Page 19 of A Drop of Venom

I detected no hint of happiness in his eyes or expression. “I’ve never met any royalty,” I said. “But it’s easy to imagine such a life as lonely and miserable despite the wealth.”

“You imagine correctly.” He did smile then, just a little, but it was a bitter expression. “Our parents loved us in their way, but it was nothing like the love I saw among those who worked in the castle. My friends were carefully selected from the offspring of nobles at court. Some were true friends, but most were there because their parents wanted a closer connection to the king and queen. And my relationships with my siblings were strained at best, especially with my oldest sister, Afelia, who was next in line for the throne. She wanted very much to rule when my parents’ reign ended, and I think she somehow knew that deep in my hearts I didn’t.”

He kissed my forehead. “I might have fulfilled my duty to my parents and the kingdom and taken the throne if that had been all there was to the matter.” He chuckled, and so did I at the thought of ruling a kingdom as anything simple. “But in Izaelon, there must be a king and queen, or a pair of kings or queens, who rule together. And so when I reached maturity, my parents declared they had selected my queen.”

That was the way of royal houses and nobles in this kingdom and many others as well, though the thought turned my stomach. I couldn’t fathom being forced to marry and lie with a stranger, much less bear their children as a matter of politics and duty. To me, no amount of wealth would make it worthwhile, but choice rarely played a part in such transactions—most especially for women.

At least in this kingdom, most commoners married by choice and for love.

“My parents were fond of each other,” Terolon said, turning my attention back to his story. “Perhaps there was love there too, in some fashion. And I’d thought throughout my childhood and maturing years I could be content with something similar. Since I saw no alternative, I suppose I was trying to find a way to face my future with something other than dread.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled, and his eyes took on a darker, almost bruised look I disliked immensely because it made my heart ache.

“Then I met Seida, who was to be my queen, and I knew I couldn’t bear it.” His fingers tightened against my back, and I felt the pinpricks of his claws before he retracted them. “My mother was warm and caring as both my mother and as a queen. And Seida pretended she was as well, enough to charm almost anyone who met her. She certainly fooled my parents.”

He hissed quietly. “But the moment I met her, I saw through her façade. She was cold and hungry for power. She wanted the throne and she didn’t care who sat beside her. And given the chance, she wouldn’t have cared much at all for anyone beyond the palace walls. The moment she realized I saw her for who she truly was, she despised me. My life with her would have been an utter misery.”

I could guess the remainder of the story now, but I stayed quiet and let him tell it. His body was loosening by inches as he spoke, the tension fading from his coils as this last barrier between us came down stone by stone.

“I’d always been told I had no choice,” Terolon continued. “An eldest child must take the throne. But that wasn’t so. In the history of Izaelon, a number of princes and princesses had abdicated and passed rule to the next in line. Some became scholars; others chose lives of religious contemplation.” He smiled. “One princess even chose a life at sea and sailed away as captain of a merchant vessel.”

“Oh,” I breathed. “Are there stories of her? Perhaps books? Or did she ever write a memoir?”

“There are, and she did.” He kissed my forehead. “I will see if I can lay my hands upon them, my love. The adventures of Princess Yrahli, captain of the mighty Heolcir, will surely capture your imagination.”

With considerable effort, I set aside my excitement about Princess Yrahli. “So, once you learned about this precedent…?” I prompted.

“I knelt before my parents and my eldest sister and renounced my claim to the throne.” That darkness I despised so much returned to his eyes. “Afelia was thrilled, of course. As I’d expected, my parents didn’t react well. They argued and made threats and even tried making promises. But once I’d set my hearts on leaving, I knew the first true joy of my life, and nothing they said could sway me from my chosen path. And nothing I said made them less angry either. My reasoning made as little sense to them as a fish explaining the mysteries of the deep sea to a bird.”

He exhaled once again, but this one seemed far less fraught with pain than his earlier sigh, as if he’d set a burden down and now felt much lighter. “In the end, the king and queen declared me no longer a member of their family, and I renounced any claim to their clan. I’d already packed what few things I wished to take with me, which was mostly books and plants from the royal gardens. I’d arranged my departure from the palace before I made my declaration so I might make the separation as easy as possible.

“Afelia met me at the servants’ door and gave me a chest of coins. She’d apparently been saving them in secret most of her life in anticipation of perhaps needing or wanting to leave, but now that she was to be queen, she no longer needed them and insisted I take them to provide for my needs beyond the borders of Izaelon. I argued at length, but she’s stubborn—more stubborn even than me.” Terolon smiled with real fondness, and I was glad to see it. “Afelia would always have been a better ruler than me. And in fact, from all I’ve heard, she’s a much beloved queen, as is her wife.”

“Not Seida,” I gasped, my hand flying to my chest in horror.

He laughed, and Goddess, it was a wonderful sound to hear after such a difficult tale. “Not Seida,” he confirmed, chuckling as he kissed my hair.

I scowled. “Good.”

“Seida wed a duke, I think.” Still smiling, he shook his head. “No, my sister married a close friend and they are very much a love match as well as co-regents.”

I ran my palms over his chest, enjoying the warmth of his scales and the steady beating of his hearts. “So the story has a happy ending, then.”

“Their story does,” he said, his smile becoming tender as he smoothed hair back from my face and gazed into my eyes. “And now mine has a much better chance of having one.”

I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him into a kiss.

This kiss began as gentle reassurance and comfort but swiftly became one of hunger. For so long I’d yearned to know how he came to be here, how a beautiful serpentae male had happened to be in the forest the day I came tumbling down into the ravine. And now with that part of the story complete, I was ready for our story to unfold.

“Shelshan,” I murmured against his lips, savoring every consonant and vowel of my secret name for him.

The shiver that ran though his entire long body reignited my desire as swiftly as a match dropped into a pile of kindling.

I arched against him, moving on instinct, and he slid his hand under my hip to draw me tightly to his chest. He was so warm, so perfect, so strong and loving and mine.

“I want you,” I said, drawing back just enough to look into his glowing eyes. His black diamond pupils were wide in the waning light of early evening, and I felt I could stare into them forever. “I want to be your mate, Terolon. Your shelshi.”

He let go of my hips to cradle my face in his hands. “Are you sure?” he asked, his piercing gaze scouring my face, perhaps looking for any sign of uncertainty or fear. “We don’t need to rush. I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to be ready and cherish every moment with hearts full of gladness.”