Page 34 of Court of Secrets and Flames (Dragons of Tirene #2)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Since we need to locate whatever’s scaring the dragons away and they aren’t providing any helpful images, Sterling and I decide to kick off our investigation back at the fire paddock.

The midday sun casts a stark light over the sand and stone expanse where dragons usually lounge and train. The dragontenders have already smoothed the paddock, so not even a furrow remains.

Before we even land, I know that whatever it is isn’t there. “We should check the buildings. Whatever spooked them could be hiding inside.”

“Agreed.” Sterling lands beside me, his gaze sharp as we navigate through the familiar terrain, which is now eerily silent without the usual cacophony of draconic roars and the clatter of claws on stone.

“Something spooked them.” I scan the area for anything out of place. “All at once.”

I step into the cool shadows of the building where meat is butchered to supplement the dragons’ hunts, reasoning that if anything chased off the dragons, it would most likely be aiming for their food supply.

A parasite is the only thing that makes sense to me. Or contaminated food. “Could the fighting between Aclaris and Tirene have devolved into poisoning the dragons? After all, someone did poison my food.”

“Possibly. They could have fled because they smelled something wrong with their meat. And don’t forget, we never found the man who tried to abduct you in the gardens.”

“All valid points. Maybe?—”

He holds a finger to his lips, hushing me.

Brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes, he leans toward the door of the cold spring room that stores the butchered meat before its fed to the dragons.

Then I hear it.

A repetitive, slithering staccato. Like a heavy creature pulling its way across the ground.

Crouching, I focus on the dirt floor, making sure nothing dangerous leaps out to attack.

Rhythmic tapping alternates with the sliding.

The creature’s jaw hitting something as it chews meat?

Sterling eases out his sword, holding the sheath to mute the sound. I follow suit and draw the short sword at my hip.

Weapon at the ready, I call on my magic, summoning the heat that lives in my blood. Though it may be overkill, I’m not leaving anything to chance. Fire dances along my palms, lying in wait to devour this unknown enemy. Stone walls topped by a brick ceiling form the room. The only part crafted from wood is the door. With Sterling able to seal the door with ice, I can create an inferno without fear of the flames spreading.

The memory of the dragons’ overwhelming terror and dread rings in my mind. Whatever’s in this room might not be…human. A groan trickles through the door, and somehow I know it’s the sound of hunger.

Blowing out a breath, I step away from the entrance and ready myself. As soon as the door opens, I’ll transform the room into a kiln. Anything of value stored in here can be replaced.

Sterling mouths, On three .

After I nod, he reaches for the door.

One.

My heart lodges in my throat as we ready our weapons.

Two.

His fingers grasp the handle.

Three.

My throat tightens as Sterling flings the door open.

Nothing’s ransacked or strewn across the floor. There’s no hideous creature. Only a man’s bare ass as he thrusts into a woman he’s got pinned against the wall. Her moan morphs into a squeal of surprise. Blond hair fans out over her chest, and blue eyes widen in shock as she tries to push her dress down.

Sterling glowers. “For fuck’s sake.”

Blair Jameson staggers backward, giving us a full view of his erection as he reaches for his pants and starts tugging them over his waist.

This was not the beast I expected to find.

Hastily, I yank my gaze off Blair. My attention lands on the woman instead, who straightens her dress at an impressive speed before hurrying out the door.

Sterling sheathes his sword. “Sorry we interrupted your fun.”

His flat tone implies he isn’t sorry at all.

A mortified noise gets stuck in Blair’s throat, and I thank every single god above that the soldier is fully clothed again. “No harm done. We were just…finishing.” He grimaces.

Oh gods.

“And I definitely did not need to know that.” I try to clear the image of Blair’s arousal from my brain, but I fear that may scar me for life. “We actually came here for a reason.”

Blair raises his eyebrows at my short sword, like he’s just now noticing it. “Problems?”

I return the ornate weapon to its sheath. “We were tracking something so dangerous the entire flock of dragons fled in terror. Only to find you in here, responsible for the noises we heard.”

Blair averts his gaze and clears his throat. “Right. Uh, I’ll just be going then…unless you need me to do something?”

The prince shakes his head. “Oh, I think you’ve done plenty already.”

“Right,” Blair repeats. “In that case, I’ll just…”

He beats a swift exit.

“What do you want to bet Blair’s rushing to find his lady friend?” I say as I check the room. Despite a few overturned buckets in the corner, everything seems normal. If there was something suspicious here, Blair and his companion would have already seen it.

“No wager.” Both annoyance and amusement dance in Sterling’s eyes. “I am never letting him live this down.”

“Hey, go easy on him.” I give him a playful smack on the arm. “They’re not the only ones who have to sneak around to have any time alone.”

Sterling’s gaze heats as it tracks over my body. “That’s different.”

“How so?” I open the next door, where the scraps are stored before disposal. The clean, tidy room appears to have been recently washed. With this level of care, I doubt the trouble with the dragons is related to the food they’re given at the palace.

“Because.” Sterling’s eyes sparkle, and I get the feeling he was appreciating my ass while I was checking out the room. “That was technically my stable. I took care of it.”

“You’re the prince of Tirene. I’m pretty certain anything on the palace grounds qualifies as yours too.” I walk down the hall, putting an extra sway in my step. If he insists on staring, I may as well put on a show.

We continue our search in the equipment rooms.

Sterling rummages through bridles, then pauses behind a rack of alicorn saddles, with one arm up as he leans against the wall. Because he has his back to me, I can’t see what has him so interested. “Huh, that’s unusual.”

“What?” I wander in the room, ensuring that nothing strange is hiding between the racks as I walk past them.

He glances at me before going back to staring at the wall. “It’s difficult to explain. Can you come take a look?”

Whatever he’s inspecting seems to be about the same height as me. I have to duck under his arm in order to see it. But once I do, I encounter nothing unusual on the timeworn stone wall.

“What do you see?” For some reason, he doesn’t back up, and we’re pressed together pretty tight.

As soon as I glance up, his arm drops, pinning me against the wall.

His mouth is on mine before I realize what’s happening. “I’m willing to admit I lied.” His lips trail over mine as he speaks. Then his tongue darts out, tracing over my lower lip. “I just wanted to kiss you.”

Despite the warning bells going off in my head, I can’t help but smile at his ploy. “Sterling…the king. If he catches us…for real this time…”

“I’ll never let him throw you in a cell again.” He growls the words, the promise of murder on his face. “If he pulls a stunt like that again, I will fucking kill him.”

Alarm constricts my ribs. “He’s your brother…and the king of Tirene. The consequences would be harsh.”

“Fuck the consequences. I would destroy this kingdom for you.”

His vow sets me on fire, and his next kiss heats my core. Suddenly I’m wishing I’d worn a dress today. While they may not be suitable for some vigorous physical activities, they’re perfectly acceptable for this one. However, wearing a shirt has its own advantages. Which Sterling reminds me of as his fingers slide up the bare skin of my back.

“Sterling,” I gasp when I break away, my skin slick with sweat from our embrace, “what happened to your insistence that people shouldn’t be using the stalls for liaisons?’

He tracks kisses across my cheek to my ear, and I momentarily melt into him. “You could have died when you were poisoned. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that tomorrow isn’t promised. There are no guarantees in life. I may have to sneak around to have you, but I will have you.”

Sliding my hand down the front of his body, past his belt, I watch his face tighten with need. “What if someone opens this door and sees?—”

As if my words were a taunt to the gods instead of the man in front of me, approaching footsteps reverberate through the room.

Ducking out from under Sterling’s arms, I scurry to the corner, darting behind the racks so I can straighten my hair. I stifle a giggle when he shoots me a glare and adjusts the bulge in his trousers.

One of the older dragontenders pushes open the door. His gray brows are furrowed and his mouth is open as if he’s about to start a lecture before he sees Sterling.

His mouth snaps closed for a moment, the action jiggling his heavy jowls. “Pardon, Your Highness, how may I serve you?”

Sterling’s jaw tightens. “We’re searching for something that could have frightened the dragons away. Have you noticed anything amiss? With the food supplies, maybe, or anything else?”

The dragon tender shakes his head. “I go through the storage area all the time and haven’t noticed anything. Well, all except for the eyril. I don’t check that container.”

I frown. “Eyril? Why would Tirene store eyril? I thought you didn’t need it for magic.”

“We don’t,” Sterling says. “For a while our kingdom used it as part of an underground trade with Aclaris, but last I heard, that stopped when relations between our kingdoms deteriorated.”

He thanks the dragon tender, who leads us to the back of the storehouse, stopping before a heavy wooden door. Using a key he extracts from his pocket, Sterling unlocks the door. He yanks the iron handle with a resigned sigh.

The storeroom greets us with empty shelves and a faint, plantlike scent.

Only a tiny, abandoned piece of dried eyril remains.

As I stare at the remnant, something niggles at the back of my mind. I peer into the empty room as though I’m missing a puzzle piece.

“Explain.” Sterling whirls on the other man, barely contained fury punctuating each syllable. “Who else has access to this room?”

Sweat beads on the dragontender’s brow. “I’m not sure, Your Highness.”

A shiver sprints down my spine as I turn to Sterling, finding his expression a mirror of my own shock.

What in the three hells happened to the eyril?