Dragon Lords Books 1 - 4 Box Set: Anniversary Edition (20 page)

U
alan smiled
, pleased by his wife’s response to him.

“Stop, brother.”

Ualan blinked, dropping his hand as he turned to Olek’s knowing smile.

“Before the whole hall detects her desire,” Olek added, so the brides couldn’t understand the words. Nadja looked at her husband quizzically, but hastily turned away before he saw her watching him. “Let it not become one of those celebrations. I have no wish to share.”

Ualan smiled and shrugged, unashamed, but properly reined in.

A shout of laughter sounded over the hall, drawing attention. Morrigan leaned forward. Ualan followed her eyes to the small boy sprawled on the floor. Several large warriors watched him from the table, laughing harder when he limped to his feet. One foot turned in slightly and started to drag.

“What—?” Morrigan started to whisper. She was cut off when Princess Pia suddenly jumped up from the table. The woman rushed to the boy’s side. The child looked surprised to see her standing beside him and tried his best to bow. It was awkward moving on his foot.

“Leave him be,” Pia loudly ordered the table of laughing warriors. They quieted and looked at her in confusion. Ualan frowned, not sure what the woman was trying to do. He shared a look with his father. The king appeared stunned.

Pia turned her attention to Zoran who also seemed surprised by her outburst.

“What do you want with Heinrich, my lady?” Teggen, one of the burly warriors, asked while scratching at his beard. “Does he offend you? I will have him removed.”

Pia turned a visible shade of red. Her blonde hair flew around her shoulders as she spun to glare the warrior down. “He does not.”

A commotion ensued. Morrigan leaned closer to Ualan and he missed what was being said as he turned in surprise to look at her. He placed his arm around her waist.

Pia shouted, “Well, I am a princess and he will be my personal warrior.”

Ualan turned his attention back, shocked at the proclamation.

“If my lady wishes for a warrior, let us battle for the position. Do not insult us by naming a boy,” Teggen returned. Zoran moved down the platform, finally going after his wife. The other warriors stood up support of Teggen’s request. They growled in agreement of the idea and shouts were called for a tournament.

“Do you dare to question a princess?” Zoran demanded.

“He is my warrior, too,” Nadja yelled, standing. Olek looked at her in amazement, choking on his wine.

“And mine as well,” Morrigan piped in, rising to her feet. Ualan watched her gown fall back down over her leg. He merely smiled, more amused than anything by the events. Let his brother Zoran deal with this problem.

“Gods’ bones,” the king muttered.

“There you have it,” Zoran said, trying not to laugh. “You cannot deny the wish of three princesses. Heinrich is now under royal protection and will be treated according to his new station.”

The three princesses shared a silent look of understanding. Pia nodded her thanks for their support. The stunned hall picked up its celebration once more.

Ualan took advantage of his wife’s standing position by sliding the tips of his fingers near the back curve of her knee. She quickly sat down. He flashed an innocent smile.

Ualan spent the better part of his evening trying to obtain feels of his wife under the table. Morrigan shivered despite herself and clamped her legs tightly in irritation whenever his venturing became too bold. He burned with desire and each brush of her flesh shot electricity throughout his whole being. Only a few hours separated them from release.

“
I
f you want
me to quell that flame burning in your thighs, I can disappear beneath this table. I would be very pleased to lick the fire from your wet, parted sex.”

Morrigan shot Ualan a horrified look at his whispered offer. He chuckled loudly in response. When his laughter subsided, he once more settled his mouth close to her ear. The warmth of his breath caressed her skin. She tried to push his hand away for what had to be the thousandth time that night. He took her hand in his. With the speed of a striking snake, he brought her fingers to his solid erection and held her hand to him. He smiled around the hall as if nothing was amiss. Morrigan paled, not nearly as stealthy as her wayward husband.

The feast was cleared and after dinner drinks were poured in abundance. The musicians kept playing. Yusef strummed a few tunes with them on an instrument resembling a guitar, and proved himself to be quite up to the task. Someone sang in the Qurilixian language. It was a beautiful sounding ballad.

Still leaning close, Ualan forced her fingers to curl around him. He held her hand to him and began to stroke long and slow. Morrigan’s body came alive with interest, her pussy betraying her at the feel of his cock.

His words were tempered with a low bestial groan of pleasure and approval. “Or perhaps you could be persuaded beneath the table to tend to me.”

Morrigan gasped, too weak to pull away at the moment, as she was made to stroke him over the material of his breeches. Ualan flicked the ties holding his pants together and moved her hand to directly touch his naked arousal. The danger of it excited her in a way she had not thought possible and she did not resist as much as she should have.

“I would love to feel the soft suckling of those sweet lips once again,” he implored her. Morrigan roughly jerked her fingers from him. “Enough. You go too far.”

“Aw.” With disappointment heavy in his words, he said, “Tonight then.”

Morrigan spied a new goblet placed near her empty one the table, full of a yellowish liquid. Grabbing it without thought, she gulped the sweet contents down. Instantly it made her head lighter and she was happy for it.

Ualan leaned in to ask, “Would you like to—?”

“Say it and I will have your head,” she said in return.

Ualan blinked in surprise. That’s when she noticed Zoran had escorted Pia to the main floor for a dance. She had thought he meant to propose they have sex right there on the table. Silence fell between them once more.

“King Llyr.”

One of the blond Var men stood below the raised platform. As he bowed, she could detect the pattern of a tiger on his chest. She frowned, trying to get a picture of it. Finally, she just pushed the recording function and let it run.

“Many blessings on your unions,” the stranger said. “May your reign be long.”

“As may yours, King Attor,” the Draig king returned, standing to show a respect that did not reflect wholeheartedly in his eyes.

Morrigan shivered violently. The blond Var shot her a heated, sidelong glance. He bowed once more and left, his band of troops behind him.

“What was that all about?” she leaned forward, her curiosity momentarily getting the best of her.

“Politics,” Ualan answered darkly, turning to keep his eyes on the Var. His humor had faded as he suspiciously watched the Var king. Prince Yusef passed his instrument off to its owner and quietly followed behind the departing men.

M
orrigan felt
terrible as she walked home with Mirox. Her stomach churned and she sweated profusely. Ualan had to oversee some urgent royal matter of the court with his father, and had the servant escort her so she didn’t get lost. Mirox said nothing, respecting her quietness. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what this night would mean. She was sure everyone had seen the heated way Ualan looked at her.

Once alone, Morrigan stumbled to the bathroom. She was nervous about her night with Ualan. Her heart beat quickened. How could she not be nervous? He was so bold and strong and sexual. What would he expect of her? She couldn’t even repeat some of the things he’d whispered to her at the feast.

Shivering uncontrollably, she wondered if every bride was this nervous when faced with the prospect of bedding a Qurilixian warrior. The chills didn’t stop. In fact they seemed to get worse.

“It’s not just that,” she whispered to herself. “It’s because he is royalty. How can I escape royalty? I’m truly trapped.”

Morrigan tugged the crown off her head and set it on the floor as she sank to the ground. Crawling on her hands and knees across the bathroom’s marble floor, she barely made it to the toilet before she started to throw up.

U
alan frowned
, his excitement severely dampened by the night’s events. Yusef had been attacked while seeing King Attor out of the keep and off Draig land. The only reason their enemy was even allowed at the event, was so the cat-shifter king could see the Draig royal marriages were settled. It was more of a political slap in the Var king’s face, and proof to the Draig people that they were not scared of cats. Ualan knew Olek secretly hoped if their enemy saw for himself how settled the Draig marriages were, that the dragon-shifter throne had a strong, bright future, the man would back off.

Yusef had been brought to a medical ward where all the latest technology at their disposal had been employed to save his life. They might live simply, but that didn’t mean they were foolish. They owned medical booths, but those could only do so much for serious injuries. Yusef was in bad condition and still unconscious. The doctors said he was in danger, but they were hopeful for a complete recovery.

Guards were already being sent to gather Yusef’s wife at the outpost and bring her into the safety of the castle walls. The fallen prince had been attacked from behind, and had not been given time to shift into his dragon form. If he had, the knife wounds would not have penetrated so deeply. The hard armor of his dragon skin would have prevented it.

Coming into his home, Ualan glanced around. Morrigan wasn’t on the couch. With a soft smile, he started for the stairs. His body sprung to automatic attention, seeking fulfillment at long last. He craved her nearness to chase the demons from his thoughts. There was nothing she could do to change what happened to Yusef, but the idea of her gentle hands holding him was comfort in itself.

“Rigan?” he called, taking the stairs two a time. To his surprise, she wasn’t there. Frowning, he searched the closets and balcony before rushing to check downstairs. Heading to the kitchen, he stopped when he heard a sound in the bathroom. He imagined her in the bath—warm and naked—but as he neared the closed door, his senses prickled. Something was wrong. The door was locked.

Pounding on the wood, he called, “Rigan?”

He was answered by a cough, before she moaned. “Go away.”

“Rigan, what is it?” Surely she wasn’t this upset about being a princess. He closed his eyes and focused his feelings. A wave of intense pain overtook him, radiating from her body to his, he stiffened. “Open the door.”

There was only silence. Cursing, he slammed the wood with his shoulder. It splintered in several pieces allowing him to charge inside.

“Rigan…?” The question died on his lips as he stumbled on her discarded crown. His blood ran cold.

Morrigan was sprawled out on the floor. Yellow patches formed on her overly pale skin. He saw a trail where she had thrown up as she fell helpless on the floor.

“Rigan?” He swept her into his arms. The crown bent under his boot as he accidently stepped on it. He didn’t care. He rushed her from the bathroom. “Rigan, wake up. Please. Please…”

She stirred. Her lids lifted wearily so she could look at him, and she mumbled, “Cavema…”

She was out.

Ualan sprinted from their home, holding her tight as he rushed to the medical ward. Before he was all the way through the door, he saw his brother’s prone body on one of the beds. Calling for help, he yelled, “My wife, please, I think it’s poison.”

Soon, Morrigan was whisked from his arms, her near lifeless body flopping as the doctors carried her to a private room in the back.

Ualan growled at the stunned doctor’s wife, commanding, “Get my family.”

Alanda ran off to do as he ordered.

Ualan still stared helplessly at the door leading to where they took Morrigan, when the royal family, princesses and all, were ushered into the room. Only Yusef’s bride was missing. The frightened Nadja and Pia were escorted into a separate room to be tested for poison and the men were left standing alone with the queen.

“If any in our family die, I will kill every last Var,” Ualan swore to his father, his voice deepening as his features began to harden with a shift. His eyes glowed with a deadly yellow as fangs extended into his mouth. Resembling the beast he could become, he growled, “There will be blood.”

U
alan studied
his wife’s pale face. He felt useless waiting by Morrigan’s side, but what else could he do? He was a man of action, not of waiting, and it tore him up to be so out of control. All he wanted was to live a peaceful life in love with his woman. Why couldn’t he have that? What if she never woke up, just remained asleep like his cousin’s new bride? Even now Lady Riona was in stasis and Lord Mirek could do nothing to save her. Ualan couldn’t go through that kind of agony. He needed Morrigan, desperately. She was his air, his life, his very heart beat.

Morrigan was extremely ill and had not stopped throwing up for the first several hours, even when there was nothing else in her system, even though she did not wake back up. As he looked at her now, he was glad she finally rested. He wasn’t sure if she was getting better, or if the medicine the doctors gave her kept her from looking worse.

The doctors told him that if he hadn’t found her when he did, she would be dead. His guess had been right. She was poisoned. Even unconscious, she fought bravely. Ualan’s heart swelled with pride at her natural strength, and in the end she’d won the battle for her life. But, what kind of life? Whether or not her mind and body would remain free of long term effects remained to be seen. Whatever the results were, he would not leave her. She was his bride, even if she stayed asleep, even if he had to put her into a living tomb next to Mirek’s bride. They could visit them together and commiserate in their sadness.

Ualan felt a single tear slide down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away. It would not do her any good if he lost himself.

And if she did wake up, but was only a shell of what he’d married, it would not change a thing. Even broken, she was his only. Nothing would change that, for at least she’d be alive.

Standing to stretch, he walked to the viewing window to look in on his brother. He caught his likeness in the reflective surface. His eyes were sunken into the depths of his face. He’d not eaten or slept and had barely left his wife’s side. The only times he wasn’t in the medical ward were once to meet with his family, and once to bathe and retrieve a change of clothes so she didn’t have to sleep in a vomit-stained dress.

Ualan saw his father pacing next to Yusef’s bed. The prince had yet to wake up. The king’s lips moved, though Yusef couldn’t hear him. Ualan briefly focused on his father’s mouth and would have sworn the king was baiting the comatose man to rise and fight. All of the family had stayed close to Morrigan and Yusef’s sides, plotting retribution throughout the night, as they waited for a sign of consciousness. The others would be close by, though he didn’t see them in the medical ward.

If two fallen wasn’t bad enough, to make matters even worse Yusef’s bride had been taken. Already their best trackers were going after Princess Olena’s kidnappers. As soon as their location was determined, Olek, Zoran, Ualan, and the king would ride out to reclaim her. He might not know his new sister, but she was family and so he worried for her as well.

What was happening to his family?

Tears welled inside him and he turned away before the king glanced up and noticed. He’d never been so scared in all his years, but he didn’t need to burden his family with his pain. They all had enough to deal with.

He was secretly glad for the upcoming mission to find Yusef’s wife. He needed to pound out his fear and helplessness. Retribution and rage were the two best emotional outlets a warrior had in such a situation.

Ualan again took a seat by his wife. Though he wasn’t sure she could hear him, he said, “I have news for you. The servant responsible for serving the drink has been dealt with. He did not mean for it to happen. Technically, he is at fault so he will be removed from the palace staff for the carelessness, but he did not have evil intent in his heart. Even so, he insists on purging his honor. He wanted to poison himself, but we did not allow it because he has been loyal. Instead he goes without food and drink in the lower dungeons until he starves and has to be revived, at least until you wake up and can pardon him. I’d like to think you’d be all right with that decision. I wanted to kill him, but…” He took a deep breath. “That would not have been honorable, not without knowing how you are…how you…”

He willed her to look at him, to move. Anything. She didn’t, save her even breathing.

“One of King Attor’s men distracted the servant as he was preparing to serve the royal drinks. The cup was meant for my parents. However, when King Attor went up to speak, the servant had placed the goblet before you so as not to get in their way. The Var king couldn’t have realized you wouldn’t know the king’s personal seal and would take the drink for yourself.” Ualan stroked her cheek. At least she was warm. That was a change. Before she’d been clammy to the touch.

Her hand lay beside her body on the bed. He rested his forehead against her fingers. “If I hadn’t embarrassed you, you would never have taken the drink. But if you hadn’t taken the drink, and it had gone instead as intended to my parents, they would have died instantly. The poison works slower on humanoids. So, in essence you saved them.”

It was a bittersweet comfort.

Her hand stirred from under his forehead. Thinking she moved in her sleep, he didn’t look up.

“Mmm,” came a light moan. She stroked back his hair.

He quickly lifted his head to look at her.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” Morrigan’s voice cracked.

When he beheld her glassy eyes, he saw she was still under the influence of the powerful drugs the doctors had given and her mind was hazy. He didn’t care, so long as she was safe, and awake, and seemed to know who he was. For the first time since finding her nearly dead on the bathroom floor, he felt as if he could breathe.

“Hey,” she murmured again. Her hand was too weak to stay lifted and it fell to the mattress. “What happened? I can’t feel anything.”

“That is the medicine,” he answered softly. “It is to keep you from hurting.”

Morrigan nodded, blinking heavily. She almost drifted off before catching herself. Her wide eyes shone brightly as she looked at him.

“I was dreaming of dragons,” she said. The medicine lowered any filter between her head and mouth. Ualan chuckled to himself. He didn’t care, letting her ramble.

He smiled tenderly, teasing her, “Just dragons or one dragon in particular?”

“They were eating furry people because you were naked in the shower.” Her eyebrow rose but could not hold the pose. “What did you do to me, caveman? Hit me over the head and drag me home?”

Ualan’s relief intensified. She called him caveman. She did know him.

“You were butterfly poisoned.” He worried she would hate him for not protecting her better, as he hated himself. “The doctors said you would be fine so long as you rest.”

They’d actually said that she
should
be fine if she awoke, but he felt no need to worry her with the details of her recovery just yet.

“I don’t have butterflies in my stomach,” she protested, her mind drifting as she mumbled, “I’m not too nervous to sleep with you.”

He would have grinned like a fool if her skin wasn’t still patched with yellow. “I’m glad to hear it, wife.”

“Who?” she asked suddenly, trying to get up. “Poison?”

“Easy,” he whispered, urging her back. “They will be dealt with.”

“Oh,” she mumbled, with a surprising show of trust. “All right then.”

Ualan glanced over to the table by her bed, moving to get her a drink. She took it gratefully before closing her eyes. Seeing the small eye camera lens the doctors found in her eye next to the emerald trigger, he couldn’t help but asking, “Why did you have the camera, Rigan?”

Morrigan sighed. Before falling asleep, she murmured, “It’s my job. I’m going to expose you after I leave you.”