Throwing Gwenyth into the dungeon wasn’t enough. Nan needed to break the marriage before she could move on with Leo as her husband.
“It doesn’t matter if she lives or dies. Easier for me if the weak human never wakes. That way, there is no impediment to me marrying Leonidas.”
Martinos made a scoffing sound. “You’re only now recalling Leo has a legal wife?”
“Bah! A human man of the church married them. I doubt that will hold up under dragon law. Telus suggested we resurrect the gladiator games to celebrate my betrothal to Leonidas. The human will be the climax of the show when she fights the other prisoners for her life.”
Gladiator games?Gwenyth had difficulty remaining still, the urge to throttle the dragon woman so strong, her hands fisted.
“But that would be cold-blooded murder,” Martinos said, and even he sounded shocked.
“Entertainment,” Nan countered. “I thought you would make a worthy candidate to fight in the games. Make our family proud.”
“You’re a haughty bitch,” Martinos snapped.
Nan laughed, her amusement like the tinkle of a pretty bell. The sound was incongruous coming as it did from this cruel, proud woman. “Something for you to consider during the next few days. I rather liked Telus’s suggestion, and the gladiator battle will proceed. It will clear the dungeons and reduce the costs of maintaining them.”
Martinos let out a growl and threw something at the bars of his door.
“Now, now, brother. It’s not the time to have a tantrum. Save your energy for the battle to come.”
16 – Our Mate Is Alive
The cracks in the dungeon’s wall were many, but with a lack of tools and the heavy rocks, it would prove difficult for a prisoner to escape. Hearing the murmur of voices, Leo placed his eye to one crack and tried to look through.
By Lodar!What was Nan doing in the dungeon? She was talking to the male prisoner. Her brother. Wait, was that wolf fur draped around her shoulders?
Leo’s breath caught, and for a moment, he thought he’d made a noise because Nan glanced in his direction. The furwaswolf, and it was an identical color to Jenny and her dead littermate.
A coincidence, true. But Leo wondered.
A betrothal took time to arrange. Nan’s representatives would have approached his parents some time ago. It wasn’t unusual for prospects to undertake a full investigation of an intended partner since with liaisons between dragons, sizeable amounts of money and property were factored into the decision. Leo thought back. The stranger who’d approached him to sell his property had come around six or seven months ago. Was there something he’d missed while perusing the property deeds? Something to check and research.
His parents had ignored him until they’d decided the betrothal to Nan was an excellent idea. He needed to learn what they were getting from the deal.
It seemed he’d underestimated this dragon woman. He’d assumed—wrongly—that Nan’s parents had arranged the match.
Not Nan herself.
He pressed his eye back to the crack and focused on the conversation.
Gwenyth was still unconscious. That did not bode well. Worry speared through him, but he couldn’t do anything until Nan left the dungeon.
This was her second visit, and it was unusual enough to cause speculation—Leo’s and the prison guards.
About half an hour later, Nan departed, taking her torch with her and plunging the dungeon into darkness. It took a while for Leo to focus. He tapped his finger against his knee, wondering if a guard would check on them.
“We should be safe enough now,” Jakab murmured. “My brother assured me he was on duty and responsible for the lower dungeons.”
No sooner had Jakab spoken then another person entered the dungeon. The light illuminated their face.
Jakab’s brother.
Leo froze. What did he do now?
Jakab never hesitated. “Karlos,” he whispered.
Karlos’s gaze snapped away from the cells within the dungeon. “Who’s there?”
