Dragon Lords Books 1 - 4 Box Set: Anniversary Edition (94 page)

D
raig trackers confirmed
the position of King Attor’s campsite, and news came back to the palace that the men were off to fight with King Attor and his Var warriors. Pia respected Zoran’s wishes and didn’t follow him into battle. If what Queen Mede had said was true, then she had a lot of thinking to do.

Pia hardly slept, waking up from small naps every hour or so. The men were gone all night. Queen Mede stayed with her most of the evening, never once mentioning her fear for her own husband, the king. However, Pia saw the worry in the queen’s gaze when she spoke of battle. The queen admitted that anxiety was a lot every woman must bear in silence—apprehension over the safety of husbands and sons. But they were all fine warriors, and to voice such concerns would dishonor them.

Pia said nothing, having faith that Zoran would come home to her. The next morning, he did.

Remembering what the queen had told her, she smiled at him as he walked into the door and acted as if he’d just came home from a day training the men. She stayed on the couch, where she’d been silently staring at the fire, lost in a world of thought.

Quietly, she said, “I knew you would meet with victory.”

Zoran’s eye lit with pleasure at the compliment. He nodded. “Thank you, Pia.”

“Now, tell me what happened.” A pout formed on her lips. “Since you forbade my going with you. It’s not fair that you have all the fun—which leads me to inform you that I expect to be trained in Var warfare, so I don’t miss out next time.”

“If that is what you wish, yes you may train, but don’t expect me to take it easy on you because you are my wife.”

“I’d be insulted if you did.”

At that he chuckled. “You already have the Draig attitude.”

“So, tell me. What happened with King Attor?”

“It was a small encampment of cat-shifters so we were not greatly outnumbered. King Attor is dead. We tried to arrest him according to our treaty, but he called his men to battle. Now Attor’s son will take the throne. Olek is speaking to the new Var king in hopes of negotiating a peace treaty. Either way, it is protocol that someone from our family pay respects to the other royal family at this time of loss,” Zoran obliged. “For all that King Attor was, he was a father with sons.”

Pia followed him into the exercise room. She clutched the blindfold behind her back, twisting it between her fingers. He placed his sword in its place on the weapon’s rack. Then, stretching his arms over his head, he yawned.

“It will be slow going, but peace can be achieved. I have faith in Olek’s abilities on that front,” Zoran said. “Some of the older nobles will protest on both sides. However, in the end, they would bow to the decision of their leaders.”

“They have wise leaders,” Pia said. “Aggravating, but wise.”

“Only because our women make us so.” Zoran laughed. He moved toward the bathroom. Throwing off his shirt, he soon stood naked before the hot spring. Pia trailed behind him, her lips curling as she saw his very firm backside. He again stretched his arms, causing the muscles to ripple over his back in gentle, undulating waves.

“If our battles with the Var have ended,” Zoran said. “I might be out of a job.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Pia said. She stepped up behind him. He tensed as her fingers walked up the middle of his back, pressing lightly along his spine to his neck. Then, lifting the blindfold, she placed it over his eyes. “I might have a use for you.”

Zoran grinned. “What use is that?”

Pia merely hummed to herself, as she slid out of her clothes. Then, running her hands over his body, she moved to stand in front of him. Zoran shivered at her light touches but didn’t reach for her.

Pia loved looking at her warrior husband. She loved watching him move. She loved feeling his texture. She loved him.

“Well, you did promise to take me hunting and camping,” she began, circling his nipples in absent trails.

“And so I shall,” he said. “The soldiers will receive leave to go home to their families. I will have plenty of time to take my lovely wife wherever she wants to go.”

Pia licked her lips watching his mouth move. “And you do owe me a naked dance.”

“You shall have as many as you desire,” he murmured, using his senses to lean down finding her lips.

Pia let him kiss her, her hands moving along his arms. When he pulled away, she whispered, “Let us go camping very soon. We can dance naked under the stars.”

His mouth curled to the side. He didn’t pull away from her lips or remove the blindfold. “Why so soon? The best hunting will be in a few months.”

She worked her fingers down to his wrists. “If you say so, but I would recommend you changing your mind.”

“And why would that be?” Zoran asked, tempted to taste her lips once again.

“Because in several months you’ll have to carry me up the mountain,” she whispered. She drew his hand forward to her stomach. “The doctor said you grow in me.”

Zoran’s hands lifted to push back the blindfold. A hesitant smile came to his face.

“Are you saying...?”

“I’m saying, stubborn man, that I love you,” Pia answered. Her eyes dipped ever so shyly. He wasn’t supposed to remove the mask until after she’d told him. She didn’t have time for embarrassment as he lifted her off the ground. Her feet dangled off the floor, and she wrapped her arms around his thick neck for support.

His body pressed into hers as he stared deeply into her eyes. A wide grin of pure happiness spread over his features, as he whispered in awe, “I love you, too, wife.”

Pia let him kiss her. A well of emotion sprung up between them, connecting them. There were no more boundaries, no more fears, no more doubts.

Pia pulled back. Still dangling, she said, “You got that I’m pregnant, right?”

Zoran only grinned, looking like he’d conquered the world.

She smiled naughtily back. With a stiff jerk, she pulled the blindfold back over his eyes. “Now, blind dragon, feel your way into the bath.”

Zoran chuckled. He lowered her to the ground, only to press her against his arousal. “I would much rather feel my way into something else.”

Pia’s laughter rang out over them.

“You’ve felt yourself into my heart, Zoran,” Pia whispered. She took his face in her hands, holding him against her. “And I’m afraid there’s no escaping. You are my prisoner.”

Zoran kissed her, hard and sure, maddening their bodies with love and passion. “As you are mine, love, as you are mine.”

There was nothing left to be said as he swept her into his arms, blindly kissing her and never intending to stop.

T
he halls
of the Draig palace were filled with hysterical men. Ualan, Zoran, Yusef, and Olek all paced down the hall’s length, only to turn and find their way back. Whenever a scream sounded, piercing the air, they would freeze. Their wide eyes would turn to the medical ward. And, in the following silence, they would curse their damned tradition of kicking fathers out of the delivery room.

Hearing Pia calling his name, Zoran tried to break down the door, only to be subdued by his brothers. The pacing resumed once more, this time joined by the curses of the four men. Hours and many laps later, the gaunt, frightened warriors were finally allowed to go inside the medical ward.

A nurse came forward, holding out a strong, proud son to Ualan—a beast of a child with his mother’s dark hair and his father’s brown eyes. A doctor brought forth an even larger boy, handing the baby to Yusef. The child had hair of red flames and grey eyes that sparkled with mischief. Olek’s son, a tiny lad, was swaddled in Queen Mede’s arms. The queen gave the boy to his anxious father who couldn’t stop grinning.

Zoran, standing tall above his brothers, eager to hold his son, looked over at Pia on the bed. She smiled dreamily at him, her hand twitching for him to come to her. Zoran thought she’d never looked so beautiful.

The doctor stepped forward and handed him the tiniest bundle yet. Zoran pulled back the blankets to ensure all was well with his son. Suddenly, he blinked in surprise. It was no boy. Pia had given him a very healthy, bald little girl. As his daughter’s eyes opened, they were his own light brown color, staring out from her mother’s perfect face.

“We are truly blessed,” the queen whispered, touching each of her grandsons before moving to stroke her granddaughter’s head. “Another female dragon in the family.”

“You are in for a fistful of trouble,” the king said, beaming with pride as he looked at his granddaughter. “I’ll wager this one will rule over her cousins.” Then louder, he announced, “A very fine start, my children. Fine indeed. But do not think your duty is over. I expect many brothers for each one of these fierce babies.”

The women looked as if they might crawl out of their beds and attack the king. King Llyr was completely oblivious to their stares as he began fussing with each infant in turn.

“I have a sword for you,” the king said to Ualan’s son. “And for you,” he told Olek’s. “And for you as well,” he said to Yusef’s boy. Then to Zoran’s girl, he said, “We should probably let the boys practice first before we arm you. Your grandmother dragon will surely have much to teach you. She can fly, you know, and shoot fire out of her mouth. I’ve seen it.”

The princes laughed, never having seen such a feat from their mother.

“It’s true,” the king swore, lowering his voice to a gentle murmur as he talked to his new grandchildren. “Someday, I will tell you all about how the Draig came to have a dragon queen, and how I managed to win her heart. She did not make it easy on me, and I swear your grandmother nearly burned the clothes right off my body when I tried.”

Going to their wives, the princes held the babies to their chests, grinning and fawning like fools. The princesses just smiled sleepily, marveling at how these strong Draig warriors could be brought low by helpless little infants.

T
he would-be heroine
...

Aeron wants nothing more than to continue to live out her very long, solitary life in a small metal room listening to communications for the Federation Military. It's not glamorous. It's not even charming. But it's safe. There's no chance of getting hurt.

When she intercepts a communication about the impending genocide of the Qurilixian people, she has no choice but to act. No one at the Federation seems inclined to do anything about the threat and suddenly it's up to her to save a whole planet. Enlisting the help of her degenerate sister, Aeron finds herself signed up as a prospective bride to the very barbarians she's trying to save.

T
he man
who did not need saved...

High Duke of Draig, Lord Bron, is not looking forward to his seventh failed attempt at a marriage ceremony, but when he sees the lovely Aeron he knows instantly his years of waiting have finally paid off. The gods have blessed him with a life mate... or have they? His new bride is insistent she's not there for marriage, but for a mission. It's up to Bron to convince her to stay, or risk spending the rest of his life alone.