28. Terms of Engagement
~ GRACE ~
My tears, which had appeared in floods when Voski held me, dried up the moment Breckon appeared.
I stood, trembling and sick, watching the queen read the contract the Lord had negotiated with my father. My heart sank, because I knew.
Breckon stood at my side, chin high and expression smug—except for the moments his eyes fell on Voski. At whom he scowled.
When he caught me watching him, his eyes grew stern.
“I hope you enjoyed your adventure, because it’s over.
Keep your mouth shut and leave this between those of rank,” he whispered to me, hissing through his teeth.
“If you behave I’ll let you see your parents once we’ve returned to Fyrehold, and won’t sully their name.
And once you’ve produced the heirs, I may even let you return to play with your dragon if you still wish to.
But if you fight this, I’ll ensure that your father is ruined.
Do not forget that I have the king’s ear. ”
I could feel Voski’s rage rising, but didn’t look at him, because I knew that Breckon’s words weren’t empty threats. And he knew they’d motivate me.
My father’s wealth had been fading since I was young.
Our name was old and respected, but he had stopped attending Court in recent years, because he could no longer keep up with his gifts to the throne.
Whereas, Breckon’s family were far less established, but supremely wealthy.
He had all the resources, but lacked the gravitas of my father’s name.
Now that I’d seen him in this environment, and how he handled himself away from our estate, I had no doubt he would pull down my father to make himself stronger. None at all.
I had hoped he was prideful enough to give up on the contract once I’d disappeared. I’d felt guilty at the risk it ran to my parents. But I never imagined he’d go these lengths—or that he cared enough to blackmail me with their downfall. I thought he’d find himself a new wife and move on.
“It appears that this is in order, and sealed by the king,” the queen said, an edge of frustration in her tone.
My lungs went still.
I wanted to reach for Voski, and instead, reached through the bond. Heard him. ‘No matter what, Grace. I said it. I meant it.’
“Your Majesty, might I ask a question, for my own growth and learning?” Bren piped up. Everyone was surprised—most of all me. The queen hadn’t given her leave to speak.
Breckon scowled, and obviously expected the queen to reprimand her. Instead she turned to Bren, curious. “What is it?”
“I was not highborn, so please forgive my ignorance, but… are there no protections for a woman in Vosgaarde, being taken by a man against her will?”
The queen’s lips pursed and she turned to regard Breckon. “A woman? Yes. A wife? The law is clear that it is a man’s responsibility to protect and guide his wife and children, and he must be given freedom to do so.”
“I’m not yet married—” I started breathlessly.
“Hush!” Breckon snapped. “The contract terms are clear.”
“Yes, they are,” the queen said. “And never let Vosgaarde be accused of impinging the rights of a man of another kingdom’s power.
I could not even conceive of it,” she said with such apparent sarcasm, I would have laughed when Breckon nodded if it hadn’t been so terrifying.
“Sadly, while one man, acting on his own, might believe he has right to breach the law, as a Crown, I cannot do so. The effects on our society would be swift, and far-ranging.” My heart sank.
Hope spiraled. But the queen wasn’t finished.
She eyed me, then stared pointedly at Voski.
“The law is my word among the people. I cannot break it.” There was a strange beat.
Voski didn’t move, but his entire countenance quivered.
The queen’s gaze glittered, then she turned to Breckon as if she were merely carrying on conversation.
“I must compliment you on the ironclad terms of your agreement, Lord Breckon. Our scribes could learn from your foresight.”
Breckon was smug. “I had been forewarned she could be tricky, Your Majesty. Her father agreed it was best to make the contract binding in all terms.”
I felt sick to my stomach.
Just feet away, Voski trembled with rage—a roaring fire that blistered the bond. Ronen and Gil, on either side of him, watched him warily. But he didn’t move.
Neither did I.
We both clung to that cord that tied our hearts together.
“If your concerns have been sated, then I would ask you to remove these well meaning servants, so we might make the final arrangements. Our travel has been long, and I wish to return to my estates as quickly as possible. Grace and I have much to do,” he said with a sly smile that threatened to make me vomit.
“Oh, we will make sure you are safely on your way, once I have given my formal ruling,” the queen sighed.
“But this man is Grace’s superior officer, and her dragon’s bonded mate.
Now that Grace will not be taking her place in the ranks, his input is required as we arrange the separation of their dragons, and its implications. ”
“I couldn’t care less about the beasts—except where they might empower our people,” Breckon snapped. “You said that the contract was in order and—”
“Yes, I did. And if you speak out of turn again, I will be forced to make this judgment without your presence,” the queen said sharply.
Breckon snapped his mouth closed, and bowed again, though quickly.
The queen left her eyes on him for an uncomfortably long pause, then raised her chin to scan everyone in the room. “Is there any other pertinent information available from among you, before I make my final decision?”
Ronen stepped forward and bowed again. “Might I speak, Your Majesty?”
“Of course,” the queen said, looking at him with interest.
Ronen cleared his throat. “I’m not certain if the nature of a bond has been explained, and the Lord’s comments imply he might benefit from a more thorough understanding. For his own profit.”
“Explain, please,” she said.
“Grace has been bonded by a dragon—which means their bodies are connected, as well as their minds. If they are separated for long periods, they will each suffer for it. Not only emotionally, but with physical weakness, sometimes illness, and in very extreme cases, death. It is not a simple equation. That means that Grace’s dragon must accompany her. ”
I could feel Breckon’s anger rising.
“And furthermore, the bond cannot be undone by a piece of paper, or shifts in proximity. It will not lessen with time. Though the law doesn’t recognize it, a bond is like a marriage—but actually even more permanent.
More fully consuming. And cannot simply be dissolved.
It’s almost impossible to destroy. It cannot be removed, or even dulled, by anyone’s will beyond those involved. It is, literally eternal—”
“No doubt the dragon will follow, and who am I to restrain the beast any more than I would a wild boar? My account is for the Lady Grace Barnslow, and if she now attends with a dragon in tow, then so be it.”
“Your Majesty,” Ronen insisted patiently. “Her bond with Voski is just as deep, and just as—”
“Then he will have to wait his turn!” Breckon whirled, not on Ronen, but on Voski, who stood, frozen, his face blank… and slowly put his hands in his pockets while the Lord spluttered at him.
“A real man fights his own battles, so I will not bring another in to make my arguments,” Breckon snapped.
“But let us not pretend those words were yours. And you, sir, will not prevail in this. She is mine, and has belonged to me since that contract was signed, months before any other agreements were made, or vows given. You have made your point, and I have conceded to it. After she has married and whelped, if she so chooses, she will be allowed to return and ride whatever—or whomever—she wishes.”
I wanted to scream, watching Voski slowly turn to face the angry man, his dark eyes gleaming, but his expression giving nothing away.
I felt the roar of his rage in the bond.
I felt the fire coursing in his veins.
And I felt the love and need and fear he scrambled to cover.
His control and intention in the face of that onslaught left me breathless.
But then the queen spoke up and we were all forced to face her.
“It appears that an agreement has been reached. A reasonable arrangement,” she said, as if the words tasted sour.
“I am loath to breach the guiding laws of another kingdom when they are only being applied to its citizens. However, the dragon’s claim also cannot be denied. I am delighted you see that, Breckon.”
He nodded tightly, but the queen continued as if it didn’t matter.
“If you will sign an equally bonding vow of returning her and her dragon to our herd as soon as her commitments are met, then I will allow her to leave.”
“Show me your papers, and my man will review them. We will send them back by messenger—”
“Oh, no, sir. For you see, your actions do impinge on the rights and conduct of men close to my influence. I am not making a request,” she said sweetly. “You will sign your agreement to these terms before my men will release Grace.”
He grabbed for my arm as if he were afraid someone would drag me away right then and there. “Show me. I’ll sign,” he snarled. “Provided the terms are that Grace returns by her choosing. I will not force her away from me if she wishes to stay.”
The queen nodded her acquiescence.
The glow of the candles in the room spread and blurred across my vision as Breckon dragged me to the corner where the queen’s desk was laid with papers her man magically produced—two copies. Breckon leaned over to sign them without releasing my arm and panic sang in my veins.
“There you are, wife,” he muttered as he signed the second with a flourish. “As soon as we have our heirs, you will be free to return to this hellhole—if you still wish to.”
I still have my knife. I can kill him.
The thought made me ill. But the thought of years stuck in his clutches, of being caged in his manor… of bearing his children—
A tiny choke broke in my throat, and I felt the rush through the bond.
‘Forgive me. It’s the only way forward.’ Voski’s voice was tight, dark with rage.
I turned to look at him—what was the only way? What was he doing?
But he still stood there, all weight on one leg, the other knee bent, his hands in his pockets. It wasn’t until Breckon turned for the door, dragging me with him, that Voski spoke quietly.
“How would you be certain the heir was actually yours?” he asked casually.
Breckon snapped to a halt, his eyes narrowing.
~ VOSKI ~
It was the act of my life. The deception supreme. And I threw myself into it with every ounce of strength and faith I possessed.
Smug smile.
Gleaming eyes.
A low, guttural voice that was heavy with innuendo, but casually indifferent.
I knew how these Fyrehold assholes worked. I’d been all wrong bringing him threats of violence. The only language these fucknuts understood was sheer power. And real power never came from a title. Whomever was most in control of their will held the reins.
So, the moment he halted, mid-step, to stare at me with suspicion, I smiled.
“What are you implying?” he growled.
“I’m implying nothing. I’m asking you quite frankly, before our queen and my commanders, how you might accurately measure that any heir you receive is yours. She’s my dragonbond mate. You’re a man of the world, I’m certain you take my meaning.”
His face turned red, and he actually spluttered, pretending pompous shock. “The Lady Grace Barnslow is a woman of noble birth, pure and undefiled—”
“I suppose it depends somewhat on how you define defiled. But it seems you didn’t listen to my squad captain when he described the dragon bond,” I said, keeping my tone low, and dark, and breathy.
Rage ran in my veins like lava, but I didn’t let him hear it. No. I wallowed in my need for my mate, and let him hear every breathless huff, as I slowly prowled closer, praying he wouldn’t notice.
“The bond is more than simple union, my Lord. Far more than a contract. It is a divinely empowered thrust of need for intimacy and connection. It scours you to your soul, hollows your chest into a chasm, precisely shaped like the One given to you. It replaces the organ that beats in your chest with a bellows, spewing fire, a burn that can only be quenched by your mate. It cuts through the dross of this life, past flesh, bone, and sinew, to your eternal soul, and it demands that your mate is drawn in. The drive for completion is undeniable—”
“I am not stupid,” the Lord said, his voice thick, lip curling from his teeth. “Your point is made. And yet, you see?” He let go of her arm and clamped that hand to the back of Grace’s neck, shoving her a step closer to me.
She squeaked, but caught herself before she flailed.
Her eyes welling with tears, but locked on mine as she sent rush after rush of love and need and gratitude through the bond.
It stole my breath, and in conjunction with the fury that man ignited with his treatment of her, threatened to break my restraint.
“Your words make sense to a man like myself—who knows the world, and women,” Breckon spat. “But the Lady Grace, with her innocence, blushes to her roots.”
“It isn’t only her face that blushes when she’s embarrassed,” I said, letting one side of my lips slide up.
“Her skin is far paler under her clothing. Pale, and unblemished—with the exception of her wounds from training. And a strange, dark freckle in the dimple of her buttocks. On the left side,” I added, when he froze and his eyes instinctively dropped to her hip.
The man made me sick, and Grace blushed beet-red. I continued to shovel reassurance, and a plea for forgiveness to her, but kept my focus on him.
“Her bleed isn’t due for another three weeks,” I continued, leaning closer as if I shared an intimacy. “I suppose you could wait until then to actually marry her. To be sure. But there’s always the chance that—”
Breckon turned on Grace, shock and disgust on his face.
And Grace, my beautiful, bold, reckless mate, didn’t hesitate.
“When his handle stood up, it brushed the underside of my br—”
“You dirty little slut—”
To my shock, he raised his free hand as if he’d strike her, and in a blink, the taut leash I’d kept on my control snapped. I roared, and launched at him, amid a cloud of shouts and curses.