Page 37 of Dragon Mine (Dragon Kings 2)
Chapter Fourteen
Dreagan
Eurwen was finally on Dreagan. She could hardly believe it. The pictures she’d seen of the distillery were nothing compared to the unbelievable beauty of the land. And the magic. She was almost dizzy with the force of it.
The need to explore the mountains was overwhelming. She wanted to see each one, to know which King had which mountain. Especially Vaughn’s. But that would come later. She was about to meet everyone now. She was tense and anxious, all to encounter the Kings she had watched for untold centuries. Then there were the mates.
“We doona have to do this now,” Vaughn said.
Eurwen smiled at him. “I’ll be fine.”
“That doesna mean we have to do this now.”
“Jeyra and I will be sharing the spotlight, which will make things easier for both of us.”
Vaughn’s lips curved into a sexy grin. “That it will. Just say the word if we need to leave.”
She nodded and focused her attention on the four-story gray stone manor. There were windows everywhere. So many. Large, small, and every size in between. She loved that it had been built into Dreagan Mountain.
“The manor is set apart from the distillery by two overlapping hedgerows,” Vaughn told her. “There’s a hidden entrance that only those from Dreagan are aware of. A designated path so we can navigate it and reach Dreagan.”
She was impressed. “No mortals have ever gotten near the manor?”
“No’ unless they were invited. Which, of course, is rare.”
Eurwen saw Jeyra and Varek enter the manor through a side door. Vaughn slowed his steps to give them more time. “Which floor is your bedroom on?”
“Top right.” He pointed to a group of windows. “Those right there.”
“Will I get to see it?”
Vaughn’s blue eyes met hers. “I hope so.”
Eurwen looked at the imposing structure of Dreagan Mountain that towered over the manor. “Why build the manor into the mountain?”
“There is a hidden entrance from the house to the mountain with tunnels and caverns we use. The largest one is for the mating ceremonies.”
Eurwen didn’t look his way when he mentioned that. She didn’t want to give him any ideas.
“There’s also a large portion at the back of the mountain that’s wide enough for us to fly into.”
Her head jerked to him. “Really?”
“Aye. I’ll show you all of it.”
She could hardly wait. By the time they reached the manor, Eurwen was ready to go inside. Vaughn opened the door and stepped aside for her to enter first. He didn’t release her hand, which she was thankful for.
A small group of people surrounded Jeyra and Varek. No one had seemed to notice them yet. Eurwen wasn’t sure if they were being polite, or if they genuinely weren’t aware of her arrival. It didn’t matter, though, because it gave her time to look around. Colorful rugs covered the dark wood floors. Some of the walls were paneled in the same dark wood, while others were painted lighter colors and had dark molding.
Everywhere she looked, she saw dragons. Some were obvious, like the paintings or the banister, but others were less so. The manor was massive and, at times, opulent. But at the heart of it was a home. Now that she was inside, Eurwen couldn’t ignore the relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. It was due in part to the occupants, but it really came down to the Kings since they had built and adorned the manor themselves.
That’s when it hit her. The house was an homage to the way of life they had lost. A blow of melancholy struck her suddenly. Vaughn was right. She had no right being angry over something she knew very little about. She hadn’t lived it. She didn’t know anything.
But it was all right here. Every drop of pain, tears, blood, and anger for the loss of the dragons—for the loss of their home.
She turned to Vaughn.
Before she could say anything, he smiled sadly and nodded. “You feel it, do you no’? I can see it in your eyes.”
“Why didn’t you warn me?”
“I wanted to see if it would affect you.”
