“Unworthy males…?” Lord Payneham spluttered.
“Fernie?” When Father approached, Auren bared her fangs, making that alarming rattling sound in her throat. Watching him stop in his tracks was a sight to see. To have that kind of power, to force men to obey them, I felt like everything I knew about the world was being turned on its head. “Darling, what have you done?”
“Bonded with Auren.” When I turned to face my dragon, she leant in, bunting me with her head. That kind of gesture was cute in a lapdog, but her size and strength had me stumbling backwards, forced to slap my hands around her head to stay upright. “Auren, this is my father, Lord Rochester.”
“A pleasure to meet you, my queen—” Father said, bowing again, but Auren shook her head.
You allowed inferior males to court your daughter, Auren said, takinga ponderous step forward.Males that called my bondmate disgusting names, likening her to a beast.
“You did what?” the merchant spluttered, thumping his son in the chest.
“I’d like an answer to that too,” Father said, turning on his heel and stalking over. “Fernie was standing in the hallway, listening to everything you said, and whatever it was, that was what had her running out of the house, not some flaw in her temperament.”
“What on earth did you say?” the bearded man’s father said to his son. “To a dragon rider of all things?”
“She wasn’t a dragon rider then,” he spluttered. “She was just…”
Just what?Auren asked, prowling closer.Just what, you weak little man?
And he was. It was hard to see that arrogant, cocksure attitude in the man now. His whole body shook, some animal part of himself knowing he was in danger. He’d called me a beast. Well, now he was at the mercy of one. He shrank back, the sharp stink of urine puddling under his feet making clear how he felt about it.
“Fern?” I turned around to see that Rose had drawn nearer. “What happened? You ran away and found a dragon?”
No, I wanted to say, I found my power.
“Something like that,” I replied.
Get your things,Auren directed.I’ll keep these males occupied.Her tail slapped down, stopping Lord Payneham from bolting, leaving his son to face the music.We’ll have a little chat about how to treat females they wish to court.
“Come on.” Rose linked her free arm in mine. “You can tell me all about it as you pack.”
“No.”
Everyone turned at Mother’s sharp interruption. Even Auren stopped staring the men down, her head rising slowly to take my mother in. Apparently Mother didn’t have the good sense of Lord Payneham, because she stalked closer, eyes blazing.
“Now, Daisy—” Father started to say.
“No!” Mother dismissed him with a wave of her hand and marched over to me, and that’s when I saw it. Males, men, had told me my entire life that they made the decisions, that they were the power in the world. If that was the case, how did my mother, who was half my father’s size, contradict him in front of everyone? “No, Fern. You will not run off like this, abrogating your responsibilities.”
“Daisy—” Father said in a very careful voice.
“No.” She faced Father down, fairly bristling with suppressed fury. “Fern must marry a respectable man. An alliance that will benefit the family.”
“Daisy, see sense,” Father pleaded. “There is no higher rank than a dragon rider. If she bonded with a male dragon, she’d be awarded her own lands. Fernie has bonded with a queen. They’ll both share a great fortune.”
“You were always too soft on her.” Mother’s voice quavered. “Making allowances for Fern that you never did Rose.” I stared at my sister then, pleading for answers, only to see her cheeks flush bright red. She fussed over little Dahlia, who had started to grizzle. “You think your daughter wanted to marry Bryce?”
“You didn’t?” I whispered.
The whole district talked about their courtship as if it was the love affair of the century.
“He’s fine as husbands go,” she replied, staring down at her baby. “At least he’s discreet in his liaisons.”
“He has a mistress?”
My whisper was so loud I’m sure everyone could hear it.
“They all do, Fern.”
