Page 48 of Courting the Dragon Prince (A Royal Arrangement #1)
Chapter Forty-Eight
L uther grabbed a torch from a sconce on the wall and held it up in front of the newly revealed tunnel.
Onyx peered down the tunnel. “Your hoard is really hidden away, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is! A hoard can’t be easy to access,” Luther said as he led them inside.
Once Onyx entered, Luther placed a hand on the brick wall that had turned into a door. “Close.”
With another groan, the wall swung back into place, blocking the way they’d come. The only light now came from the torch he held.
“I hope you aren’t claustrophobic,” Luther said.
“Thankfully, I’m not,” Onyx replied.
Luther walked down the tunnel, ducking his head to avoid a low beam. The torchlight danced on the red walls ahead of them, but further along, only darkness could be seen.
Onyx followed. “Although, I have to point out that the magic word ‘open’ isn’t that hard to figure out.”
Luther smiled back at Onyx. “Unless you carry the family bloodline, that wall will not move no matter what magic words you say. Be careful, Onyx. If we separate, there is no way out of here for you. You’ll be trapped forever in these castle walls.” Luther brushed a cobweb aside.
“Pfff,” Onyx said. “Your castle is made of brick, which is made of clay, which I can control. If I want to get out of here, it will listen and move for me.”
“Huh,” Luther said. “I guess that’s true.” This castle really wasn’t that defendable against earth elementals. Luckily, the Grey Mountains armies never reached this far into Draconia.
“So are there places like this all over the castle?” Onyx asked. “Secret tunnels and passages?”
Luther nodded as they turned a corner. “We need places to hide our hoards. Although, some keep them outside of the castle in caves and caverns and whatnot.” Luther shrugged. “They like to feel like they’re wild dragons or something. Or they’re just worried their hoards will be easier to find within the castle. But since I started my hoard when I was six, this spot is where it’s remained.”
Perhaps he’d need to relocate it when he moved to Limestone Castle.
“That sounds actually really cute,” Onyx said. “A six-year-old dragon with a little hoard.”
“How dare you? Even at six, I was a terrifying fire-breathing dragon.” Luther paused. “Okay, I didn’t shift into a dragon until I was eleven. And I didn’t breathe fire until I was twelve, but still.”
After walking a few more minutes, they reached a dead end.
“Here, hold the torch.” Luther handed it back to Onyx, whose gaze flicked over the brick in front of them.
Luther placed both his hands on the wall. “I am Prince Luther Drachen. Open for me.” Once again, the wall slid inwards with a groan.
Luther took the torch from Onyx and held it aloft as he entered the chamber. “Behold, my hoard.” He turned to watch Onyx enter. Luther held his breath, waiting for Onyx’s reaction.
Onyx stepped forward. He blinked. He frowned. For several seconds, he didn’t speak.
Luther’s hand on the metal handle of the torch tightened.
“It is … not what I was expecting.” Onyx faced Luther, a puzzled expression on his face.
Luther gave a nervous chuckle as he placed the torch in a sconce by the entrance. “What, you didn’t expect a hoard of thousands of keys?”
Onyx glanced at one of the walls lined with keys hanging from hooks. “No. I can’t say I did.” Onyx looked back at Luther, clearly still perplexed. “I thought hoards were …”
“Gems, gold, jewels, wealth beyond all comprehension and imagining?” Luther prompted.
“Kind of. That’s what all the stories say.” Onyx stepped towards one of the walls of keys.
“Yes.” Luther clasped his hands together in front of him. He bounced on the balls of his feet. “Compared to those, my hoard might seem a little … silly.”
“I didn’t say that.” Onyx glanced towards him.
“Well, I’m sure some would.” Luther shrugged a shoulder. “But it all started rather simply. As you’ve been told, my older siblings are the heir, the spare heir, the dragon warrior, and the spare dragon warrior.”
Onyx nodded.
“All four of them were taken away to lessons and training from a young age, preparation for their future roles, you understand. They’d spend hours with tutors, or with my father, or my aunt, the current grand dragon warrior.” Luther stepped in front of one of the keys. “I was often left to my own devices, told to go off and play.” He pressed his lips together.
He lifted the key from its hook, admiring the slender gold barrel and the swirls at the top of the key, surrounding a dragon. “I would watch them go and ask the nanny why I wasn’t allowed to go with them. Of course, the answer was simple. My older siblings were the important ones. I wasn’t. As such, they had my father’s attention. I was an afterthought to him.”
Luther could still remember staring in through the open door, watching his father talking to his elder siblings. “I started sneaking into their lessons to try and be a part of it. I’d copy my siblings in an attempt to impress my father and aunt.”
Luther sighed and placed the key back. “Instead, I just annoyed them and got scolded for getting in the way of my siblings’ important training. I got kicked out. But I was determined and snuck back in. I kept getting kicked out.”
He chuckled. “So they started locking me out. Then I stole the key and hid it away, thinking they wouldn’t be able to keep me out then.” He shook his head. “But then they got new keys made. I kept stealing them.”
Luther ran his fingers along the lines of keys, watching them sway and glint in the low light of the torch. “They changed the locks. I stole the new keys.” He laughed. “Father got so angry. Everyone thought I was doing it to be naughty. For attention. There was lots of yelling. But I just wanted to have a role in this family. To be important like my siblings.
“And honestly, the only time my father seemed to notice me was when he was scolding me.” Luther forced a smile and turned towards Onyx.
Onyx watched him with his intense dark eyes.
“It’s probably for the best though. I’ve never been good at responsibility.” Luther laughed as he clenched his fists, nails biting into the skin of his palm. “Every time I’ve been given any, I’ve always fucked it up. So it’s probably best I’m the fifth born.”
Onyx frowned.
“Anyway, that’s how it started. After that, I developed a habit of stealing keys. Anytime I saw a key, I’d take it. At some point, I moved on to just collecting and buying keys rather than stealing them. I’ve grown out of the stealing. Mostly.” He walked towards Onyx. “Hand me my bag.”
Onyx did. Luther slid his hand into his pack and into a side pocket. His fingers closed on cold metal. He pulled out a brass key on a ring and an ornate bronze key. “Recognise these?”
Onyx’s eyes widened. He burst out laughing.
Luther held up the brass key. “This key is from the shackles that bound us together on our couple’s quest.” He held up the bronze key. “This is from the library door.”
“You stole them! I can’t believe you stole them.” Onyx shook his head.
“Well …” Luther didn’t have an excuse. But they’d been pretty keys, and they’d seemed important.
Still laughing, Onyx pulled Luther close. Luther dropped his bag to the floor but held on to the keys.
“I like your hoard. It’s charming.” Then Onyx pressed a kiss to his lips. “And it’s a lot more interesting than gold and jewels.”
Onyx kissed Luther a second time. This time, he slid his fingers into Luther’s hair, holding him in place as he plundered Luther’s mouth with his tongue.
The tension unwound in Luther’s chest. He’d not realised how worried he was that Onyx might laugh at his hoard. Luther melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Onyx’s shoulders whilst his fingers still clutched the keys.
Everything between them seemed to be going so well. But could this really last? They were opposites. They’d been literal enemies such a short while ago. Less than a week ago, they’d been fighting and barking at each other, unable to stand being in each other’s presence. They’d hated each other.
Could they really find happiness together in this arranged marriage? Could they find love? Or was Luther just fooling himself and wishing for the impossible?