He was sure a large part of her enjoyment hinged on the fact that Tempest had left her portion extremely rare. In fact, he believed he’d done little more than warm the bloody chops that populated her plate. The rest of the dishes, including Tobias’s, were far more cooked.
“I’ll let him know,” Nathaniel said.
Tobias raised his fork. “We eat well in Chicago, but I have to say there’s something about this animal. Every bite I take is more complex than the last. It’s like I can smell the grass it fed on.”
“Because it was raised here, at Mistwood,” Nathaniel explained. “There’s magic in the groundwater.”
Sabrina had gone to great lengths to stay as long as she had, calling her father in to help run the Chicago vampire coven in her absence. As Tobias chatted easily with her over his dinner, Nathaniel had to smile to see his traditionally stoic and fiercely academic brother fill with light in her presence. Tobias rarely took his eyes off Sabrina when she was in the room.
Beside Avery, Maiara was playing with Alexander’s phone. He’d recently taught her how to take selfies, and she was experimenting with the functionality.
“You’ve got to look at the little hole,” Alexander said. “That’s the camera.”
She showed him a picture of the side of her head.
“No. No. See?” He helped her take one. He was smiling in the finished photo, but her eyes were narrowed like she didn’t quite trust the phone. Why she needed a selfie, Nathaniel would never understand. Alexander sketched her at least once a day. He never seemed to tire of it.
Nathaniel’s attention drifted to the other side of the table when Rowan tossed her fork down and yelled at Nick. “How can you think Taylor Swift is unrelatable?”
Nick spread his hands and shrugged. “Look what you made me do? It’s totally the perspective of a narcissist.”
“You are nuts. You’re crazy.” Rowan got in his face. “She’s making a point about how celebrities are unfairly characterized by the media and that jokers like that guy who sued her try to weaponize their reputations against them for profit.”
“Huh. Really?”
Rowan rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Yes! Do you take this stuff literally? You’ve got to read into it. Listen to the words.”
Nick waved a hand in the air. “I miss when she used to sing sweet country songs.”
“I’ve met her, you know,” Clarissa interjected.
Rowan and Nick both froze like she’d manifested in front of them although she’d been sitting there the entire time.
“Really?” Rowan asked.
Clarissa nodded. “At an industry party in Nashville. She is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. And talented. Not a lick of magic. Does it all on her own.”
Nick’s mouth popped open. “Huh. Ain’t that somethin’?”
Rowan flashed him a smug grin and raised her glass to Clarissa.
Nathaniel leaned over to whisper in her ear. “So is this what you had in mind when you said you wanted family?”
She winked one bright blue eye. “Exactly what I had in mind. I was wondering about something though.”
“Hmm?”
“When you told me about what happened in Paragon, you mentioned Sylas and how he was leading a band of rebels. A long time ago, you told me you were one of nine. Your oldest brother, Marius, was murdered. Gabriel, Tobias, Rowan, and Alexander are here. Assuming Sylas returned to wherever he was staying in the kingdom of Everfield, where are your last two siblings?”
“I’m not sure about Colin.” Nathaniel swirled his wine.
“And then there was one.” Clarissa rubbed his thigh expectantly.
“Xavier,” Nathaniel said. “As it so happens, I do know where he is. The hard part is reaching him.”
She squeezed his thigh. “I know that look. You have an idea.”
His gaze settled on Avery. “Yes, I do. A hunch really, based on the guidance of the cards. It won’t be easy, but I believe the Treasure of Paragon will be together again soon, and when that happens, Mother better make her peace with the goddess, because we are coming for her. And when we do, she will pay for her lies and deception. There will be no mercy.”
Epilogue
Eleanor tapped her fingers against the arm of her throne, waiting for Aborella to return. Her jaw hurt from grinding her teeth, and heat throbbed at her temple. She should have killed the witch while she had the chance. How could she have known Nathaniel would come?
She cursed. He could be a real problem. Aborella should have seen him coming. When the fairy returned, Eleanor would make her pay for her incompetence.
A sound like a pop echoed in the room and a smear of purple landed on the floor in front of her with a splat. What was left of Aborella gaped up at her like a fish. Half her skull was smashed, leaving one eye to rove wildly in its socket. Her legs were completely missing, along with one arm. Her skin was pure white, like freshly fallen snow.
Eleanor’s lips drew back from her teeth. “You do not have my permission to die, seer!”
With Brynhoff dead, she needed the fairy. Without her, she’d have to get her hands dirty dealing with the uprising in the lesser kingdoms. She despised the thought. It might put her in danger, and it was imperative she be the one on the throne.
Aborella grunted. “Kill… me…,” the fairy whispered.
Eleanor responded with a wicked laugh. “Oh no. That would be much too easy. You have failed me, Aborella, and you need the opportunity to make things right.”
Opening her mouth, the empress reached inside and tugged a molar from her jaw. There was a sharp pain, the taste of blood, and then the tooth in all its long, razor-sharp glory dangled from her fingers. Aborella stared at it in horror.
“You know, I’ve never done this before for anyone,” she said to Aborella, whose breath rattled in her lungs and came in uneven gasps. “You should feel special.”
The tooth shrank to the size of a small stone. The empress tipped it into Aborella’s mouth and watched it worm down her throat. The fairy gagged, her pale torso, stained with purple blood, convulsing with her effort. Eventually the tooth disappeared.
“Ransom!” the empress called.
The captain of the Obsidian Guard appeared at the side door, his disgust evident when he saw Aborella’s state. “Yes, Your Highness. What can I do for you?”
“Carry her and follow me.” The empress stood from her throne.
“Of course. Allow me to get a covering to wrap the remains.” He motioned in the general direction of Aborella’s bloody body.
“She’s not dead and her blood won’t hurt you. Pick her up. Now. We don’t have much time.”
Ransom took a step toward the body and then another. His lips twisted as he lowered himself to her and wedged his hands under the fairy. Purple blood soaked into his red sleeves, but he managed to lift her from the pool of her own filth.
Once he had the fairy in his arms, Eleanor led the way out the side door of the palace and deep into the jungle to the place where a large moss-covered tree grew from rich volcanic soil. With a wave of her ring, a shovel appeared in her hand.
“Bury her here,” Eleanor commanded.
Ransom set Aborella down, the fairy’s mouth still gaping soundlessly, and took the shovel in his bloody hands. Soon the hole took shape and he lowered the fairy into it.
“N-no. Please no,” Aborella begged from the grave.
Eleanor rolled her eyes. “You won’t die. I’ve given you my tooth after all. You’ll simply…” She waved her hand dismissively. “…be out of the way until your body regenerates itself. I’ve put you right on top of the roots of this tree. A few months in this grave and you’ll likely be good as new.”
“No.” Terror filled Aborella’s eye, and the fairy begged in ragged gasps for mercy.
Eleanor placed a hand on Ransom’s shoulder. “Bury her. Then make sure all the blood is cleaned up. Destroy this uniform. Get another from storage. Do you understand? I do not want to see
a single trace of her.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Ransom dug the tip of the shovel into the loose dirt and emptied it on top of Aborella. Then another and another. Her one remaining arm flailed with her protests.
Eleanor strode back to the palace, the sound of Aborella’s strained screams growing faint behind her.
Thank you for reading the DRAGON OF CECIL COURT. If you enjoyed Nathaniel and Clarissa’s story, please leave a review.
For the first time in her life, Avery is putting herself first and striving to define herself separate from the needs of her family. When Nathaniel informs her she is the only one capable of reaching their brother Xavier inside a protective magical ward in the Scottish Highlands, she agrees to go on a quest to retrieve the dragon sibling. Only she isn’t prepared for what the journey will require of her or for what Xavier will awaken in her.
Preorder HIGHLAND DRAGON Now!
Meet Genevieve Jack
Award winning and USA Today bestselling author Genevieve Jack writes wild, witty, and wicked-hot paranormal romance and fantasy. Coffee and wine are her biofuel, the love lives of witches, shifters, and vampires her favorite topic of conversation. She harbors a passion for old cemeteries and ghost tours, thanks to her years attending a high school rumored to be haunted. Her perfect day involves the beach, her laptop, and one crazy dog. Learn more at GenevieveJack.com.
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More From Genevieve Jack!
The Treasure of Paragon
The Dragon of New Orleans, Book 1
Windy City Dragon, Book 2,
Manhattan Dragon, Book 3
The Dragon of Sedona, Book 4
The Dragon of Cecil Court, Book 5
Highland Dragon, Book 6
Hidden Dragon, Book 7
The Dragons of Paragon, Book 8
The Last Dragon, Book 9
Knight Games Series
The Ghost and The Graveyard, Book 1
Kick the Candle, Book 2
Queen of the Hill, Book 3
Mother May I, Book 4
Logan, Book 5
Fireborn Wolves Series
(Knight World Novels)
Vice, Book 1
Virtue, Book 2
Vengeance, Book 3
Acknowledgments
As I wrap up this book called DRAGON OF CECIL COURT, I’d like to thank a few people who helped me smooth out any wrinkles in its pages. Thanks to Kate Bateman for helping Nathaniel sound British and Sara Whitney for bringing her delightful sense of humor to the table with her suggestions. And to TM Cromer for the encouragement. Thank you for helping me bring book five into the world.
Also, thank you to Tina Winograd and Anne at Victory Editing for bringing out the best in this story, to Deranged Doctor for the cover art that perfectly captures Nathaniel, and finally, to my family for their love and support.
To the fans of this series, thank you for coming along with me on this journey of love and finding one’s way home.
The Dragon of Cecil Court (The Treasure of Paragon Book 5) Page 26