Page 40 of Dragon Mine (Dragon Kings 2)
Chapter Fifteen
Vaughn turned away from the doorway, emotions churning inside him. The distress and apprehension that surrounded both Claire and V were unmistakable.
“What?” Eurwen asked.
“I wouldna want to be in V’s shoes.”
Eurwen cocked her head to the side. “With every pregnancy in every being, there is always a chance the child won’t make it—or the mother.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“This is about the Kings being unable to have children with mortals.”
Vaughn met her gaze. He could tell her, but it would be better to show her. “Come with me.”
Their return to the manor was silent. He took her around to the back of the mountain so she could see the entrance they used in their true forms. Once inside, he studied her, waiting until she noticed the carvings. The minute she did, her gaze drank in all of the dragons that had been drawn, carved, and etched into the stone.
“There are thousands of these throughout the tunnels,” Vaughn told her.
Eurwen walked to one of the carvings and touched the stone. “Just like the dragons within the manor, these are a tribute.”
“To what we once had. To what we lost. Aye.”
Her silver eyes met his. “What does this have to do with children?”
“This realm was never perfect, but it was damn close before the humans arrived. They were frightened, starving, and in need of protection. Especially because they didna have magic. The Kings gathered to approach them, but because they couldna understand us, the magic shifted us to their form. It was the first time any of us had that ability.”
Eurwen nodded. “Erith explained that to me.”
“Did she tell you how painful it was for us? Did she tell you we were suddenly thrust into a new role that we all desperately tried to figure out? Bodies we didna understand how to work properly?”
Eurwen glanced at the ground. “She didn’t.”
“The shift happened without warning,” Vaughn explained. “The pain was excruciating, but thankfully didna last long. Our magic allowed us to understand any language, so we had no trouble talking to the mortals. But learning to move our new bodies? Well, that was something else entirely. No’ only did we each have a sword, but we also had tattoos. Were the markings always there, and we just never saw them beneath our scales? That isna something anyone can answer.”
She watched him, listening intently.
Vaughn took her hand and led her through the tunnels. “We’re protectors. It’s something innate in every King. We didna see the humans as a threat. We saw them as those needing defending. So, we helped them. We gave them land, helped them build structures to keep them sheltered from the elements, and showed them what could and couldna be eaten. We believed we were doing the right thing.”
“How could you open your home to them? There were no mortals on your world before.”
He quirked a brow at her. “I could say the same for you and Zora. The humans didna arrive until after you did, yet you and Brandr didna destroy them.”
“We thought about it.”
“We’re no’ killers,” Vaughn told her. “We made a vow, and we stuck to it. Even when the humans began to multiply at an alarming rate and spread. Even when they hunted the smaller dragons. We believed we could keep them in check.”
Eurwen glanced at him. “You weren’t harsh enough with their punishment.”
“And when a dragon ate a human or two? What were we supposed to do?”
She twisted her lips.
“We tried to be fair with everyone involved. It worked on occasion, and other times it didna. During all of this, many of us Kings grew closer to groups of mortals on our land. Many took human females as lovers.”
A muscle ticked near Eurwen’s lips. “Did you?”
“I had several.”
“At once?” Eurwen asked in surprise.
Vaughn grinned, wondering if that was jealousy he heard in her voice. “No. Over a five-hundred-year span, three mortals became pregnant by me. Two miscarried almost immediately.”
“The third?” Eurwen asked as she halted and faced him.
The soft glow of the magical lights on the tunnel walls cast half her face in shadow. “She carried the child to term. None of the Kings used magic to prevent the pregnancies, at least no’ at first. So, the thought of having a child was exciting. She was one of the first to carry a half-dragon bairn to term. The instant she went into labor, I was by her side.”
