Dragon Flight (9 page)

The dragon blinked down at her and slowly shook his head.

Isabelle growled in frustration. “Tell me that he’s fine, damn you,” she snapped.

He quickly nodded and Isabelle let out the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. She nodded to him in thanks and then let Zorin pull her along. She smiled sheepishly to the few people that had heard her outburst, but most pretended not to notice.

“Sebastian is okay,” she whispered hastily to Zorin’s questioning gaze. He nodded and loosened his fingers lightly on her side.

But as she greeted the unicorns and said hello to the dragon Lysander, she found herself angry with Faolan. How dare he be sad, she seethed. He cheated on her. He agreed to marry another woman while she was pregnant with his child and living just down the hall from him. With that thought, she kissed Zorin on the cheek, knowing full well that Faolan saw and that she was being petty. But dammit she had a right to be petty sometimes.

She was glad to see a few human merchants among the council and even those that were pure Angelus, although they stood removed from the others, did not seem outwardly hostile to her or the idea of having a human queen. Though, as Amalthea began to outline Isabelle’s new laws they began to eye her with speculation and more than a bit of distrust.

They know that you’ll die of old age soon enough. They can wait,
Zorin told her after they had left the Angelus,
we immortals have a great deal of patience.

You’re quite cheery today, you know that?
Isabelle scowled at him.
And stop reading my thoughts.

Zorin gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged.
Stop yelling them then.

Distantly she heard Amalthea wrap up the meeting and thank everyone for coming though she couldn’t have said what the meeting had been about. She would have to pay better attention next time. Zorin was speaking to her, but Isabelle’s attention was on Faolan. She watched as he spread his inky black wings and lifted himself into the afternoon sky.

* * * *

Faolan landed softly outside of his father’s rooms just after nightfall. In his anxiousness to see his son again, he had flown hard and fast, ignoring both the ache in his wings and the burning in his lungs. Exhausted and wild eyed, he stumbled into his father’s rooms, said a few quick pleasantries to the man before he scooped his son into his arms.

He was hoping he wouldn’t have to see Celeste until he was feeling much stronger, but as luck would have it she was in his rooms waiting for him on the bed. In dragon form as he was, she was small and fast, but barely a concern for someone of his size and experience. The sleeping baby in his arms though would have been an easy target for her.

She swayed as she approached him, her head down and her wings tight against her body. She hummed low in her throat, inviting him to bed as she rubbed against him. He bared his teeth to her, rejecting her advances. She tried again, but he turned from her, ignoring her as he laid Sebastian amongst his many pillows. He forced his shift back to his human form. It took time and energy that he didn’t have as hot pain shot through his already burning muscles. But he preferred to hold his son as a man rather than worrying about hurting him as a dragon.

From across the room, Celeste wrinkled her nose at him and snorted in disgust. She had often told him humans smelled foul and he was disgusting for wanting to bed her as a human on the rare occasions when he approached her. She gave in, but she resisted his touch and told him how foul that awful that form was and how it disgusted her, even as he shared his bed with her.

Brushing all of that aside, Faolan looked to his perfect son and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead before sleep claimed him. In his dreams, he thought of Isabelle and the life they could have had together if things had been different.

It shouldn’t have surprised Zorin that Isabelle had wanted to get married as soon as possible. As she had explained it to him the night before, she wanted to end that part of her life with Faolan as quickly and surely as possible and marriage certainly could do that for her. As usual he felt like he was being led around by the women in his life. He was thankful he would never have a daughter to further lead him into destruction.

He was dressed simply in a soft shirt and a pair of loose pants that tied low over his hips. His shirt was slim against his body and the blue fabric was a nice change from his normal black attire. His pants though were the same comfortable black ones he often wore. He left his feet bare and brushed his unruly black hair away from his face. With a short puff of air, he attempted to push the last strand off the bridge of his nose.

He briefly considered using a flare of his magic to will away his wings, but instead left them out. He flexed them gently, fluffing up the feathers that were still damp from his morning bath. They were black, as usual, but he didn’t mind the color as much as he used to.

With a few quick strides, he leapt from his balcony window and flew the short distance to the clearing where he knew Isabelle and his mother would be waiting for him. He kept low to the ground, the tips of his long wings just barely gliding over the tops of trees. With his wings still damp, his landing was far more abrupt than he would have liked and he found himself cringing as he landed on a twig with his bare feet. Fortunately no one had seen.

He walked the through the dense trees to the small grassy area his mother had picked for their wedding. He resented that she had chosen this clearing over any other. This small scrap of grass was where he had watched the only woman he had ever loved give her heart to another man. But he plastered a smile on his face and approached the gathered people. As he caught sight of Isabelle, his smile turned almost genuine in appreciation for her beauty.

She would never be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but she had a way of capturing his attention and holding his gaze. The year in the mountains had added curves to her lithe body and the green dress she wore took full advantage of those lush curves. A gold ribbon tied under her breasts and looped over her neck, holding the dress up and otherwise leaving the creamy skin of her shoulders and upper back bare to the light touch he ran over her as he moved to take his spot at her side. Her hair was up and although he preferred it down and flowing about her in wild curls, the loose tendrils that were purposefully left free to curl over her shoulders appealed to him as well.

She caught him watching, staring really, and blushed. His mother had been talking to her and they carried on in hushed tones as Zorin surveyed the people gathered. Caden was there of course and he gave the boy a nod. Meggie stood near him and while he would have expected her attention to be on his mother, her queen, he was surprised to see the young girl’s focus solely on the boy at her side though Caden seemed unaware of her interest. There were a few others, some Angelus and some human, that he paid little attention to. Etana and Riordan were not in attendance, but that was unsurprising considering what a rushed matter this wedding had been.

His eyes caught on a pair of shimmering gold wings and the woman who stood near the back of the small crowd. She only had eyes for him and it warmed him in a way Isabelle’s attention never had. Rhiannon was his mother’s best friend and she had been his friend for centuries. Once upon a time they had been more and they had spoken of being so again. If that came about he would tell Isabelle at once, but their marriage would hardly be one of love and endless devotion to each other. They had spoken of having affairs and he would be discreet as he knew she would as well.

Rhiannon gave him a teasing smile and ran her tongue over her full lips. She was toying with him, Zorin knew, reminding him of what he once had willingly but through his own stupidity had lost. It hadn’t been so many years since he had pushed her away for the last time, a decade or two at most. She would come to forgive him eventually he was sure.

Isabelle’s hand on his shoulder pulled his attention back to her and he offered her an apologetic smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rhiannon sit on one of the provided chairs and begin talking to another Angelus. His wings were a bright gold, just as pure as she was. But she looked bored with the polite conversation and soon her attention returned to Zorin. He preened under her constant, hungry gaze.

Is that her?
Isabelle’s voice was like ice water to his desire. But it shouldn’t have been. Turning back to her, Zorin saw only curiosity in her soft gaze as she considered the other woman. She even gave Rhiannon a little, discreet wave, which Rhiannon returned after a moment of startled hesitation.

Zorin nodded, his mind tumbling over the realization that Isabelle really was as accepting of their arrangement as she had said she was. It was head clearing in its simplicity. He really would be the king consort and Isabelle would be the queen. And Rhiannon, beautiful, regal, Rhiannon, would be content with that. Someday, if she still wanted him, he would make her his bride in a century or two.

But he would take what Isabelle was offering now. They needed each other and their arrangement was perfect for them both.

The wedding was quick and simple. The formalities were observed, as they always were, and Amalthea said a few quiet words over them both to bless their marriage. She said that she hoped for a fruitful union and that it would continue peace throughout Feeorin. Both Isabelle and Zorin agreed and then they were led out of the clearing with a happily smiling Amalthea. Isabelle was loaded into a small carriage with Caden and they were taken the short distance to their new home.

“That was it?” Caden asked after a few moments.

Isabelle nodded. “Yes.”

“Didn’t seem like much,” Caden scoffed. “I was expecting a party, a grand ceremony, or something. That was a group of people we didn’t know and Amalthea speaking in whispers to you and Zorin.”

She ruffled his hair before giving him a tight hug. “That’s how we wanted it though. Simple and short.”

“Seemed cold,” Caden said.

Isabelle shrugged and settled into the plush cushions. “It wasn’t what I would have liked for a wedding with love in it, but there was no love here.”

“Just like with Faolan,” Caden said before he could stop himself. Isabelle stiffened beside him and he instantly mumbled out an apology but she waved him off.

“It was what it was,” she whispered. “And it’s done now.”

Caden nodded and remained quiet for the rest of the ride.

An hour later Isabelle knew the moment they were coming toward the small manor. The road had narrowed and the trees were overgrown, but there was a quiet peace to the forest. The carriage turned slightly with the dirt road and the estate came slowly into view. She saw the well-worn stables first, their stone walls weathered and their roofs lightened from years in the sun.

“It looks old,” Caden said as he looked at the small buildings, storage sheds, she guessed across from the stables.

Isabelle nodded. It did look old. At least a few decades if not longer. But the pasture for the horses and livestock looked as if it had recently had a new fence put in. She could see the original holes where an older fence stood, but there was fresh dark dirt around the posts. She ignored it as the manor house itself came into view. It was smaller than she imagined for a summer home for the royalty of Feeorin. It looked to have no more than two bedrooms, if that. But there was ivy going up the side and the walkway looked well cared for. It had obviously been loved once. She could easily imagine children running over the green grass, laughing and smiling as they played. They wouldn’t be her children of course. But maybe Caden would have some in a good number of years.

She looked over her shoulder at her brother. He had his head back, his forehead tilted toward the bright sunlight, his eyes closed. He was still so small for his age. But he was no longer the pale, sunken-eyed boy she had cared for and prayed over so many nights. She missed Faolan and her heart ached for what she would never have with Sebastian, but having Caden alive and whole made it worth it.

Caden caught her watching him and gave her a look. “What?”

She grinned. “I love you. I’m glad we’ve got a home of our own now.”

He rolled his eyes, but did smile back. “You’re a mush.”

Isabelle blew him a kiss and turned back to the manor. She saw a few maids busily getting their new home ready and she smiled and waved at them all. There was a small orchard lining the house and she could see apples beginning to form on their branches.

“I want to plant vegetables,” she told Caden without looking over her shoulder.

He snorted inelegantly. “You’ve never planted anything. Next you’ll be telling me that you want to milk your own cows and slaughter your own pigs.”

She turned around and gave him a light shove. “And so what if I do?”

“You’re now the queen, Izzy,” he reminded her. “You can’t plant, you can’t milk and you can’t get bloody.”

“Says you.”

Caden humphed at her.

“Then what do you do all day besides study? Don’t you get bored? Don’t you ever just want to do something else?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I enjoy studying. I asked for a few of the books I’m working on to be brought over. I hope they remembered.”

“No,” Isabelle told him. “We’re going for a walk first. You are not staying inside all day.” He began to protest, but a look from her quickly silenced him into sulking.

The carriage rolled to a slow stop and Isabelle hopped out, the layers of her dress swirling around her feet as she practically skipped over to Caden. She took his hand tightly in her own and began pulling him along as she eagerly took in all of their new home.

That night Isabelle stood braced against the cold wall, the air from the open window behind her licking the skin of her bare arms and shoulders. She had goosebumps, but whether it was from the chilly breeze or her own dread of what the night would bring, she couldn’t tell. She was dressed in only a sheet wrapped tightly around her nude frame. She couldn’t help but remember how similar this night seemed to her first night with Faolan. The sun had set hours ago and they only had until midnight and damn him he had to be late.