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How could someone so brilliant think they were reckless?

Now, an additional reason to refuse his dragon had cropped to the surface. The Draconian Thunder would undoubtedly benefit from her protection and influence, but the world wouldn’t. She had so much to offer, the anonymity her life would require should she become the Dragon Queen would stifle her opportunities.

Yet, he wanted her every second of every damn day, and it was slowly driving him mad. A madness that had set plans in motion to take care of that issue.

More often than not, he would stand outside the doors of her private suite listening to her friends and family as they visited or getting quick updates on her status before moving on.

The only time he truly avoided the place was when Japhet visited. At least twice a day, the giant witch would show up, and each time he would ask to see Alessandro.

Each time, Alessandro would make up a believable excuse and the witch would retreat, but he knew eventually he’d have to face him.

As it was his turn to ask for a favor, Alessandro had a suspicion it would have something to do with leaving Rowan Dahl alone, and Alessandro knew he could make no such vow.

For the first time since she’d succumbed to her healing rest, Alessandro found her alone.

She was still unconscious, and he took the few precious moments of solitude to drink in her calm visage. Her bruises had faded, her cuts sealed. He took hold of her hand and dropped a brief kiss on her forehead.

He could allow the tenderness his dragon demanded he show his chosen with no eyes around to judge. He longed to curl his body around hers, which radiated such a seductive heat he might have given in if the door didn’t slide open to reveal the sight of her mother.

“The silver in your eyes doesn’t mean what I think it does, does it?” The woman asked, and he felt the tingling of pity edging her voice.

He didn’t answer, but he also didn’t let go of her daughter’s hand.

Annabelle frowned and took a seat on the chair pushed up next to the bed.

“She will make a terrible queen.” The elven-succubus’ laugh was cruel. “She’s too much like me to be any good at it.”

He cocked his head. “You believe you are a terrible queen?”

“Oh, I know I am. The only duties I have kept are for showmanship. I am the wife of the king, mother to the heiress apparent, but I don’t read to the children, arrange dinners and galas. I don’t even really care for the people if I’m honest, and I know they don’t really care for me. But we both love myhusband, so we put up with each other. Do you think that is how a true queen should be?”

Alessandro didn’t answer.

“I hoped if there was someone out there for her, they would be as free and wild as she is. But you, you’re not what I hoped for her at all.” Annabelle sighed, “You’re rigid and cold. You might put out the radiant light that is my daughter.”

“Ma, that’s enough.” The voice came from the doorway. Alessandro looked up and saw Axel entering with a pitying frown that suggested she didn’t actually see the situation differently.

Annabelle scoffed, “I am only telling him what you all will be too proper to say. Rowan will suffocate in this life. What’s worse is that, unlike our shorter lifespan, Rowan will have to endure it for centuries if she mates with a long-lived creature like a dragon. ”

“That’s her choice. You can’t take it away from her!” Axel snapped.

Alessandro was stunned by the depth of emotion that came from the sister. Something else was happening there. He needed more information to know the full scope, but this wasn’t simply an issue over Rowan.

Annabelle recoiled.

“Stop fighting.” Rowan’s voice was a rasp.

Alessandro turned to look at the woman as she squeezed his hand. He held a breath as her lashes parted to reveal a brilliant blue eye. She raised the hand she hadn’t been holding to touch the suede eyepatch that covered the hole where her left eye used to be. “You really took out the whole thing.”

“Are you in pain?” He asked, remembering to breathe.

“Does a headache from my screeching family count?” She asked with a smirk curling her lips.

“Malcriada.” Annabelle shot up from the seat and glared down at her, “How long do you plan on lounging and being useless overall? I’m a very busy woman, you know.”

It was such a different reaction than Alessandro had expected from the woman who he had found, more often than not, sniffling at her daughter’s side.

Rowan waved her down. “Yeah, yeah. I’m sure the poker table really misses you. Could you go brush your hair or something? Have you been walking around Draconis looking like a troll the entire time I’ve been out?”