Burn

by Penelope Fletcher

  Now, his Treasure bounced into the murky apartment he’d tracked her to as if nothing was amiss. As if he hadn’t craved her presence for hours, the need to know she was safe driving him to distraction.

  Spotting him she smiled ecstatically, changing direction mid stride to hurtle his way. Her expression became more radiant and jubilant each step she took.

  Daniil inhaled harshly. “To have my chosen female look at me that way.” His voice was low and pained. “I envy you, brother.”

  Koen had no chance to respond. His arms were full of the warm, vivid female who’d branded his beastly soul. His heart swelled and overflowed. “Treasure.” He nosed her hair and the glossy strands caressed him like the finest silk. He breathed in deeply – salted water, wood, smoke, and fresh leather. A faint hint of armour oil clung to her, as did the pungent spice of the firefruit she’d had that morning. Underlying it all a heady musk all hers. She’d been to the souk. “You are well?”

  “Very.” She glanced over her shoulder at the male who hovered in the doorway, feeling most unwelcome. “Come in, Jak. Take a load off.”

  “You did not leave the fortress alone,” Daniil interjected sharply. “Did you?”

  He did so before Koen questioned why she was in the company of such a disgraced male.

  Daniil’s tension eased when a troop of harassed looking soldiers filed into the room holding all manner of purchases. “Ah.”

  Jakob crossed the expanse and sat a shaku down the table bench.

  He was careful to give the renowned Dragon Lords a considerable space, hoping they interpreted this as a respectful distance.

  The High Princess may not know of his House’s notoriety, but they did. He could sense they would never welcome him. Nor would they suffer him long in their venerated company, especially not around their beloved Princess.

  Choosing to act oblivious to the tension between the three males, though the otherness prodded her to make her aware of it, Marina placed her palms on the well-muscled chest before her and sighed.

  The gush of air was long, breathy and utterly content.

  It made Koen feel good that she found peace in his arms. Her skin touching his was paradise. Goddess knew he’d loathed each second he’d been forced to pass without her next to him. His Dragon was possessive of her to an obsessive degree, and the temperamental male he was became increasingly difficult manage when he knew she was wandering about without him. It was easier to calm when he knew she was with Mikhail or Daniil. They were almost as fierce as he, and would protect her slavishly as they had nearly the same amount of love for her he did. A regimented guard was the bare minimum he could accept as her protection in his stead, even if they were sworn to ice breathers.

  “Yeah, that’s right.” Safe in the cradle of his arms, Marina faced off with his Second. Her expression was smug and her tone good-humouredly insolent. “I took a guard. I was sensible.” She stuck out her pink tongue.

  With a low hiss, Koen dipped his head to lick it. Her taste consumed him. He ran a warm palm down the stretch of her back in a sensual stroke.

  Flushing a rosy hue, Marina looked back to Daniil, eyes glassy, to finish her argument. “I do have common sense, you know?”

  “Of course,” he replied flippantly.

  A patronizing smile stretched his cheeks.

  Her reply sneer disappeared in lieu of a memory that made her eyes glint hunger. “Sit. Order something to eat. The fish here is delicious.”

  Chuckling at the mercurial mood that more often than not matched that of her mate, Daniil sat.

  As his bottom hit the bench....

  “We are not staying.” Koen growled menacingly. His eyes touched briefly on Jakob. They left the male to sweep disdainfully around the shadowy room. “There is no need to get comfortable.”

  Eyebrows jerking to comical heights, Daniil stood. He’d sensed the Dragon King was not happy with what he’d seen when he’d entered.

  Apparently Koen was not going to hold his tongue to please his Treasure, even if it appeared she had a liking for her new living space.

  “And why not?” Marina demanded. “Sit down, Daniil.”

  To his utter shock, his Dragon did not chafe at the imperious commandment, and he did.

  “Get up,” Koen snapped. “We leave as soon as her things are gathered.”

  Muddled, he rose in stilted increments, eyeing them both warily.

  Stifling laughter, Jakob coughed into his fist earning him a clash of fiery and frosty glares.

  “So soon?” Marina pouted. “We spent a lot of time together yesterday, and I know that’s frowned upon, but I missed you.” She blushed. “Each moment we were apart today my heart ached.”

  Koen cupped her soft cheek.

  He smiled benignly when she closed her eyes and turned her face into his palm to kiss it. “You need not miss me. You are coming with me.”

  “I am?” Being steered towards the door, Marina’s expression took on a happy glaze. “Where are we going?”

  “To my apartments.”

  “Really? I haven’t been there yet.” She slowed and cast him a concerned look. “Won’t that make the Regent angry?”

  “Myron will manage. You are mine. Aver is merely a formality we must suffer through.” His voice was hypnotic, an incomparable seduction of sound. Again stroked the length of her back, imagining doing so when she was naked, and on her knees at his mercy. “I would have you under me–” He shuddered then corrected himself. “I would have you by my side always.”

  “That’s nice.” She shivered at his low, husky tone.

  Slowed further noticing Daniil trailed them.

  The Dragon Lord gave a grim-faced Captain Vadik a superior look.

  Young Viktor looked crestfallen at her egress, standing lost and intimidated in a corner.

  The tense atmosphere registered.

  Marina frowned.

  The otherness was purring, twisting in ecstasy at Koen’s touch.

  A niggling suspicion was all it took for her mind to rebel. The lustful daze ended. “Koen, you understand I’m living here with House Ryu now, don’t you?”

  Broad palm pressed to the small of her back, he quickened his stride and hustled her on. “You stay with me.”

  Marina stopped dead in her tracks. “Don’t even start with me.”

  Koen Raad sighed and stared longingly at the open door. He looked down at his Treasure, already sensing defeat. “You cannot be serious.”

  “What?” Twirling on the spot, she scowled. “I like it here. I thought you would to.”

  Koen crossed his arms and loomed.

  The intimidation tactic never worked with her, but he was desperate enough to try.

  He glared down his blade-straight nose. “I have decided it is not safe.” The Dragon was very present in that pronouncement.

  She proceeded with care. “Consider my position. This is the last place an assassin would think to look.”

  “It will not be long before your change of housing is noted and your location discovered,” Daniil said. “I am uneasy about the layout of this floor.”

  “There’s only one entrance,” she argued, not appreciating him taking Koen’s side. How was that fair? It was one of the things that irritated her about him being Koen’s Second. His loyalty was never really hers. “One main door to guard.”

  “Which means there is only one exit.” Daniil scrutinized the space. “Should you come under attack there is no where to run.”

  “As if anyone would dare a full scale assault inside the Citadel. They’d never make it out alive.”

  The idea of his Treasure trapped down here as an army overran the Citadel brought Koen out in a cold sweat.

  “Certain fanatical assassins do not expect to survive long past extinguishing their mark,” Daniil said.

  Koen nodded grimly.

  “Uncle Sevastyan dedicated a private guard of six highly trained and capable Dragon Men to my protection. I have supreme faith in their skills.”<
br />
  Marina motioned to the Captain, and his Lieutenant, Dmitri, with a big smile.

  Their eyes gleamed amusement at the praise.

  “Vadik and his men escorted me through the market place and there was not a single incident,” she finished.

  “Oh? Tell me, why is Jakob of House Lin here?” Daniil knew there was a story there that might cinch a victory. “I know you have not officially met him elsewhere.”

  Seeing there was no winning this debate, and not prepared to get into it any further, Marina shrugged. “Say what you like. I’m not leaving.”

  Koen’s eyes flashed, nostrils flared. “Treasure–”

  “No, Koen.” Chin lifting, her stance mirrored his. “I accept needing a guard. I accept being cautious about whom I allow near me, however I have limits, and you’re breaching them. I am perfectly safe here with my family. I’m sure Uncle Sevastyan will allow you to speak to whomever you wish if it gives you peace of mind about who will be looking out for me when you’re not here. I know I’m happy for you to speak to my guards.”

  Vadik nodded in tacit obedience.

  Marina glanced at Jakob. “As for Jak, I met him officially in the marketplace, but I know I’ve heard his voice before. I just can’t remember.”

  “I do,” Daniil said, grim. “Which is why I am against his presence here.” Daniil shot Koen a considering look before turning to her in exasperation. “He is one of the spies Katya had keeping tabs on you when you were originally declared First Chosen.”

  Marina blinked. A memory clicked into place. “The training field.”

  She remembered that day clearly. She’d been grumpy, sleep deprived and emotionally wrecked over Koen. Daniil had been in dragonskin, teaching her how to disguise her scent from his sensitive nose. After winning a bout, Daniil abruptly tackled her to the ground. Hiding them in the tall grasses, he ignored her struggles and covered her mouth to keep her quiet. They overheard a conversation between two brothers looking for her. It was when she realised that Nikolai was secretly protecting her, and when she precisely understood how much impact she had on the Dragon Lands. Up until that point she’d focused solely on entering Aver so that she could call Koen Raad her own. After hearing the two ice breathers talking, it had slammed home how treacherous the Houses were, how much danger she was in.

  The conversation rang in her ears.

  “By the Goddess, where they hell are they? We have checked nearly every damn field in Tzion.”

  “The Lady is not going to be happy if we go back empty handed. We need information.”

  “I doubt we would have succeeded anyway. Lord Daniil is well known for his warskill, his cunning, and it is said the King made him swear to protect the Princess with his life.”

  “He is not allowed to do that,” the other voice protested.

  “There are rumours. House Tyr believes that the Princess is no longer pure and should not be allowed to hunt the King at all once Aver is complete, but Artur cannot hold the ear of Regent Myron.”

  “Regardless, should we be interfering? All these nasty affairs of state turn my stomach to rot. I hold the Princess no ill will. She’s nice. We should just let this play out, and keep our House out of it. Goddess willing, the Princess will perish during the quests if she is not strong enough to be Queen.”

  “We have seen her train. If she is given the chance, she will not fail. Her warskill is basic and straightforward, but effective, and she wants it, badly, you can see it in her eyes. And she has Lord Daniil to train her. Hold fast, Jakob. This alliance will help us gain some of the credibility and coin our Sire lost. We will need it for new weapons if we are to survive the campaign the Vor’s plan to launch once Anastasia is named Queen of the Drackai.”

  “Anastasia has always campaigned for peace. It is our Kingdom that always seems to be initiating war for some reason or another.” He sighed, “Our Queens are always of lesser might and honour than the Drackai Queens.”

  “Aleksandr is the master of House Vor, and do not forget it. As fierce as Anastasia is she is been losing some of her edge. The servants think she yearns for someone.”

  “What if the Princess wins the Frost Wreath? I cannot help but think maybe that would be a good thing. Our Court could use–”

  “If we do our job right she will not win either throne.”

  The other voice was quiet for a while. “I am not sure. King Raad seems attached to her. My Dragon is pleased for him.”

  “Ah, well, he was, but now the Lady is sure she’s gaining his favour. All she needs now is enough scandal so the Princess is forced to withdraw. My source tells me Lord Daniil has foiled a number of the assassination attempts on the Princess’s life. He took the case to the Dragon Council, and Nikolai Raad was set as her guardian.

  “The brat?”

  “Childish he may seem, but Lord Nikolai is a fierce Dragon. He is the one who has been hunting down those who oppose the Princess and silencing them.”

  “But right now we oppose her.” The other Dragon sounded stressed. “We need to get out of this ... quickly ... somehow. I have heard the Princess is fair to her servants. Maybe if we–”

  “Pah. We are low gentry. It is the upper Houses Nikolai is after and the Princess could not protect us from him if he ever found out we were involved in this. I think it is all poised to go belly up anyway. The Dragon Council is interfering again. Regent Myron is a stickler for the rules, and he has to keep bending them for her. It will not last much longer, so pull yourself together. You know what the lady does to traitors.”

  “They only time I feel a traitor is when I am in her presence. My Dragon does not like this.”

  “What do you have to worry about? Nobody knows we are involved, and you can bet most of the Lady’s alliances are caught in the same trap we are in. We just need to keep quiet and do what we are told. The Phoenixes protect their own, and they will not bother us as long as the King is not directly threatened.”

  “Yes, but that is only because they are supposed to be his advisors. For the sake of peace, they need the King to mate the Chosen best suited. I have to admit, brother, if it were you, I would want the best match possible. Would you not want that for me?”

  “Again preferential treatment towards one contender. That is forbidden, and cannot be how the great goddess meant things to be. I am a simple Dragon who is happy to follow my betters into war. Houses Kol, Raad and Zar aligned. Can you imagine it? Three imperial Houses tightly bound by love and honour. It would be glorious if the entire Court was not afraid they would abuse the power, just like they are abusing it to get the Princess seated on the throne.”

  “Now, I do not know about that. She has to complete the quests on her own to win a crown.”

  “The Regent and the Dragon Council are turning a blind eye to a lot of her transgressions because it might be a mating of love and not honour.”

  “But–”

  “Enough. Come on now, Jakob, we must go.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Chewing her bottom lip, Marina stared at Jakob. She saw a whole lot of complications, as well as an enormous amount of opportunity.

  Trust went both ways. He showed an incredible amount by placing himself at her mercy in front of his King, a male who could easily see him destroyed.

  Bravery appealed greatly to her, and Jakob displayed so much.

  He peered back impassively. “You remember.”

  “We heard everything,” she said.

  “I know.”

  Her head cocked questioningly.

  Resigned, he shrugged. “I saw you before we landed.”

  Marina double blinked. “Yet you said nothing to your brother?”

  Expression blank, he was quiet.

  “Okay then.” She raked a hand through her hair, wondering if she’d be able to stop Koen clawing this male’s face off. “If I remember correctly you were rather vocal in advocating me. I don’t think you’re here now because of Katya.”

  “So?” Daniil barked.
“What of it? Harmless intentions at this instant does not change what he is about, Marina. Not only so we know this male worked as a spy, we know he comes from a dishonoured House.”

  Eyes dulling, Jakob’s head lowered.

  Koen’s head slowly followed the conversation back and forth. Hearing the word ‘spy’ his aura darkened, and his eyes shone like gems lit from inside. “What are you talking about?”

  Marina slid him a look asking for patience. “Maybe not. I remember an honourable Lord serving his House as best he could.”

  “He was trying to spy on you,” Daniil said, outraged.

  Koen’s eyes deadened, his tone flat. “What?”

  Not pausing to elaborate, knowing his own lack of action against the male risked backfiring, Daniil advanced on Marina angrily, disbelieving she was trying to excuse the male. “He should not be here.”

  “Oh, give it a rest.” Turning her back on Daniil, a gesture of disrespect to a predator, Marina tried to move past Koen.

  They could be incredible assholes to people not in their inner circle.

  Deadly silent, Koen held out an arm. “Explain.”

  “What more is there to say?” She placed a hand on his arm and pushed. It didn’t budge. “Jakob was forced to spy for Katya, but he and his brother were terrible at it. Daniil sensed them coming and hid us.” She flicked a look at the male in question. “I’ll bet she didn’t take the failure lightly.”

  “House Ja was the only upper House connection we had left.” Jakob shook his head ruefully. “We lost it after that day. Katya ordered her guards beat us so hard my bother’s hide is scarred for life. My foreleg still pains me.”

  Daniil sneered at him. “Nothing you did not deserve.”

  “Ease up, Daniil.” Marina’s voice was sharp. His behaviour was beginning to grate on her nerves. “You can be rather unfriendly at times.”

  “This is one of the lesser Lords you spoke of a few days ago,” Koen surmised grimly, stabbing Daniil with a reproachful look. “Nikolai will not be pleased.”

  “As I said then your ascension to Emperor is supposed to quell war, not create it.” Daniil chose his words carefully knowing he waded treacherous waters. The King was being abnormally reasonable on this matter that concerned his bride-to-be, and he wanted to keep it that way. “He may come from a disgraced House, but he is still noble. I stand by my initial decision.”