Burn (Dragon Souls) (8 page)

“It is hot.” He ran his finger under his collar, easing it away from his throat. His pale, almost colourless hair was damp on his brow, and his milky skin flushed. “Loud. Busy.”

“The Wyvrae Court is that different?”

“There are fewer of us. Compared to the Drackai we ice breathers are smaller in stature and number. There are only a hundred and seventy Houses compared to the three hundred and eight of the fire breathers.”

She blinked. “Has it always been that way?”

He nodded.

“Hold on. The Dragon Lands have gone to war countless times, right?”

Taking a bite of food, he nodded again.

She dropped raw vegetables onto her plate then shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s confusing me. Do the Wyvrae have more soldiers than the Drackai, but less nobles?”

He sipped watered wine before replying. “No.”

“Then how the hell is the Ice Realm still standing as a separate sovereignty?”

The young Lord drew himself up. Savage pride blazed in his indigo eyes, belied the sweetness of his boyish face. “We are fiercer. Better fighters, and ruthless in battle.” He inclined his head to nod down the table. “You know Lord Daniil, yes? He is considered the finest battle Lord aside from King Raad. His
warskill
is legendary and he has not even yet chosen to pass into the shadows of the afterlife.” Shifting in is seat he gave Marina a tentative smile. “I understand why First Chosen aim for the Crown, but if I may be bold, I wish you to choose the Wreath.”

“Why?”

Viktor glanced around catching people listening.

Lord Tyr in particular leaned over his bowl until his hair swam in his stew, beady eyes probing.

Narked over the scrutiny, Viktor gave the older Lord a curt look then lowered his voice. “You are not afraid to be different. To be heard. You seem ... trustworthy. Liars run abound in these lands. An honest Queen would be a great blessing to the Realm. She would be cherished. It has been so long since we could love our Queen.”

Fork poised over her plate, Marina stared at him in dismay. The guilt trip she suffered was so heinous she physically felt nauseous.

An honest Queen.

There was no way she could lie to Myron and cover up the truth about what happened between her and Koen.

She’d felt uneasy with the idea in principle, and would have had to fortify herself to carry it out, but weighted with the knowledge that young Lords like Viktor viewed her as a chance for a prosperous future that eradicated the treachery rife within the Dragon Courts convinced her she’d fall flat on her face while lying.

She’d end up sobbing a confession. It would screw matters more than they already were.

The truth was Koen Raad hadn’t seduced her. She’d been an eager participant the entire way. Hell, she remembered ripping parts of his clothing off with her teeth.

“Your integrity inspires me.” She leaned forward whispering, “I would be proud to have you in my Court.” Settling back, she winked, and tucked into her food.

Viktor beamed. He raised his goblet silently toasting the goddess as he drained it.

Perhaps his prayers had been answered.

The rest of the meal continued without drama.

Marina found her mind occupied with thoughts of the Ice Realm and its people. She was more certain than ever the Wreath was meant for her.

Would the Wyvrae welcome her differences as sincerely as Viktor? What if they refused to accept change?

Marina was vaguely aware of Koen making attempts to talk, but even his presence couldn’t disperse her cluttered thoughts. Sitting next to her Dragon King was less enjoyable than she thought it would be. Eyes were upon them at every moment and it was kind of stressful.

Shovelling tasteless meat into his mouth, Koen grew irritated with Marina’s emotional distance. He eventually became more frustrated with his inability to draw her out of it. He had ideas, but the quandary was how to drag her across his lap and kiss her senseless without drawing additional attention to their end of the table. Not really possible. Worse, he couldn’t offset his desire to feel her mouth pressed to his with seductive teasing or lingering glances. Their chairs were too far apart, and the table too low for any sly caresses.

He ended up satisfying himself by inhaling the delicate notes of her scent, enjoying the richness of her laughter when the youngling to her other side made witty observations about the pretentiousness of the Drackai Court.

Koen had nursed suspicions Marina developed a fascination with the Ice Realm for a while.

Her pointed questions about the land and its ways confirmed it.

Truly, he didn’t know how to feel about her preference. He’d come from a House of fire breathers. Though he was a Phoenix with the combined abilities of fire and ice, he knew he primarily relied on
dragonfire
. While his Dragon knew every dip and curve of the Fire Kingdom the Ice Realm was completely unknown to him. He could barely remember the last time he visited the Wyvrae Court or paid address to any of the noble Houses. Daniil kept him informed of any serious issues from that part of Tzion.

He’d never seen a problem with the arrangement until Marina showed interest in the Wreath.

Could he live so far from the Kingdom he considered home? All the Dragon Lands were his territory, so his Dragon should thrive in the Realm as well as in the Kingdom. Could he be so unfeeling as to ask Marina to vie for the Crown instead of the Wreath? She already did so much for them, for
him
. To ask anymore would be heartless. But surely she didn’t wish to live on a flat of ice where there was nothing but freezing water and frigid wind?

Koen peered into his goblet and mulled over his future. He abruptly fought a smile. Come fire or ice, he’d follow his Treasure anywhere.

M
arina paced her chamber. Her gaze repeatedly darted to the transparent screen that led to her private hallway.

Disapproving, Cathryn crossed her arms under her bosom. “I find all of this suspicious. Have you ingested any strange substances? Did the Dragon King give you any strange foods? Have you blacked out for interminable periods of time?”

“Koen isn’t
drugging
me, Cat.”

“Well, can’t say I feel sorry for you then. You brought this on yourself.”

“Don’t preach to me. Didn’t you pop your cherry five years ago?”

“That’s different.” Pink dusted her cheeks. “Geoffrey and I were in love.”

“
Please
.” Marina rolled her eyes then stiffened. “Wait. And you think I’m not in love with Koen?”

“I think you’re besotted.”

“And him?”

“Infatuated. Blindly.” She paused. “The man looks at you as if the sun shines out of your arse.”

“Oh, but it does.”

“You’re funny. I would have said he wants to get in your pants, but you didn’t exactly make yourself unavailable. You kind of stalked the bloke across dimensions.”

“Is it against the law to want someone so badly you’d do anything?”

“Not where we’re from. Apparently it is here when that includes forgetting common sense and doing the nasty on the side of a mountain like a pair of randy goats.”

Marina opened her mouth to deliver a bitchy retort. Stilling, she snapped it shut. Cathryn had struck upon an utterly simple and brilliant truth.

Missing Marina’s epiphany, Cathryn fussed with the silver embroidery decorating the overlarge sleeves of her dress. “I can see why. He’s tall,
sickeningly
good looking, and he has a magnetic quality. All these Dragon Lords have an eminence that captures the soul of a woman, but even I admit the Dragon King has an extra special kind of sexual allure. Well, maybe except for, um....”

Marina stared at her friend. A crafty smile split her face. “You like somebody.”

Panic streaked across Cathryn’s features. “Don’t even.”

“You’ve fallen into crush.”

“Have bloody not. I’m not crushing on anybody. Zip it.”

“Oh, Kitty Cat. I’m so onto you. Who is it? Daniil?” Tapping her bottom lip, Marina dismissed the notion. “Too obvious. Nikolai? You realise he’s a slag, right? Totally lovable, but ruts with any female whose skirts aren’t nailed to the ground.”

“Shouldn’t you be focusing on the problem of your missing hymen?”

There was a discreet knock at the screen. It slid open. Daniil slipped inside closing it behind him. “Have you perfected what you’re going to say? Oh.”

Brow quirking, Cathryn shot a suspicious look between them. “Sneak into this room often, do you?”

Pulling up short, Daniil rearranged his face into a coolly formal expression. “Apologies for the intrusion. I was delayed by an unexpected engagement, or I would have visited at a far less conspicuous hour.” He paused. “I assumed the Princess was alone.” His blue eyes flashed a questioning look at Marina then returned to rest on the other woman. Annoyance tightened his lips. “I shall return later.”

“No need. Cat’s my friend. She can hear it all.”

“
Best
friend,” Cathryn added, flicking her hair over her shoulder. Her eyes sparked with challenge. “So it’s perfectly acceptable for
me
to be in this room alone with Rina late at night.” Her tone inferred the reverse concerning him was not true.

“As Marina’s battle guide, royal advisor, friend, and
close family member
,” Daniil laid it on thick, his accent deepening with his rising anger, “I am well within rights to be here. At any hour of my choosing.”

“Somehow, I don’t think the Dragon King would agree.”

“Koen is aware of my special relationship with his Treasure and the concessions such intimacy requires.”

“Intimacy? Exactly how ‘special’ is this relationship you have unlimited night time access to his fiancés bedroom?”

Overlooking the hostility between her friends, Marina sprawled out on the bed.

Was it sexual tension?

Even if it weren’t, they would simply have to get along.

There was too much other stuff going on for the people of her new and old life to vie for points in pissing contests.

Dragging a pillow over, Marina cuddled it to her chest. She stared at the craggy ceiling of volcanic rock.

Her muddled thoughts were becoming clearer. She had a plan. The hard part would be convincing Daniil she wasn’t trying to self-destruct.

Realising Cathryn and the Dragon Lord were still bickering, she interrupted. “I won’t do it.”

“Do it?” Daniil echoed.

“Lie.” She sat up gripping the pillow. “It would be wrong. Morally. I spend so much time going on about how underhand and vile the gentry here is, and at the first sign of scandal what do I do? Lie.” She shook her head. “I have to draw the line right now and make a stand. If I stoop to their level how can I hold myself to a higher standard?” Her lip curled in a sneer. “I’ll end up no better then Katya.”

Cathryn flashed a palm. “Who is Katya?”

“Heinous bitch who made moves on Koen and plotted my murder.”

“She’s still a threat?”

“She was disqualified from Aver before the preliminary quest.” Marina paused. She was finally able to recall the kiss between Koen and Katya without choking on violent emotion. She only got really mad now. “Koen dealt with it.” Him holding Katya as she pressed her lips to his was burned on the back of her retinas.

With hindsight the reasons why he allowed it were clear. He’d been protecting her by getting Katya disqualified.

Her own actions at the time with Daniil were far less noble.

She’d actually believed Koen’s affections wavered towards her opponent, and let her developing friendship with Daniil overshadow her true attraction for Koen.

“Now is not the time to allow a lofty sense of honour ruin what can still be a successful campaign for the throne.” Troubled, Daniil advanced further into the room. “Occasionally circumstances compel us to perform acts that are ugly and morally repugnant. It is a fact those in our position learn to accept. So must you.”

“Marina and the word ‘throne’ in the same sentence.” Cathryn staggered then slumped into a high-backed chair. “I just got chills.”

Tossing Cathryn an irritated look, Daniil sank onto the mattress. He touched Marina’s bare ankle. “I have thought hard on this. I see no other way. What happened to your purity is irreversible, but your reputation is salvageable.”

Marina plucked at the edge of the pillow. A feather came loose in her hand, and she blew it across the room. “There’s no changing my mind. No lies.”

“It would not be a lie per say.”

“And no omissions, equivocations or misdirection’s.
The truth
.”

“The truth will see you heckled by your peers.” His grip tightened. “It will make you a pariah. It will make you fair game to any lusty Dragon Lord brave enough to fight for ownership. That would provoke Koen into perpetual rage.” Daniil gave up trying to wheedle and went for the throat. “The truth will see you fail.”

“It will be my weapon, a formidable one.” Marina was shaken, but there was no changing her course. Her principles had to remain solid or she’d end up as crooked as the rest. “I won’t bend. Koen deserved a mate strong enough not to be corrupted.”

“You would rather break?” At her nod, Daniil averted his gaze. He was grudgingly impressed. “What you desire is brave. It makes me proud to my soul. But you are not dealing with honourable aristocrats who will be awed by the courage of honesty. They will declare you unsuitable. Myron will yield. You will be disqualified from Aver. Koen will be lost to you.”

“Because a virgin Queen is tradition.”

“Yes.”

“And law.”

“Ye–” Daniil faltered. A calculating gleam swept across his expression. “Law?”

“On earth law and tradition are two distinct differences,” Cathryn said. She slid a smile Marina’s way. She finally understood why she was confident in her chosen path despite its risks to her future happiness. “Tradition may see you shunned, but there are no
legal
repercussions. There would be nothing to stop Rina entering, say, a contest. Even if her competitors hated her.”

“I may have unknowingly trampled over a highly regarded tradition. There’s nothing I can do about that now.
Was
my intimacy with Koen against the
law
?”