by Julie Wetzel
Kathryn glared at Eustace before hurrying to catch up with Patrick. She took his arm and leaned into his side.
Patrick let out a contented sigh and leaned into her. As long as she stood by him, he could handle anything else.
“My Lord Dragon,” Eustace called before they could get out of the square.
Stopping, Patrick turned to face him.
“Tell me…” The older man paused as he studied the dragon lord. “The first day you turned the dragon, could you have killed the beast and saved the town from his terror?”
Patrick paused, considering the elder's words. A wrong answer here could change the outcome of the whole day. “Yes,” he answered honestly. “My men and I could have killed your dragon on the first day, but the ladies would have paid the price for that action with their lives.” He looked at the maidens they had saved. “I stand by my decision to spare the dragon that day.”
A rustling of material drew his attention as the first of the girls kissed her family and came to stand next to him. Soon, all the maidens were circled around him.
Eustace let out a laugh. “Well, My Lord Dragon, I will bring this up with the other elders, but I think the maidens have spoken. No one is going to challenge your right to be here and risk the wrath of so many women.”
Isn’t that the truth! Patrick looked at the ladies around him warily. “No, you don’t want to risk that. Unhappy women make for a miserable life.”
Most of the girls blushed and looked away from the man they had harassed. The ones he had saved gave him inquisitive looks.
Eustace raised a curious eyebrow. “I see.” None of the girls would meet his eye. He let out a laugh. “Go on, My Lord Dragon, you have earned both your rest and our respect. No one here will question your place as lord.”
Patrick bowed to him. “Thank you, my good man. My men and I are at your service should ever you need us.” With that, he straightened, turned around, and left. The swarm of maidens followed him. After a few steps, he stopped and looked to the ladies. “You are safe now. Feel free to return to your lives.”
The woman stared at him expectantly, but they didn’t leave.
“Patrick,” Kathryn pulled at his arm, gaining his attention, “their things are still at the castle,” she reminded him. “Besides, most of these girls lost everything to the dragon.”
Enlightenment dawned on Patrick. How dumb could he be? These girls weren’t the only maidens left in the town, they were the maidens left without protectors. It would be shameful to turn them away in their time of need. Not to mention it would be a horrible mark against him in the very fragile beginning. Letting out a sigh, he nodded. “Any who wish to stay at the castle, may.”
Joy passed over the ladies’ faces as they started off to their new home, giddy.
What had he just agreed to? Patrick turned and followed behind the group of excited girls.
Kathryn pressed into his side. “Plus, if we left, who would take care of you?”
Patrick chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he walked. “I’m not sure how much more care I can handle,” he teased.
“We could always go back to the village and let you men fend for yourselves,” she huffed at him.
“Anything but that.” He squeezed her to his side. “Your leaving is the one thing I could not handle.” Letting out a deep sigh, he released his tight hold on her. “Give me a few minutes to send some messages to Prince Kyle, and the rest of the day is yours,” he promised. “I will tell you the things you need to know.”
Kathryn looked up at him. “But aren’t you tired?”
He was sure all the trials of the day were etched into his face. “Exhausted,” he admitted. What he truly wanted was a nice long nap, preferably with Kathryn in his arms.
“Then rest,” she urged. “I will watch over you as you sleep.”
Patrick chuckled. “As you wish, My Lady.” Sleep would do him a world of good. And then, he would make sure she understood everything about dragons.
Epilogue
“You have a letter from the prince.” Kathryn held up the note that had just arrived.
Patrick smiled at her. A single, red scale hung by a thin chain at her throat. His scale. A scale that matched the patch on her shoulder where she had accepted his bonding.
“And what does the prince say, My Lady?” He pushed back from the table where he was working and raised his arms to her.
Kathryn came over and slid into his lap. “I haven’t opened it,” she said as she cuddled into his embrace. “I didn’t think I should. It came with a sizable package.”
“Mmm.” He kissed her softly and took the letter from her hand. “Then let’s see what my brother has sent for us.” Breaking the wax seal, he unfolded the paper and read it around her.
After a few quiet moments, Kathryn’s curiosity got the better of her. “And?”
Patrick chuckled. “The eggs have hatched. Six healthy dragons—two girls and four boys. The rogue dragon and his family are being transported to a dragon colony away from human society.”
“So, he is getting away with murdering all those people?” Kathryn said crossly.
“No.” Patrick shook his head as he tried to soothe her. “He will be confined there for his crimes until a proper punishment can be decided. But the extenuating circumstances are being considered. Everything he did was to protect his injured mate. It was, after all, a bolt from the castle’s crossbows that nearly killed her.”
There was a likely chance that the dragon would be forced into human form and confined to the colony, but he didn’t share this bit of information. The fate of the dragon had been a sore subject since Patrick had called the queen in and she had spared the dragon’s life. So many people had lost their lives to his reign of terror.
Kathryn let out a deep sigh. “What else does it say?” She turned to look back at the letter.
Patrick kissed her lightly and went back to the letter. “My brother wishes us the best in our bonding and has sent us a present.” He looked up at the woman in his lap. “Would you like to go see what it is?”
“Yes.” She shifted out of his lap.
Standing, Patrick folded the letter and set it on his table before taking Kathryn’s hand. He wrapped it around his arm and guided her out of the castle. There was no telling what his family had sent.
Walking out into the bailey, Patrick looked at the wagon loaded with wrapped parcels. The men had already started to unload it. There were several long bolts of material.
One of the men pulled a roll of it loose. “My Lord,” he called. Inside was scarlet red material that had been made into banners for the castle. Embroidered in gold was a dragon rearing up with its wings extended.
Patrick laughed at the image. “My Queen Mother has a sense of humor.” He held the banner out for Kathryn to see.
“What do you mean?” she asked. She cocked her head and studied the magnificent piece of work, trying to see what Patrick found amusing.
Grinning, Patrick touched the neck of the dragon. “Each color of dragon has characteristic that separates it from the others. Gold dragons have a bone frill and horns to go with the tufted tail.”
“But this one doesn’t.” Kathryn looked over the image. “This one seems familiar.”
“It should. This is a red dragon. They just have the tufted tails,” Patrick explained. He snorted out a laugh. “This is me.” He rubbed his hand over the stitchwork. “A red dragon, claimed by the golds. Royal by the queen’s decree.”
Kathryn opened her mouth and shut it again, at a loss for words.
Sensing her inner turmoil, Patrick drew her to his side and kissed he cheek. “This doesn’t change anything,” he whispered. The royal family had claimed him a long time ago. It was just amusing to see it displayed so prominently by the queen's own hand.
“My Lord,” another man called from the other side of the cart.
Patrick turned Kathryn loose and went to see what else had been sent. The men h
anded down a cradle. Built for a human child, the thing had dragons carved in the sides. “Another gift from the Queen Mother.” He rubbed his hand down the relief. Again, the dragons had the tufted tails of the reds. “I guess she expects grandchildren soon.”
Kathryn blanched and dropped her hand to her flat stomach. “My Lord,” she said, distressed.
Patrick came over and took her hand reassuringly. “I have not suggested anything to anyone.” He kissed her cheek and drew in her scent. The delicate aroma had changed over the last few weeks, and he was almost positive she was with child. But he would wait until she was sure before offering his opinion on the matter. Women in any stage of pregnancy tended to be fickle. He knew. He had spent enough time in the nurseries with nesting females. “We will deal with it when the time comes,” he reassured her.
She relaxed under his gentle touch.
Kissing her cheek softly, he turned her around to take her back inside. The men could handle unloading whatever remained in the cart. Yes, they would deal with the future when it came, and he would be the happiest dragon in the land.
There once was a dragon named Patrick.
Whose scales and wings were fantastic.
He soared through the air,
With the greatest of care,
And made all the villagers spastic.
Acknowledgements
Here I find myself at the end of another book, flabbergasted at the overall response of my fans. When I sat down and started smithing words, I never dreamt that I would ever publish anything, let alone gain such a following for my work. Every day I wake up astounded by this whole thing. This past week I went to a book convention to meet people. I was floored that people were there to meet me. As I sit here writing this, trying not to publicly embarrass myself by bawling in my local coffee shop, I still can’t believe it. I just want to thank everyone that has seen fit to pick my novel and dedicate a slice of their life to my words. It doesn’t make a difference if you loved it or hated it, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I appreciate that my writing isn’t for everyone, what touches me is that you saw merit in it enough to pick it up (though I pray you enjoyed it). Thank you.
I’d like to thank Krys as he puts up with my running off to book conventions when I should be home taking care of things; Karl for understanding Mommy doesn’t always play games on her computer; and my friends at HobbyTown USA in Jackson. You’ve all been understanding and supportive since I first put pen to paper. Of course, I also have to thank the wonderful team of people at Crimson Tree Publishing for their hard work and sticking with me through this amazing journey. And last, but definitely not least, my family (Mom, Dad, Amanda, Jessica, Grandma, and many more) for listening to me ramble on about these stupid books. God bless the US Troops out defending our country. May you make it home safe. Thank you all.
About the Author
Originally from Ohio, Julie always dreamed of a job in science. Either shooting for the stars or delving into the mysteries of volcanoes. But, life never leads where you expect. In 2007, she moved to Mississippi to be with her significant other.
Now a mother of a hyperactive red headed boy, what time she’s not chasing down dirty socks and unsticking toys from the ceiling is spent crafting worlds readers can get lost it. Julie is a self-proclaimed bibliophile and lover of big words. She likes hiking, frogs, interesting earrings, and a plethora of other fun things.