Sven
As the party wound down, Sven’s attention was drawn again and again to Bryn. She glowed, but not in the way of a woman who is merely happy. This was something deeper and brighter. It was unmistakably magical that made her aura almost a living entity. He could tell his mother had noticed it too; her eyes lingered on Bryn with quiet intensity.
His grandmother, sharp as ever, didn’t hide her interest. “There’s something special about that girl.”
“What is it though?”
She patted his cheek. “I don’t know, sweetheart, but I would advise you to find out. Time will tell all, but time isn’t a luxury that you have at the moment. You might have to do things a little ass backwards.”
He had laughed, but he was relieved. They saw what he saw.
Bryn herself remained blissfully unaware. She laughed at something said and brushed a strand of hair from her face, completely unbothered by the attention. That innocence both warmed him and twisted something inside his chest. She had no idea what she carried, what shewas. But he was now determined to find out for himself.
Later, as the guests were leaving, Lars sidled up beside him. His voice was low and curious.
“You see it too, don’t you?”
Sven didn’t need to ask what he meant. He gave a short nod.
“What’s it mean?” Lars pressed.
Sven gave a shrug. “I have no idea.” He didn’t have an answer for himself, let alone Lars. He muttered something about magic resonating differently with outsiders, but it was a flimsy excuse. Lars gave him a look that said he wasn’t convinced, though he let it drop.
A heavy weight settled on Sven’s shoulders when he finally got ready for bed. He’d kept too much from Bryn. She didn’t know the ritual meant mating for life, especially now that he had felt the pull of a true mate. He had never experienced it before and had never expected to. If he were honest with himself, he knew that an heir would be produced when they mated. But Bryn didn’t even know about the dragon buried in his blood or what it might do to hers. The guilt pressed like stone.
After a fitful night of not sleeping, Sven headed to talk to Martin the next morning. He needed to understand a few things before he could even think about approaching Bryn.
Martin didn’t even act surprised. “I figured we’d have this conversation sooner or later.”
“What do I do? If she gets pregnant with dragon DNA, what happens?”
Martin’s expression made him nervous. “It depends. The child would be half-dragon, half-human. The pregnancy could be difficult and dangerous, but possible. But you need to tell her, Sven, so that she can make up her own mind. Before it happens.” He pursed his lips. “Although, after seeing her last night at the party, I’m beginning to think there’s more to our girl than we know. More than you realize.”
“Is it possible that she could be something more than just human?”
“It’s possible,” Martin answered, “and I could do a few tests on her if you want. Make up some royal mumbo-jumbo about blood work, but we’re running out of time.”
“I don’t want to lie to her.” Sven didn’t think he could handle it if she rejected him.
“Haven’t you already, even if it’s just by lack of admission?”
The words rang in his mind long after they parted even though Sven didn’t want to admit how much Martin’s simple question had hurt. Be honest with her. He already intended to, but the risk felt sharper now.
Later that morning, Sven called Bryn to his chamber room. She yawned as he led her into his private office off to the side. She glanced around the sparsely decorated room before she grinned at him. “You really need an interior decorator. These walls are so blah.”
He sat behind his desk, mostly to put something between them. The urge to pull her into his arms was almost overwhelming. “I need to ask you about–”
Before he could finish the comment, she stiffened and got a strange look on her face. She rubbed her fingers before she walked around his desk. Before he could stop her, she pulled a drawer open.
“My ring!” She grabbed it and slid it on her finger.
“How did you know that was there?”
Her eyes were wide. “I don’t know. It’s like when I went into that thrift store when I was just a kid, the one where I got the ring in the first place. I was just walking by and felt this…pull. Like I just felt when we came in here. How did you get it?”
“It was in my hand when Lars brought me back here after I was shot with the arrow. It must have slipped off your hand and I held on to it.”
Bryn’s lips curved. “I thought it was lost forever. I’m so happy to have it back.” She turned her hand, letting the sunlight reflect off the silver. “I don’t know why I was drawn to it. It always felt like a good luck charm. Made me stronger somehow.”
