The Dragon's Treasure, Part 3 (For Love of Dragons) (6 page)

He smiled gently at her.
“Of course.
Let me go let a guard know to get him.”

“Thank you.”

He nodded and then left the room. A few moments later he returned to her side, helped her step gingerly out of the bath and then
wrap
a long robe around herself. By the time
Kylin
came in she was sitting on the bed with a cup of warm tea in her hand.

“Hello
Kylin
,” she greeted the elderly man.

“Good evening my dear. Would you like Faolan to leave the room while I examine you?” he began to shoo Faolan away towards the door as the young man glared at him and remained seated nearby.

“No, that won’t be necessary. I would like him to stay,” Isabelle said with a small smile to Faolan, which he quickly returned.

With a scowl at the prince
Kylin
turned back to her.
“Very well then.
I understand you went to see your brother Andrew tonight?”

“Yes,” Isabelle replied shortly.

“And he gave you these injuries in a fight then?”

Isabelle looked down at her wrists, the purple circles clearly visible against her pale skin. “It wasn’t exactly a fight.”

Kylin
blanched at her words. Beside them Faolan leaned forward slightly. He had not been able to clearly see them before. “Oh, I see,”
Kylin
told her.

Isabelle's gaze went to Faolan. “The dragon… he saved me… before…”

Kylin
and Faolan exchanged a look, ending with the older man nodding quickly.
“Very good.
You will have to give him a special treat
,
Faolan.”

“It has already been done,” he replied, his voice almost too soft to hear.

“I see. Well then, will you remove the robe so that I can get a look at your injuries please?”
Kylin
asked.

Isabelle nodded slowly and rose from the bed. While keeping her eyes on the floor she quickly untied the loose knot on her robe, letting the thick fabric fall to the floor around her ankles. Across the room she heard Faolan hiss loudly and felt even worse than she had before. She looked down at the purple blotches forming over her pale skin, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Well my dear, from what I can see the dragon was able to save you from being badly injured. Your bruises will be sore for a while and your face will probably stay swollen for a few days. But I will leave a salve with you to rub into your skin whenever you feel pain. It should help with the swelling as well,”
Kylin
told her.

Very quietly and while still keeping her eyes to the floor, Isabelle said, “Thank you. Do you think… is the baby alright?”

Instead of answering her,
Kylin
turned to Faolan. “Come here please,” he told him.

He slowly stood up, his eyes never leaving Isabelle's nude form. He walked quietly toward them, only at the last moment taking his eyes from his wife and pinning them on
Kylin
. “Yes?” he gruffly asked him.

Ignoring the younger man's attitude,
Kylin
said, “I want you to place your hand just above her stomach and focus on the life growing inside of her. I should have shown you two how to do this before but I thought the nature of your relationship meant that you two didn’t feel much affection for each other. Seeing you here together tonight, I know that I was wrong. Go ahead now, try it.”

Faolan raised an eyebrow skeptically but nodded anyway. He slowly put his hand over Isabelle's lower stomach, concentrating on the small mound there. Suddenly her stomach began to glow with a bright white light, startling Faolan and causing him to yank his hand away.

“What was that? Isabelle, did you see that?” he asked her with wide eyes.

Isabelle nodded, her chin trembling as she struggled to keep her tears from falling.

“It was our baby,” he whispered the obvious, happy to say it aloud. Faolan forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat and turned back to
Kylin
. “Thank you. Is it alright?”

“He’s fine.”

Isabelle's eyes turned to his wrinkled ones. “He?” she asked cautiously.

“We’re having a boy?” Faolan asked.

“You are having a son.”

Faolan smiled widely, his dark eyes glowing as his eyes again dropped to her stomach. “A son…” he whispered, the awe thick in his voice.

To be continued in the next installment of
The Dragon’s Treasure
.

About the Author

Caitlin was fortunate growing up to be surrounded by family and teachers that encouraged her love of reading. She has always been a voracious reader and that love of the written word easily morphed into a passion for writing. If she isn't writing, she can usually be found studying as she works toward her counseling degree. She comes from a military family and the men and women of the armed forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys gardening and horseback riding in the Colorado Rockies where she calls home with her wonderful fiancé, their dog and Blue Tongue Skink.
Her belief that there is no one true path to happily ever after runs deeply through all of her stories.

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Also by Caitlin Ricci

Marked by Grief

All or Nothing

Taming the Lion Tamer

Simon Says

First Kiss

Pine Hollow Wolves Series

Almost Paradise

For Love of Dragons Series

The Dragon’s Treasure

Heart of Darkness
Series

The Little Crow