Page 33 of Curse of the Midnight Dragon (The Moonlight Dragon #2)

Celestina

Some days you’re tired and want someone to come and rescue you. Today was one of those days. Did I really want my green dragon to come blasting into this room to take me back to the plateau and the unfamiliar life with the clan? Maybe?

I didn’t have the energy to figure out what I wanted. I’d been taught my entire life just how tricky vampires could be. And yet, I’d let myself be fooled by Soren’s charm. I’d let myself believe that they loved me. That he loved me.

The slave collar and its connection to Queen Beatrice put Soren in an impossible position , the part of me that still loved my prince pointed out.

A soft knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. I’d sent back my breakfast untouched. I wondered if someone had noticed and was worried about me. Someone like Soren.

Stop it! He was angry with me. I’d tried to kill him. And I was still angry with him. I didn’t want him in my room. His room . Dammit .

This morning, I’d woken up in his bed alone. Not under the covers, but tucked under a soft, wool blanket. And there’d been a breakfast tray waiting for me, steam curling up from a dainty teapot. There was no evidence that Soren had spent the night in the room with me. But someone had removed the court dress and had taken my hair down. They’d put me in a simple cotton dress.

I shook my head trying yet again to remember what had happened after I’d blasted the court with fire. I had no recollection of anything beyond seeing Soren jump out of the path of the worst of the flames. His clothes had caught fire. The walls, too! The entire room had turned into a blazing inferno.

My head suddenly turned cold at the thought that jumped into my mind— What if I’d killed Soren?

If he were dead, I’d be dead, too.

No, that wasn’t right. That wasn’t how the bond worked. I hadn’t bonded with him. He’d only bonded himself to me. The slave collar had bonded my life to his. But the collar was gone.

Was Soren now gone too?

The soft knock came again, and then the door opened.

I clutched the wool blanket to my chest and scooted up as high up the bed as possible, trying to put as much distance between myself and whoever was coming into the bedchamber. My heart beat a wild tattoo. I wasn’t safe here. I wasn’t safe.

Princess Priscilla stepped lightly into the room. A trio of armed King’s Guards followed closely behind. The guards eyed me with great caution. Did they think I would open my mouth and burn them (or their princess) to ashes? They probably did.

They probably should.

The princess looked behind her and sighed. “Where is the tea I ordered?”

“It’s coming, Your Highness,” the guard nearest to her answered. The way he said “Your Highness” sounded suspiciously disrespectful. I fully expected her to reprimand him for his insolence. But she merely laughed softly before turning back to me.

“Please”—she gestured to the bed—“may I sit? I wish to speak with you…if you’d let me.”

“Of course.” What else could I say? I’d attacked her brother. I was a prisoner if the guards in the room with me were any indication.

The princess wore a lovely blue gown that complimented her dark features. Like her brothers, she had silky black hair that flowed down her back unbraided. Her deep brown eyes were lined with kohl, making them look even larger. She was a tad shorter than me, but she was by no means insignificant.

Before she crossed the room to the bed, a small, wizened human woman charged into the room, pushing the soldiers out of her way with her slightly hunched shoulders as she carried a tray holding a teapot and two delicate cups.

“Mary?” I’d thought I’d never see the old army cook again. Wearing the blanket like I would a cape, I crawled out of the bed to get to her.

Mary set down the tray on a small bedside table before she launched herself at me. She hugged me so hard, that I worried she’d crack all my ribs. I hugged her back just as tightly as tears filled my eyes. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed the old, cranky cook. She scowled when we finally released each other.

“Don’t you go getting yourself kidnapped again. I’d never hear the end of it from Patty. My ears are still aching from how she complained and complained. She still wants to come see you. But I told her that you needed time.”

“I would like to see her, too.” I swallowed over a lump in my throat. “If I’m allowed.”

“If you’re allowed?” Mary clucked her tongue. “Child, you’re a princess and the bonded partner to the kingdom’s crown prince. You can order those oversized knuckleheads to do anything you want.”

“Soren?” At the mention of him, my worries for him exploded again. Why wasn’t he here? “Is he well? I didn’t—?”

“You didn’t do anything that boy couldn’t handle.”

“But I—”

“From what I’ve heard, you showed everyone that you’re different from the rest of them. That’s not a bad thing. You also showed them that you’re someone worthy of their respect.” Mary glanced over her shoulder at the guards. “Your fire was much more effective than my spoon, I suspect.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Princess Priscilla, who’d started to pour the tea, smiled in my direction. “Much more effective,” she murmured.

“Listen to me blathering on when I have work to do. You should see the incompetent lads assigned to assist me. They’re worse than worthless.” She patted my cheek. “Don’t be a stranger, girl. You’re welcome to come and peel carrots and chop onions anytime.”

My heart squeezed. I gave Mary another tight hug before she bustled out of the room.

“Please leave us,” Princess Priscilla said to the guards.

The one who’d spoken to her earlier tried to object. But when she looked his way and lifted her eyebrows, he closed his mouth and gave her a bow. “We’ll remain outside this door, Your Highness.” Again, his use of her title dripped with contempt.

The princess’ cheeks darkened. “He can be trouble, but he’s…” she said once we were alone. She shook her head and blushed a bit harder. “Tea?” She held up a steaming cup. “I heard you’d sent your breakfast tray back to the kitchen untouched. You should drink something.”

My throat still ached from breathing fire, but I wasn’t sure if my nervous stomach could handle the tea.

She didn’t wait for me to answer. She merely set a cup in front of me and took her time pouring tea into a second cup. Her head was tilted to one side as she went about her silent task.

“Have you ever wondered why Soren’s eyes are green when Cullen’s and mine and our parents are brown?” she asked. Her voice was soft and measured.

I shook my head.

“Please, drink the tea.” She gestured to the delicate cup she’d filled for me. “It’s a honey-lemon blend, soothing for sore throats.”

“Why would you think my throat would be sore?” My voice did sound scratchy.

“You did breathe fire out of it. For the first time, perhaps? I would think it would ache. Doesn’t it?”

“It does,” I admitted.

“Then drink the tea.” She smiled at me.

“Aren’t you angry with me?”

“For what?”

I sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the cup. “For trying to roast your brother.”

“Angry about that? No, Celestina. I’m sure it was justified. And you didn’t actually roast him. So…” She lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. “I still would like to be your sister. I hope you still would like to be mine as well.” She settled next to me on the bed. Her arm pressed against mine.

Her kindness made me uncomfortable. Not because I didn’t trust it. Oddly, I did. Although I suppose I shouldn’t have. I felt uncomfortable because I trusted her. Trust was such a foreign concept in the Earst court where courtiers and royals were always plotting ways to backstab one another. Tearing someone down was one of the few ways a courtier could move up in the ranks.

I took a sip of the tea she’d poured. The hot lemon and honey soothed.

“Is that valerian root I’m tasting?” I asked when a slightly bitter flavor bloomed on the back of my throat.

Princess Priscilla seemed pleased I recognized it. “To help settle your nerves. Now, keep drinking. And I’ll drink mine while I tell you about Soren’s green eyes.” She took a sip of the tea, holding it in her mouth for a few moments before swallowing. “This is one of my favorite blends.” She took another sip and then set the cup back on the table. “Now, this is a tale that has been banned from our land.” She pressed a finger to her lips. “Being a younger sister, it’s a story that would shock my parents if they ever learned I knew of it. They can be terribly protective. And before I tell you, I’ll ask that you promise to keep the tale to yourself, unless you see an important need to share it. Can you do that?”

“Of course.” With that kind of opening—a secret tale—it was enough to whet my appetite. “Especially if it concerns Soren. I think I deserve to know it.” I added that part in case she decided to change her mind about telling me.

She smiled with the satisfaction of a sailor who’d felt a tug on a fishing line. “Do you remember the old, blind woman who came into the royal dining room when we were all attacked?”

“The seer.” I shuddered at the memory. I hadn’t told any of them what had happened when the old woman had touched me. I hadn’t told them about the vision of the buildings in smoldering ruins. And all my friends, all my found family, including Princess Priscilla, dead. It was a vision of a future I never wanted to see realized.

“Yes, she’s from a long group of seers who used to be trusted advisors to kings and noblemen for as long as the continent has existed. What they saw could change the course of a war, could change the minds of men. Could save lives.” She paused and gave me a long look. “Or cause parents to kill their children.”

What?

She nodded knowingly. “That’s what happened. For generations, the seers of our kingdom held positions of power. They’d give vague predictions and repeat the same grim prophecy. ‘ When the green-eyed child born to the king reaches adulthood, that ill-fated royal progeny—the Beast of Fein—will cause the Kingdom walls to come tumbling down .’ It’s the stuff of nightmares, right? When I first heard it, I lost sleep for more than a week.”

“Soren has green eyes,” I whispered. And his own people called him the Beast of Fein.

Princess Priscilla nodded. “Every couple of generations such a child has been born to a king.”

“If it’s happened before, the prophecy must be wrong.” Soren couldn’t be the bringer of destruction to the kingdom he loved.

“We don’t know if it’s wrong or not.” The princess angled her body, so we faced each other even though we were still sitting side-by-side on the bed.

“But if there have been other green-eyed children born to your ancestors, wouldn’t it have to mean the prophecy is wrong? You still have a kingdom. What am I missing?”

“No other royal child born with green eyes has been allowed to grow up. In ages past, as soon as a new royal was born, the seer would be the first to hold the baby. She’d peer at the baby’s face and then announce the eye color. The king’s advisor would slit the throat of any royal baby born with green eyes.”

“Gah!” I couldn’t imagine killing a baby because of the color of its eyes.

“My parents were just as horrified as you are now. Their marriage was a love match. And their first child—Soren—was such a blessing to them. But then the seer announced that Soren had been born with green eyes. My father’s advisor already had a dagger pressed to my brother’s throat when my father ripped Soren from the old crone’s arms. ‘You must kill him,’ the seer warned my father. ‘The kingdom cannot survive him.’ My father took one look at the tiny, helpless baby and another at my mother, who’d started to sob, and he tossed the seer out of their chambers.” Priscilla looked at me. “My father then banished all the seers from the palace. He had his spies and agents spread rumors about them. People throughout the continent started to believe that seers were agents of the devil, that they ate children, and that none of them could be trusted.

“Soon, no one listened to a word the seers said. They laughed at the prophecies and portends of doom the seers would shout at anyone who’d listen. And for the first time in nearly twenty generations, a king’s green-eyed child was allowed to grow up.”

“Does Soren know about this?” I asked.

“He’s the one who told me. My father taught Soren about the prophecy on his ninth birthday. He wanted to make sure Soren wouldn’t be troubled by what some random seer might shout at him. My father also wanted to make sure that Soren would never act in any way that might inadvertently harm the kingdom. You see, while my father didn’t completely believe in the prophecy, he decided that schooling Soren to put country above all else would be an important safeguard for the kingdom.”

“Poor Soren. He must have felt so alone. How could your father do that to his son?” I pictured Queen Beatrice’s spirited boys and tried to imagine how one of them might react if he learned he should have been killed at birth.

“My father did what he thought was best for Soren and our kingdom. The prophecy is a heavy burden. My brother constantly worries about what his existence means.”

“He puts country first.” I’d heard him say that more than once, especially whenever someone had accused him of falling under my thrall.

“Exactly. He’s had that duty to protect the Fein people drilled into him for two decades. He never does anything for himself. It’s country, his family, and, if there’s ever anything left, himself. Believe me when I tell you that there’s never anything—time, energy, resources—left for him to enjoy. I believe this is why he’s refused to bond with any of the women Mother paraded, barely dressed, in front of him. He worried that taking a bonded partner might be the thing that triggers the wheels of the prophecy to start rolling. Because by taking a bonded partner he might learn to love would mean taking something for himself.”

“He bonded with me because he saw what I could do for his kingdom. He has always acted with honor.” I set the teacup aside. “Thank you for telling me this.”

“I don’t believe it’s something Soren would talk about. Especially, not with you.” Her words dug like a dagger into my flesh. “Let me tell you what he said to me after he told me about the prophecy.” She squeezed her hands together. “He told me that if I ever saw him doing something I thought would endanger the kingdom, he wanted me to kill him. He knew my father and mother wouldn’t do it. He thought Cullen was too young, too bookish, and too soft to do it.”

“But Soren says you’re the compassionate one of the family. You open health clinics. You look after the poor.”

She nodded. “Yes, I do those things. Like Soren, I’ve been raised to put the needs of the kingdom, the needs of its people, before my own. He knows I would do anything to protect the people of Fein, even if it means killing someone I love the most.”

I glanced over at the teacup, remembering how Cullen had drugged the wine. Had his sister done something similar, but with poison and tea? “Was that bitter flavor really valerian root?” I asked softly, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

“What?” She jerked back as if I’d slapped her.

Priscilla had also been drinking the tea from Mary’s pot. But perhaps she’d slipped something deadly into my cup when she was pouring.

“You kill me, and you manage to get rid of both me and your brother,” I said. “You save the kingdom from its enemy. And I get it. I destroyed the royal court yesterday. Perhaps, I even killed a few people.”

“No one died!”

“I’m what the Fein fear most,” I continued. “It would be wise to get rid of me.”

She grabbed my hand. “Celestina, is that why you think I told you about the prophecy? So you’d understood why you were about to die?”

I nodded.

My stomach twisted. Was that the poison starting to do its work?

“Oh my goddess, that wasn’t my intention at all!” She tightened her hold on my hand. “Celestina, I want to love you like a sister. I came here this morning only after bullying my hardheaded brother into staying away from you for a few more hours. I wanted to try to get you to understand why he sometimes acts the way he does. He’s terrified of letting himself have this one thing for himself, terrified that it’ll cause him to make a decision that will destroy the kingdom.” She drew in a long breath. “He loves you. He loves you more than I’ve ever seen him love anyone…even his family. You should have seen him when he’d returned to the palace without you. He was broken. And scared. And he fears the love he feels for you, fears what it will do to the world. But at the same time, he’s unwilling to give you up. My parents tried to convince him to leave you with your own kind. But—” She closed her eyes. “He loves you, Celestina. And that’s all I wanted you to know.”

“You told me this, so I won’t roast him when I see him again?”

She chuckled. “Something like that.” She picked up both teacups as she rose. “I’ve never seen him so stupidly in love.”

“I’ve tried not to love him.” I wasn’t sure why I needed to tell her that. “But I can’t seem to help myself.”

“I’m glad.” She placed her cup and mine on the tea tray before walking to the door that led to the outer chamber. “You’re good for him, Celestina, and I’m thrilled to be able to call you sister.”