Dragon Fae (The World of Fae) (16 page)

“I’m…Duchess Ena,” she said. “The queen said she would release the two human prisoners to me.”

The guard frowned.
Please don’t give me trouble over this. I’ve already had a night and a half.

“Of course, my lady, but we expected you would take them with you under guard. They are dangerous fae killers.” The guard looked over her gown.

Yes, she didn’t look like a deadly dragon shifter, right about now. She looked like a fae princess.

“I’ll be fine. Do you need to accompany me?”

“No, the guard downstairs will release them for you.”

“Thank you.” She hurried down the steps, well, as fast as she could manage in a long gown without falling on her face. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, a guard straightened. “I need to leave now. I’ll take the prisoners with me.”

“Alone, my lady? Without guards?”

“Yes, yes, I’m a dangerous dragon shifter.”

He looked at her gown.

She would never impress anyone that she was a deadly advisory if she wore emerald green dresses. Best to stick to black trewes and tunics.

He walked with her to the back of the dungeon where the two boys were sitting in separate cells. They both stared at her, both looking a little apprehensive. She figured that was because the queen had ordered them beaten until they gave up the location where they were keeping Alicia. So they knew that a woman’s arrival didn’t necessarily mean that she was going to use a soft touch.

“The guard will release you into my care,” Ena said simply. “Don’t test my resolve. The last man who did is a pile of ashes on the floor of the basement where you had manacled Princess Alicia.”

One of the boys was limping, the other favoring his arm, both were badly bruised.

When she had walked with them up the narrow steps to the landing of the common’s area, they could hear the music and gaiety in the great hall.

“Where are you taking us?” the one boy asked.

“What’s your name?”

“Bryan.”

“I’m taking you home, Bryan. The queen has given you both to me as she wishes no part of you any longer. Returning you to the human world would normally not be an option, but I can’t care for you, so I’m taking you both home.”

“What about Brett?” the other boy asked.

“He’s safe. I’ve been caring for him. But I will be returning him home as well.” She felt badly about that. He probably would be happy about returning home, but now she’d outfitted him in fae clothes, and he didn’t even have his own to wear.

She didn’t care for the conspiratorial looks the boys gave each other. But she knew they had no ability to hurt her and though she said she was taking them home, she wasn’t taking them to their actual homes. They’d have to find their own way there. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about running into more of their kind.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“When are you bringing Brett home?” Bryan asked.

Again a look passed between the boys. She suspected they thought to capture her when she returned with Brett. She smiled sweetly. “Right away.”

And she would, as soon as she got rid of these two. Then? She had to, well, somehow pack up her gold and leave. If she could take her staff with her, she would, but she knew they wouldn’t want to leave their own people behind, either. But she had to have her gold to be able to start over again. A dragon shifter without their pile of treasure was worse than nobody. Even if she did have the title of duchess now.

When she alighted at the Renaissance faire in Waxahachie, the boys both looked around and Bryan said, “Where are we? This isn’t home.” The faire was closed for the season.

“I’m not very good at direction. I think maybe you’re a couple of hours from home.” Then she vanished. Let them figure it out for themselves.

When she transported to the front door of her castle, she swore the next one would not be made of iron ore so she could just transport straight to her bedchamber when she was as exhausted as she was. She knocked on the door.

Ryker hurried to answer the door, and she felt so weepy when she saw him, she burst into tears. She couldn’t help it. These were her people. Her family. She’d lost her own years ago, and though none of her staff were dragon shifters, they were as close to family as she could get.

She’d even miss her brother, Halloran, and all the other shifters. But for now, she had to hurry and do what she needed to do.

“Mistress Ena,” Ryker said, holding her in his arms, patting her back ineffectually.

She felt like a fool. She was supposed to be strong, a tough, fire-breathing dragon. She’d turned into a puddle of tears in a pretty green gown she’d never wear again. And she was weeping hot wet tears all over Ryker’s impeccable tunic. She was almost surprised he didn’t tell her that consoling a dragon shifter mistress was not in his job description. He should have. And she should have quickly stepped away from him.

“We have to…” She shook her head, her voice breaking. “I’m sorry.” She looked around at her gathered staff, at Brett, and realized everyone had quickly arrived to see how the celebration had fared, probably coming to the conclusion it had not gone over well.

She swallowed hard. “Tonight I became a duchess.”

No one smiled. They looked stunned and they knew she wouldn’t be crying about something like that.

“That was Queen Irenis’s gift to me. Princess Alicia and Prince Deveron were married this afternoon. That’s what the celebration was about.” She was rattling off everything, all out of order. She glanced at Brett. “The queen gave your friends to me to do as I wished. I took them home. Well, to a place about two hours from their home. I was afraid they’d try to hurt me if I took them straight home.”

She brushed tears from her cheeks. Ryker pulled out a hanky and gave it to her.

“Thank you. The king didn’t like that Queen Irenis made me a duchess, so he decided that since there was only one rank higher than that—a princess, well queen above that, but I’d have to marry him for that honor—he decided I should marry Prince Grotto.”

Her lady’s maid covered her mouth in shock. Lila gasped. One of her maids sat promptly on the floor in a near faint. The other waved air in front of her face as if she couldn’t breathe. Ryker stared at her as if he couldn’t believe her words.

A dragon shifter marrying into the royal family
was
pretty farfetched. But she was glad they didn’t react as though they thought she was crazy not to accept the honor.

“Prince Grotto, the man who seemed to despise you when the king wished you to dispose of me?” Brett asked quietly.

“Yes.”

“Then what are we to do?” Brett asked.

She couldn’t help staring at him in disbelief. Did he think her staff could rescue her? It wasn’t going to happen.

“I have to return you to your home as I did the others. I have to let my staff go.”

“No,” Lila said. “No. No one else will have us. We’re family.”

“I know, but I’ll have to leave here for good. I couldn’t ask you to go with me. I have no idea where I’d even go.”

Ryker said, “We could go to the hawk fae kingdom. Princess Ritasia is a friend of Princess Alicia and since she is a friend of yours, maybe that would work?”

“King Tiernan has a human friend who has been his constant companion,” Muriel said, looking wide-eyed and hopeful. “If Brett wanted to come with us.”

Brett folded his arms. “I haven’t even had a chance to earn the money for these fine clothes you made me buy.”

She couldn’t help but smile just a little.

“What about your gold?” Lila said.

“I have to take it with me. It’s what will support us until we can get settled.”

“How much do you have to carry?” Brett asked.

Everyone smiled.

“Our mistress works very hard and the dungeon is full,” Ryker said.

“The dungeon,” Brett said. “You mean, I couldn’t have slept in there even if you’d wanted me to?”

Ignoring him, Ena said, “We will have to move in phases all night long. It’s too far to travel to the hawk fae kingdom by fae travel. We’ll have to stop along the way.”

With a much lighter heart than when she’d first returned home and with a love for her staff, which now officially included one human gardener, she felt her heart nearly burst with hope. “I’ll get changed. Everyone pack everything you need to take.”

“How will we be able to move everything overnight?” Ryker asked.

“I’ll have to solicit my brother and the other dragon shifters’ help. It’s the only way.” And she hoped they’d help and not want to start a war with the dragon fae king instead.

Maybe where she settled next, she’d find another dragon shifter colony and a dragon that sent her over the moon where she didn’t analyze every characteristic like she did with the ones here. Or maybe her own dragon shifters would decide someday to join her, too.

That was something to think about for another day. Tonight, she had to move. And fast.

***

Alicia and Deveron retired to his chamber after a wild night of dancing and merrymaking and he hurried to help her out of her gold gown. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him in that much of a rush ever.

“Your mother said she was sending Micala with Ritasia and her husband to the hawk fae kingdom. That Cassie could find a home there because King Tiernan is agreeable. Do you think they’ll be happy?” Alicia asked.

Deveron kissed her naked back as he continued to untie her ties on the back of the gown. “I should just cut these,” he grumbled.

“Don’t you dare even think that.”

“There are too many.” He sighed. “Yes, they will be happy. Micala was trying not to show it because he was afraid my mother would change her mind and punish him in some other way. But she knew. She always knows. She couldn’t allow him to stay here with Cassie. It’s against her ruling, and if she let her own nephew break her laws, then any of the fae could find human mates and bring them to the kingdom. So it was the next best thing she could do. Either remove his fae abilities and exile him to Earth with Cassie, and worry that fae seers might know who he was and kill him, or allow him to stay with my sister and make Cassie his wife there.”

Alicia sighed. “What is taking you so long?”

He growled. “The ties are knotted.”

“All right. All right. Don’t cut them.”

He continued to struggle with the satin fabric.

“I overheard my grandfather tell Ena that she was to marry Prince Grotto,” Alicia said, worried. No way could her grandfather force such a marriage.

Deveron stopped working on her ties. “What did Ena say to that?”

“No.”

“Good. I like her. She saved you. She doesn’t deserve to be married to the troll. No offense to trolls.” Deveron continued to untie Alicia’s gown.

“My grandfather said she would anyway. I’ve got to convince him that it wouldn’t be right.”

“Oh. We’re off on our honeymoon tomorrow.”

“They’re to wed in a month. We’ll be back in two weeks. I’ll talk to him then.”

Deveron untied the last tie and turned Alicia around and grinned. “It’s official now.”

And this time when they kissed, Deveron wasn’t stopping. Not that she wanted him to either.

Deveron pressed his mouth against Alicia’s, dragging her against his body, breathing in her sweet floral fragrance, listening to her rapid heartbeat, feeling her soft warm breath against his cheek when he finally let her up for air.

Her blue eyes were dark and sultry, her lips red and swollen from his kisses, and he paused to say what was in his heart before he took this any further.

“From the day you threw those ice cold sodas on my sun-warmed chest, I knew you’d be mine.”

She smiled, her eyes sparkling with the same impish delight that he’d grown to love. “From the day I saw you walk out of the water and cross the white sand beach to target Cassie, I knew you were the worst sort of danger.”

“And?” He began unfastening his tunic in a rush, not believing how difficult taking clothes off could be when he was in a hurry.

“You proved you were. The kind,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, “that steals hearts…like mine.”

“Only yours,” he said, tearing off his tunic and tossing it to the floor. He lifted Alicia into his arms and carried her to the bed where the maids had cast pale pink rose petals all over the black sheets. “And for a lifetime.”

Which for the fae was
forever
.

###

About the Author:

Award-winning author of urban fantasy and medieval historical romantic suspense,
Heart of the Wolf
named in
Publishers Weekly's
BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR, NOR Reader Choice for BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE.

USA Today
Bestseller Terry Spear also writes true stories for adult and young adult audiences. She’s a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and has an MBA from Monmouth University and a Bachelors in Business and Distinguished Military Graduate of West Texas A & M. She also creates award-winning teddy bears, Wilde & Woolly Bears, to include personalized bears designed to commemorate authors’ books. When she’s not writing or making bears, she’s teaching online writing courses in the Heart of Texas.

http://www.terryspear.com/

Author’s Note:

The fae world will continue with Hawk Fae—this will be more of Ena’s story and the fae she becomes entangled with.