“Come. I’m starving,” he said, offering his arm. With a wary breath, I accepted, allowing him to escort me to the head of the table. He pulled out my chair with a courtly flourish, and I sat stiffly, unaccustomed to anyone treating me like I mattered.
His eyes slid over me again, warm, possessive, lingering far too long at the neckline of my dress.
He leaned in, his breath skimming my ear. “I enjoy seeing you in my gold.”
A shiver crawled down my spine, not the good kind, as his finger traced a slow line along my collarbone. I fought the urge to shove his hand away, forcing a polite smile instead. My palm rose to the emerald-encrusted dragon pendant resting at the hollow of my throat, covering my cleavage under the guise of toying with the jewelry.
“Thank you for letting me wear it,” I said. “It really is lovely.”
And heavy. Now that I’d worn it for a while, the weight of it was cold, unyielding, and impossible to ignore. Just like the king.
Gold-trimmed platters loaded with breads, meats, and root vegetables filled the table. I noted that only two places were set.
I bit my lip, glancing at the empty chair on Alaric’s left. “Is Thorne not joining us? I can’t imagine he’d want to missanycelebration.”
“He departed a short time ago to meet with the rulers of a neighboring village to warn them about The Dark One. I tried to convince him to stay until dinner, but he was eager to be on his way.”
I rubbed the center of my chest, sensing the truth. Where Thorne’s flame rested beneath my sternum was a hollow, vacant sensation. I must have been so wrapped up with Myrna, getting dressed, that I hadn’t immediately noticed his absence.
Some of my excitement for the evening washed away with the realization. I struggled to keep my smile in place. “The sooner the other kingdoms are aware of the danger, the better, I suppose.” Still, he could have taken a moment to tell me he was leaving.
“It’s only the two of us tonight.” Alaric claimed my hand and kissed my fingertips. The devilish spark in his eyes reminded meof Thorne. Though on Alaric, it made my pulse flutter in a far different way.
It was a strange situation, to be sure. I’d grown comfortable around Alaricthe dragon—his massive form, his primal mannerisms, his beastly presence. But now, remembering that beast and this man were one and the same was difficult. The familiarity we’d shared didn’t quite translate to the golden-haired king who watched me with such human intensity.
“How are you feeling?” I asked while he sliced a knife into the breast of a pheasant. Myrna and her crew had really pulled out all the stops tonight. There wasn’t a mystery sausage in sight.
“Like a new man, thanks to you.” He piled my plate with the neatly carved meat.
I forced a thin laugh at his choice of words, the feel of that suffocating darkness prickling my mind. “While I’d love to take all the credit, don’t you think it’s possible something else was at play?”
His emerald gaze narrowed, and he placed the knife beside his plate with a firm clatter. “For instance?
I poked at a potato to cover my unease. “Maybe your curse had simply run its course. Or maybe it was returning to Pyrrhus that changed things.”
His eyes darkened with a mysterious glint, and he teased a finger around the rim of his glass. “Believe me when I say there isn’t a doubt in my mind. It was you who made this day possible.”
The words sat heavy in the air.
I tucked into my meal, though my appetite had fled. Alaric relished every morsel, groaning his approval as if he hadn’t eaten in centuries. I let him fill the silence with stories of his glory days, nodding where politeness demanded, but my mind churned with what I truly wanted to ask.
When his goblet emptied and his spirit was high, I seized themoment. “Please don’t be angry, but I saw Pyrrhus’s sacred arbor.”
His jovial mood washed away in an instant, a tight muscle ticking in his jaw. “And?
I swallowed against the sudden dryness in my throat. “And…what if I told you I believe the sacred tree is the true reason the goddess brought me here? That maybe, if I could find a way to bring it back to life, this land could thrive again.”
His expression darkened like the sky before a storm, the edge of his lip curling in disbelief. “You honestly think the almighty Goddess Hathor, in her infinite wisdom, sent aslaveto heal a sacred arbor?” The scorn in his voice cut sharp and cold. In that moment, he reminded me a lot of Lady Penelope.
I stiffened. “I see no harm in trying.”
“You see no harm because you’ve no knowledge of the world outside of your tiny, ignorant community.”
His harsh words stabbed an iron rod down my spine.Easy, Sera. Must not strangle the dragon shifter. Remember, he’s spent the last thousand years as a beast.
“By all means, explain it to me.”
Alaric snorted. “Those trees are no blessing but a curse. Before their arrival in my kingdom, it was the Draconis who were worshiped. As they should be. After all, it was the royals who protected the lands.”
