Courting Her Monsters Preview

With Courting Her Monsters only a few weeks away, I’m sharing the first 4 chapters with you! Enjoy this sneak peek of my new world :-*

Chapter 1

The whole floor vibrated beneath my feet. My desk bounced beneath my hands and my glass of water inches from my hand rippled with each stomp of whoever was running down the hall. When the vibration stopped, I let out a breath, returning my eyes to my letter, the quill flipping over and over in between my fingers.

Where was I?

Lady Rosemary wanted me to come to her garden party tomorrow after lunch. My nose wrinkled. While the lady in question wasn’t horrible company, her friends could be difficult to deal with. Many of them purposely do not include me in their conversations. It made me wonder why they even bothered to invite me.

Just as I placed my quill to the paper, the whole table shook violently. My quill slipped leaving a long line of ink off the page. Scowling, I twisted in my seat to glare at the person who had slammed my door shut.

My handmaiden, Aryn, bent at the waist, her hands on her knees and her shoulders coming up and down with each breath she took. I waited for her to catch her breath and took in the pale pallor of her complexion. Something must have happened to cause my usually calm minded handmaiden to come rushing to my room.

Her throat visibly swallowed as she slowly stood at her full five foot three height, her shoulders back and nose going slightly into the air as if that would make up for her abrupt entrance. Her mouth opened as her hands began to move before her.

“Your highness,” she swallowed and licked her lips, “they’re here.” The aggressiveness of her hand movements showed exactly how Aryn felt about our visitors.

I could hardly blame her.

Today was the day I met my betrothed. The man my father deemed I would marry to bring our two kingdoms together. I always knew I’d have to marry for the good of the kingdom. Especially as the sole heir to the King of Kinkos. My father would want me to marry well and that time seemed to be coming quickly upon us.

Pushing my correspondence to the side, I stood from my chair and smoothed my hands down the pale blue of my gown. I applaud myself for having the forethought to wear a receiving gown today rather than my usual day gown. While I wasn’t sure my betrothal’s party would arrive today, I had wanted to be prepared in case they did.

“Let’s get this over with,” I answered with my hands.

Aryn opened the door for me, following alongside me as we moved down the hallway toward the receiving hall. Several servants signed hello and good afternoon to me and I nodded in return, trying my best not to seem nervous for the coming encounter.

When we arrived at the last turn to head downstairs, Aryn placed a hand on my arm, stopping me.

“What is it?” my hand movements more aggressive than I wanted them to be, giving away how turbulent I was feeling inside.

Aryn’s face softened. “Your mother would be so proud of you.”

My eyes welled up at the mention of my mother. She’d died not three years ago from the same sickness that had taken my hearing. Some days I wished it had taken me too. Today was one of those days. “I wish she was here.”

Aryn squeezed my arm with a small smile. “Me too.” She placed a hand to the center of her chest and then made a heart with her fingers placing it to her left breast.

A watery smile covered my face as I returned the sign.

Aryn had been my mother’s handmaiden before she died. When she passed Aryn took it upon herself to watch over me in my mother’s place. She had been who I clung to those first few months of learning to hear all over again. While I still had my voice, learning to hear others by their movements and this strange hand language was another challenge all on its own. Several years later, I found that I could learn far more about what the person was saying from what I wasn’t hearing than from what I could have learned through their words.

I also found out who my real friends were during that time. Those who wanted to stay at my side worked to learn my new way of speaking and hearing while others distanced themselves. Too uncomfortable to be near me any longer. Who needed them anyway?

“Come,” Aryn patted my back, ushering me forward. “Let’s not keep your handsome prince waiting.”

I laughed at the silly face she made at the word prince.

Handsome was far down on the line of desires on my checklist for a husband. While attractiveness is a bonus, there were far more other qualities in my betrothed that I was looking for. Kindness for one. Understanding. Patience. A willingness to listen, not just to the sound of his own voice but to those around him. Even when they aren’t speaking.

I admitted it was wishful thinking on my part. The most I could hope for from the prince of Plumus – a kingdom known for their waterways, sea trades, and aggressive negotiations – was not to dismiss me as stupid for being broken.

Some would say I was lucky that Calahan even considered marrying someone like me. To those I had a vulgar gesture they could shove up their asses. I had thoughts and feelings just the same as before I lost my hearing – if even more so than before.

My fingers trailed along the railing of the stairs, the sweat from my hand slickening the wood beneath my palm. Each step beneath my feet was heavy and I forced myself to take a breath and make my steps as light as a feather. I didn’t want them to think I was uncivilized as well as broken.

The hair on my bare forearms prickled with each step closer to the receiving room. Small vibrations moved through the air toward me. It had been quite an unusual experience to find myself feeling more than hearing people talk. While I may not know what they were saying, I could pick up the timber of their voice and the amount of them by how much the air shifted. I didn’t think that my other senses had enhanced with the loss of one. I tasted everything the same. However, my eyes noticed far more than before and I felt things I would never have noticed had my world not turned to silence.

When we arrived in the room, the speaking stopped and my father turned to me with a wide grin. “Here is my lovely daughter now.” My father moved his hands with the words though he always made sure to speak clearly and slowly so I could read his lips. I appreciated his gestures regardless.

Stepping over to him, I embraced him, placing a kiss to his cheek before greeting him. “Good morning, father.” 

His hands still on my shoulders, my father turned me toward the men waiting patiently before us. His words vibrated against my face as he spoke. My gaze watched Aryn who interpreted the words for me when I could not see the speaker’s mouth. “Cal, this is my daughter, Georgia.”

My eyes shifted over to our visitors. The first man stood straight with his hands behind his back, his shoulders pulled back showing his well defined muscles through the dark red traveling shirt. His pants were beige with a bit of dirt here and there. And yet he didn’t seem bothered by it. Good, someone who didn’t mind getting their hands dirty. I didn’t need any prim and proper prince who would squeal at the slightest fleck of dirt. Once I took in his body, taking note that his feet pointed toward myself and not my father, I allowed my eyes to raise to the face of the man I was to marry.

A strong jawline, covered with dark hair on most of his lower face. His full lips were encircled by hair as well. I didn’t particularly care for facial hair. I could only be thankful he kept his beard trimmed and not scraggly and overgrown as some men did. My gaze lifted to a standard nose and a pair of pale blue eyes, lined with long dark lashes. They were eyes any woman could get lost in. They crinkled at the sides the longer I stared.

My father’s hands squeezed on my shoulders and I realized the man had said something. Dropping my eyes to his mouth, I watched as his mouth formed the words, “I could not be more thrilled to meet you, princess. Or shall I say, wife?”

Giving him a polite smile, I swept into a curtsey. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

I did not lower my gaze as was customary when curtseying so I could see his mouth. Cal might be happy to see me but he made no effort to learn to speak to me easier by learning the hand gestures we all used here. I could have forgiven that had he only just known of me recently. As it were, Cal had known about our betrothal for most of a year and about my condition the whole time. In that time frame, one would think that he would have taken the time to learn at least the rudimentary signs.

“Good, you can speak.” Cal spoke quickly, and I had to slide my eyes over to Cal every few moments to make sure I was understanding him right. “This is my brother, Luis.” He clapped his hand on the shoulder of the man next to him. “I hope you will become as close with him as you and I am sure to be.”

The twinkle in Cal’s eyes at those words made me itch all over. I pushed it aside as jitters and curtsied to the other man. Luis was not as handsome as Cal. However, they had the same coloring and build. His eyes were more green than blue and his hair was a shade darker than Cal’s. His clothing was perfectly pristine. Not at all like his brother.

Inclining his head, Luis held out a hand toward me. Unsure what he wished, I gave him my hand. His hands were smooth and cold, a bit sweaty and I forced myself not to cringe and jerk back my hand. He pressed a kiss to my knuckles. The slight pressure of his lips shouldn’t have made my stomach roll and yet it did. I tried my best to withdraw my hand at a normal pace and not wipe in on the skirt of my gown.

“I hope to become quite close with my new sister.” Luis surprised me by using the hand gestures as well as speaking. Well, at least one of them had made the effort.

Cal threw an arm around his brother’s shoulders and laughed. “Always the overachiever.” Then he turned his face away from me, to whisper something in his brother’s ear that had the other stiffening.

I stepped back from them and into my father’s warm embrace. To my father, I said aloud as well with my hands, “Why don’t we allow our guests to freshen up in their rooms and perhaps have tea in thirty?” I turned the words toward my betrothed and his brother as well, cocking a brow at them.

“A fine idea.” My father beamed at me and waved a hand toward a nearby servant. “Show our guests to their rooms and have the cook prepare something in the receiving room.”

The servant stepped forward to assist as Cal waved him off, his mouth moving quickly.

I squinted at his lips, trying to keep up with his words, catching only every other one and having to put the sentence together myself.

“No need. I’d much prefer my soon to be wife to show me around, would you?”

I stilled at his question, unsure if I should. A glance at my father, told me to do it. I nodded and swept my skirts across the floor, leading the way up the stairs. Aryn began to follow us but Cal stopped her. Pausing on the steps with my hand on the railing, I watched with curious and cautious eyes.

Cal said something to her that I didn’t see and Aryn didn’t interpret for me. However, the look on her face said everything I needed to know. She was not happy with my new betrothed. 

Cal continued up the stairs with Aryn lingering behind with his brother. Confused as to why he would wish her to stay behind, I turned and led him further into my home. We walked side by side for a few moments. A few servants passed up with curious looks, giving me a small bow of their heads on their way by. Some gestured a hello to me and a cautious one to Cal.

My eyes slid over to Cal’s face every few moments, checking to see if he had decided to say something to me. Thankfully, he seemed perfectly happy walking in silence. 

As we rounded a corner that led to the guest wing, Cal grabbed me by the elbow and swung me around until my back was pressed up against the wall of an alcove I liked to hide behind as a girl. 

Not wanting to be rude and disappoint my father, I peered up at Cal with a frown. “Don’t you want to see your room?” I voiced, unable to use my hands as he had them pinned down at my sides.

Cal smirked at me, lifting a hand to my face. He stroked a single finger along my cheek and then across my lips, pressing in enough that the tip scraped my teeth. “I wanted the chance to see what my wife has to offer.”

My brows furrowed at his words. Had to offer? What in the world was he talking about? I was about to say as such when Cal lowered his face to my neck, his nose sliding along the column of it. He breathed in the scent of me as his hands found their way to the swell of my hips. 

My back stiffened.

I was not unfamiliar with the ways of men. We were not some backward country that believed a woman was only worth something if she stayed intact. In fact, I’d had many lovers before I lost my hearing and even more so after. I was sure some of them had to do with the novelty of the idea, being with the princess, but even so, we had all left the encounter satisfied and happy.

Now however, with Cal sniffing me like a dog looking for a good place to piss, I wanted nothing but to have his hands and body as far away from me as possible. 

His mouth moved along my exposed neck and shoulder, the words vibrated against my skin. I didn’t know what he was saying and wasn’t sure I wanted to know with the way his hands were sliding up my sides. I lifted my hands and pushed against his chest, giving him a slight nudge.

“We shouldn’t be in here.” I hoped my words would pull him out of whatever lust filled state he was in and make him come to his senses.

Cal’s hands tightened on my sides almost to the point of hurting and he pressed his body flat against my own, grinding his hips against me so that I could feel how hard he was beneath his pants. He was speaking again. I knew he was and yet he never lifted his face so I could see what he said.

Seeing that I was getting nowhere with my betrothed, I grabbed a fist full of his hair and yanked it hard enough to get his attention. It did not have the desired effect. 

Cal’s lust filled eyes moved over my face and he licked his lips, this time speaking where I could understand him. “Oh, you are a feisty one. I’m going to enjoy breaking you.”

Scowling, I shoved him back. “I may be your betrothed but I am not a whore you can just paw whenever you like. You will treat me with respect. Or I will be sure this marriage never happens.”

Moving to get past him, I contemplated if I should tell my father what happened. I didn’t get far before that hand was grabbing me again. Instead of shoving me against the wall this time, I found myself pressed up against the front of him. Cal twisted my arm behind my back until I bit my lip in pain. His other hand cupped my face, roughly turning it to see his own.

“This marriage will happen whether I fuck you here against the wall or on the table at dinner in front of your father. You know why?” His fingers tightened on my jaw. “Because your father needs me. He needs me so much that he’s selling you off like the prized bitch you are and he’ll let me do whatever I want to you as long as I give him my armies. My money. And you would do well to remember that fact. Without me, your little kingdom would be gone.”

Part of me wished someone would come. That someone would see us and stop him. To my chagrin, I knew no one would. I picked this place to hide for a reason. No one would even know you existed standing here behind a rather large statue of one of my forefathers. Not unless they chose to look behind it, to see what was hidden in the shadows. 

My experience told me I was on my own.

“You are a vile creature,” I spat out, pushing against the hold he had on my arm only to have pain shoot through the joint.

Cal laughed before shoving his mouth against mine. His tongue ravished my mouth, almost making me gag. I bit down until I tasted blood. Cal shoved me away so hard that I hit the stone wall. I grappled for a hold on it, watching with blurry eyes as Cal used his thumb to wipe the blood from his lips. The grin he gave sent chills through my body, the blood coating his teeth and mouth making every word he said more vicious.

“This will be more fun than I thought.”

Chapter 2

I scrubbed my skin with the sponge until it turned red. The water was so hot that it almost scalded the flesh from my skin. It wasn’t hot enough. 

“Stop that.” Aryn grabbed my hands and held them in hers. “You’re hurting yourself.”

I tossed her hands away with a laugh. “I’m hurting myself?” I gestured at my body. I showed her the marks that now marred my once unblemished skin. “I cannot hurt myself more than he has already done. I hate my skin. I hate his touch. I need to…I need to…get it off of me.” 

The wedding was coming closer and closer now. It was hard to imagine it had only been a few weeks since Cal and his vile brother had joined our court. It felt like an eternity. I tried my best to stay away from Cal. To find moments where I could hide away from him. He always found me.

It had become a game to him, to see how far he could push me before I could break and go to my father. I wouldn’t though. I’d never go. He had made it perfectly clear what would happen if I did. I didn’t know how bad it was, how close we were to falling apart. My father had done a good job of hiding it from me.

After my first encounter with Cal I had made it my duty to find out what my father had been keeping from me. I hunted through his study searching for any sign of what Cal had said was true and found ledgers of red, reports from the troops in the east of starvation and attacks from bordering kingdoms to the west. They knew how fragile and weak we were and they were closing in on us.

No wonder my father sought out an alliance with the most brutal of allies.

Cal was right. A marriage between our families would save the kingdom. Save my people. If I could survive that long.

“I do not know why you don’t tell your father,” Aryn shook her head and signed fiercely. “It’s not right. What you let him do to you.” The pity and sadness in her eyes only made me want to throw up.

I threw my sponge down with so much force that it bounced off the edge of the tub. “I can’t. If he knew, then he’d stop the wedding.”

Aryn held out a towel for me. “Isn’t that what you want?”

I swallowed down my answer. More than anything. I never wanted to see Cal’s face again. Never wanted to feel his touch on my skin or that of his brother’s who he let touch me as freely as he liked as long as Cal was there to enjoy it too. His brother, Lu, was the worst of the two. 

While Cal preferred to demean me and make me feel broken and useless, Lu wanted my pain. He liked knives in particular and as long as he didn’t mar my pretty face as Cal put it, he had free reign over my body. The first time I’d felt the kiss of his blade, I thought I would never stop screaming. My throat had turned raw and hurt almost as much as the sharp edge digging into my flesh, carving out pieces of me until there was nothing left but them.

Aryn placed a hand on my arm. “Georgia.”

I gave her a small watery smile. “No. We cannot end the engagement. Not until we figure something else out to save our people.”

“That’s not for you to figure out.” Aryn jerked the curtain separating the tub from the rest of my bathing chamber back. “Your father is king. He needs to know what’s happening to his daughter.”

“Do you think it would make a difference?” I jerked the towel off my body, dropping it to the floor. “If we tell him and he breaks the engagement then we are still at the mercy of the other countries attacking in the west.”

“You don’t even know if that’s true.” Aryn gestured with rapid movements. “What enemies? Who is attacking us? Why don’t we have any more money? These are all questions we need to know the answers to.”

“How exactly am I going to get those answers? No one will tell me anything.” I jerked my dress on over my body, wincing slightly as the material brushed against the newest marks on my skin. The newest reminder that I belonged to Cal and I was helpless to do anything about it.

Or so my betrothed thought.

Aryn was right. I couldn’t just continue to do nothing. I had to find out how deeply in the hole we were and who exactly was attacking us. If my father couldn’t figure out a way to save us, then I would.

“What’s that look about?” Aryn signed quickly, worry growing on her face. “Georgia. What are you planning?”

I stalked over the door and gave her a wry grin, signing with my free hand. “Something unprincess-like.”

Aryn’s confusion covered her face but still she followed after me, not one to be left behind. It was one of the things I loved about her. No matter what mischief I got into she was right there by my side ready to get into it with me.

“Where are we going?” she signed haphazardly as we hurried down the hallway. “It’s already dark. Most will be getting ready for bed now.”

I shook my head. “Maybe my father but not Cal.” I stopped us at a corner and grabbed her hand. “If they are hiding more from me, then now would be the time to hear it.” I snorted and added on with a smirk, “you know what I mean.”

We moved as quiet as mice through the corridors, making sure to stop and hide in the shadows when a guard or servant passed. While I didn’t think they would tell on me, I didn’t want to take the chance. I didn’t want Cal to know I was coming. Or have a chance to hide anything he was keeping from me. Cal found my weakness, my people. I would not go another day without finding out his secret.

Cal’s rooms were far enough away from my own that I could sleep soundly at night knowing there was a castle between us. However, it made it even harder to sneak around when I had to remember where every squeak and nook laid from before I lost my hearing. I waved a hand behind me to Aryn as we paused at the corner of the final corridor.

I wasn’t surprised to find Cal’s bedroom door partly open. No one else was using the guest wing and he’d probably thought he could treat it like his own home. After we were married it was going to be in any case. I swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise in my throat.

Aryn frowned in displeasure, hearing something I didn’t. At the confusion on my face, she signed quietly, “Moans. And slapping flesh.”

I took a moment to consider how that made me feel. While Cal and his brother had done all forms of atrocities on my person the one step they had thankfully not taken was forcing themselves onto me. So did it bother me to know that Cal was getting his pleasure from somewhere else when he was engaged to me? Fuck no. If only because it meant that he would not subject me to the same kind of experiences in our bedroom.

Pushing back the urge to run, I moved closer to the door. I placed my hand on the door frame, feeling the shaking their actions were causing to the walls around them. They must be very active indeed to cause such a disturbance. I only hoped the person was a willing participant and not someone Cal had bullied into his bed. Though, if so they were no friend of mine.

I pressed my face up against the door, peeking into the room through the crack no bigger than my two fingers. I could not see much, the bed just on the edge of my vision where I could see a sliver of a black haired woman’s back, her body moving up and down in quick succession. Next to the bed sat a chair and I didn’t have to guess who the person sitting in it was. I recognized that dark brown hair even from behind. The roll of the shoulders as Cal’s brother, Lu, leaned forward and watched intently as the woman serviced Cal.

I could never quite figure out their relationship. It was disturbing to say the least. They shared everything. All their depravities. Their sick joy in pain that they bestowed on others. 

Watching them now, I felt bad for whatever female allowed them to touch her voluntarily. You could not pay me a million gold to put myself in her position right now. However, since I haven’t ended the engagement I could very well be in that position quite soon. I had to get something on them I could use.

The bed stopped moving, the woman shifted to the side and Cal threw his legs over the bed not bothering to cover up his nakedness. Though I despised my betrothed I took a moment to appreciate his muscular and defined form. If I didn’t know the cruel and evil soul that laid beneath that god-like body I would understand the woman’s eagerness to service him.

My eyes flicked to his lips which began to move, “We’re done. Leave.”

I only had a heart beat to realize what was happening. Aryn grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back, shoving me against the wall and out of the doorframe. The door opened the rest of the way and a half dressed woman scurried out, hurrying out the door and down the hallway so quickly she didn’t notice Aryn and myself holding our breath as we pressed ourselves into the wall.

The door remained open. I didn’t dare move closer to see around the corner for fear of being seen. Now that Cal’s lust had been slackened I didn’t want to chance that his other needs had arisen.

The ground vibrated before growing closer. Aryn pulled me back further down the hallway as the door was pushed closed part way and then strangely it waved back and forth sending air and the distinct scent of sex into the hallway. I glanced back at Aryn with a questioning brow raised.

She rolled her eyes and signed, “Trying to get the smell of that slut out.”

I gaped at her, responding, “That’s not nice.”

Aryn shook her head. “Their words, not mine.” She peered over me toward the door where it had stopped at a slight ajar. “We should go.” She tried to pull me away from the door.

I wiggled out of her grasp and moved back toward the door once more. I gestured vigorously behind me. “I can’t leave until I have something to use. I won’t live my life in fear of them.”

Aryn patted my back encouragingly.

Controlling my breathing so as to not to draw their attention, I moved in close to the crack in the door. Now, Cal at least had pants on his chest still bare while he leaned against the bedpost. His sleaze of a brother had moved to the bed. I didn’t want to think about what he was doing on that bed a few moments ago. The way he laid across it the sheet wrapped around him said more than I wanted to imagine. Lu’s mouth moved and I focused on what he was saying rather than what he was doing. 

“The troops are getting restless.”

Cal glanced over his shoulder at his brother, turning his face away from the door while he spoke. Irritated at my lack of hearing, I tried to figure out what Cal was saying based on what his brother said.

Lu shrugged. “I’m not sure they will agree with you. You’ve been playing with her for too long. Just marry the chit and get it over with. Then we can move along with the plan.”

My brows furrowed at the word, plan. What plan? What does marrying me have to do with it?

Cal still kept his back to the door, gesturing to his brother with an open hand. He was irritated by something. His shoulders were bunched and his neck tight. Though I couldn’t see his mouth he was not happy with what his brother had said.

Lu sat up suddenly, the sheet in his hand as he narrowed his gaze on Cal. “You can not be serious? At least, wait and see if the chit can produce an heir before killing her. And her father might have something to say about that.”

Killing me! Cal planned on killing me? Why? Why bother with this farce of a betrothal if he only planned to kill me in the first place?

Ice slid into my veins and my hands shook. I didn’t dare to look back at Aryn to see what she thought of their words. I had to find out the rest of their plan so I could stop them.

I missed Cal’s response as Lu shook his head and leaned back onto the bed once more. “You are far more generous than I, brother. I would slaughter the lot of them and start anew with our own people. Enslaving them may be good for our coffers but not so much for morale. You’ll have riots within the month.”

Cal said something else, making his brother throw his head back and laugh. “What makes you think the drakes will do your dirty work for you? They hate us more than they hate the rest of the humans. I highly doubt their monster of a king will let you blame your culling on him.”

The prince pulled his knife from his boot and slashed the air, mimicking a fight. I tried not to focus on the knife, the same knife that had cut into me not so long ago, and focus on what was being said.

“An excuse to get rid of the drakes or no, you have your hands full. I suggest you get started sooner rather than later.” Lu’s eyes gleamed and a small cruel smile curled his lips. “However, if you have no plans on fucking your betrothed then I would love a taste of her. Before you kill her, I mean.”

A hand dragged me back into the hallway before I could see Cal’s response. Aryn spun me around, her eyes wide and fearful and quickly signed for us to leave. I nodded in reply and hurried away from Cal’s bedroom.

It wasn’t until we arrived back at my room, the door slammed shut behind us that I realized I was shaking. Fear welled up in me, clogging my throat and other senses. I hadn’t felt this helpless and vulnerable since my mother passed away. When I had my little sessions with Cal and Lu that came close, but nothing like this. I felt as if my very skin might vibrate off my body from how much I was shaking.

“Oh, Georgia,” Aryn signed to me with tears in her eyes. “What are we going to do?”

I chewed on the end of my thumb, crossing one arm under the other to prop it up as I thought.

What were we going to do? I could go to my father and tell him what we found out. The problem being, would he believe me? Also, Cal could come up with some excuse saying I misunderstood them. Or move his plan up and kill my father and marry me anyway.

Then there was the fact that the people would still suffer. I was doing all of this for them. All the pain and scars the last few months had been for them. Now it seemed completely meaningless, if Cal was just going to kill them too. Or worse enslave them.

Fuck. What am I going to do?

My heart thudded rapidly in my chest as it all came down on me. What could I do? Nothing. I was just one person and not even a full one at that. I couldn’t save myself let alone my kingdom. How am I going to figure this out without getting everyone dead in the process?

Aryn gestured to me. “Can you believe the gall of that bastard to blame his actions on the drakes? They have enough of a bad reputation without being that ass’s patsy. Why, if I was the drakes, I would fry his ass and put him on a pike.”

My heart stopped. The drakes!

That was it. That was how I was going to save my kingdom. A smile curled up my face and I let out a laugh, grabbing Aryn’s hands with mine.

Aryn gave me a strange look before releasing my hand to cup my face. “Are you okay? I know this is a lot of information but we will figure this out. I won’t let them hurt you. I promise.”

I shook my head and grinned down at her. Gesturing quickly, I said, “Don’t you see? That’s the answer to our problem.”

“What is?” Aryn signed back.

“The drakes.”

Chapter 3

 The cool night air pushed against me, finding every place my cloak did not cover. Why did I think this was a good idea again? Oh, right. It was better than what awaited me at home. The handsome face of my betrothed flashed through my face and I forced the bile down before it surfaced.

Shivering, I focused on the trees of the forest around us rather than the biting cold. Normally this time of year the air would be crisp but for some reason the gods deemed to test me by making the night I chose to run away to be the one night the temperature would drop. I could even see my breath before me and the frost on the leaves of the trees.

Aryn waved a hand at me, drawing my attention from the trees. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Her face was pinched with worry and she shifted so much on her horse that the poor beast shook its head with annoyance.

I patted my own mare to reassure her that everything was alright as I signed, “Yes, Aryn for the last time. I’m sure. There’s no other way. We have to stop the marriage.”

Aryn pulled her lower lip between her teeth and worried it so hard I worried she’d bite through the thing. “But what can the drakes do? They’re just as bad as Cal if not worse. Aren’t you worried they will kill you on sight?”

I snorted, adjusting my skirts around my legs to keep out the cold. “I have to try. I can’t just sit by and do nothing. Then my life and my people’s lives would be forfeit all for those smarmy brothers.”

Aryn shoulders bunched up and dropped in a huff as she signed quickly in the pale moon light. “Maybe you should just tell your father? He could figure this out. It shouldn’t be on your shoulders.”

I tugged on my reins to slow up my mare so I could sign back. “Suppose he believes me? What would he do? We have no money, our army is nothing compared to Cal’s. We need help, Aryn.”

“And you think you can convince the drakes to help?”

I didn’t answer her. I didn’t know. I could only hold my breath and pray to whatever gods were listening that I was doing the right thing and they would help me through it.

“Georgia,” Aryn brought her horse to a stop, her hand outstretched to me. “Are you alright?”

I repressed a shudder, brushing my face against the side of my cloak. No. I wasn’t. I couldn’t tell her that though then she’d prod further into what Cal and his nasty brother had done to me. Aryn had seen the scars. Had cared for the wounds but she didn’t know how deep it went and how far into my very being they had ingrained themselves. I had to destroy them, the way they tried to destroy me.

“This has to work.” My hands stung from the cold and I wished I’d had the forethought to bring my gloves with me. I signed quicker so I could bury my hands into my cloak once more. “The drakes will think I’m a helpless princess taking a night ride and think they have found themselves something rewarding. With any luck they take me to their king and I can plead our case.”

Aryn shook her head, her auburn hair coming out from beneath her hood. “I don’t think anyone has ever called you helpless. And you are putting a lot of faith into this plan. What if the drakes don’t believe you? What if this is a big mistake?” Aryn gripped her throat with a horrified expression. “What if they choose to send back your head as a message instead?”

Patience wearing thin, I pulled my horse to a stand still and turned to Aryn. “And what if the sky falls down and kills us all? Really Aryn, if you don’t take any chances how can you say you’ve really lived?”

“I take chances.” Aryn pointed her nose in the air. “I’m taking a chance right now coming with you when I could be curled up in my bed right now instead of freezing my bottom off making sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

I rolled my eyes. “No one said you had to come. Like you said, I can take care of myself.”

“And yet,” Aryn jumped in waving a hand in my direction. “Here you are in the middle of Grebe Forest with no provisions and in nothing but your night dress. You should have taken more time to think this through.”

My lips turned down at the sides. “And give Cal time to move forward with his plan?”

“You don’t know that. He wasn’t going to do anything until you got married. You had time.”

“No, I didn’t. Also, if I had changed or brought provisions then it would look a bit odd when they caught me, wouldn’t it? Like I was purposely running away rather than being reckless?” The last thing I needed was to be killed on sight or worse sent back to the palace. I had to get the drake king to listen to me. For more than just my sake.

Aryn closed her eyes for a moment taking a deep breath in and then out before she turned back to me. “Fine. Let’s just get this over with.”

I grinned broadly. “That’s more like it!” I signed to her before flicking my reins and calling out, “hiyah!” My horse shot through the forest at a galloping sprint. The wind blew through my midnight black hair. I closed my eyes and let myself fall into the feeling. The feeling of being free.

Ever since my father had announced my engagement to Cal it felt as if a noose had gone around my neck. Then every day since, the noose grew tighter and tighter until I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t breath, I was suffocating under the pending nuptials and Cal’s cruel treatment of me.

Along with what I had overhead, today was the final knot in my noose.

Usually Cal did not go so far as to cut me up. However, with his brother Lu there to egg him on, Cal had taken delight into carving my skin up, marking me permanently with his touch. I could still feel his breath on my face as he hovered over my body, seeing his mouth move through the tears burning in my eyes.

“Now everyone will know you are mine,” Cal murmured as he carved his name into my skin while his brother held me down, his sweaty hand over my mouth so I couldn’t scream.

My hand released the rein and reached up to touch my side. I stopped myself before I made contact, pushing back the angry tears. I would not be defined by my scars. I was stronger than that and I would prove it to Cal, Lu, and my father. Once and for all.

“How much further do you think?” Aryn questioned as we came to the edge of Grebe forest. So far we hadn’t encountered anyone. Especially, not the drake guards we’d been warned that supposedly frequented the forest.

My brows furrowed as I searched the area, my hands tightening on the reins as I slowed us down to a trot so I could sign. “We should have found someone by now. Do you think we should go further? Or walk the length of the forest again?”

I twisted in my saddle to look at her.

Aryn sat on her horse as still as a statue, the sharp edge of a long spear at her throat held by a large cloaked figure. Eyes wide, she tried to say something to me with her eyes. I tried to figure out what she was trying to tell me before a sharp pain sprang up in the back of my head and then everything went dark. 

A vicious jostling awoke me. It took me a moment to figure out where I was. My face pressed against the side of my horse, and the ground above my head. I shifted and tried to move my hands. I couldn’t. Hands and feet bound, I found myself thrown over the side of my horse. A sharp smack to my back made me stop moving. I blinked into the dim light and twisted my head sideways, searching for the face of my captor.

They say the drakes were descended from dragons. A once proud race that flew across the world claiming land and riches for their own. Then they met humans. The humans hunted them to the ends of the world, killing their young, stealing their horde, until the few dragons that were left were desperate to survive.

Calling on their magics, they took the form of humans and gave up their love for the sky so they could blend in and no longer be hunted. Which would have worked well had they not decided to go one step further and not only live as humans but mate with them as well. The result of those couplings was a surprise to all, especially the human parts. For though the dragons could hide their true selves with magic, they could not change the basic parts of them and so those parts came out in other ways.

Their children.

I’d never seen a drake. Never had the urge to seek them out. There were books though. Books that depicted multi-hued skin covered in scales, horns protruding from their heads, and tails so long and thick that they could be used as a mighty weapon against their enemies. 

The creatures holding me captive were all those things and more. While yes, he, I assumed it was a he for the lack of breasts where his muscular chest was exposed, had an odd brown green coloring, more along the lines of a reptile than any human being, he also had a humanoid face. His jawline and nose were just as a human male’s would be, straight and protruding with two openings in the nostrils. His mouth which replaced what I would have thought would be a muzzle, ready to clamp down on unsuspecting prey.

The first hint of anything inhuman on his face was the eyes. Golden orbs with a slit pupil focused straight ahead unaware of my staring. My gaze slid over the horns that came out of his head on either side and the dark brown hair that covered his scalp, falling along the side of his face and fastening into a braid.

Metal and stone plates lined his arms and upper body, leaving his chest to waist bare. A thick muscular thigh sat inches from my face bare except for the braces on his knee and shins, boots hid his feet from me leaving me to wonder if they were clawed like their ancestors. 

My pulse raced and my mind whirled as I tried to think of a way out of this situation. I almost laughed out loud but caught myself. 

This had been the plan after all. Wander the woods until the drakes find me, get captured, be demanded to be brought before their king, and then beg him to help save both our people. Now, here I was slung over my own horse wanting nothing more than a way from this.

What the hell was I thinking? I couldn’t do this. These were obviously hard worn warriors who would likely kill me as soon as they got me back to their camp. Why would they listen to me? A princess and a nearly broken one at that. 

No. Get it together, Georgia. You will not let Cal take the last part of you away. You are stronger than that. Stronger than this. Besides, what’s so scary about this drake? He’s handsome in an unhuman way, if one could overlook my flaws there was no reason I wouldn’t be able to do the same.

A large thick object swung out from behind the drake and spikes came dangerously close to my face. A sound escaped my throat drawing the attention of my captor.

I stilled and drew away from what I now saw was his tail. At least that bit was true. 

The drake poked at me and his lips moved, “Quiet female, or you will spook the horse.”

For a moment I contemplated not answering him. I had never seen my disability as a weakness. Never needed to. In the palace, everyone bent over backward to learn how to communicate with me and tried their best to make me feel normal. It wasn’t until Cal showed up that I felt anything other than that. And now facing a new obstacle, I realized I wasn’t so sure them knowing about my disadvantage was a good thing.

I’d have to fake it. Pretend that I knew what they were saying by reading their lips and body language. I just hoped that I didn’t get found out before I got what I wanted.

“Where are we going?” The words felt foreign on my tongue. I didn’t speak often. Though, I should since people like Cal have entered my life. I didn’t want it used against me the way he did. I wouldn’t be at the mercy of anyone again.

The drake threw his head back, his laughter shaking the horse beneath me. He turned his head toward something behind me and I could barely make out his lips moving. “Where are we going she asks? The female is too stupid to be scared.”

I assumed there was another drake on Aryn’s horse with my handmaiden thrown over the way I had been so graciously done. I wished I was turned the other way so at least I could see her and make sure that she is alright. 

“Where’s my friend?” I tried again, clearing my throat. “I am not a sack of potatoes.”

The drake smacked me on the backside and laughed again. This time speaking directly to me rather than his friend. “You should worry more about yourself than your friend. When we get to the Clan you will see why the drakes are feared. We do not take trespassers in our woods lightly.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to argue back that this was not their woods, it belonged to my father. I didn’t think it was wise to let them know who I was right away. I wanted to see the king and if I let this lowly drake know what a prized possession he had in his hands then he might choose to use me on his own then I would be back where I started. At the mercy of Cal.

The horses continued for so long that I eventually dozed off. I didn’t know how I could sleep at a time like this. My position wasn’t the most comfortable. Perhaps it was exhaustion from all the excitement and horror of the day. Cal’s latest abuse, finding out about my impending death, and now being captured by the drakes. It was bound to catch up to me eventually.

I didn’t know how long it was before I woke with a start. The horse had come to a stop. My captor’s seat was no longer filled and yet I was still bound and on the horse. Searching the area before me, all I could see was hay and dirt covered ground. I tried to twist around in the saddle to see further into the covered area that I was beginning to suspect was a stable and shifted just a bit too much. My body careened over the side, head first for the ground. I put my bound hands over my face. I landed with a hard bounce. 

Groaning, I laid on my side for a moment, trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of me. When no one came running at my fall, I took the time to wiggle around on the ground until I was sitting up on my knees. Huffing at the exertion, I cursed the drake for binding my hands and feet. Where did he think I was going to go? They caught us easily enough, they could do it again.

Scanning my surroundings, I saw that it was indeed a stable. Several other horses sat in their stalls, happy as can be though they were in the camp of monsters. I didn’t see any drakes around or Aryn. Using my feet to scooch myself to turn in place, I peered under my horse searching for Aryn’s horse. When I saw the horse, I almost crawled under mine just to get to it but quickly made myself worm around her to get to the other side, my dress had to be ruined by now from all the crawling in the dirt and hay but I didn’t care. I only wanted to be sure Aryn was alright.

Aryn’s mop of red hair hung over the side of her horse, not moving. Panic set in. I pushed myself to my knees, and shook her shoulder, saying her name aloud, “Aryn. Aryn. Wake up.”

She moved slightly and turned her face toward me, breathing heavily in my face. I grimaced. Shoving her with my bound hands, I scowled. Wake up, already. We had to figure out what we were going to do before the drakes got back. Aryn simply shifted and continued to sleep.

Fuck. I sank back to my knees and glanced around the stable. There had to be something I could use…ah! I crawled across the ground on my knees until I came to an ax. My eyes darted around the room continuously searching for anyone coming while I sawed away at the bindings on my hands. With a breath of relief, I broke the ropes and then worked on the ones on my legs. Once I was free, I hurried over to Aryn.

This time I did not try to gently wake her. I slapped Aryn across the face so hard that she jolted and jerked in place, falling off the horse in the same manner I had. I tried to grab her to soften her fall but it didn’t work out very well. Aryn landed hard and I rushed to her side. Gesturing, I’m sorry over and over again. 

Aryn sat up awkwardly, her eyes darting from side to side. When they landed on me, she grabbed at me only to notice she was bound. I held up my hand for her to hold on and went to grab the ax. Rushing back to her side, I worked on her bindings as quickly as possible without hurting her. Her hands finally free, Aryn signed frantically, “Where are we?”

I shook my head and paused to sign back. “Stables.”

“What’s going on? Where are the drakes?” Her hand movements were so fast and sloppy that I had a hard time understanding her. 

Grabbing her hands, I locked my eyes with her and said, “We have to get out of here.”

Her mouth moved slowly so I could understand. “What about the king? The plan?”

I dropped my eyes and pulled her to her feet before signing, “Forget about it. We’ll find another way. This was a rash and impulsive idea. There’s no way they will believe us. I hardly believe us.”

Moving to my horse, Aryn grabbed me and jerked me back around. “You will not give up. You can do this. It is a good plan. If anyone can convince the drake king to help, it is you.” She gestured at my body with a sad look. “You have the scars to prove it.”

I tried not to flinch at her words. She was right. I was strong enough to do this. I had to do this. For my people. For my father. And most importantly for me.

Chapter 4

“Someone is coming,” Aryn told me and grabbed me by the shoulders. “What do we do?”

Instead of signing, I said out loud in a hurried whisper, “Do not sign. Don’t let them know I can’t hear. Try to angle yourself so I can read your lips if need be.”

“Won’t they suspect something?” She mouthed instead of signing.

I shook my head. “Say you speak for me or something. Make them think I’m some prissy princess who can’t be bothered to respond back to those who aren’t worth her time.”

Before Aryn could say anything else to me, her gaze shot behind me. “Get away from us.” She shoved me behind her and shifted so that I could see her face. “I demand that you let us leave right now. Don’t you know who we are?”

The drake that had been on my horse entered with another one of the same physical traits except his skin or scales – I couldn’t tell which was more prominent – were more of a deep red. He had the same yellow slit eyes as the first one and he too wore armor that kept his chest bare and only a loin cloth covered his genitals. At least, I assumed they had them. Did dragons have cocks? They laid eggs, didn’t they? I wasn’t sure and at the moment, all my lessons were scrambled in my brain while I tried to manage the situation at hand.

“You will see the king and you can tell him all about who you are,” the drake laughed and stalked toward us. 

Aryn pushed back against me, trying to put herself between me and the drake. I wasn’t about to have that. I grabbed the ax and bared my teeth at him, daring the drake to come get us.

The drake took one look at me and my ax and smirked. Before I could move my arms to swing, he grabbed the ax out of my hands and threw it across the room where it stuck in the stone of the wall. Eyes wide, my heart ratchet up a notch and I asked myself again why I thought this was a good idea.

Large hands with sharp claws wrapped around the back of my neck, jerking me forward until I was a hair’s breadth from the drake. I tried to read his lips as he spoke, his breath against my face but my eyes kept locking on those slitted eyes and the large horns protruding from his head and I completely missed what he said.

When I didn’t respond, the drake sneered and shoved me forward. Aryn hurried after me, clasping onto my arm. Her fingers tightened on my arm and I winced. I whispered to her, “What did he say?”

Aryn shook her head and mouthed, “Just threatening you.” She paused for a moment, her mouth pinching together. “He thinks you are dumb in the head.”

I bobbed my head and muttered, “Good.”

I wanted them to underestimate me. People had underestimated me my whole life and once I lost my hearing it was even worse. I have learned to use that to my advantage. You could get away with all kinds of things when they don’t expect it to come from you.

The drake shoved at my back and I stumbled, glaring over my shoulder at him.

He scowled and his lips formed the word, “Move.”

Resisting the urge to shoot him a rude gesture, I continued to play the dumb princess with not enough sense to stay alive. Though sadly I was beginning to think that wasn’t much further from the truth.

We were ushered down a long hallway of stone and it took me a few moments to realize we had to be underneath Mount Boyon. There was no other mountain close to the forest and no one had ever been able to figure out where the drakes lived and now I knew. Which only made my stomach sink further. They would not bring us here unless they didn’t intend for us to ever leave.

I squeezed Aryn’s hand tightly and swallowed. I could do this. I had to do this. For myself and my people. I had faced worse. I could face the drakes.

I lost track of how many turns we took, my heart thudding so hard against my chest it was hard to pay attention to anything else.

We passed drakes on the way through, each of them ranging in different colors and sizes. I had yet to see one that could be considered female and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one. Either way, I couldn’t remove this feeling of dread from my throat. It sat there clogging my breath so that they came out in hard forced pants.

Aryn slid a hand around my shoulders and rubbed her palm up and down my back.

Looking at her, I realized I had to get it together. Aryn had come for me. I couldn’t be the one who broke apart now. Forcing a weak smile, I inhaled deeply telling myself to just breathe. I just had to convince the king of the drakes that it would be beneficial for him to help me. That’s all. It wasn’t that hard. We both needed something. Why not help each other out? Yes, that was it. I could do this.

We entered a large chamber filled with drakes on either side of a walkway. All eyes turned to us. My feet slowed beneath me and the drake behind me pushed me forward, making me stumble and half fall to the ground. Aryn caught me by the arm she was holding, keeping me from completely collapsing on the ground. I glared down at the dirt floor, my palms burning from impact. 

Slowly, I lifted my head and saw the jeering faces of the drakes. They pointed and grabbed at their genitals, making it quite clear what they wanted to do to us. Swallowing down the bile in my throat, I climbed back to my feet. 

Aryn gripped my arm and mouthed if I was alright.

I nodded and proceeded forward. My eyes locked onto the front of the chamber. A large stone and bone structure sat at the front of the room and it took me a moment to realize that it was a throne. 

This must be where the drake king lorded over his people.

The throne was empty right now but I had no doubt that it wouldn’t be for long.

The drake leading us grabbed me by the shoulder once we arrived at the front of the room where the drakes had kept a good distance from the throne as if they too feared it. The drake’s hand on my shoulder pushed down and I sneered over my shoulder at him.

“Kneel,” his lips commanded.

“I will not.” I spat back. I would not lower myself to a monster I had not even met yet. By the gods I was a princess, not some lowly peon.

When I didn’t move, the drake kicked the back of my knee, causing it to buckle and I fell to my knees hard enough that my teeth jarred in my head. Aryn lowered to her knees without being forced and in hindsight I probably should have waited to use my voice for something more important than kneeling. They didn’t know who I was or what I wanted, just that they had found me in their woods. I was a trespasser and in most kingdoms that was punishable by death. I was lucky to still be alive.

We waited on our knees for what felt like hours. My eyes scanned the room, searching for any sign of this supposed drake king. The other drakes talked amongst themselves, every once in a while glancing our way and giving vulgar gestures. Some didn’t even bother to keep their thoughts in their heads, their mouths moving as they licked their sharp fangs with their long split tongue, saying everything they wanted to do to us.

A shudder ran through me and I forced my face forward, unable to bear seeing anymore. 

After a few moments, the air stilled and everyone turned to the front. Tremors rattled the ground beneath my knees and my gaze jerked to the open stone entry to the left of the throne at the backside of the room. Two drakes came out of the entrance first, both of them a golden yellow with dark red hair. They wore matching colored gray and white armor, though one carried a curved sword and the other a long two sided battle ax that crossed over the length of his back. Their tails swished from one side to the other as they entered, almost as menacing as they were with a spiked ring looping around the end of them.

The two drakes stopped on either side of the throne, their eyes, a liquid golden green, scanned the crowd before falling onto Aryn and me. Curiosity filled the eyes of one while distrust in the other. I paid their looks no mind, they didn’t matter anyway. Only the drake king. He was who I had to win over.

I didn’t have long to wait now, for the drake king prowled through the doorway seconds later. Larger than most of the drakes we had encountered so far, his skin was the same golden hue as the first two drakes except his hair was a brighter colored red which he wore shaved on the sides and long on top, poofing up between the two off white horns on his head. Each horn had a metal ring wrapped around the base of it that matched the same one that he had on the end of his tail. The other drakes did not have this accessory, only the king and the two drakes before us. Did it have a special meaning?

The drake king held no weapon. He didn’t need it. His mere presence was enough of a threat. He kept his chest bare with leather straps criss crossing over it to hold the metal and stone plates on his shoulders. Bracers decorated each of his forearms and shins as well as plates on his knees. Did he wear them all the time? It couldn’t be comfortable. And here I thought corsets were the worst thing I could be forced to wear.

Against my better judgment, my eyes moved along the length of the drake king’s body, taking in the muscular thighs barely hidden by the burlap colored cloth covering his genitals. He had muscles in every place you could see and that was pretty much everywhere. I swallowed the thump that had formed in my throat. This was not a creature to trifle with and here I was trying to trick him into helping me.

My gaze slid up the drake king’s body and locked with his eyes. Those yellow green slitted eyes narrowed on me, his thin mouth twisting to the side with displeasure. He slid into his throne, his tail sliding to one side to accommodate him. Then his mouth moved.

“What is this?”

I couldn’t see the drake behind me so it was impossible to tell what he said in return but I could guess. He was likely telling him what had happened and where he had found us.

The drake king turned his attention back to Aryn and me. “What were you doing in Grebe Forest?”

I let Aryn answer for me, better to start making them believe the lie we were selling now. I watched her out of the corner of my eyes as she responded to the drake king.

“We were taking a nightly ride, is that a crime amongst you beast?”

My lips twitched at her words. I forced it down, making my face into the penchant of boredom.

The drake king glanced from Aryn to me and leaned forward in his throne, his elbows on his knees. “And do you regularly ride in your nightgowns?”

I could feel the eyes of the drakes on my skin, the thin material of my nightgown clung to me from sweat and fear. I had no doubt it did little to hide my body from their leering eyes.

Aryn shrugged next to me. “My charge does what she likes.”

“And does your charge not speak?” The way his eyes focused on me as his mouth moved was almost enough for me to break character and stand up for myself but I held back.

“When someone is worth speaking to.”

I could almost feel the air suck out of the room from the startled looks on the drakes’ faces around the room. Once more I had to tamper down my urge to smile. Apparently, no one dared speak to their king in such a manner. However, I was beyond letting pompous assholes walk all over me. It was my turn to fight back.

To my surprise, the drake king didn’t lash out at Aryn’s words. He skimmed over the two of us, his face was harder to read than others. Most people had a hard time keeping their thoughts off their face. Not him. He could very well be contemplating his next meal as planning our deaths for all I could tell.

His next words though, caused a surprised gasp from me. 

“What would you give me to spare your lives?” His clawed finger skimmed over his lip, his gaze focusing on me and not Aryn. It seemed he had already decided what he wanted and simply wanted us to offer it to him.

“Why would we offer you anything?” Aryn retorted very much playing the warrior though I knew for a fact she was close to wetting herself. No one could bullshit as well as Aryn could, I’d learned from the best after all. “It was a simple misunderstanding. Return us to which you found us and we will keep our silence.”

The drake king stared at her for a long moment before sliding those beryl colored eyes toward me. Our gazes locked and I couldn’t pull away. It was as if something were prickling at my head, trying to get inside. A kind of warmth spread over my body and I licked my lips, his eyes dipped down to that movement.

Aryn squeezed my hand, breaking whatever spell held me in the drake king’s gaze. “Well? Will you leave us to return home with none the wiser and no blood to be shed?”

The drake king answered with his eyes never leaving my face. “No.”

Before Aryn could answer, I turned to her, placing my face near her ear so that no one else could hear. The words I whispered into her ears caused Aryn to still, her back going rigid and her eyes wide. She stared at me as I moved away from her. “Are you sure?” her eyes said even though her mouth did not move. 

I bobbed my head once, before turning my attention back to the drake king.

I didn’t watch Aryn as she portrayed my words. I kept my gaze on the drake king. 

How would he react when Aryn offered me to him? Would he be delighted? Disgusted? Neutral? I found myself wanting to cause a rise out of this otherwise unyielding creature.

To my utter disappointment, the drake king did not react more than the slight narrowing of his eyes. “Very well.” He stood from his throne and stalked out of the room. 

The other two drakes near the throne moved toward us. I angled away from them as the first one grabbed me by the arm and jerked me to my feet. The other one grabbed Aryn in the same manner and led her back toward the way we came.

I twisted in the drake’s hands, trying to see where they were taking her. Aryn’s eyes filled with panic and her mouth moved quickly, “Don’t…stay….” I frowned at her words. What was she trying to say?

I wasn’t able to stand there and contemplate them. The drake holding onto me began to pull me toward the direction the drake king had gone. I didn’t fight him. There was no point. I’d offered myself to the drake king and now I had to follow through with it.

The drake leading me squeezed my arm and stopped in the narrow hallway. It was then I realized he had said something to me. I watched his face as his mouth moved again. One of his eyes focused on me while the other stared at nothing, the coloring a milky yellow, a set of claw marks scored across his eye, starting at the hairline and ending at the edge of his perfectly shaped bow lips.

“Don’t make him angry.”

I snorted. 

This made the drake’s brows shoot up in surprise. “You are either brave or extremely stupid.”

I scowled at him.

The drake smirked. “I’m betting on stupid.” Before pushing me toward an open doorway and into the drake king’s bedroom.

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