“Yes he’s doing well.” Doyle frowned at her use of the third person. “But he’s starving. And as for what we eat—” he waggled his eyebrows up and down “—we eat pretty maids.”
She laughed, her flush going deeper, and exited the tent. The flap fell closed behind her. It was just himself and Siobhan now. Suddenly the space felt small and close.
“I’d do it again,” he said instead of ‘I’m sorry’. Maybe he should apologize, but he wouldn’t lie to her. Not again.
“Tell me. I’d like to understand better.” She sat down on the camp stool Bryanna had been sitting on and pulled it close to the bed. Not touching him, but so close he could feel her physical presence like a wound to his heart.
“My entire universe fell apart.” He was back there, on a dying world. “I was watching my species die. No magic to sustain us or to feed the earth. No magic to keep the queens breeding.” He couldn’t stand not touching her. He reached out and took her hand, and she twined her fingers through his. Some of his tension relaxed. “It takes a thousand years for a queen egg to hatch but it only took a few hundred for all but a handful of queen eggs to die.”
“But why couldn’t you tell me? I wasn’t a threat to her.” Her fingers tightened on his. “And I might have been able to help.”
“My vow was such that I couldn’t tell you. I’d be putting others at risk, and I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t do that.” He dropped his eyes to the tangle of their fingers. “Now the secret is out, they’re all at risk. The little queen. Where is she?” He tore away from her and stood up taking a few steps. His muscles gave out and he fell back onto the bed.
“Don’t worry. She’s keeping everyone busy keeping her fed. She’s starving. And growing.” She laughed. “You should see her. She’s nearly doubled in size in three days. That’s taking a lot of food and manpower.”
“Who’s guarding her? I have to make sure she’s safe. She’s the first to hatch.” He thought of Carrig, missing from his own cave. “She might be the only one to ever hatch.”
“She’s fine. She’s being guarded by Prince Kian’s own personal guard, a man named Logan and a puca. Nothing gets through, not magical or physical, without that puca sniffing it. He’s taken on the guardianship of her majesty personally.”
“A puca? There aren’t many of those left.”
“I think that’s why he’s so adamant about protecting her. It seems dragons and pucas have a lot in common. Who knew?”
“We didn’t used to, but mass extinction might be a bonding thing.” He reached for her hand again. His own hand was shaking. His next words came out in a near-whisper. “Siobhan, I don’t want to ask, but I have to know. Can you forgive me?”
“Yes.”
A weight he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying lifted from his shoulders. He could let her go now, out into the world. She’d been reunited with her brother and he could see the happiness in her eyes. “What are you going to do now?”
“Me?” She loosened the grip he had on her hand and moved back. He felt suddenly bereft without the contact. “I guess that depends on what you decide.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maeve held the north by right of power. Everyone depended on her strength to keep the area from dissolving back into the mists. But now there’s a hole here. None of the villagers is strong enough to hold the land. If there isn’t a strong magical presence to hold the reality here, it will slowly dissolve into the mist.”
“Surely your brother will stay. I saw him from a distance. He’s powerful enough to hold the north.”
“He is and you should see him. He’s tall and strong and he’s a full Tuathan Lord now, all on his own.” Her eyes glowed. “But he can’t stay here. He’s gotten married to Prince Kian’s sister-in-law, a woman named Cassie, and Kian is still fighting a war over the Black Court. Bosco has committed to the prince’s cause. The prince wants him in Caer Bol, the old troll-kin fortress. It’s closer to the south and more strategic.”
“And this affects me? How? I have to focus on raising a dragon queen, and believe me, that will not be easy. I have no experience with the young.”
She caught his gaze and held it. “Are you staying?”
He stared at the deep questions in her black eyes. “You mean up north, not in Cairngloss.”
“Yes.”
“I’d meant to leave when the queen was hatched.” But that had been when Maeve was such a blight on the area. She was gone now, her threat forever wiped out.
“But where would you go that’s safe for her? She’s an ice dragon, like you. Doesn’t she need the north? Where else will she be comfortable?”
He wanted to tell her that he’d stay anywhere she wanted him to stay. That he’d follow her wherever she wanted to go. Even to the ever-summer lands or the deserts of Shar-nun or to the glaring lights of Earth itself. But his usually biddable tongue was tied and none of that came out.
Instead, he reached out and touched her knee. An electric surge ran into his skin at the contact.
“Siobhan—” He said her name, wanting to say so much more.
“Yes?”
Her dark eyes were fixed on his and the glow that had been there for her brother seemed to be there now for him. Could it be? Could she really feel for him what he felt for her?
“I—” How could he say what he wanted to say? The words swelled up in him, trying to get out, but jumbling up into a mess before they could get out of his mouth.
“Just say it.” Tears welled up in her eyes making them gleam like dark stars and she pulled away.
He stared at her in surprise. “What do you think I’m going to say?”
“That you need to focus on raising your queen. That you have to take her somewhere safe, somewhere no one can find you while you help her grow. That you can’t take me with you.”
He smiled. She needed him too. He could see it in her eyes. And the knowledge opened up the floodgates.
“I love you, Siobhan. I think it may have started when you opened your cheeky little mouth and vowed your loyalty to me, all to manipulate me into not killing you. It was almost dragon-like.” He laughed. “I love your stubbornness.” He shook his head. “The way you fly impetuously into situations without any thought might kill me before I hit my five thousandth year, but without that, we wouldn’t be here.”
Her eyes began to glow and a corner of her lips began to quirk up.
He kept going. “I love your smile, and your sexy, sexy body.” His own smile faded as he got serious. “But most of all, I love who I am when I’m with you. I’m no longer isolated in my cave. I’m involved, seeing the world through your eyes. And I’m never letting that go.” He reached out and caught her fingers in his. “If you’ll stay.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Her fingers tightened back around his. “You’re a huge ferocious dragon, but it turns out you have a soft spot for baby queens and ice maidens. You’ve shown me the way to grow stronger, be more than I ever thought I could be. I love you, Doyle Atavantador, Dragon Lord of the North.”
He reached up and pulled her to him on the camp bed. “I’ll show you a lot more than that.” They kissed, tongues tangling. Heat rushed over him and he realized he wasn’t as sick as everyone thought and he got hard pressed against the softness of her body. “I should never have let you put these pants on me. There’s too much fabric between us.” He tightened his arms around her, relishing the sound of her laughter in his life. He nuzzled her neck and the rush of desire mixed with love made him dizzy. “Kiss me.”
Chapter Forty-three
The growl in Doyle’s voice rolled over Siobhan’s skin, lighting it on fire. She pressed her lips to his, and he opened his mouth. His tongue licked heat into her mouth.
It had been good between them before but now, knowing he loved her, knowing she was free to leave or stay, knowing it was her choice. Everything was better. His mouth tasted better, his skin felt hotter. Raw emotion rose up inside her and took her over. Tasting
, tonguing, taking everything she gave and more, Siobhan forgot about Doyle’s injuries, forgot they were merely inside of canvas, forgot everything but the feel of him against her—and she lost herself in his kiss.
His hands were everywhere, pushing her top up, skating along the sensitive skin of her belly leaving shivers of sensation everywhere he touched.
She pressed against him, wanting to get closer, fretfully tugging down the very pants she’d helped him put on. “Take these off.”
“Yes,” he hissed. His pupils flared and she responded, deep down between her legs.
Frantically they tore buttons and ripped zippers, until they were skin to skin in the narrow bed, his erection solidly pressed against her hip. She rubbed against it and he moaned into her mouth.
“Siobhan.” Her name barely a sound, more an emotion vibrating the air.
She could almost feel the love he had for her carried on the word and her entire being responded. A deep shudder rushed through her. She pushed him over and straddled him, rubbing her soft wet center against his hardness.
He dug his fingers into her hips, rocking her harder and faster. She didn’t even have time to gasp his name before her orgasm rolled over her, taking her under. But it wasn’t enough. She needed him inside, needed to feel the strength of his emotion. She took him in hand and slid over and onto him, sheathing him inside her core.
Tiny shudders rocked through her, lifting her up and into another rolling wave of pleasure as he gripped her ass in his hands and moved her, shuddering into her as they came together.
Siobhan collapsed on top of Doyle. “I’d love to stay here forever.”
“You said you’d stay with me. We can do this as often as you’d like.”
She smiled against the crook of his neck, safely wrapped in his arms. “If we can get any time. The Winter Court is in ruins. It needs a total overhaul.” She didn’t want to move into the Winter Court, didn’t want to live where Maeve had been so horrible to so many people, herself included. But if Doyle was going to be there, she’d be there with him. She’d make the palace a home, even if she hated the place.
“I’m not moving into the Winter Court, Siobhan. Cairngloss is my home. It has all the things I need, and it doesn’t come with hordes of needy villagers.”
“Really?” Hope rose inside her. “But the center of the magic is here.” She went to sit up, but his arms were tight bands around her so she stayed, face inches away from his beloved cat’s eyes. “How will you hold the land back from the mists if you don’t live near the nexus?”
“I don’t need to live in the palace to keep the land. I’m a dragon. My magic is strong enough that I can anchor this place all the way from across the mountains.”
“And the villagers? They’re used to having a court structure. I don’t know what they’ll do without someone to tell them what to do. They need a lord.”
“I’ll hold the land for your brother. When Bosco is no longer needed in the war he can come back and tend to the villagers all he wants. Me? I’ll be bedding my snow girl in my cave and raising a hungry queen dragon. That’s more than enough to keep me busy.”
They’d live in Cairngloss with its hobgoblins and empty hallways, not the chilly white Winter Palace. She relaxed back into his arms, happy. It was a much better place to raise a dragon. And no memories of Maeve. “The baby is growing so fast.” Her eyes got wide. “I can’t believe it took a thousand years for her to hatch. It looks like she’ll be full grown in a couple of years.”
“Welcome to raising dragons, my love.” He wiggled his hips under her. “Now, let’s see how recovered I really am.”
She kissed Doyle and the rise of his body between her legs made her smile into his mouth.
This was what she wanted—a world full of surprises and challenges. She’d had no idea that night she’d gone to scale the wall of ice around the palace that a hundred years later she’d be breaking down a wall of ice around a dragon’s heart. Or that when he’d carried her off in his claws she’d be in his bed, getting exactly what she wanted—life and love with a dragon.
Chapter Forty-four
Ardan faced the dais where Prince Kian and his bride, Bryanna, sat on matching golden thrones. To the side, stood a cluster of the prince’s trusted men and advisors, including Bosco, who stared at Ardan with his hand on his sword and hatred in his eyes.
They’d portaled him here, to the former Summer Palace of the Black Court, over which now flew the half-gold, half-black banner of the prince. It was farther south than he’d ever been in his life and the overly hot room was crowded with petitioners and curiosity seekers. He’d never been so uncomfortable and he resisted the urge to run his finger under his collar and loosen its grip, well aware that every move he made was being scrutinized by the prince and the entire court.
He looked around at the black and white checker board floor and the glittering chandeliers. Once the party spot for the Black Queen, Kian’s mother, who had met her death on this very dance floor, now it had become a courtroom. And with Maeve dead, he was the one on trial.
“Have you anything to say on your behalf, General Ardan?” Prince Kian stared down at him, his face was hard with no mercy showing.
Ardan bowed. “My prince, while it is true I did serve the Winter Queen for many years I would like it remembered that I was brought there as a young boy.
Siobhan stepped forward. “Please, Prince Kian, remember, he had no choice.” Her long white hair had been ornately piled on top of her head and she wore a nearly see-through summer gown. She looked soft. Nothing like the warrior Siobhan he’d seen last in the Winter Palace fighting the queen.
Bosco’s entire body tensed and his hand clenched around the pommel of his sword. “He had a choice!” Bosco glared at his sister. “We all had choices.”
“You escaped.”Ardan’s fingers itched to hold his own sword. “You have no idea what it was really like to grow up there. She was everything—mother, lover, jailer.”
Something flickered across the prince’s face. If you believed the stories, Maeve was an angel compared to Kian’s mother. What had it been like to grow up with a woman with split personalities? Looking at the prince, you couldn’t see any of his own confusions. He looked like a completely confident man. But then again, as Ardan knew, mastering your expression was one of the first lessons learned.
If you’d asked him when he was Winter King if he wanted to go, he’d have refused. He’d been in love with Maeve. Manipulated, used, abused—maybe. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about it all. Maybe he never would be. But he’d made his choice when he’d freed Siobhan and the dragon. He’d chosen a side. He wasn’t Maeve. And he wasn’t going to be served up in her place for Bosco’s need for revenge.
“I was there. I saw you make choices. I chose to ask for help. You stayed and helped her.” The tendons on Bosco’s neck stood out in stark relief and his eyes were wild with memories. “I remember.”
“For those of us who stayed and grew up in the court—there were no choices. You either served, or you were punished. We served.”
“You did things on her command. ” The expression in Bosco’s eyes went dark. “You did things to me.”
Ardan’s conscience twisted. Not only had he done those things to Bosco, he’d done them to the next Winter King and the boy had faded away into nothing. That death was on his soul.
“You are correct.” His words came out almost as a whisper, and the whole court leaned forward. He coughed and spoke louder. “That darkness will hang heavy on me for the rest of my life. But remember, Bosco, I was once a young boy in her court as well. You are not the only one who experienced the queen’s affections.”
“I say we kill him.” There was no mercy in Bosco’s eyes, only condemnation.
“No.” Siobhan stepped forward, the dragon, Doyle, following her closely. “Bosco, I know you’re angry but Ardan came through for us, at the end. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know if we would have been able to save the li
ttle queen dragon in time.” She reached for Doyle’s hand and squeezed it. Ardan’s heart squeezed too. If things had been different, it might have been him she turned to. But instead, here he was in chains and arguing for his life.
“Does anyone else speak for this man?” the prince called out. There was silence in the court.
Ardan looked frantically around. Surely someone else would speak for him. One of the courtiers standing to the side of the dais caught his eye. She was tall and fair, and far more regal than any of the other lords or ladies, with the white hair and carriage of the older fae. Her skin glowed with as much or more magic than even the dragon or the prince. If this woman wanted to be queen, she would be queen. Why was she standing among the crowd like all the other courtiers?
He stared, caught, despite his dire circumstances.
Her lavender eyes gleamed. He lost track of time, spinning into their depths. The court fell away and the cold heat of starlight lanced through him, piercing deep into his soul.
He came back to the sound of the prince’s voice, sounding far away. “Last call for anyone to speak on behalf of General Ardan.”
The woman gave him a regal nod and she swept forward to the front of the dais, parting the crowd with ease. “I will speak.”
The prince’s brows rose. “Lady Aoife? You know this man?”
“I do not. But I have looked into his heart and I can see he is at a precipice. He could fall on either side of the scales of good and evil. I say we set him a quest and if he carries it out successfully, you pardon him.”
“And if he fails or doesn’t return?”
“Set a bounty on his head, dead or alive.” Her lavender gaze turned on him, cold and implacable. Ardan shivered.
“And what kind of quest should this be?”
“He should quest for the Queen of the Black Court.”
Caged: A Fae Fantasy Romance (Fae Magic Book 4) Page 25