Page 47

“That was the last petitioner,” Josslyn, the Grand Duchess, declared.

Avera sighed. “Thank goodness.”

Griff, sitting by her side because Avera chose to make her consort her equal despite his initial grumbling, chuckled. “Butt sore?”

“Very.”

“I’ll rub it for you later,” he offered with a wink. “But first, I have a surprise. Kraken Killer ”—the name given to his old ship once he handed over the role of Captain to Kreed—“made port this morning and rumor has it they’ve brought some stuff from Verlora.”

“Really?”

With Argent no longer agitating the magma pool, the underground spillage of lava had ceased.

The ocean around the continent stopped boiling, and Verlora’s mist finally dissipated.

The Verlorians had been slowly taking back their country, though not easily.

The giant bugs, snakes, spiders, and rats remained a problem, but without a dragon hunting folk—and instead, actually helping them—they’d been making progress.

“Yup, and you get first peek. Consider it a benefit of knowing the captain,” her consort stated.

Avera started to ask, “Is Si?—”

“Avera!” Simhi squealed, racing into the throne room despite the guards yelling halt. While Avera might be queen and treated with annoying reverence by most people, her friends still saw her as Avera, the woman who’d gotten greasy fixing the ship’s engine with Garth.

She hugged her friend before holding her at arm’s length and exclaiming, “You’re pregnant!”

“Indeed, she is.” Monty swaggered in next, smirking. “Growing me a fine boy.”

“Girl,” Simhi corrected.

Avera, who couldn’t have said where the thought came from, blurted, “Actually, you’re carrying one of each.”

“What?” Monty looked fairly green.

Griff laughed and pounded Monty on the back. “Congrats.”

Whereas Simhi scowled. “Guess that explains why I’m already so fat.” Simhi eyed Avera’s flat belly pointedly. “Are you going to pop one out soon as well, so they can grow up to be friends?”

Avera’s mouth curved. “Actually?—”

She never finished the sentence because Griff whirled and whooped. “I knew it!”

“You did not,” she huffed. “I only found out myself this morning when the doctor confirmed it.”

“Bah, a husband knows,” Griff boasted.

Monty held out his hands and mimed squeezing melons before waggling his brows and Griff snorted. “That wasn’t the only sign.”

“Goodness, what’s all the excitement about.

” Starlight entered next with Kreed. The most unlikely couple ever, and yet no denying the big man doted on her, and she, despite her heritage, appeared very fond of him.

Fond enough, Kreed’s ship was currently the only vessel allowed to sail into Dracova, what the dragons named the sixth land mass they’d claimed as their own.

Apparently, while Daerva didn’t have the northern continent noted on its maps, other countries did but had deemed the area inhospitable.

While it was true the outer shores were icy and cold, there were several volcanoes inland that allowed for some valleys to remain warm enough to support herds of sheep, bison, and more.

Given the annoying amount of humans on the other continents, and the fact Dracova was quite sizeable, the dragons had agreed to share.

It helped that none of them stayed there full-time.

Like Starlight, Argent chose to travel, and with his lady companion, Josslyn, vacationed around the world, partaking of locale cuisine and culture—while also adding to his hoard.

When he and Josslyn needed a ride home, the Kraken Killer swung around to grab them and delivered them to Dracova along with whatever goods the dragons had ordered.

The exclusive trade was lucrative for the reformed pirates and greatly benefited Daerva, their exclusive supplier.

News of the dragons had travelled around the world, and with it being known Daerva and Verlora had not only formed a marital alliance but also one with the dragons, all the other nations couldn’t do enough to remain in their good graces.

Except for Merisu. It struggled without a clear successor.

The country had split into several factions, each ruled by a lord and held by an army.

It seemed doubtful it would ever be reunited, although there had been a delegation recently that came through begging Avera to intervene, stating that since she had married Titus, she could claim the title.

She told them she’d think about it but doubted she’d do something unless it directly threatened her own realms.

Avera had endured enough fighting and strife to last a lifetime.

Now she wanted to bask in her newfound happiness.

No longer was she the invisible princess.

As queen, she set new fashions that included split skirts.

She rode Luna almost daily, with Griff by her side on the Volaqu stallion they’d been gifted—and who was probably responsible for Luna’s fattening belly.

When Avera didn’t go out due to inclement weather, she tinkered with her trinkets.

But most of all, she reveled in the love of her husband.

Of everything, he was the thing she most treasured, and she’d give it all up, all the riches, and notoriety, even the crown, so long as he was by her side.

Hope you enjoyed this fantasy series inspired by the artwork on the covers. I love it when a picture gives me thousands of words lol. Until we meet again in the pages of a book.