Her parents went from petrified to confused.
Amos nudged Lucy toward her mother. “We don’t have much time if we’re going to get you out of here before sunrise.”
“I don’t understand,” Lucy’s father mumbled, more to himself than Amos.
Amos relayed the story of what happened. “Lucy,” her mother gasped. “We told you to be careful around those men.”
“They tried to blame me?—”
“Enough,” Amos cut them off. “There is a village to the far north, Dragon Village. I’m going to give you enough money to get you there. I’ve brought a map and the address and name of a family. I’ll write them a letter to let them know you’re coming.”
“You want us to leave our home?” the man asked. “I can’t leave my job.”
“You will if you want your daughter safe. She pissed off a powerful family tonight, and he will not let her go unpunished.”
Both parents looked at Lucy, who moved back closer to Amos. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and lowered her head.
“Do not apologize for the cruelty of others,” Amos told her.
“How old are you, Your Grace?” the mother asked.
He pulled himself to full height. “Fourteen.”
Her eyes flared. “You speak like a grown man.”
“Then listen to what I say.” He pulled the coin sacks out of his vest pockets and handed them to Lucy’s gaping father. “Do you have horses or a carriage?”
They were speechless for a moment, staring at the sacks of coins. “We have two horses,” the father said finally.
“Good. Pack up as much as you can and leave tonight. When you get to the next village, purchase a carriage and hire a driver. There is more than enough.”
They worked out a few more details before Amos moved toward the door. “If you don’t show up in Dragon Village, I will hunt you down and kill you both for putting her in danger.”
Both adults flinched as Amos slipped back into the night. He knew the Ambrose’s would help the family when they arrived.
The family would find asylum there while Amos returned to hell.
5
FIFTEEN YEARS OLD
Amos lay in bed, staring up at the canopy above him. Everything about his room oozed royalty, and he hated it. Maybe because it reminded him of the position he never wanted. The responsibilities pressing down on him. The father who marked him so badly he couldn’t take his shirt off in front of anyone.
“You don’t have to stay,” Amos said, turning to look at Alice. She sat in the corner chair, knitting something that looked like a scarf, the scar on her face tugging when she smiled up at him.
“This is an exciting moment, and I want to be here.” She glanced at the clock. “It’s almost midnight.”
At midnight, he turned fifteen and received his animalfamiliarmark from the gods. Getting his mark didn’t excite him because he already knew it would be a dragon just like every other heir in his family. Only royal heirs were born withfamiliars. A royal’s mate didn’t receive afamiliarsince they weren’t born of royal blood. He didn’t know if Amelia would get afamiliarmark. The bond was magic, and Charlotte told Alice that Amelia didn’t seem to have any.
Amos wondered if their world would be different if the other women in his family were grantedfamiliarsupon marriage. Having a dragon gave a person immense power. It was why theDesert Kingdom rarely suffered rebel attacks. Dragon fire could kill several people at once. Not to mention, they could easily kill a person with one bite.
So no, getting the mark didn’t excite him, but meeting hisfamiliardid. Thefamiliarwould find him, usually within a week or less. Amos worried for his dragon. Did leaving the den for the first time scare it? He hoped not.
Amos hissed and sat up straight, clutching at his chest. Would Clover feel that? He hadn’t been prepared for it to hurt. Hopefully the pain from afamiliarmark didn’t go down the bond. He didn’t know how it worked, and his father never bothered to tell him. Why would the mighty king care if something hurt his mate?
Just as quickly as the searing pain had appeared, it faded, and Amos unbuttoned his shirt.
The world around him seemed to crumble as he stared at the tattoo of a fennec fox. He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again, sure they were playing tricks on him.
