Dragon Lords Books 1 - 4 Box Set: Anniversary Edition (44 page)

“See,” the man said.

“Yeah,” a shorter warrior with a pockmarked face added. “He thinks to become a warrior, don’t you, boy?”

The table started to laugh anew.

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

The warriors looked shocked, but none more so than Heinrich whose mouth nearly fell to the floor.

“If my lady wishes for a warrior, let us battle for the position. Do not insult us by naming a boy,” the burly man insisted.

Prince Zoran came around to gather his wife as the soldiers shouted in agreement.

“Let us have a tournament,” one of them called. He was met with excited shouts.

“Do you dare to question a princess?” Zoran asked, his voice booming with an authority they automatically respected. The hall fell deadly still.

Nadja shook. She saw Pia’s hard eyes searching over the crowd. Pushing up from Olek’s leg, she stated, “He is my warrior too.”

Olek choked on his wine. All eyes turned to her.

“And mine as well,” Morrigan piped in, rising to her feet.

Nadja looked at Morrigan and smiled. The small show of public defiance felt great. An invisible thread joined the three princesses in that moment, bonding them. Pia nodded gratefully at them.

“Gods’ bones,” the king said under his breath.

“There you have it,” Zoran said. If Nadja wasn’t mistaken, he actually looked like he was 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 stunned hall broke into a crescendo of murmurs. At Zoran’s nod, the musicians picked up their tune once more. Nadja watched as he led the boy to the head table to sit by Pia in Yusef’s wife’s empty seat. Pia waved at a servant to bring the boy a plate.

Prince Yusef nodded at the boy before standing. He went to the musicians who welcomed him good-naturedly and handed him a guitar-looking instrument. He strummed a few tunes with them and proved himself quite up to the task. Someone joined in, singing in the Draig language. It was a beautiful ballad.

“That was very kind,” Olek said as Nadja once more settled beside him. His hand skimmed across her lower back and she shivered. “The boy has no family. It is good you all claimed responsibility for him. It shows you as compassionate in your rule.”

“The men did not seem too pleased,” Nadja answered.

“Ah, but they will never question your authority now that you have proven yourselves firm in your purpose. When the soreness wears off they’ll respect you.” Olek’s voice dipped. “As I respect you.”

Nadja blushed, finding pleasure in his compliment. All too aware of being on public display, she eased slightly back from his mouth, which dipped closer as if he would kiss her.

“Do you play?” Nadja asked, nodding her head to where Yusef sat with the musicians.

“I never really took to it,” Olek answered. His hand moved to her waist, pulling her closer to him.

His eyes again dipped to her mouth and she blushed. Nadja gently pushed his hand from her hip and reached to pick up her goblet. Olek sighed in loud, groaning disappointment.

The king glanced at them. Nadja nearly choked on her drink. The queen chuckled at the purposefully wounded look her son was affecting.

Under her breath, she scolded, “Stop it.”

“What?” he returned innocently, his green eyes shining with liquid gaiety.

“You know what,” she said, doing her best not to turn five shades of pink as he licked his lips and looked at hers. His brow rose slightly as if considering the taste of her mouth. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Why?” he feigned a frown, though his eyes still shone.

“Because we are in public. It isn’t appropriate.”

“But…” Olek glanced around to the lower tables. Some wives sat lovingly on husbands’ laps. Couples kissed as freely and naturally as breathing.

“No,” she commanded regally, already knowing what he was going to say. “I am well aware of what everyone else is doing. However, you’re a prince and you should act with a little more decorum.”

Olek leaned to look over her shoulder and winked. The king laughed heartily behind her. She turned, mortified.

“Well spoken, my dear,” the king said. “I see you have him well in hand.”

The queen punched the king’s arm lovingly and King Llyr instantly leaned over to plant a big kiss on her lips for all to see.

Nadja turned her face away. Olek laughed at his parents and no one seemed to notice from the lower tables.

“So solarfl—” Olek began hopefully.

“Don’t even think it,” she grumbled, cutting him off.

Olek chuckled loudly. Leaning into her ear, as if he couldn’t help himself, he whispered, “Until later, then.”

He nipped playfully at her earlobe before pulling away. Nadja shivered, unable to pull her eyes away from the table for a long moment.

“King Llyr.” The dark tone sent chills over her body and forced her to look at the large blond Var who had snarled at her earlier. He stood in front of the raised platform staring up at them.

Nadja unconsciously inched closer to Olek, leaning into him for support. She forgot her embarrassment. Her hand rested on his leg beneath the table. His arm was stiff as it came around her side and pulled her closer into a protective embrace. She felt the tension radiating off her husband.

The Var man bowed, though the gesture looked more dutiful than respectful. He wore the emblem of a tiger on his chest where the Draig royals had a dragon. The Var warrior didn’t look directly at her and she was glad for it.

Nadja couldn’t understand what was being said between the visitor and the king. She held quiet, intently studying the Var’s expressions for a sign of what was happening. She hoped Olek would fill her in later.

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

“As may yours, King Attor,” King Llyr returned. He stood to show a respect that didn’t reflect wholeheartedly in his eyes.

Olek gripped her waist tighter and she shivered in fear. King Attor’s gaze shifted to the side, glancing over the length of the table before he walked away.

“What just happened?” Nadja asked, turning to see Olek’s gaze focused on the Var’s back.

Without answering her, Olek tilted his head to Yusef. The dark prince ended his part in the song early and passed his instrument back to its owner. Nadja watched as he followed the Var king and his entourage out of the common hall.

“Is everything all right?” she asked, touching Olek’s chest to get his attention. He blinked, breaking his concentration to study her curious face. He kissed the tip of her nose. “Everything is fine, solarflower.”

Nadja frowned, not liking his placating tone as his eyes turned once more to the door the Var had disappeared through.

T
he celebration livened
up after the Var ambassadors left. The musicians played louder and couples gathered together to dance. The local dance steps seemed simple enough. Nadja watched Olek from the corner of her eye. She hoped he would ask her to join him on the dance floor, but he seemed preoccupied.

Sometime after Yusef had followed the Var king out, a beefy giant of a man came to the head table, speaking first to the king in a soft murmur, but he drew the attention of the princes, who also leaned in to hear his Draig words. Nadja watched their expressions stiffen and their eyes narrow, but other than that, they nodded and turned back to their wives.

“What’s going on?” Nadja asked. Olek’s gaze was hard and his breathing controlled. “What’s happening?”

“There’s been a little trouble with the Var guests,” Olek tried to smile for her. The look failed. “Nothing for you to be concerned about, but I have to go.”

“Olek, wait.” Nadja wanted him to confide in her. She felt his unease and it scared her.

“I’ll have one of the men escort you home.” He waved down to a nearby table. Nadja glanced down at the guard. He bowed at her as Olek gave him his orders.

Leaning over, Olek lightly kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“But…” Nadja tried to stop him. It was too late. He was already down the raised platform to join his brother, Ualan. They walked leisurely out the side door, trying not to draw attention to themselves.

The king stood and bowed to his wife. “My queen.”

Queen Mede took her husband’s arm and, smiling, she made her way along the platform with him. She lightly hooked Zoran’s arm as she passed by her son, urging him to join in escorting her out. They acted as if nothing was amiss.

Nadja looked down to where the soldier waited for her. He bowed again, offering up his hand to lead her around the table. Morrigan was already being led away by a servant. The woman appeared uncommonly pale. Nadja wondered if Ualan had told Morrigan what was happening, but she was too far ahead to catch up.

At a loss, she had no choice but to follow the guard. He was quiet as he escorted her through the passageways to her home. Nadja wondered if their claiming of Heinrich had upset him. She thought about saying something, but remembered how Olek told her the men would respect her for it later. Once she said the command to open the door, the warrior moved to the side and put his back to the hallway wall to stand guard.

“Do you want to come in?” she asked politely. “You don’t have to wait out here.”

The guard shook his head in denial and gave a small smile of thanks but didn’t speak.

“Goodnight, then,” she told him. He stood straight and stiff, keeping his eyes forward on the opposite wall. Nadja let loose a small sigh and went inside.

O
lek and Ualan
rushed through the castle passageways to the medical wing where Yusef was being delivered. Agro hadn’t been able to tell them much, only that Yusef had been attacked from behind while seeing King Attor out of the keep and off Draig land. Agro seemed fairly confident it wasn’t the Var king or his ambassadors who’d dealt the blows, but the Var were not dismissed as suspects in the tragedy.

Hearing Yusef’s howl of pain, the princes began to sprint. King Llyr, Prince Zoran, and Queen Mede were quick behind them. It had been hard not to run out of the main hall, but it would do no good to alarm the castle until they knew what was happening.

Seeing Agro pin Prince Yusef to a bed as the doctors worked, Ualan and Olek stepped in to relieve the man of his position. Agro backed away, his face strained. Yusef fought like a yorkin, but had lost so much blood he was weakening quickly.

“He was stabbed in the back. He didn’t have time to shift,” Agro said. “I sent a couple of palace guards to look for clues and to clean up the mess before anyone else saw it.”

King Llyr nodded his thanks. Agro was a good friend and a loyal soldier. He’d grown up with the four princes. Speaking low, the king commanded, “Agro, gather our best trackers and see if they can pick up a scent.”

“I’ll lead them myself,” Agro stated, seeming relieved to have orders. Shifting into his fearsome Draig form, he took off down the hall at lightning speed.

“My wife,” Yusef moaned, nearly incoherent, before passing out.

Ualan turned to his father as he let his now still brother go. Olek followed suit. “We should send someone to the outpost to gather his wife.”

“She’s in chastisement,” Olek said. “Send someone discreet and make sure they know not to scare her with a dragon-shift. We don’t know how much Yusef has told her about us. She might not even know she’s royalty.”

Zoran nodded in agreement, glancing over from where he spoke to a guard. He waved the man away.

“I’ve taken care of it,” Zoran said. “They are getting her right now.”

The family turned their attention to where the doctors worked in near silence. The royal family kept out of the way, but stayed close enough to witness everything that happened. Their expressions were tight as they waited to hear if Yusef would pull through.

“We have to stop the bleeding first,” Tal explained to the family, “before we can put him in the medical booth. He’s in too fragile a state to move.”

“Someone, grab me that handheld,” Dr. Ector ordered, keeping a hand pressed to the seeping wound. Tal ran out of the room to fetch the device.

Olek did not flinch at the sight of the jagged wounds, though inside his stomach churned with worry. Half an hour later, Yusef was bandaged but still unconscious. The doctor explained that, since he hadn’t been given time to shift into Draig form, the knife wounds had penetrated deep beneath the surface of his skin. Yusef was still in danger and if they tried to stand him up in the medical booth they might do more harm than good. However, with constant care and monitoring, they were hopeful for a complete recovery.

The king and queen said nothing at the news. Queen Mede laid her head against her husband’s shoulder. “Hopeful” was hardly a comforting word to two parents looking at their fallen son.

O
lek silently made
his way down the red halls to his home. Seeing the soldier he’d sent to guard Nadja still at attention outside his door, he waved the man from his post. “Is all well?”

“Yes, my prince.”

“Thank you for staying. Please, rejoin the celebration if you like,” Olek said by way of dismissal.

The guard bowed dutifully and left.

Nadja still wore her formal gown when he walked in. She looked as if she’d been frantically pacing the floor, waiting for his return. As the door slid open, she spun to him, hastening forward.

“Are you all right?” Her face pulled tight with worry as she examined him. “What happened?”

Olek didn’t wish to alarm her. She hadn’t asked for the burden of their royal life and he didn’t want to trouble her with it. “Everything’s fine, solarflower.”

“Then what was that all about?” Nadja demanded. “Why was there a guard left at the door? I thought we were being attacked.”

“Yusef had a small accident. The doctors say he’ll be fine.”

Nadja took him at his word and let go of a heavy sigh. “You had me so worried. I was sure something bad had happened with the Var ambassadors. I can’t explain why, but I feel there is something off with that King Attor. He reminds me of,” she paused and took a deep breath before finishing weakly, “He reminds me of people I’ve met over the years.”

The light was dim from the drawn curtains overhead. Olek could see his wife easily though, as he let his eyes shift. He glanced over her gown, wanting desperately to hold her.

Nadja saw the look and instantly backed away. “Oh, no. Stop right there. I know what you’re thinking when your eyes turn all liquid-y like that. Your Draig genetics give you away, Prince Olek.”

He stiffened. She knew? “My genetics?”

“All of you, even the queen, get that little eye color shift when you examine something closely. I know you have some kind of super eyesight going on.” She put her thumb in front of her bodice and pointed upwards. “So you can just stop zooming in on my chest this instant. I’m not through discussing what happened tonight.”

“Who said we had to stop talking?”

“Wait, you don’t have x-ray vision do you?” She gasped at the idea and crossed her arms over her chest. “Can everyone see me naked under my clothes?”

Olek chuckled. “Unfortunately, no, I cannot see through your clothes. So how about you take them off?”

Nadja sighed, dropping her arms. “Oh, good.”

“So you’ll take them off for me?” he asked, hopeful.

“So do you have super sight?” She ignored his request.

“I have normal Draig vision.”

“I’ll take that as a yes. Fascinating.” She glanced around and talked more to herself than to him. The brilliance of her shining eyes captured him. Her hair was still piled perfectly on her head. She had been the loveliest woman in the hall that night and she belonged to him. The very idea of it took his breath away. “I have this thing…somewhere…where did I put that bag?” She moved toward her laboratory. “I want to examine your eyes more closely. Sit on the couch so I can—”

“Nadja?”

“Yes?” She stopped and tilted her head to study him.

“If I let you examine my eyes, will you at least take off your gown to do it?” Olek stalked toward her, letting her see in his expression and body movements exactly what he intended to do to her. Enough was enough. It was time they consummated their marriage.

Nadja backed away, around the water fountain. “Wait. Shouldn’t we, ah?”

“I want to collect that kiss you owe me.”

“What kiss?” Nadja asked, feigning innocence. She batted her eyelashes at him.

“Before we left tonight, you promised me a kiss,” Olek stated. He knew she didn’t stand a chance at escape. “Here, let me remind you.”

Darting forward, he wrapped his fingers over her hips. Nadja gasped. He hit a clasp with his thumb and pushed the overdress’ material aside so he could slide his hands over the cream colored underskirt to better cup her ass.

“I believe we were right about here,” he said, giving her a playful squeeze. By all that was sacred, she felt so right against him. “You promised to kiss me after the coronation if I didn’t mess up your hair.”

Nadja shivered visibly. Her lids dipped low over her eyes. He splayed a hand over her lower back and firmly pressed, forcing her cleavage to push against him. Peering down, he devoured the creamy globes of her breasts with his hot gaze.

“I’m waiting,” he whispered, his breath falling over her bare neck and cleavage. “Where is my kiss?”

Nadja leaned forward to quickly peck his lips. When she pulled back, he wasn’t smiling.

“Naughty solarflower,” Olek growled, shaking his head in denial. “That is no kiss.”

“You didn’t specify,” Nadja countered. “Now, let me go so I can talk to you.”

“You talk,” he said, a mischievous grin coming over his features, “and I’ll show you what a real kiss is.”

Nadja gasped as his head dipped down to the top of her breast and he instantly began devouring it with his passionate lips. Whatever conversation she was so keen on having ended in that moment. She weakened into his arms. Her heart pounded beneath his tongue, thundering wildly.

When he’d thoroughly melted her will to his, he lifted his head and grinned. “You don’t speak, solarflower? I thought you wanted to talk.”

“I…” she began feebly, as if trying for the life of her to remember what she wanted to ask him. She gave a small shake of her head.

“How about I speak, then?” Olek brushed his face against her chest briefly before again staring into her eyes. “Shall I tell you what I have been thinking about most of the night?”

Nadja didn’t move. Her eyes widened. His hands grew bolder on her back, working against her skirt to expose the backs of her legs.

“Should I tell you what I am always thinking about?” he continued passionately, claiming her with his intense gaze.

He found the firm cheek of her ass and roughly caressed the naked flesh.

“Yes,” Nadja panted, not turning her eyes away. He smelled the scent of her body and knew she had become moist just listening to his seductive voice.

“I think about you, solarflower, all the time. I think about having you in a hundred different ways.”

Nadja merely stared at the bold admission.

“Shall I tell you how I think about taking you?” Olek leaned forward to lick at her neck.

“Yes,” she breathed, her eyes fluttering closed. “Yes, tell me.”

“I want to make love to you here on the floor, on that couch, in the bath, on the fur rug in our bedroom before the fireplace. Every time I see you, I want to strip you naked and have my wicked way with you. I want to tie you up and conquer you. I want bend you over my office desk and take you from behind. I can barely think straight anymore. You have completely taken over my thoughts.” Olek grew bolder, licking, nipping, kissing his way along to her collarbone. “My cock is always stiff. Feel it, feel how hard I am for you. I’m going crazy, solarflower. I need to be inside you. I want to feel your wet, soft….”

Olek didn’t wait for her to obey. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his clothed erection. She made a weak noise and didn’t pull away. Tentative fingers moved over the shaft and he nearly came in his pants.

“This is what you do to me, Nadja.” Olek placed his hand back under her skirt to edge his fingers along her sex from behind. They inched between her thighs to test her response to him. He wasn’t disappointed as he slid along her moist lips. “Tell me you’re hot for me. Tell me to take you right now, right here. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

“Ah,” Nadja’s mouth fell open and she nodded in fervent agreement. Before she could say the words, an ungodly high-pitched screech came from the hallway.

“
Draea Anwealda!
” The shout was followed by a frantic knock on the door.

Nadja jolted in alarm, blinking rapidly as she tried to pull away.

“
Draea Anwealda,
” a woman’s panicked voice called louder. “Come quickly, you and the princess.”

Olek slowly came out of his passion-laden haze. He reluctantly let his wife go. She gave a little shiver of protest.

By all the gods, what had he done to deserve such agony? It was difficult, but Olek managed to tear himself away from her. He couldn’t take much more of this painful denial. The dragon inside threatened him with a shift to ease his suffering. He forced the tingling in his limbs to subside.

“What is it?” Nadja asked. “What is she saying?”

“She’s saying we need to go.” His voice was hoarser than it should have been.

Oh, and how his cock throbbed and pulsed with a tight erection. His gut clenched painfully.

“Where?”

“I’m not sure. Come on.”

Nadja righted her gown as Olek yelled for the door to open. He took her hand, leading her forward.

“What is it?” Seeing it was the doctor’s wife, he froze. Yusef?

“You are needed in the medical wing,” the woman said, her Draig words coming out fast. “It’s the princesses, they’ve been poisoned. Bring Princess Nadja. I must gather the others.”

The woman ran off. Olek turned to his wife and cupped her face to study her closely. She was pale and trembling as he examined her.

“What are you doing?” Nadja asked, fighting Olek as he tried to turn her face from side to side in his inspection.

“Come on, we have to go.” Terror filled him. Without waiting for her to agree, he ran, pulling his panicked wife behind him.