Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Briar
I laughed bitterly. “The only reason my mother will be upset to find me gone from the harem is because it will make her look bad. I’ve been nothing but a disappointment to her for my whole life. I’m not a weakness; I’m her greatest regret.”
“How sad,” she murmured. “But weakness doesn’t require love…
not always. However, she was so angry to discover you with Seth that she lashed out, and in doing so, didn’t think through the consequences of her actions.
The tribunal punished the night casters because she believed she was untouchable.
That emotional outburst and arrogance were a weakness. ”
I pondered this observation. My mother considered any emotions a flaw and rarely showed them, but she did after she caught us.
“You’re right,” I murmured. “I am her weakness, but only because she wants me to suffer and won’t tolerate being humiliated by me.”
“She might do something rash again if she learns you’re here.”
“She’s very powerful, but there’s little else she can do without the power of the others to back her. I doubt she’ll battle Knox; even she must realize what she created with him is far from normal. There’s a power in him, and this land, she didn’t foresee.”
“A power in this land?” Bertie asked.
“The shadow dragon. Whether a spell created it or because it twisted a visiting dragon into something more, it was an unintended consequence that created protection for this kingdom. I’m not sure she knows of its existence, and while she helped make it, if it protects this land, then it would gladly destroy enemies. ”
As if it knew we were talking about it, the dragon roared. When Bertie’s eyes went past me, I looked out the window as the black beast soared down from the distant mountains and swept across the land.
I had no idea what it was doing until I spotted Knox walking outside the wall, examining it closely. He was probably making sure it was secure against an attack.
When the dragon closed in on him, my heart jumped, and I stepped closer to the window. My fingers stretched toward the glass as a scream of warning rose in my throat, but he must hear its approach, and he wasn’t running.
When the dragon was only twenty feet from him, it pulled back its wings and, using currents of air, came to a stop before settling its hind feet on the ground. As the dragon stalked closer to him, Knox turned and held out his hand.
My breath froze in my lungs as I watched in fascination and disbelief. The dragon lowered its head, and Knox ran his hand over the creature’s snout.
Closing its eyes, the dragon turned into his touch like a dog seeking love. When he stepped closer, he slid his arm over the creature’s neck and pulled it in for a hug, confirming it was more solid than it appeared.
“Oh,” I breathed as love burst unexpectedly through me.
I’d been trying to keep my feelings for Knox buried. He wasn’t the man I loved; that was the boy he once was.
Seeing him like this, I realized some of the boy still existed within the man, even if that man was determined to destroy those remnants.
Maybe there was hope I could get past all the hatred that turned Seth into this Knox, but I had no idea what to do to make any of it better. If he believed I’d lied to him, I couldn’t fix that.
You can try, a voice whispered in my head, but I wasn’t sure how much good trying would do either one of us. And hope might destroy me in the end.
Perhaps knowing there was still some love in this man should be enough… but it wasn’t.
“The dragon loves him,” Bertie said.
“That’s amazing. This further solidifies the fact that it would attack my mother if she tried to attack him. Was there a dragon visiting when they cast the curse?”
“We don’t know,” Bertie said. “We were in the woods, and while I’m fairly certain we would have known if a dragon arrived, there’s a chance it had just gotten here, and we weren’t aware.”
Outside, Knox swung himself onto the dragon’s neck and grasped its horns. Once he was settled, the dragon traversed the wall until they vanished.
“If you need anything, let us know,” Bertie said, as if Knox hadn’t just ridden off on a dragon.
It took me a second to get over my amazement. “How will I do that?”
“Knock on the door. Someone will hear you.”
I didn’t say anything, and through the reflection in the glass, I watched as she floated back to the door.
A few seconds later, the lock clicked into place, and the tiny creature on the bed scampered out from its hiding spot.
He walked to the end of the bed and sat with his two front paws in front of his chest; his nose twitched as he sniffed the air.
“Come have dinner with me,” I told him.
The small creature jumped off the bed and scurried over to the chair. He waited on the armrest while I settled into the seat. Once I was sitting, he squeaked and jumped into my lap.
“I’m sorry I got you trapped here with me,” I told him as I caressed the soft fur on his head.
His head lowered, and a small, almost purring sound issued from him as he leaned into my touch. Despite being locked away again, I smiled as I pet him.
He slipped out from under my hand and scampered up to my shoulder, where he rested a tiny paw against my face as if he were trying to comfort me. I leaned into his touch and the small claws resting against my cheek. I was sorry he’d lost his freedom, but I was also glad for the company.
“We should name you. Would you like a name?”
He lowered his paw and squeaked in response. It was almost as if he understood me, but that was impossible… wasn’t it? But then again, maybe not. I had no idea what kind of creature he was or what he could do. I could be looking for something that wasn’t there, or maybe he did understand.
“How about Squeaky?” I suggested. His mouth scrunched up as if he’d eaten something awful. “Chirpy?” Again, that look of distaste. “Sir Burrows-a-Lot?”
He squeaked with such outrage that I laughed. “Okay, we’ll come up with something better.”
He jumped out of my lap and onto the table, where he eyed the tray with interest. Then he snatched up one of the green beans and, holding it between his paws, nibbled on the vegetable.
Still not very hungry, I picked at the potatoes while he moved on to the meat. I considered where I’d found him while I pondered more name options.
“How about Forest?” I suggested.
He paused with a piece of meat in his paws before squealing in distaste and resuming his meal. “Not Forest then. We’ll figure something out.”
When I held out my index finger to him, the creature rested one of his paws against it; he left a streak of gravy behind.