With nothing else of note to judge, I carefully opened my emerald eyes…and stared right into solid golden eyes not even an inch from my face.
Well now. That was not a view one wished to wake up to, the dragon king far too close. But it did explain one of the individuals I was smashed against—and I did find it slightly entertaining that the King of Dragons’ natural scent…was peaches.
I held his narrowed gaze for a second, before I squinted over his head into the blinding light, evaluating the black cell bars that were boxing us in. Tipping my head up a fraction, I grimaced at the ache in my neck and looked around further, assessing our situation the best I could. My soul mate was behind the dragon king, with the gorgon king spooning my back, all of us on a mattress on the floor normally fit for one. There was mayhap a foot of free space before the cell’s door, but, the most peculiar thing, was the cell was in the center of a barebones wooden room with the window directly overhead, with the sun near high noon, shining down onto my face.
No one was in here with us.
My head fell back to the bed, and I growled quietly, “What are we shackled with?” It was cold and numbed my hands. “The metal is not normal.”
“Tis why I have not broken free yet.” King Ula continued to glower at my face. “I have been lying here for hours, with nothing to do but count your freckles. And did you know you talk in your sleep? You must really love syllabub. You were begging for it for quite some time. It was entirely pathetic.”
While I might not be overly hungry, I could always enjoy a delicious syllabub. But I glared at the bastard, asking, “So they’re spelled then?”
“They’re a specialty of the Ancient Archive. The King of Dark had them created for anyone who was caught trying to steal here. The only individuals they don’t work on…is him and its creator, of course.” The dragon king sneered at his words. “The greedy prick would have made many, but his mistress—the maker of these charming shackles—was abducted by the queen. Our powers do not work while we’re bound.”
“Fuck,” I growled and squirmed until I lifted my arms to examine them further. They fairly sparkled in the sunshine. “Is there a way to remove them?”
“There is a key, but I suspect Mamue has it.” He cocked his head, also looking closely at my shackles. “A skeleton key from all appearances.”
“It is probably spelled too,” I griped absently, narrowing my eyes at the locking mechanism. “The maker would be foolish to create them, but allow them to be tampered with.”
“Indeed, the witch is not a fool.”
My shoulders stiffened at his word choice. “The mistress is a witch?” A slow breath released between my lips as pieces started to fall together. “The witch everyone is talking about is Ruiuen. She is the King of Dark’s mistress.”
“Washis mistress.” King Ula shook his head gently. “The queen became too jealous. Ruiuen was tortured for many years, and when she escaped she never went back to my father.”
My red eyebrows edged closer together. “Is that the reason for the great scourge? A lover’s quarrel? From infidelity?”
“I believe it started that way, even if it took on a life of its own.” King Ulagrowledunder his breath. “Our lands were eventually separated and your realm was created…because my father couldn’t keep his dick in his breeches.”
I stared into his eyes and questioned bluntly, “What is Ruiuen doing now?”
He quirked a brow on his dirty face, peering at me like I was a simpleton. “The man she loved didn’t come to save her, so what do you think is happening here?”
“Are you Fae fucking kidding me?” I snarled in disbelief. “This is all about revenge?Everythingshe’s doing in my realm is aboutrevenge?”
“It is best served cold.” King Ula snorted and turned his head to look up at the window. He blew out a long, quiet breath, and, finally whispered, “I cannot blame her. You didn’t see my father with her. He made her feelloved, and then the queen hurt her for almost a century for it. That’s enough to make anyone seek vengeance.”
“That would be enough to drive someone mad,” I clarified wholly.
“And, yet, you would not be here right now if she had not first kissed a man she should have walked away from in the beginning.” The dragon king chuckled softly. “Are you really complaining?”
“I want to know what her game is,” I spat harshly. “She has been tinkering withmy realm.I want to know her end game.”
The dragon king smiled up at the window, his teeth white in the sunshine. “She wants you to win, King Traevon. It is that simple.”
Behind me, King Elon abruptly stopped snoring and said quite clearly, “I think this witch should fix her own lands, and leave ours alone.”
I jerked in surprise and ground my jaws together. “King Elon, please let me know the next time you’re eavesdropping. There is only so much I can take right now.”
“Duly noted,” the gorgon king hissed. “But I stand by what I said. Whatever she is doing…there is no easy revenge.”
I grunted. “Quite so.”
King Ula shook his head. “There is no easy outcome, but—” The dragon king stopped talking as the door to the room swung open.
Mamue entered with an aggravated expression twisting her features, with six guardians following and flanking her. Her overlarge eyes scanned each occupant in the cell, stalling on my sleeping soul mate. She tilted toward the guardian on her right and whispered too quietly for me to hear.
