Chapter 5
Harper
Nerves crackle beneath my skin as we spot the academy just ahead. We’re here. We’re finally back. And somehow, I feel the fantasy world I was living in with Sevrin is about to be destroyed, replaced by a sharp reality.
Home.
I smile. Yes, home.
You don’t sound happy.
I am. I’m just worried. Our entire future is determined by how this goes.
One future is determined by how this goes, not all. Even if this goes badly, there will be tomorrow. There will be other things to look forward to and other things to worry about.
Ebron is way too smart for his own good. How do you feel about everything?
I was looking forward to fighting our enemies, but raising my hatchlings without war, because of their own father’s role in it, is its own kind of victory. Not that I will ever be friendly with a bone wyrm. Using magic to raise the bodies of my dead kind is unnatural. No dragon will tolerate it.
That’s fair, I wouldn’t want the bodies of my friends walking around with me either, I admit.
But I am looking forward to seeing my mates. To finally claiming them. Now that you’re marrying their riders, there’s nothing to stop us.
Hearing the joy in his voice hurts just a little. I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty that I’m looking forward to marrying the princes.
But all I manage to say is, I’m glad.
My stomach turns as we fly lower. I need things to go well today for the sake of Sevrin’s people and my people.
They deserve peace. They deserve to stop seeing their loved ones go off to a pointless war.
We can make that happen, as long as we watch what we do and behave in an intelligent way.
There will be no room for emotions today.
And yet, it’s not that easy.
I keep picturing Sevrin and I standing before the king, the peace treaty in hand, everyone ready and willing to put the days of fighting behind us, and then some small thing creeps up that reminds everyone about how much they hate each other, and suddenly, there’s no more peace.
Just Sevrin. My husband. Surrounded by enemies.
That won’t happen. I can’t let it.
And then my thoughts ricochet to Lucien, Gareth, and Alaric.
Our relationship has been a complete disaster so far, and that’s without the added trouble of Sevrin being thrown into the mix.
I’m not sure exactly how they’ll handle him, but I know it won’t go well, no matter what I do. I just need it to not go terribly.
“You’re worried.” Sevrin’s words are a statement, not a question.
“I am.”
His arms unwind from around my waist, and he begins to rub his hands up and down my arms. “You’re not alone now. We’re facing this together, and we will face it well.”
“So much can go wrong.”
“We won’t let it.”
I release a slow breath, strangely comforted by his confidence. “You might want to let me lead. I know my people. I know the princes and the king.”
He kisses my shoulder. “My Heart, you are everything to me, and a leader in your own right, but your people need to see me as the King of the Hollowborns. They need to respect me. They need to fear me, at least a little. This treaty won’t happen if they sense any kind of weakness, and if I’m standing behind you, that will be seen as a weakness.
You’re welcome to walk by my side, never behind me, but I can’t walk behind you either. ”
I’m surprised. I hadn’t thought about the implications of my request like that, but now that he’s explained himself, I can see why having me lead everything might be a bad thing.
What’s more, it’s unexpected that he wants me to walk by his side.
I feel like the princes always want me walking a few steps behind.
Is this what respect feels like? If so, I like it.
“Okay, I understand.”
“I just want to deal with this and get back to our room,” he says, pulling me back a little, and harder against his ever-present erection.
I laugh. “Is it ever going to calm down?”
“It?” he asks, amused.
“I mean, it can’t just be hard all the time.”
“It’ll be soft. After it’s done with you.”
I turn to him, and he kisses me like it’s the last kiss we’ll ever have. When he pulls back, he’s taken my breath away. The wind blows all around us, and it again feels like we’re in our own fantasy world that no one can touch. Except, that world is going to come to an end very soon.
“Just… don’t change,” I say.
He lifts a brow. “Why?”
“I–I like you is all.”
He beams. “I like you too, but, Harper, you should know that I’m not a soft man. I will be soft for you, but with my enemies, I must be hard.”
I touch his cheek. The bone paint doesn’t come off on my fingertips. “I think I understand, and I can be okay with that.”
We fly even lower, and the academy rushes up at us. Dragons soar all around, and I hear Sevrin’s sharp intake of breath as he sees all of them. I have to admit, they’re pretty damn beautiful in the afternoon sun, with the city stretched out behind them, and the academy and the castle below them.
Ebron dives down into the practice yard and lands in his usual spot.
It’s clear everyone already knew we were coming, because not only are they out of the way of us landing, the three princes are standing nearby, waiting.
My heart clenches at the sight of them. Gareth looks every bit the dark prince that he’s gossiped to be, with his long black hair, black leather clothes, and piercing blue eyes.
Alaric has a tenseness to his shoulders that betrays how he feels about this situation.
His short brown hair has been left a little messy, and his thick arms are crossed over his chest. He’s not quite frowning at us, but it’s pretty damn close.
I look at Lucien last, hesitantly, afraid of what I might see in his expression.
His long blond hair has been tied back from his face, and his green eyes are watching me too carefully.
His brown leather clothes are like a second skin, like Alaric’s, clinging to his every muscle in a way that reminds me of our night spent together.
I look away as conflicting feelings rise inside me.
He’s been such an ass. A complete jerk. Which made being around him hard.
Me sleeping with him the night before leaving?
That just takes things to a whole other level.
I haven’t even had time to decide if I regret what happened between us, or if it doesn’t really matter, because we’ll be married soon.
Regardless, as conflicted as I feel about all three of the men, it’s on a completely different level with Lucien.
Sevrin gives my hips a little squeeze, then leaps down from Ebron’s back.
A stillness moves over all the dragon riders as their enemy stands on their lands.
Ebron lifts a wing to help me off his back, but Sevrin is there in an instant, grasping my hips and pulling me from Ebron’s wing onto the ground.
His golden eyes watch me closely. “Is your ankle–?”
“It’s okay,” I reassure him.
He doesn’t seem convinced, but he nods. Slipping his hand into mine, he leads me toward the three princes, knowing who’s in charge without even being told.
It doesn’t escape my notice that the three men’s gazes move to where he holds my hand, and the stiffness I saw there earlier seems to intensify.
“Hello,” Gareth greets, his voice tight. “I am Prince Gareth of the Dravari. These are my brothers, Prince Alaric and Prince Lucien.”
“I am King Sevrin Grimsbane of the Hollowborn,” he responds, “and you know my bride, Queen Harper Grimsbane.”
Grimsbane? The word seems to echo between all of us, and it’s impossible to ignore the looks of pure outrage that flash across their faces.
“You think she’s taking your name?” Lucien asks. He phrases it like a joke, but there’s something sharp about his question.
“I assumed,” Sevrin tells him, a possessive note to his voice. “But I admit, I have yet to ask her what her preference is.”
“Her preference?” Lucien repeats, taking a step forward. “She’ll be taking our name–”
Alaric grasps his brother’s shoulder. “We’ll have time to sort out… the little details later. For now, we should take King Sevrin to see our father.”
The other man looks like he wants to argue, but he closes his mouth, casting a glare Sevrin’s way.
I can practically feel the anger radiating off of him.
He’s clearly in complete outrage. Which, again, goes back to the fact that these three men seem to think they own me in some way, even if they have no idea how to treat me so I’ll want them to have any part of me.
“We’ll head to King Stormvale,” Gareth says, jerking his head toward the corridor.
“Is it far?” Sevrin asks.
They look confused, but Gareth answers, “It’s a bit of a walk.”
Without a word, Sevrin turns to me and scoops me up into his arms. I feel my cheeks heat as dozens of dragon riders, and the princes, witness Sevrin caring for me like I’m something fragile, when all these men have tried to do since they met me is break me.
“She can walk,” Lucien says dryly.
“She injured her ankle. I don’t want her injuring it further on the walk.”
“Then I can take her,” Lucien says, stepping closer to us, arms outstretched.
Sevrin steps back. “My bride is perfectly fine in my arms.”
“I really don’t need to be carried…” I insist.
Sevrin’s grip tightens around me. “I know that you don’t need me to carry you, but I would like to carry you. It would soothe me to know you’re not risking further injuring yourself.”
All three of their jaws hang open.
I can’t help myself—I smile up at Sevrin and pat his cheek. “Alright, if you must.”
His gaze is sharp as it lands on the three men. “Lead the way.”
It takes them a few seconds to react. All of them are staring, looking like they’re facing some kind of internal battle, before Gareth finally spins on his heel and leads our group forward.
My stomach flip flops inside of me. We’re going to see the king now. We’re going to sign the peace treaty, if all goes well. We need this to go well.
And I realize I mean that deep down in my soul.
Sevrin, in a very short time, has changed me.
He’s shown me what it’s like to be with a man who is strong but doesn’t use that strength against me, who is powerful but wants to use that power to protect me, and who cares about me but isn’t afraid to show it. I don’t want to lose this man.
This has to go well.