I storm from the room, relieved when he does not chase me. But though I’ve put distance between us, I cannot rid myself of the awareness of his bite. And though I go to my bed and try to sleep, I cannot. Not for long. I wake through the night with my fingers on the bite and my pussy throbbing, images of Aurelion flooding my mind until I’m wild with it.
Yalina
Master Harmer frowns when I finally corner him in the throne room. “Can you be more specific, Light of the Sun? What behaviors are concerning to you?”
My cheeks heat. “Well, for a start, Aurelion is pushy and his emotional outbursts are quite concerning.” Why can I not bring myself to be honest with him?
“Hmmm. Yes, I see. Dragons are said to experience strong emotions, it is true. And they have certain instincts.” He gives me a pointed look.
I cough. “What kind of instincts?”
Now it is Master Harmer who looks uncomfortable. “Light of the Sun, has anyone ever explained the intricacies of ah… reproduction to you?”
I laugh. “Yes. I am familiar. I think my father was more open than most. Go on.”
He relaxes a little, and so do I. “Ah, good. Well, dragons become very attached to whoever they are attracted to. Intensely so. There have been terrible feuds and battles fought between two dragons who wanted the same mate for example. But once they have made their claiming bite, those instincts seem to settle.”
Of course, the mating bite. I shiver, resisting the urge to lift my fingers to my neck where a large gold necklace mostly conceals what remains of the mark. Aurelion’s saliva seemed to have a healing quality when he licked it last night. “Tell me more about this bite.”
“I do not know much more than this. Only that something in the intense attraction a dragon feels to their mate causes their venom to transform into something equally as potent but far less dangerous. It will not harm the receiver, though it is said to cause an intense reaction.”
“It is definitely intense,” I mumble. “And what then? What happens next?”
He shifts uncomfortably, tugging at the long sleeves of his tunic. “Ah, Your Highness, you may prefer to discuss such things with the healer or someone… else.”
I incline my head. “Forgive me. I do not wish to make you uncomfortable. But can you tell me, this attraction dragons feel, can it cause them to act possessive or even aggressive? To act out in ways that might seem out of character?”
He nods. “Certainly.”
Hmmm. What if Aurelion is losing control of his instincts? Does that excuse the way he acted last night? I do not think it does. More to the point, can I get out of this now? Do I want to? “Thank you, Master Harmer. You have been most helpful.”
He bows and retreats, leaving me alone in the large, empty space. I get up and walk from one end of the long room to the other while I think.
I must make my decision—and quickly—but last night leaves me in no better position to do so than before I went to Aurelion. I feel an intense attraction to both Kaelun and Aurelion. Either of them could more than satisfy me as a lover. Both can clearly defend themselves, though perhaps Aurelion is better suited if I want a guard as a husband. I do not think that is good grounds for my choice, however. And both of them have qualities that make me wary of them. Kaelun has lied to me. I may have forgiven the lie, but I cannot forget it. Would he be honest with me when we are married if he thought it went against his interests? What else is he withholding from me now?
Aurelion, has never lied to me. In fact, I think he is almost too honest about his desires. Can he continue to restrain himself and resist the urge to overpower me as he did last night? Or would the marriage contract be his leave to demand whatever he wantsfrom me without restraint? I could not stop him if he decided to use all his considerable strength against me.
The door to the throne room opens and a messenger enters, bowing low. “Forgive me, Light of the Sun, a note for you.” He holds out a little note written in Master Vahn’s scrawling handwriting.
Light of the Sun, I must be the bearer of bad news. A report has come to me today that the Solhara’s Gift is dry, as are two of the other wells in the city. The situation is dire. However, all is not lost. I believe I have a solution.
I lift a hand to my chest as I read over the words a second time. All three wells dry and still no inundation? The water in the Vaal is foul and green and will be until the floods send water down from the mountains. What will the people drink?
The messenger is still waiting, bent over in a low bow.
“Send for my council,” I tell him. “I must meet with them at once.”
“Yes, Light of the Sun. Immediately.” He hurries off.
Mind racing, I follow behind him out of the throne room, heading for the council chamber. What solution could Master Vahn have for me? There can be none unless he has found a way to magic water from the dry dust.
I’m not looking carefully where I’m going and almost run directly into Aurelion as I round a corner too fast. He catches hold of me with a hand on either arm to steady me, looking down at me with concern. “Good morning, rhkash. Did you sleep well?”
“Fine. Excuse me, I have pressing business—”
“Yalina!” Kaelun darts around the corner behind me, coming to a stop next to us and standing straighter when he sees the dragon prince. “Ah, I mean, Your Highness. I am glad to have caught you. Do you have a moment?” He looks between me andAurelion, who does not remove his hands from my arms, much to my annoyance.
I step back with an irritated huff. “Excuse me. I must meet with my council.” Then an idea occurs to me. “In fact, this would be an excellent opportunity for our next challenge.”
