Chapter 8
Alaric
I don’t know what’s happening, but this moment feels like a bad dream.
This afternoon was easily one of the best times in my life.
Relaxing, fun, and happy are hardly words I’d use to describe my life, but that’s exactly what today was for me.
Sometimes I honestly just wanted to touch my face to see if I was really smiling.
I think I actually did a few times. It was just… magic.
Being with her was magical.
Since I was a boy, I had this recurring dream of meeting my mother.
All I knew about her is that she was a woman that my father promised the world to, but when she got pregnant, he refused to marry her.
Ashamed, she remained at court long enough to give birth to me, and then she left me here and ran home, her reputation in ruins.
Any chance at marrying another man, or men, was gone.
My father, and everyone at court, had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me.
And yet, the dreams never stopped.
I’d picture her having brown hair, the same shade as my own, and my deep brown eyes.
I’d see her smiling, laughing, and picking me up and twirling me around as a child.
Or, other times, I’d be a man, but she’d pull me into her arms and hug me, and I wouldn’t feel so alone any longer.
She would be a soft place I could go. A safe place that I could just… be me.
Today, being with Harper, felt like that dream. Like I was in a safe, warm place. Only, different. Not motherly. Something I couldn’t quite place.
I never spoke about my feelings towards my mother. Never said the things aloud that clawed at my soul. But I said some of those things today. Maybe it’s pathetic, but I’ve never felt closer to anyone than I did to Harper.
And now… now she’s in the arms of another man, and it makes my gut churn.
It makes me want to scream, to break things, to demand she get as far from the man as possible.
What’s more, I know in my heart that this is her fiancé, a man who earned her heart.
Not one who was given her hand because of dragons and myths. And… it makes me sick.
“I’m Prince Alaric,” I manage, extending my hand, even though the last thing I want to do is touch this man.
This Arthur smiles at me, and I notice that he’s a good-looking fellow. “Arthur.”
We shake hands, but he keeps his other arm wrapped around Harper. Like she’s his. Like the crook of his arm is a place for her. A place she’s missed.
“I’m Prince Lucien,” my brother says, and his brow twitches.
They shake hands, but I could cut the tension with a knife.
As much as Lucien says otherwise, he’s obsessed with Harper, the same way we both are.
I haven’t seen him take a woman to his bed since she came here.
Instead, he watches her like a hawk, denying he wants her, even while never taking his eyes off of her.
“Prince Gareth,” my other brother says, and his words are an inch from a threat.
This Arthur fellow has some sort of sense of self-preservation, because he hesitates before reaching his hand out and taking Gareth’s. They shake, and I know my brother is clenching the other man’s hand. Delivering his warning while barely saying a word.
“And you three have been helping my little Buttercup learn to be a dragon rider?” he asks, nervous. As he should be. Not just because we’re his princes, but because we’re men who could tear him into tiny pieces and grind those pieces into dust.
Lucien answers, practically gritting his teeth. “Actually, we’ve been actively trying to discourage her from riding. We think her being a commoner, and a woman, makes her ill-fitted for the responsibilities and dangers of a dragon rider.”
Arthur laughs. Actually laughs. “But I’m sure that didn’t go the way you’d hoped. If there’s one thing I know about Harper, it’s that she’s not easily discouraged from something once she’s made her mind up.”
“She is stubborn,” Gareth says dryly.
Arthur grins, kissing her on the top of the head, and she smiles in response.
“Stubborn doesn’t even begin to describe her.
Once, when we were kids, we had this game where we’d spike this leather ball at each other and run, then we couldn’t get rid of the ball until we hit the other person with it.
I threw it at her through her window and ran for it.
Turns out she was naked. She jumped out her window, tackled me, and hit me with the ball like twenty times, naked.
It would’ve been funny, if I wasn’t so terrified. ”
None of us laughs as an image of Harper rolling around naked with this asshat leaps into our minds. I can see it on my brothers’ face. I can also see just how much they want to kick this guy’s ass.
I’m usually the calm one of the three of us, but I don’t feel calm now.
I feel out-of-control. My hands curl into fists, and my breathing grows more rapid.
My mind keeps flashing between an image of Harper and this man rolling around naked together, and her tucked under his arm right now.
I want to snatch her away. I want to claim her as my fiancé, but those words would carry the kind of weight I’m not ready to shoulder right now.
This feeling… it’s got to be my connection to my dragon.
I’ve never felt this obsessively interested in a woman in my life.
In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever cared about a woman ever.
I’m not like Lucien, who goes through women like he goes through food, or like Gareth, who seems to prefer being alone to the company of any woman.
I find women them attractive. We have sex, and I move on, always making my intentions clear from the beginning.
I’m not my father, and I never will be.
But Harper. She’s something different. Someone different. And my dragon is making me feel dangerously possessive of her.
Arthur gives a nervous laugh.
“Hello.”
We turn to see a well-built blond man standing to the side of him. I instantly don’t like him. Something about him makes me want to punch him in the face, but maybe that’s because he came here with Arthur.
“I’m Tesson,” the man tells us, like it matters.
It doesn’t.
“You caught our names,” Gareth says, not a question but a statement.
Harper turns to Arthur, smiling with those full lips of hers. “Did you see Ebron, my dragon?”
“The big black one?” he asks, “Oh yeah, I saw him, and I’ve heard all about him through the rumor mill. An actual male dragon! Just incredible!”
“He’s big and powerful, but he’s also awesome. He’s funny, like literally makes me laugh, and he watches out for me.”
“Like having a really big dog,” Arthur suggests.
I scoff. A dragon is not a dog.
“He might roast you if you said that to him,” she teases, their familiarity a thorn in my heart.
It seems like these two have known each other forever. Have they been in love all that time? Have they been touching each other, tasting each other, since they came of age? Tension streaks through my entire body. It’s hard to catch my breath.
Harper gives his arm a squeeze. “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
“I’d like to meet him too,” the blond says, an angry note to his words.
She doesn’t even look his way. “And you should get a better look at the female dragons too. They’re absolutely beautiful.”
For some reason, I don’t want him to see my dragon. I don’t want him anywhere near Harper or this academy. Maybe it’s crazy, but all of this feels like my territory, and this outsider doesn’t belong here. No matter how much Harper smiles and touches him.
“But first,” she says, “I’ll show you my room.”
Show. You. My. Room. The world drops away for the briefest moment, and I picture exactly what Harper means by showing her fiancé her room.
I’m sure these two have missed each other.
I’m sure it’s been a long time since they were fucking each other.
And maybe he has a right to her, but the hell if I’m going to let him touch her.
Lucien looks as angry as I feel. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” she asks, frowning.
“No room,” Gareth barks out.
She gets that look in her eyes that says there’s about to be a fight. “Didn’t I make it clear to all of you that you might be able to boss me around in training, but you won’t do it in my personal life?”
Lucien leans in, flashing his teeth in a way that seems predatory. “Try it and see what we do.”
I see it in her face. That’s exactly what she’s going to do. But she doesn’t know what’s brewing underneath our surfaces. She doesn’t know the violence we so desperately want to unleash on this fucker. If she did, she wouldn’t be challenging us right now.
“Come on, Arthur,” she says, sliding her hands down to take his hand, which actually makes the hairs on my arms stand up. Why does she keep fucking touching him?
A bell chimes, distracting all of us for a minute, and then it hits me what it means. “Breakfast. You hungry, Arthur?”
He looks completely unaware of just how close he is to being torn to shreds. “I could eat.”
To my surprise, Harper smiles. “Let me show you the dining hall. The food is amazing!”
It’s not. I’m kind of surprised she thinks it is.
“That sounds awesome,” Tesson says, but we all ignore Arthur’s random friend.
Harper drags Arthur to the dining hall, grinning ear-to-ear, telling him all about the different foods they serve, and the different herbs they use in their cooking.
Arthur openly stares at her, with a smile on his face.
There’s an ease between them that I’ve never felt with anyone in my life.
Like they trust each other with all their deepest secrets.
I wonder if Harper will ever feel that way about us.