Dragon Lords Books 1 - 4 Box Set: Anniversary Edition

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “Laser weapons are non-functioning in the palace. We have a block wired into the central computer system that causes most of them to malfunction, and sensors will detect any non-authorized weapons. Besides, the Var believe them to be as dishonorable as we do. If the king was to openly hurt one of us in such a way, he’d be shamed.”

  Morrigan wasn’t so sure. So far Attor sounded like a coward. Cowards couldn’t be trusted.

  “If it is determined he is the one who poisoned you and stabbed Yusef, there will be justice and possibly an escalation of war.” Ualan tried to make his way to the steps.

  Morrigan trailed behind him, dragging the coverlet. “Shouldn’t I be there? I was the one who was poisoned by him.”

  “You are not on the war council.”

  “Why don’t you just arrest him and put him in a prison. If you’re at war, then call him captured.”

  “That wouldn’t—”

  “—wouldn’t be honorable,” she mumbled, finishing the sentence for him.

  “No, princess.” He came back into the room and wrapped his arms around her. Morrigan snuggled naturally into his strong chest. Concern shone in his gaze when he looked at her. “You stay here today. Attor’s men are here and everyone is instructed to stay within their homes. We will not have bloodshed. We aren’t going to risk losing anyone.”

  Morrigan frowned, ready to protest.

  “Shh,” he whispered when her mouth opened. “Promise me you’ll stay here.”

  Slowly, she nodded. “All right, I promise.”

  He let her go and led the way downstairs. She trailed after him, hugging her coverlet dress tight to her body.

  “Can I visit the other princesses?” she asked.

  “It’s not a good idea to be out walking the halls.” Going to the door, he commanded it open. “Food will be sent around in a moment. Only Mirox is allowed to enter.”

  Morrigan nodded. “When will you be home?”

  “As soon as I can,” Ualan answered. “It depends on what Attor has to say.”

  “Wait,” she called when he tried to walk out the door. He came to her, brushing his finger over her lush lip when she would plead, “Just…”

  His gaze glittered with rich golden flecks as he studied her.

  Just be careful, she thought.

  Morrigan didn’t know what else to say. She didn’t want to insult him by implying he would be outsmarted by his enemy and she didn’t want him to go. He smiled slightly and ran his fingers from her lips to her cheeks to give her a gentle caress. He kissed her with tender lips that held promises of later things. With a soft nudge of his forehead to hers, he let her go.

  “Bye,” she whispered breathlessly, her knees left weak.

  With a shut of the door, Ualan was gone.

  * * *

  Ualan was not pleased with his wife’s concern. It showed a real lack of faith in him as a warrior and protector. He knew his enemy. They had been fighting with the Var since before his birth.

  Pausing in the hallway, he smoothed his tunic and needlessly tugged it straight. It was the uniform of the Draig war council. Women were generally not allowed entrance. Occasionally the queen would attend to give her opinion, but that was rare, and she was a dragon-shifter so it wasn’t really the same thing as Ualan’s human bride. Normally, his cousins would have come down from the mountain fortress to join them, but there had been no time and they were currently handling an offworld problem.

  Besides, there was nothing the noblemen could do that the princes weren’t already doing. King Attor would most assuredly deny everything and an escalation was inevitable either way. Ualan hadn’t wanted to tell Morrigan that spies could already be in the palace. Whoever stabbed Yusef knew the back passages well enough to escape through them.

  Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and pictured Morrigan’s face—hair beautifully tousled around her shoulders and skin still rosy from the warmth of sleep. That is the image he carried with him as he steeled his nerves for the trials to come.

  Even if he wanted to protect her from worry, he also knew he could not publicize his family’s affairs at such a delicate stage. Planetary business was not fodder for an exposé. This was a Qurilixian conflict. He did not want her attracting intergalactic attention to an age old feud. Others would only try to step in and help, causing more problems than solutions. This was their planet. They would deal with it.

  * * *

  King Attor denied all charges with a smirking grin. He knew so long as he was under the protection of justice, he would not be touched. Nothing was accomplished during the seven hours of talks. But, then again, nothing had been accomplished in the centuries of fighting that had occurred between the two kingdoms. Death attempts on both sides were nothing new, though none had occurred for over a hundred years. The Var were powerful opponents.

  After the meeting, it took another four and a half hours to ensure King Attor and his men were back over the borders. A thorough search of the castle revealed nothing and the alert was taken off the village. By the time Ualan dragged his feet home, he was too tired to think.

  The prince knew that soon they might be facing another surge of battles with the House of Var. Wars were terrible affairs for their kind. The battle surges lasted sometimes for fifty to a hundred years, with many deaths, and seldom any clear progress or victory. At best they could expect an uneasy truce while each side replenished their warriors and concentrated on rebuilding the population.

  Seeing his wife already asleep, Ualan stripped off his clothes and crawled into bed next to her. She stirred when he wrapped his arms around her waist. Not fully opening her eyes, she smiled at him. “Long day?”

  He nodded, leaning over to kiss her. They leisurely made love, taking their time, as he tried not to think of what separated them.

  Chapter 30

  Ualan awoke the next morning instantly reaching for Morrigan before his eyes were even open. His hands hit with an empty bed instead of her warm flesh. Frowning, he opened one eye. She never woke up early.

  A small panic filled him. Ualan thought of her leaving him, sentencing him to a lifetime of loneliness and hollow solitude. Tugging on pants, he rushed downstairs, expecting to see her on the couch. Quizzically, he tried to smile, going first to the bathroom and then to the kitchen. His smile faded. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest. She was gone.

  * * *

  The warriors cheered good-naturedly as the four princesses, wearing dark breeches and tunic shirts, aimed knives at the practice post. Olena was the first to throw. She did fairly well as each knife made it into the center. The gathered soldiers clapped and stomped. She glanced at Yusef, trying to act like she didn’t seek his approval. A white bandage slashed across the prince’s arm but he looked well.

  Nadja was hopeless, missing the target completely on all five tries. She glanced at Olek in embarrassment. The men applauded anyway.

  Morrigan managed to hit the post on her turn, though they weren’t centered. She curtsied as she received her cheers.

  She had awakened early, unable to sleep, as nightmares of armies invaded her dreams. Pia had sent a servant around with a missive requesting she “get her lazy butt out to the practice field for some sport,” an offer Morrigan could hardly refuse. Ualan had looked so handsome in bed, his arm resting above his head, his brown hair splayed messily around his face, a strand of which slashed over a closed eye. She didn’t have the heart to wake him, knowing how hard he’d worked the day, and night, before. Morrigan smiled to think about it.

  “Maybe you ladies should let a man show you how it’s done,” a voice called from the crowd.

  Morrigan rolled her eyes at the other princesses to mock the man, as she retrieved the silver blades for Pia’s turn.

  “Ach,” Agro cried. “You’re hardly a man, Hume!”

  Pia took the knives, weighing them carefully in her hand as she tested them. Getting to the third one, she lifted it and studied the blade. Frowning, she went to her husband
and handed it to him. She took a knife from his waist to replace it, testing his blade as she did the others.

  At his curious frown, she announced loudly, “You need to check the balance on that one. It will pull a fraction to the right.”

  While hardly moving a muscle, Zoran threw the blade over her shoulder. It stuck just to the right of the target. The men laughed heartily. Morrigan stared at Prince Zoran. He was even larger than Ualan. She shivered, thinking her husband was definitely the better proportioned and better looking.

  Not turning around, Pia said, “Told you.”

  Zoran’s lip curled up at the side. If Morrigan hadn’t seen the gesture for herself, she would have thought the man incapable of smiling.

  Going before the target, Pia took a deep breath. Flinging one of the blades, she rapidly dropped to the ground to throw two more in roll. Then, coming to kneel, she threw the last two. The fourth blade struck against Zoran’s to knock it free, before sticking in its place. On the fifth, she turned her arm and it missed the post completely. The warriors watched in stunned silence, their eyes following the path of her last throw. It was a foot before Hume.

  “You missed,” Hume said, to break the silence. The men went wild cheering. Pia took a graceful bow. The women jumped in excitement, basking in Pia’s victory.

  Morrigan saw Ualan going toward his brother. A bright smile lit her face.

  “Careful,” Olena teased, bumping into her arm. “Or else we might think you actually like the barbarian.”

  Morrigan blushed, turning her eyes away, only to peek again from beneath her down turned lashes.

  Zoran frowned at whatever Ualan was saying to him. Without uncrossing his arms, he nodded his jaw to where Morrigan stood with the other princesses.

  Worry filled his expression as he came to claim her. “Come.”

  “What?” she whispered, confused. “We’re still practicing. Pia is going to show us how to throw while rolling.”

  “Don’t argue with me,” he ordered. “Come, now.”

  Morrigan was too embarrassed by his attitude to do much in the way of protesting. He took her arm and roughly dragged her behind him. When she glanced back, she received looks from the other women that seemed to say they understood her situation and were sorry for it.

  Morrigan’s embarrassment turned to anger as Ualan pulled her along a path that would take them closer to the village. Stumbling behind his faster stride, she tried to regain some dignity by jerking away from him. “What in the firepits of Bravon do you think you are doing?”

  Ualan turned, glancing around as if to make sure no one watched. She frowned. Now he cared? He just humiliated her in front of an entire encampment of soldiers.

  His voice low, he asked, “Where were you this morning?”

  Morrigan thought about yelling, but she didn’t want to create another scene. “What? Is that what this is about?” she asked in disbelief. “You’re mad because I wasn’t in bed when you woke up. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was my duty to see to your…” Morrigan looked down at his pants and ground out, “your release each morning.”

  “Rigan,” he warned. That’s not what he meant and she knew it.

  Ualan looked at the nearby village and then took her arm and again pulled her behind him, this time going deeper into the forest. Morrigan trailed along in silence, hurt by his attitude. She’d thought after what happened between them in the night hours he would trust her more. Obviously, she was the only one deeply affected by their joining. The realization stung.

  “Rigan,” Ualan began again when they stopped.

  “No,” she growled under her breath. “I didn’t realize I had to check in with you whenever I wanted to do anything. You don’t want a wife, you want a cook and a maid and you want a slave. Well, I’m sorry master. I didn’t realize I had to be there for your pleasure each morning. Should I relieve you right now? Right he-re?”

  Her neck stung and she tried to lift her hand to swat at it, only her entire side went numb. Her eyes rolled, and she couldn’t stop herself from falling forward.

  * * *

  Ualan stared at his wife. Even angry she was so damned beautiful. He wanted to hold her, but knew after what she yelled at him that she would think he only sought to force her into his arms. True, this morning he had been ready to make love to her again. And why not? It was one of the few times they weren’t strained emotionally toward each other. It was the one time when he knew her actions and words were pure and untainted by deceit. Besides, she was his wife. It was only natural that he’d want to make love to her. He refused to feel guilty about it.

  Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, seconds before a dart shot out from the trees to hit Morrigan in the neck. She made a strange noise before falling.

  Ualan caught her with one hand, automatically reaching for his blade with the other. Twelve light blond warriors jumped out from the trees. Their bodies sprouted fur as they shifted in the air, human features overcome with the look of a wild cat.

  Ualan was forced to shift awkwardly, using his arm to deflect the enemy’s blows. They struck the hard flesh of his arm, cutting him with sharp claws. He tried to protect Morrigan, her feet dragging in the dirt as he called out to his brothers for assistance. Soon the princes were by his side, shifting into dragon while they met the cat-shifters’ attack.

  The one-armed Yusef bravely hacked forward with his sword, giving Ualan time to get Morrigan to safety. Ualan dropped Morrigan to the ground behind his battling brothers as softly as he could before returning to the fight. Pia ran swiftly to join the men, throwing a blade into one of the creature’s throats. When Zoran swung his arm, she ducked beneath him, grabbing a knife from his belt.

  Ualan glanced back, trying to keep an eye on her helpless body while still engaging the enemy. His distraction cost him as he felt claws biting into him again. Nadja stood close to Morrigan, but the woman looked too petrified to move. She stared at the fighting creatures—human dragons against human cats.

  Olena darted to the fallen Morrigan and shouted something at Nadja. To Ualan’s relief, the two women pulled Morrigan away from the fray toward safety.

  Almost immediately the Var retreated to the forest. Zoran nodded to his wife in pride, shifting back. Ualan turned, sniffing out Morrigan’s trail and took off down the path to see where the women had gone. Yusef and Olek were behind him.

  Nadja was by Morrigan’s side, her eyes narrowed as she examined the wound. She gasped in fright to see Ualan’s dragon face. He instantly shifted back and lifted his hand to show her he was safe. Nadja’s eyes went to her husband. Clearly, their shifting was news to her.

  Ualan reached for Morrigan’s neck.

  “Don’t,” Nadja commanded. Ualan drew back in surprise. She nodded at his arm where red blisters were forming along his skin. “She is poison to you.”

  Ualan’s jaw tensed, but he held back.

  “You can’t move her yet,” Nadja said.

  “But, the poison.” Ualan tried, desperate to help his wife. He didn’t care about his arm.

  “Quiet,” Nadja insisted. “Let me think. I need to concentrate.”

  Zoran and Pia approached from the battle, having checked to make sure none of the enemy remained.

  Ualan looked at Olek who appeared as confused as he was. Olek shrugged, unable to offer an explanation.

  “Give me your knife,” Nadja said to Pia. She reached out with shaking fingers. Her eyes darted around the now silent forest. Pia immediately handed her blade over.

  Taking a deep breath, Nadja lifted the knife to Morrigan’s throat. Ualan stiffened, ready to pounce. Olek pulled him back. Nadja cut into Morrigan’s throat where the dart had embedded in the skin. Instantly, green began to drip and ooze from the incision. Nadja worked slowly, but soon had the star tipped points of the dart dug out of Morrigan’s neck.

  Nadja dropped the blade and continued to bleed the poison out. When she had finished, she commanded Ualan, “Try touching her
.”

  Ualan did. He was left unharmed.

  “It’s as I thought. I’ve seen this kind of poison before. Usually jealous old lovers do it for revenge. If you had torn the dart out of the skin, it would have released a poison into the blood stream. She would have lived but you would never have been able to touch her again. It’s ironic really. That way, it is the current lover who poisons the woman, sealing their fate.” Nadja stood, trying to edge away from the dragon-shifters. “You should get her to a doctor.”

  Ualan touched Morrigan’s face, turning her head so he could look at her bleeding neck.

  Nadja continued to back away. “I would say that whoever poisoned her didn’t want you to be with her.” The woman turned and ran away from them. Olek was right behind her.

  Olena stood, watching as Nadja disappeared into the forest. Solemnly, she said, “She didn’t know about the Draig.”

  “I’ll see to the perimeter,” Zoran said.

  Ualan picked up his wife, not caring about Nadja’s fear of him and his brothers. She would get over it easily enough. All he cared about was getting his wife to safety.

  Morrigan’s face had paled, but was regaining color. The puncture on her neck left a small mark, but nothing that wouldn’t heal. He carried Morrigan to the medical ward, unable to say a word. His heart squeezed painfully with the thought that he’d almost lost her…again.

  Chapter 31

  “Why do they attack the princesses?” Yusef asked with a frown. Olena stood by his side, her face unmoving. Nadja and Olek had not joined them, but Zoran and Pia stood next to Ualan. Morrigan was on the hospital bed, having been checked by the doctors and given some medicine to help along her recovery. If not for Nadja’s interference, she would have been as good as dead. She couldn’t imagine never being able to touch Ualan.