His arm dropped, freeing me from his bare-chested cage, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Before I’d even recovered, firm hands shoved me down the hallway, and I tripped before catching myself.
“Return to your room,” Thorn snarled. “The castle is dangerous. And so am I.”
Chapter Ten
THORNE
“She owes me her life,and yet she tried to escape. Is this world so lacking in honor that I can trust no one?”Alaric’s roar threatened to bring the mountain down on our heads. Dust rained from the ceiling, the aged stones rattling with his rage.
As pebbles bounced off my skull, it occurred to me I should have forced Serafina to admit to her late-night adventure instead of doing it myself. Letherface the dragon’s wrath. Unfortunately, the flarking eternal bond we shared wouldn’t allow me to feed her to the beast, stirring an infuriating urge to protect.
I coughed, fanning dust while Myrna plunked a food-laden tray on the table. She shoved a ball of baked dough into my hand. “I’ll not be set afire by the likes of your beast. Best you fix whatever it is that angered him, or there will be no more sweet rolls for you.”
“How is this my problem?” Flarking Alaric. It was one thing to threaten the girl. Quite another to threaten my supper.
Cutting me a dark glare with her one eyeball, Myrna stalkedfrom the room, her sandaled feet slapping a quick pace across the floor. I observed her escape with envy.
“And you,”the dragon snarled.“What the hell were you doing with the girl in your quarters?”
Was that a hint of jealousy I detected in his voice? Or maybe he was feeling a bit possessive of the pretty little addition he’d added to his hoard.
“What I was doing was minding my own business until I sensed your guest lurking in the passage, spying on me.” Like I would be so desperate as to bed the ill-tempered shrew.
Sure, if you looked past her sharp tongue, Serafina wasn’t hard on the eyes. The first time I spotted her in that field, the thought of a casual rompmayhave crossed my mind. In fact, I’d watched her from above, long before swooping over the flock.
The way she’d appeared beneath the moonlight. Celestial glow alighting her delicate features. Coarse skirt hiked above her knees as she reclined on the ground, revealing shapely calves along with a glimpse of creamy thighs. The cut of her simple blouse couldn’t hide the generous curves of her breasts. I’d envisioned how she would look splayed under me. Red curls of crimson pooling beneath her head. A patch of crushed flowers for our bed.
Next to the shepherd, she’d been peaceful, relaxed. A dreamy expression on her face as the two of them had talked. It was clear they were close. The ease they had with each other filled me with a sense of longing. What they shared was something I’d never experienced, not even with Alaric.
Especially not with Alaric.
When I’d finally charged the flock, part of me had wanted her to see me. To see my dragon. See me and be awed by the fierce beauty of my beast.
Instead, she’d started shrieking, waving her arms at me like a woman crazed. Treating me as if I were no better than a flyinglizard rather than a rare and mystical being. As if that wasn’t insulting enough, then there was the dung.
Not only was I enraged, but humiliated. Me! One of the most powerful and feared creatures in the realm. Degraded by a mere mortal woman. Pathetic.
One thing was certain: her captivating appearance wouldn’t fool me again. There was more lurking behind those beguiling eyes than she let on, and I intended to unearth every last secret she thought she’d buried in Rottbarry’s remains.
I shoved a chunk of roll into my mouth, speaking past a lump of bread. “If you recall, I am the one who didn’t trust her on sight. It wasyouwho brought a stranger here, ordering me to share my flame with her. All while knowing absolutely nothing about the woman who was masquerading as royalty.” And in doing so, wasting precious time he didn’t have.
The girl from Nefarr wasn’t his salvation. She was a distraction—a dangerous one. The sooner this charade ended, the better. With the Atlas comet racing upon its path, Alaric needed to stop chasing ghosts and devote every waking moment to his survival.
I was done pouring hope onto kindling only to watch it burn. And I sure as hell wasn’t handing what was left of my faith to some uncivilized nobody with dung under her nails.
Alaric thrust his massive head in my face, his nostrils flaring.“You believe I should fear one scrawny female?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. I think you should.” Frankly, she scared the scales off of me. Only for entirely different reasons. “I’m telling you, that girl is trouble.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,”he said.“You truly want me to believe that a slip of a girl could be the harbinger of my destruction?”
An image of my dung-smeared chest surfaced, reigniting my fury. “Princess Chaos? Yes. Yes, I do.”
Rather than argue, Alaric grew silent as though contemplating my words. I knew better. My brother rarely listened toanything I had to say. Especially when he already had his mind set.
I heaved a sigh and lowered my legs, examining my meal. Ah. Mystery sausage. Just what I needed after a restless night.
Alaric’s taloned foot tapped an anxious rhythm against the floor.“Why is she so desperate to escape me, anyway? Within this mountain, she has food, shelter, safety.”
