Nan acknowledged the greeting with a curt bow of her head. His father was correct. She was a stunningly beautiful woman with her straight raven-black hair and creamy skin. Her eyes were an unusual pale golden-brown. While tall, she was curvy rather than lean in the way of most dragon women.
Despite her beauty, she radiated an arrogance and self-awareness of her worth. That she cast other women in the shade would be a source of pride to her.
“She isn’t Gwenyth,”his dragon whispered.
Exactly.
Gwenyth was the one who lit their world and made everything else unimportant.
“We have to rescue her,”Leo told his dragon.“I hate this standing around while our friends risk their lives by going against my parents.”
“We have generous friends.”
“We would help them,”Leo said.
“True.”
Nan extended her hand to his father. Leo bit back his disgust as his father bent over her and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. Nan’s gaze lifted and connected with his. Her lips curled, but it wasn’t a smile. It was smug satisfaction.
What the hell was going on here? He hadn’t managed to get any of his brothers alone to interrogate them. To his mind, they’d attempted to avoid him.
In the past, they’d made a game of taunting him. At least until he’d become Champion of the Skies, and Leo had decided the runt no longer accepted their teasing. His oldest brother had tried, pushing his luck.
Leo had knocked him down in two punches. Mostly, he avoided his family. It was time for him to stop running. Time to take a stand and demand respect.
“Any luck?” Leo asked Jakab, the moment Leo spotted him waiting outside the castle gate.
“Not here,” Jakab muttered. “Come to my private apartments while I shower and change for dinner.”
“My parents expect my presence, however I’ve decided not to follow their instructions to the letter.”
The pair walked side-by-side, taking the narrow back alleys to get to Jakab’s town apartment. The businesses that sprawled outward from the castle had closed for the day, and there were fewer dragons around to spot Leo. A fact he was grateful for. If no one noticed him, they’d be less likely to inform Telus.
The entire time impatience simmered through Leo, but he bit back his questions. They’d barely stepped inside Jakab’s apartment when someone knocked on the door.
Leo scowled at Jakab. “Who’s that? Have you set me up?”
“Truly,” Jakab snapped, glowering at Leo. Jakab strode over to his door and opened it. “My brother is here. I asked him if he’d mind speaking with us both. He has information.”
“I apologize.”
Jakab slapped Leo on the back and squeezed his shoulder before he went to answer the summons. “You’re worried about your woman. I get it.” He opened the door. “Karlos, thanks for coming. You know my friend, Leo?”
Leo crossed the ground separating them and extended his hand. “Karlos, thank you for agreeing to help me. Have you seen Gwenyth? Is she all right?”
“Let Karlos inside first,” Jakab protested. He closed the door and offered his brother and Leo drinks. Once they settled around a scarred wooden table, Karlos, at last, nodded at Leo.
“Your mate is alive. They have her imprisoned in the bottom dungeon. I was on duty today, and the head guard notified me a visitor would arrive to see the other prisoner incarcerated on the same level.”
Leo cocked his head, wondering why Karlos would mention this visit.“Who is the other prisoner?”
“Martinos, The Rapist,” Karlos said.
Leo released a surprised hiss. “Martinos hung around with my brothers. Although I’m younger, I have met Martinos. One time my brothers let me hang out with them, and we visited pubs. I saw no hint of danger in Martinos. He never showed temper or brutality. Yes, he was as young and stupid as the rest of us, but he never stepped over the accepted line with conduct. The charges of rape surprised me.”
“What I didn’t know until today is that Martinos is sister to Nandag, The Strongminded,” Karlos said.“Did you realize that?”
Shock struck a blow in Leo. “I knew he visited with a group of dragons from Smoking Isle. No one ever mentioned a sister.”
