “Whoa. Stop.” He lifted a hand.

I groaned. “If you don’t want Uther to help me, you could. I just need someone to plunge because I sorta made a mess trying to do it myself.”

The corners of Uther’s mouth tipped upward, but he mashed his lips into a hard line, hiding it.

“No!” Ladon slashed the air with his arm. “Uther is fine. I just heard you whispering and—”

Stomping my foot, I tried to play the part of the future, spoiled queen. “Well, I’msorry. Next time I have stomach issues, I’ll announce it to everyone in the house. I apologize for my discretion.” My body burned, but I took a deep breath to prevent the flush from reaching my face. I didn’t want to act embarrassed, but maybe it would make the whole exchange appear more real.

Uther winced and cleared his throat. “She must be nervous about the wedding tomorrow. Why don’t we just go into the bathroom and fix the issue? Let’s go…see what we’re up against.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Ladon cringed. “Dude, you may want to grab some Poo-Pourri, a mask, orsomethingto protect you from the smell.”

I hunched over. “My poop doesn’t stink,” I said through clenched teeth. Would he just leave us the hell alone, or was this some sick karma attacking me because I’d lied?

Ladon dry heaved and stumbled down the hallway, and I swore he was holding his breath.

Good to know that he couldn’t stand talking about bowel movements. Who would’ve thought a trained warrior who’d killed and had blood splattered on him would be squeamish about poo?

“Let’s get you taken care of.” Uther grinned as he entered the bedroom.

I shut the door behind me and dropped the act. Luckily, Eva was in the bathroom and wouldn’t hear anything. I murmured, “I’m glad he fell for it.”

“You’re something else.” His irises twinkled before his face became stern again. “Buthecouldn’t get here himself to get Thorn’s number. Drake has been watching everyone who tries to get close to you, including his father.”

That wasn’t surprising, especially since his mom had expressed displeasure with him choosing a breeder, as well as a wife. “Why should I trust you?”

Uther lifted a brow. “Do you have any other options? You won’t make it out of here, and Thorn will be captured if you don’t accept our help.”

My body turned to ice. I hated that he was right, and I’d been trying to deny the inevitable, but that was hard to do when someone smacked you in the face with it. “What exactly are you asking me for?” My chest tingled as I stopped trying to sense whether he was on my side. He already knew enough to take us down if he wanted to.

“Thorn’s number.” He pulled a cell phone from his back pocket.

I laughed. I had no clue what it was. Thorn had kidnapped me, and then we’d mated. I’d never needed his number, which I hadn’t realized until now.

Uther tilted his head and observed me. He asked, “What’s so funny?”

“Let me connect with him to get it.” I opened myself up to Thorn and said,The king sent a guard here to ask for your number.

Our connection warmed immediately. Be careful. It could be a trick,Thorn replied.

My heart ached, the pain damn near debilitating. What I wouldn’t do to be with him. If it hadn’t been for Eva, I would’ve tried to break out of here again, to hell with the consequences, but I couldn’t leave her behind. I couldn’t break that promise to Mom.

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