“Those are contraceptives, I assume.”
“Yes.”
“You need two?”
“One is an ongoing medicine to make the womb inhospitable for sperm, and the other is for afterward as extra protection. Maybe I should add a third contraceptive. You seem virile.”
“Tell that to Agrevlari, will you? That if not for your healer’s knowledge of herbs, my great virility would have doubtless caused you to become with eggs—with child—many times by now.”
“I don’t want to discuss pregnancy with your dragon.”
“I suppose that’s understandable. He would probably bring up your sex orifices.”
“Wreylith has kindly not discussed those with me recently.”
“As males, we’re possibly more enthralled with them than females.”
“I suspect that’s true.” Syla thought about suggesting that he lower his hand again and that they resume kissing, but the tailthunked against the window once more. It seemed Wreylith didn’t care that Syla might have only limited time with Vorik. “I’ll see if I can find us some breakfast.”
There aren’t any ostriches in this part of the Kingdom,Syla told Wreylith.
But elsewhere on your islands there are?
Yes, there are some on Kola Nut Island at the southern end of the chain. Ostriches like dry climates. I’ve read that they used to be all over the plains of southern Droha, but dragons, wyverns, and other predators hunted them to extinction there.
That is correct. Once you’ve reestablished your rule, you will take me to visit all the islands in your kingdom. By learning more about them, I can better help you protect them.
You just want to hunt on them all.
Ostrich eggs are delicious.
Oh, I’m sure.
“Do you ever feel like your dragon is using you for access to food he can’t get on his own?” Syla put on her spectacles and climbed out of bed. When she caught Vorik admiring her butt as she bent over to grab her clothes, she decided she might ask himlater for a list of the rest of her body parts that he liked. It always made her feel sexy to see evidence that he found her appealing.
“Agrevlari loves smoked salmon,” Vorik said. “He also enjoys when I sing ballads about the magnificence of dragons to him while he eats that salmon.”
“So… yes?”
“Never believe dragons ally themselves with humans because they adore us. They’re not hounds. Theyallwant something.” He winked at her.
Syla finished dressing, used the lavatory in the back of the glassworks, then went to the main room up front. She found Fel standing in the hallway where he could see the work area as well as the hallway leading to the bedroom. Syla’s cheeks warmed as Wreylith’s comment aboutvocalizationscame to mind. At least Fel hadn’t followed her outside the night before when she’d gone to check on Vorik. He’d tried to, but she’d pointed out that, with people hunting moon-marked individuals, Tibby was in as much danger as she, and Wreylith would keep an eye out for her. Thatalmosthadn’t convinced Fel, but when she’d mentioned she hoped to have a private conversation with Vorik, he’d agreed to stay behind. Maybe he’d guessed where that conversation would end up going and hadn’t wanted to be a witness to it. She hadn’tintendedto have sex in an alley with Vorik, but Fel’s guess hadn’t been without precedent.
He lifted a hand as she bade him good morning and started to pass him.
“Your Majesty?” Fel asked.
She stopped. “Yes?”
He glanced toward the front room. As Wreylith had suggested, Tibby had fallen asleep at some point during the night. She lay on the floor next to a workbench amid glowing tools and her components with several books open around her.Someone had tucked a pillow under her head and draped a blanket over her.
“I must apologize for my inattentiveness last night,” Fel said.
“Uhm?”
If he’d missed noticing that she and Vorik were enjoying themselves, Syla was glad, not upset.
“In the wagon on the way here,” Fel explained. “I was inexcusably slow at readying my crossbow when there was a threat, due to my… allowing myself to become… distracted.”
