Page 21 of Marked Dragon

His hand was pressed to his chest, and a tear trickled down his cheek. “Can you tell Thorn I’m so damn sorry that I had to do what I did? That I think of him every day, and his mother and I would give anything to remove the mark and reunite our family. Isolating him was the only way to keep us and my people safe, and I want to make up for my mistake. If freeing you is the way, I’ll do it without hesitation…like I did Saphira, Cassidy, and Vlad.”

My throat burned and constricted as if I might choke. Even though he seemed haunted, King Arman still believed he’d made the right choice. “I’ll tell him, but I want to make something clear, even if youaremy king. You didnotmake the right choice. Thorn is loyal and knows right from wrong. He’s everything Drake isn’t, and the fact you still think you had to do what you did proves you don’t deserve to know the man he’s become in spite of you.” I turned on my heels and marched into the house, desperate to get away from a man who didn’t value my mate.

* * *

Thirty-six hours later,it was the night before my “wedding.” Thorn was beside himself, and I wasn’t much better. I stood at the end of the bed that Eva and I had been sharing, with Uther standing guard outside the bedroom door. Falkor and Ladon were missing in action, likely from leading the charge to watch for Thorn’s arrival.

“I thought you said you were going to get us out of here,” Eva whispered as she crawled to the foot of the bed. She didn’t realize that she no longer needed to get close to me for me to hear her whisper.

Placing a finger to my lips, I paused my pacing. I mouthed,He can hear you,and nodded toward the bedroom door.

Her brows furrowed, and she murmured, “What?” no doubt thinking she was being quiet.

Oh, dear goodness. I touched her arm and gestured toward the bathroom. She and I couldn’t have an open conversation unless we made it difficult for Uther to hear.

She swung her legs off the bed, got tangled up in her long cashmere gown, and tumbled face-first toward the floor. I grabbed her by the waist and yanked her against my body. She landed hard against my chest, but I didn’t stumble back. I still wasn’t used to my dragon strength.

“I told you that gown was a horrible idea.” I snickered as I helped her to her feet.

“Hey, it feels like a feather brushing all over my body.” She untangled her feet and stood. “The clothes are the one nice thing about being here.”

There was no way anyone would catch me in a nightgown. My skin crawled, even in the one pair of flannel pajamas I’d found in the far corner of the closet. Every inch of me, from my neck down, was covered, and I was certain someone had left them there by accident. Every other set of pajamas was some sort of cashmere gown or fancy silk set. I’d even found a piece of unnecessary lingerie. It was sheer, andeverythingshowed.

A shiver racked my body over why it might be in there. If Drake ever tried something physical with me, I’d vomit all over him, and if he touched my sister, I would kill him…or die trying.

Now that Eva was steady, I hurried into the bathroom and turned on the shower. When she followed me in, I shut the door.

“They’re still coming up with a plan,” I whispered louder so she could hear me. “It might be best if you don’t know what it is.” I wanted to protect her as best I could and keeping her in the dark seemed ideal.

She shook her head. “Don’t do that. We’re sisters. Equals. You’ve taken care of me for so long—I want to be part of the plan so I can protect you as well.”

My chest expanded. “Let me connect with Thorn to see if there’s an update.”

Leaning against the glass shower, she crossed her arms and raised a brow.

She wasn’t leaving. There was no point in fighting her. I didn’t want to risk her acting out and alerting the guards that we were up to something.

I connected with Thorn,Any update?

We’re going through our options. We think one of the hidden tunnels leading into the chateau could be our best move, or possibly blending in with the help. They’ll have all entrances and the backyard guarded. The problem with the help is that the warriors will be paying attention to their faces.

The wedding was to take place at noon on the terrace, with the guests sitting in the backyard. That way, the chateau would block me from view on one side, and the guards would be on the other. Broad daylight would make it easy to see everywhere for miles.

My limbs quivered. There was no good option. Drake had everything planned with no wiggle room. The king had said he’d help us, but I hadn’t heard a word from him…not that Thorn trusted him anyway.

A loud knock pounded on the bedroom door, and I stiffened. We couldn’t turn the water off, or it’d look suspicious. I said, “Eva, stay in here. I’ll pretend you’re in the shower.”

She opened her mouth, but I went to the door. As I opened it, I turned back and murmured, “Please. I need you to do this.”

Rolling her eyes, she nodded. I closed the door quietly and hurried to the bedroom door. I inhaled, fearing I’d find Drake’s leather scent, but it was missing.

All I smelled was Uther.

When I opened the door, the guard stood there, wearing an urgent expression. He whispered, “I need you to tell me everything. It’s time.”

CHAPTEREIGHT

Gut tightening,I stepped away from him. “I have no clue what you’re talking about. The wedding isn’t for another twelve hours.”Please, if there is a higher being, don’t let Drake want to have sex tonight,I chanted internally.He’d made it clear that he wanted to wait until after the wedding, so, I assumed, Thorn would be even more desperate to reach me before the deadline.

---