by Ivy Clyde
It was dangerous for Cain to be in the servants’ quarters as well. If he came upon Zane, he would definitely be recognized.
No, I’d decided. My princes need to get stronger as soon as possible.
Stripping off the clothes, I donned a light linen robe and headed into the bathing chamber. Switching on the faucets, I let the vast circular bowl fill up with water.
Last time I was here, I found a cabinet of fragrant oils and soaps. Collecting them, I placed them on the edge of the bath and slid into the water.
I spent the next hour taking a luxuriously long bath. It was one of the perks of living in the palace and I used to its maximum advantage. Traveling outdoors for days had taught me the importance of an indoor bathing chamber. As long as I stayed in the palace of Baledonia, I would make sure to use it as many times as possible. Even the warm weather of the kingdom encouraged frequent baths.
After the refreshing wash, I felt clean and fragrant from the wonderful soaps. The nervousness I’d felt about going to the dragon temple yesterday was gone. Part of the reason was I missed out Adal’s transformation completely. It felt like a heated lovemaking session ending in weird dreams and waking up back in my chambers.
Deep within, I knew more memories would surface after I spent time with Norvin in the mating chamber. Elga had warned me at the start of my journey.
“The memories that you’ve so adamantly locked away...you will face them soon. You should be prepared for that.” Elga’s voice echoed loud in my head.
“Did you know everything about my past?” I whispered to myself in the quiet bathing chamber.
“There are many things I am privy to, child. I won’t disclose them to you.” Elga’s words came back to haunt me.
“Fine!” I hissed, tightening the knot of my robe. “I’ll find it on my own.”
Norvin was waiting for me in my room. His face lit up as soon as his gaze fell on me.
“Merry morning,” he greeted, coming over to me. “I was wondering where you went.” Leaning down, he let his nose skim along the side of my neck. “You smell so good, Daria. My mouth is already watering. I can’t wait to eat you.”
An image of Norvin’s head pressed between my thighs rose up in my mind. Heat raced up my neck and onto my cheeks. “Be patient,” I sputtered as he grinned at me.
“I’m only joking,” he said in a soft voice, stepping away from me. He gestured at the chair before the mirror. “Let me help you do your hair.”
I gave a nod, walking towards the chair and sinking down on it. Norvin took up a towel and placed several combs in a row on the table nearby. Like the last time we were together, Norvin began brushing the long lengths of my hair with a gentle hand. It was the most relaxing moment for us as he tenderly loosened the knots and tangles while I just sat back and unwound.
“Are you excited?” I asked after a while.
“More like nervous,” he said with a chuckle. “Both Adal and Cain say the process is painful.”
“Mmm. It is.”
His hand paused for a moment before he began brushing my hair again.
“They were able to get through it. So can you.”
“Thank you, Daria. If it weren’t for you, none of this would be possible.” His voice grew grimmer as he added, “I hope I’m not pushing you too much. It was only yesterday you were with Adal. He even brought you back unconscious. Maybe I shouldn’t be too greedy?”
I turned around in my seat to face him. “We don’t have the luxury to delay, Norvin. And honestly, I feel fine. Although I must warn you. I may black out today as well.”
The comb slipped out of his hand. “What?”
“There are blocks around my mind I can’t break through on my own. I am going to use the magic in the sacred chambers to unlock my memories today. I may black out, Norvin. But here’s the thing. Don’t bring me back to the palace until I’ve woken up on my own. I need the answers to the riddles of the images I saw yesterday.”
“Are you sure it won’t be dangerous for you?”
“I am sure. If Adal didn’t bring me back, I may have been able to get all the answers. It’s very important I do, Norvin. I want to know who I truly am. It’s frustrating not to know. I don’t want to live my life knowing myself as nothing but an assassin of Linmoor.”
He pressed a hand to my shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry. I’ll let you snooze down in the caves as long as you want, okay? I’ll watch over you and protect you.”
I looked into his gentle purple-hued eyes and saw only genuine sincerity. Warmth bloomed in my chest as I closed a hand over his. “Thank you.”
21
I spent most of the night in the palace library as sleep eluded me after the excitement of the day.
I fell asleep there, waking up the next morning. My mind still refused to calm down, so I went back to the archives to read on the dragon lore books still allowed on our shelves. Most of them were stories about old heroes and heroines of the ancient world with nothing of importance, but at least I could imagine myself doing some of the incredible feats scribed in the yellowing pages.
It was close to noon when I felt my stomach groaning with hunger. Closing the book I’d been reading, I got to my feet and stretched. The sun shone bright and hot outside. It was time to return to my quarters and relax with a bath and some food. Placing the tome in its designated shelf, I walked out of the library.
My quarters were quiet when I returned.
It was easy to guess where both Daria and Norvin were. While I wanted her to rest, she and Norvin insisted on going back to the temple. Time was of essence at the moment and neither wanted to waste the small patch of peace we were enjoying.
The table in the parlor was still laden with food. The sight of it reminded me I was hungry. I was about to start on a platter of sliced watermelons when movement outside the room halted me. “Who’s there?” I asked shortly.
A maid appeared at the threshold.
“Your Highness,” she said, bowing before me. The woman was unfamiliar to me. Her scarlet dress, fashioned differently from the usual Baledonian attires, gave me pause. “His Highness, Prince Zane wishes to see you.”
I smoothed my features, not letting my surprise show. “That is fine,” I said in a neutral voice. “But why were you sneaking around? Just come in to announce whatever message it is.”
“Apologies, Your Highness,” she mumbled.
The young woman shifted from one foot to the other, clutching her hands together. She refused to look at me directly. I could tell she was nervous and wanted to be anywhere but here.
“Why are you still standing there?” I asked.
Her head jerked up to meet my gaze. “I shall leave, then.”
I watched her hurry out of the room. Leaning back in my chair, I poured myself a cup of cooling tea, thinking about her strange behavior. Did Zane send her to spy on me? Unease swirled in my gut. What could he want with a useless prince like me? Suddenly, I was glad both Daria and Norvin were away from my quarters that day.
Swallowing two more cups of tea, I got to my feet. It was better to see what Zane wanted than sit in my chambers contemplating about it.
I headed towards the third floor of the palace where he and his entourage were being housed. Instead of guards, he had maids stand before the doors. Each was pretty but had the same look of nervousness as the girl who came to deliver his message.
Was he terrorizing them? I still didn’t forget the maid he bullied a few days ago. If it hadn’t been for Daria’s interference, she would be dead by now. Rage bubbled up in my heart to see these women being bullied without consequences. As royals, we were supposed to protect the weak. It was our duty and we were miserably failing at it.
I loosened my fists which were tightly balled at my side. There was no way Zane could see my true feelings. I had to act as nonchalant and cowardly like my elder brothers.
“Announce my presence,” I told the nearest maid.
Giving a bow, she disappeared inside the
corridor. I waited for a few minutes, taking in the bruises on the other women’s hands and faces. Anger boiled inside me to think these maids weren’t even bothering to complain about their posts. They already knew how utterly useless the ruling prince was. So they were silently taking the abuse.
“The prince will see you now,” said a voice near me. The maid who went to notify him had returned. “I shall escort you, Your Highness.”
I gestured for her to lead the way.
There were more maids lining the corridor we passed through. Dressed in fine, gauzy clothes with expressionless faces, they stood like mere ornament pieces. The dragon inside me roared to come out and chew out the man responsible for treating these women with such scorn.
“You didn’t keep me waiting, Prince Adal,” called out Zane as soon as I stepped inside a vast visitors’ hall. Zane was seated on a high dais, acting like a king in a throne room.
“I was free, Your Highness,” I said with a bow. “Unlike my brothers, I am not entangled in anything important. How may I be of service to you?” The words I uttered were like poison, threatening to choke me but I kept up my oily tone and head slightly tilted.
Zane chuckled. “I like you, Prince Adal. You’re not pretentious like the rest of your brothers.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” I said with a smile and bowed lower.
“Do you know why I called for you?”
“I’m afraid there’s not much I would be able to help you with.”
Zane stepped down from the dais to stand before me. Gripping my shoulder, he pulled me closer. “Only you can help in this regard,” he whispered. His breath stank. “You know that pretty maid of yours? Darla?”
I froze. “What about her, Your Highness?”
“I want her.” He drew closer, his hot breath in my ear. “Won’t you let me have her?” A loud chuckle escaped him as he pushed me away. “Your body is heating up,” he spat, pointing a finger at me. “You hate giving up on her that much? She must be something special, huh?”
“Of course, not. She’s just a maid,” I said. “Another woman can replace her easily. There’s no shortage of beautiful women in Baledonia.”
“Well said!” he barked, slapping my back hard.
I ground my teeth, keeping quiet.
“Bring her to me, then.”
I bowed before him. “She is not in my quarters at the moment, Your Highness. I sent her out on a chore already. I’ll send her your way the moment she arrives.”
“Good.” He walked away to the dais to sit on his ornamental chair. “I am be looking forward to seeing her again.”
Turning around, I willed myself not to stomp out of the room. My heart was pounding with a mix of rage and trepidation. Zane wanted Daria, the only woman I’d ever loved and will ever love. The dragon within me fought to come out. I could sense its fierce loyalty to Daria. It threatened to raze the whole kingdom to dust to protect her.
We can’t do that, I hissed under my breath. We can’t! Every life is precious. Patience is what we need to get out of this situation.
While I was distracted in a losing battle with my dragon, my feet went its own way into the male servants’ quarters. Looking around the vast hall, I found the cot I was searching for. A tall figure lay on it while the rest of the beds in the place were empty.
“Cain,” I called out.
He jumped up at once to rush towards me.
“Adal?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Come with me,” I said in a tight voice, walking back to my quarters. It was easy to be overheard in the servants’ lodgings. He followed after me, keeping his questions to himself, but I could feel the tension rising from him.
Only when we were safely locked in my study, did he advance on me. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Zane wants Daria to go to him.”
“What?”
“He took a liking to her the moment he saw her,” I said, looking up into his steely, gray eyes contorted in confusion. “Last time, my mother intervened before he could make a move, but this time, he’s not playing around. He’s commanded me to hand her over to him.”
“Fuck! She will kill him for it.”
“I know. She would kill him if he pushes her too hard. I’m not worried about him at all but his death would definitely lead to the annihilation of my family.”
“She’ll have to leave immediately, won’t she?”
I nodded.
“But if she leaves, you’ll be the one to be punished.”
“I know,” I seethed. “It’s better that way. At least, my family…”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Cain shouted, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me away. “You can’t surrender to Zane. Have you forgotten you’re a true dragon now? You don’t need to take shit from him or any of your brothers anymore.”
I stared up at him. Cain was fuming, his broad chest heaving with deep emotions.
“You don’t have to worry about what happens to your brothers. They’ve never cared for you. So, come with us. We’ll leave with Daria tonight. All four of us will leave for Drakhaven.”
I never even considered the possibility of leaving with them. Cain’s words brought a new wave of freedom within me.
“If everything goes well, Norvin would be able to shift into his true form as well,” said Cain. “Three true dragons mated to Daria. Do you think Zane or even the emperor can ever touch her while we still breathe?”
My dragon roared within me. “No. He will never touch her.”
He grabbed my upper arm, pulling me close to him so his hot breath fanned the stray strands on my forehead. “Stay in your quarters now. Don’t make a move that will alert Zane. He’s sure to have people watching your every move. He’s biding his time until Daria steps inside the palace again.”
I nodded. “You go to the dragon temple and wait for Daria and Norvin to come out. Tell them to wait for me someplace. Perhaps, the shack you were all staying in just outside of Huadu? I’ll slip out late at night and meet you there.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
We stared at each other for a moment, both heaving from a mix unrest and trepidation.
“This is really happening,” I whispered.
“Yes, my friend. It’s really happening. We’re all heading to Drakhaven.”
22
I stood at the threshold of the vast underground chamber with Daria at my side. Taking in the scale of the room beyond, my gaze zeroed in on the single cot at the center.
“Is that where you and Adal spent all morning yesterday?” I asked, gesturing towards the bed.
“Yes,” she said, her cheeks flushing pink. “All mating chambers come with a bed like that. I’m sure the temple in Redfall must have something similar to this.”
“The temple above the ground is different in style and architecture, but I suppose it’s what’s underneath that matters. The sacred chambers are the same in Redfall too.”
Stepping in front of me, Daria grabbed the lapels of my tunic. My hands went to close upon hers immediately. Meeting her gaze, I chuckled. “Are you impatient, Daria?”
“I want to unlock my memories as quickly as possible.”
I cocked a brow at her. “How amorous of you.”
She grinned, her green eyes glinting in the dark. “We’ll make it romantic.” Putting her arms around my neck, she drew closer. Her closeness ignited my body on fire and suddenly, I no longer cared why she wanted to have sex with me. I just wanted to bury myself in her core and lose myself in her heat.
My hands slid down to the swell of her ass. “I’m not taking you on that bed.”
“The ground looks too hard,” she whispered, staring at me with a pout.
“Then we’ll avoid that too.”
Closing the distance between us, I forced her against the wall beside the doorway. My large mass covered her petite body. Her breath hitched as soon as she met my heated gaze. Amused by her reaction, I placed my hands on either side of her face
, letting my mouth crash against hers. Her tongue swept across mine, giving me a taste of her honeyed sweetness. I caught her plump lower lip between my teeth and gave a light nip.
A small noise escaped her as I licked her lip, taking away the sting of the nip.
Her head leaned back against the wall as she let me deepen the kiss. Her hands ran down my back, tugging at the sash at my waist. Continuing to kiss her, I pulled away the belt, loosening my tunic. Daria’s hands slipped underneath my shirt. Her soft palms felt incredibly good against my hard muscles.
I mimicked her actions, desperate to consume her in every way.
It was a good thing Daria dressed simply for the occasion. Even her hairstyle was a simple braid without any additional embellishments.
“I’m didn’t arm myself,” she’d said while I helped her get dressed that morning. “I’m making sure there’s least resistance between us. Also, I don’t want to be poked with the wrong needle when we’re losing ourselves,” she’d added with a chuckle.
One hand tugged at the belt at her waist while the other grabbed the hem of her dress, sliding it up her legs. She moaned into my mouth, undoing the clasps holding the belt. In my impatience, I bit down on her lip.
“Norvin,” she gasped out, pulling her dress down her shoulders, revealing her beautiful, luscious breasts to me.
My hunger consumed me. There was no more messing around. Taking off my tunic, I threw it away and latched my mouth onto a rosebud nipple.
Daria cried out, her arms coming to hold my head to her chest.
My erection was already rigid and pressing painfully against the front of my breeches. I groaned into the swell of her breasts as Daria loosened my breeches. I let it slide off my legs as my cock came free.
Her hand felt cool against my hot flesh as her fingers wrapped around my girth, pumping me fast and firm. My head swam with pleasure as my member hardened even more. I knew I wouldn’t last long, and I wanted to be inside her.
I let my hand slide down the curve of her navel to reach the most intimate spot of her body. My fingers skirted over the soft curls to slide between her folds. She ground her hips, rubbing her sex against my hand even as she continued to pump me.