Page 135 of The Dragon Queen Complete Series Collection

Chapter 134

"The Duke of Skane and his lady wife…” Draven said, tossing a letter down on his desk. “Your brothers, Flynn.” I held Flynn’s hand so tight, his skin pale as milk, apart from two red spots in his cheeks. “All that remains of your father’s line is gone, but for you.”

The look Draven gave Flynn then, one of a king, not a wing mate, not as one of my lovers, should’ve warned me of what was to come.

“We’ll have to look at the laws of succession. Your uncle thinks he can push himself forward and take the ducal seat like this!”

Draven forced himself to calm, then continued.

“The Duke of Cantlyn and his wife and his young boys. One of his daughters escaped the massacre but that’s because she is married to one of her cousins.” Draven’s lips thinned. “Coincidentally the very man who now claiming he is heir.”

He paced back and forth, his boots clicking across the floor.

“The Duke of Tharfield, his wife, his lover and their children are also dead, as is his brother and their children. It appears my uncle could only get to some of the malcontents in each ducal family, not all of them, and so the succession to that duchy is somewhat in doubt. I have no doubt that, shortly, my uncle will push forward someone who meets his needs.”

When Draven stopped, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, I took a step towards him. There was so much pain in this room and it seemed to me that it was my job to fix that. I reached out with a shaking hand, still able to see the assassins and their blades as I did. Then Draven grabbed me, yanking me close, burying his nose in my neck, his hand in my hair, so I was forced to listen to the shaky breaths he took in and out.

“Thank all the gods I have you.” His grip grew tighter, almost squeezing the breath from my lungs. “With you by my side, we will prevail, Pippin. Glimmer has always asserted you are a queen and she never knew how right she was. I need a queen with a level head, one who can fight these bastards with me.” He pulled back then, staring at me with such naked need I felt almost ashamed to witness it. “Someone I can trust to take every one of them down and make them rue the day they ever planned against me and mine.”

I was supposed to say something to that, to swear my undying devotion, tell him he had me in every way he needed me, but as the silence dragged on it was a knock at the door, not my declaration that broke it.

“Enter!” Draven said sharply and I went to pull away, but he resisted.

“My apologies Your H—” The courtier stopped himself just in time. “Your Majesty. I have news.”

News he didn’t want to deliver. I could tell in the way he handed Draven the note, extending his arm fully, trying to keep a gap between them. Draven opened it and scanned the contents, confirming my suspicions as his eyes turned to ice.

“Beatrice has escaped custody with the assistance of Royce and his cronies,” Draven said.

“Good riddance to bad rubbish there,” Ged said, but Draven’s look silenced everyone.

“It all seems to have been well coordinated. They took all of Zafira’s eggs, including the new queen’s.”

Everyone in the room started to say something about that, but before any coherent comments could be heard, the sharp cry of several dragons sounded, and they weren’t from any of ours. My hands went to my daggers. Why, I had no idea, as they would have been no use against Harlstonian agents on dragonback.

“That’s the other thing, Majesty. There are dragons here and they…” The courtier frowned then, obviously unused to being spoken to, mind to mind, in the way that riders were. “They say they are Hadrian and Cynane of Dragon Home and they are here to fulfil the requirements of the treaty of Two Queens.”