Page 37 of Dragon Eternal (Dragon Kings 4)
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
“Well?”
Daelya winced at the grating voice of Amsden, the Divine’s steward. She hated being yanked out of observing someone else’s magic. She also hated that she had turned the two Dragon Kings into the Divine. If she’d had any choice, she would’ve kept the information to herself.
“Now!”
It took everything she had not to spin around at the steward yelling in her ear and spit in his face. Her days of doing whatever she wanted were long gone. She was a prisoner now, a slave to be commanded by none other than the Divine. Too bad she couldn’t do magic herself, because she wanted nothing more than to unleash all her hatred and anger on those responsible for her current predicament.
“I’m not going to tell you again.”
Her head turned to look the steward in the eyes as he walked to stand in front of her. If she thought the soldiers would kill her for acting out, she would do it in a heartbeat. Death would be better than this. Instead, the brutes took it out on a young boy who looked no older than twelve.
“The Dragon King is still with her,” Daelya replied.
Amsden looked behind her. They forbade her from turning to look at the Divine. Daelya had dared a side-glance when they’d brought her in, but the Divine sat in shadows, revealing nothing. That was fine with Daelya. She got to look out over Stonemore, which she would rather see than the face of the bastard holding her captive.
“Did the dragon do magic?” Amsden demanded.
Daelya turned to look back at the city, her gaze lowering to the roses that indicated Nia’s house. “He did.”
“Don’t make me keep asking questions. Spit it out.”
“He searched her house.”
There was a pause as the steward looked at the Divine once more. Then, he asked, “Did the dragon find anything?”
“No.” Daelya hadn’t intended to lie. The word simply fell from her lips before she had time to think about it. But once she’d said it, she was glad she had.
Amsden moved closer to her, lowering his face to hers, his nostrils flaring as he glared at her as if she were shite on the bottom of his shoe. “Are you lying? We’ll find out if you are, and the repercussions for the boy will be severe.”
Oh, yes. When she got free—because she would escape one day—she would find a way to unleash her vengeance on everyone in the citadel. Most especially this buffoon of a steward. “I learned my lesson. I won’t lie again.”
Two lies in succession. Daelya needed to be careful. She had been captured and bought for the sole purpose of locating magic in Stonemore. Who was to say they didn’t have someone who could tell when another was lying?
After a moment, the steward moved back and looked over her head. She allowed her gaze to shift beyond him to the bodies that glowed with a whitish light. It was what she had always seen when she looked at those with magic. There were dozens of people with magic in Stonemore. Most were children or babies who had yet to come into their gifts. Some were attempting to hide them. How long until the Divine made her seek the children out?
Daeyla’s stomach roiled violently. She wouldn’t be able to do that. She wouldn’t do that. It was one thing to point out a Dragon King. She knew to respect such powerful creatures, but she also knew the Kings could take care of themselves. Whatever the Divine had in store for the Kings wouldn’t be enough to hold them.
Her blood ran cold suddenly. The Divine despised magic and anyone who had it, yet they had bought her. The Divine had found a way to bring Daeyla to her knees and command her. She had dismissed leaders like him before, but she had underestimated him. Her entire tribe had paid the price with their lives.
And she was a slave, doing the bidding of the very person she had once laughed about. The irony wasn’t lost on her.
Cruel fingers grabbed her upper arm and squeezed. “Continue,” Amsden ordered.
Daelya drew in a breath and slowly released it. She bit her tongue so hard she drew blood. She closed her eyes and shifted her focus to the other Dragon King.
* * *
Waking up with a man in her bed wasn’t unusual. But it was the first time Nia actually wanted someone there. She sighed as Shaw pressed his body against her back. His hand drew her to him so that she laid her head on his arm.
“Hmm. This is nice,” she murmured.
He pressed soft kisses to her neck. “Aye, it is.”
She turned to face him. For the first time, she didn’t have to fake a smile. She was genuinely excited to see Shaw. So happy, in fact, that she leaned forward and kissed him.
“Keep that up and we willna leave this bed,” he said in a husky timbre.
“That’s fine with me.”
He gave her a flat look. “It isna. You’re sore.”
“Maybe a little.” When he quirked a brow, she rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’m sore. You’re a very thorough lover.”
His crooked grin made her heart miss a beat. “I aim to please.”
Her stomach rumbled. She chuckled. “Apparently, I’m also hungry.”
“Never say I got between anyone and a meal.”
Nia was disappointed when Shaw rose and began to dress. She had thought he would attempt to keep her in bed. The difference in her feelings toward him compared to the others she had seduced were like night and day. Even though she knew his magic caused the feelings, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
