Page 7

Chapter

Seven

Selle

I could forgive my alpha for a wicked sorceress flirting with him. I supposed. My initial indignation at the way Saoirse threw herself at Gildur diminished because it was clear Gildur did not return her affections. And his explanation about how so many people were seduced by gold without actually wanting him was downright heartbreaking.

I still had my doubts about why, when he knew Saoirse was up to no good, Gildur would allow something like a garden party planning meeting to take place. Or rather, I questioned Queen Gaia’s reasons for allowing it to go forward. If Queen Gaia truly was as all-powerful as so many of the people of the magical kingdom seemed to think she was, then why did she not just call Saoirse before her, reveal that she knew all about her plan to usurp her, and throw her into some sort of magical dungeon ?

Then again, throwing people into dungeons was what my father did, and Father most definitely was not a good ruler, let alone a good man. Maybe Queen Gaia was a good ruler after all by allowing one of her recalcitrant subjects to mend her ways, though I already doubted from what I’ve seen of her that Saoirse would ever do any such thing.

But all of those thoughts were banished from my mind entirely when I suddenly found myself face to face with Lord Manfred.

“Er, sorry, I beg your pardon,” Lord Manfred said, clearing his throat and shuffling to one side, as if he knew he was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be and wanted to avoid company.

He paused halfway through turning around to head in the other direction, glancing over his shoulder at me, eyes narrowed.

“Is something amiss, sir?” Gildur asked him. I was startled by my alpha’s oddly subservient manner, until I realized he was supposed to be one of the head gardeners and not a dragon prince.

Lord Manfred turned back to me, narrowing his eyes and screwing up his face even more. “Do I know you?” he asked.

“I…um….”

“I doubt it,” Gildur answered for me. “This is Sel—er, Selby, a new undergardener I’ve just hired. I’ve been giving him a tour of the garden.”

Lord Manfred continued to stare at me, sweeping my body with a look. I clutched my egg closer when his gaze seemed to linger over my stomach for a moment. I suspected Gildur had worked some kind of magic to make the egg unnoticeable, like Rufus had clothed himself in magic so that he wouldn’t be noticed at the festival in my father’s kingdom the month before, but that concealment didn’t seem to extend to me.

“Hmm,” Lord Manfred said. “You seem familiar, but then, all you serfs look the same.”

“Too true, sir,” Gildur said, nodding. “If you will excuse us, Lady Saoirse has asked us to serve for her party.”

“Then do as you’re told,” Lord Manfred said with a sniff before moving on. He glanced back over his shoulder at me with a frown, though.

As soon as he was out of view, I let out a long breath and rubbed my egg as if it needed calming. In fact, I was the one who needed calming.

“You know that man?” Gildur asked, though it needn’t have been a question. He could feel my feelings, so he must have known it was so.

“He was once a courtier at my father’s castle,” I explained. I gasped as I remembered something horrible. “I think Father allowed him to take one of Rumi’s heats years ago. Rumi wouldn’t talk about it after.”

The spike of rage that shot through Gildur was enough to make me flinch. “Your father is a barbarian,” he said, grasping my hand and leading me on, closer to the manor house. “I have half a mind to tell Emmerich what you’ve just told me and have him deal with Lord Manfred.”

“Emmerich?” I asked. I blinked as several things made sense all of a sudden. “Emmerich! The emerald marble. The one Rumi was given by his ordinary man.”

Gildur glanced back at me as we crossed through a narrow border and into a large lawn. Tables were already set up and liveried servants were rushing about with last-minute decorations and plates of food and drink.

“My brother, Emmerich, is anything but an ordinary man,” he said.

“He’s Rumi’s fated mate, isn’t he?” I asked. “He’s the one who gave Rumi the marble that opened the door into this world.”

“Yes, and I’m not entirely certain he had Mother’s permission for that marble,” Gildur said, grinning slightly. He lost his grin a moment later as he asked, “You say this Manfred person used to be a courtier at your father’s court?”

I frowned and kept my voice low as I said, “Father discovered a plot by Lord Manfred to overthrow him. At least, that’s what he always ranted about. He banished Lord Manfred from the kingdom, though I have no idea how he ended up here.”

Gildur hummed in concern, but put on a pleasant expression and nudged me through our bond to do the same as Lady Saoirse and several of her guests spilled out of the house and into the lawn. “I’ve no idea either,” he said.

“I’ll find out,” I told him, suddenly excited as I felt I had my own personal mission to match the one Gildur’s mother had sent him on.

We’d nearly reached the long table off to one side and partially concealed by planters, where the servants had set up something of a staging area to serve food and drinks. Gildur paused and turned to me. “You will not. It’s too dangerous,” he said in a low voice, staring intently at me. “The man already believes he’s recognized you. Besides which, I want you to stay close to me at all times.”

“That’s not much of a way to discover the information we need to know,” I told him, my expression flat. My dragon mate needed to trust me more.

“I do not want you to be hurt,” Gildur insisted.

“Gildur, Lady Saoirse is asking for you,” one of the matronly servants called to us. “She wants you to give her guests a tour of all the work you’ve done in the gardens. ”

Gildur sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

“I know you are only looking out for me,” I said, “but it seems as though I might need to look out for you as well.”

Gildur was not amused by my observation. I didn’t need him to be. I just needed him to have enough faith in me so that the two of us could work together to discover how and why Lord Manfred was in the magical world and what Lady Saoirse’s plans were for overthrowing Queen Gaia. We could only foil them if we had complete trust in each other.

Gildur must have felt my determination. His expression and the emotions I felt emanating from him softened. He stepped closer and planted a quick kiss on my forehead while resting a hand over our egg.

“Alright,” he sighed as he stepped back. “But you must promise me you will conduct yourself with utmost care.”

“Of course I will,” I said, resting my hand over his as it continued to caress our egg. “I have all the reasons in the world to make certain all of us come out of this safe and victorious.”

Gildur smiled at me, but that smile dropped when Lady Saoirse called out in an overly sweet voice, “Oh, Gildur! I need you. Desperately.”

Gildur rolled his eyes at the sudden sultriness of her tone, then put on a smile and turned as the woman approached. “Whatever you wish, my lady,” he said, stepping quickly away from me as if to deflect Lady Saoirse’s attention from me.

A flash of indignation sliced through me. I hoped my mate would not give the woman whatever she wished.

The quick, almost sassy pulse of emotion I felt from Gildur in response to my indignation made me laugh. I rather enjoyed the fact that we could tease each other without speaking or even looking at each other .

I took a deep breath to help myself focus on the moment, then turned to join the other servants at the table. I was handed a platter of small tarts. They looked delicious on the one hand, but I wondered how an estate owner with the responsibility for several villages on her land that had been in a bad way could spend her money on sugary tarts instead of helping those people who depended on her.

Once again, as I set off to mingle among the guests, offering them the sweets, I marked the similarities between Lady Saoirse and my father. I was quickly losing patience with rulers who thought that power was their right and who used it only to aggrandize themselves. It was so wrong in so many ways. A ruler was responsible for the fate and fortunes of their people. They should put all their efforts into making the lives of those who depended on them better. That way, everyone’s lives would be better, including the ruler’s.

From the sound of things, Queen Gaia was that sort of ruler. I’d known nothing but happiness and contentment from the people of the magical kingdom that I’d met so far. I sincerely hoped that someday someone would rise up to take my father’s place and be that kind of ruler for our kingdom.

“Tart, sir?” I asked one of Lady Saoirse’s guests, who already held a glass of wine and looked as though he’d come to the party for the food and drink alone.

“It’s about time you found me,” the man said, grabbing a tart from the platter and shoving it directly into his mouth, then following it with two more. “Lady Saoirse always has the best refreshments,” he said with his mouth still full. “I hope she follows through on her promise of giving me some of her cooks if I supply her with soldiers from among my serfs. ”

I fought to keep my expression even. Whoever the lord was, he looked as though the chefs he had did their job well. He was so enormous that he looked as though he might burst out of his waistcoat.

I moved on, feeling vaguely sick, and found a small group of ladies in ostentatious finery to offer the tarts to.

“Refreshments, my ladies?” I asked.

“They look yummy,” one of them said, reaching for a tart.

The tallest of the women, who might have been the mother of the other three, slapped the woman’s hand. “Do not touch that until you know it’s pure,” she said. She sniffed and looked down her nose at me as she asked, “Were any of those tarts touched by fairy hands?”

I blinked. “Not that I know of, my lady.”

The woman narrowed her eyes. “I despise and abhor fairies. They are unnatural creations.” She turned to her daughters and said, “You know that fairies are humans who used magic to make themselves into something they are most definitely not.”

“That isn’t true,” I said, pinching my face in confusion. “Fairies are born as fairies.”

“They are not,” the woman insisted. “Everyone should remain who and what they are when they were born.”

My jaw dropped, and I wanted to argue the point that none of us remained what we were when we were born. We grew and changed, discovered what sort of person we truly were, and built the sort of life we wanted. It was ridiculous to believe fairies were not fairies when they were born. Facts were facts, whether people like the sour lady in front of me wanted to believe them or not.

I wanted to point that out, but before I could, she sniffed and said, “Lady Saoirse has promised to eradicate all fairies from my holdings in exchange for offering a few measly serfs to serve in her army. I consider that a fair trade. And that, my darlings, is how diplomacy works. I scratch Lady Saoirse’s back and she scratches mine, even though she doesn’t care one bit about fairies.”

The three younger women nodded and agreed with their mother as if they didn’t have a single brain between them.

I shook my head and walked away. My opinion of the people of the magical world was changing by the moment. I’d wanted to believe this world was perfect and fair, but it seemed as though too many people were as ignorant and selfish as in my father’s kingdom.

There were signs of hope, though. I served tarts to a group of people who stood off to one side, whispering and glancing carefully around them.

“Queen Gaia must know about Lady Saoirse’s treachery,” one of them murmured to the others as she took a tart from my platter. “Why does she not swoop in and remove Saoirse’s magic immediately?”

“Should we rely on our queen to solve this and every other problem?” a young alpha man asked, his brow knit in thought, “or should we take matters into our own hands to help the people who could be hurt by Lady Saoirse’s ambitions?”

“I certainly have no intention of bowing the knee to that sorceress if she should somehow manage to overthrow Queen Gaia,” a handsome beta lord said with a huff. “She might have invited me here today in an attempt to woo me to support her with promises of gold and glory, but we all know that she has no intention of keeping those promises.”

I smiled as I stepped away from that group to refill my platter. At least someone had plans to resist whatever mad attempt Lady Saoirse might make to overthrow the queen. It would have been nice if they were a bit louder in their planning instead of whispering in the corners of the garden, though.

I stopped by the staging area to refill my platter, then headed out into the growing number of guests spread out across the yard. Gildur was just coming through an arched trellis with beautiful, golden-yellow flowers growing and dripping from it, Lady Saoirse clutching his arm. That made me frown, as did the way Lady Saoirse laughed and tossed her head, glancing to the small cluster of eager-looking nobles following her.

I wanted to march straight over to that group and throw my tray in their faces, perhaps Gildur’s included, since he seemed to be enjoying the attention a little too much. He wasn’t, though, despite appearances. I could feel that through our bond. I was stopped from doing anything as Lord Manfred stepped up behind me.

“I do know you from somewhere,” he said, standing a bit too close and frowning a bit too intensely. “I recognize your scent as well.”

My stomach sank at those words. Of all the times for my omega scent to be noticed, it had to be then. Alphas were the only ones who could smell omegas, and vice versa, and since I’d just ended a lightning-fast heat with Gildur, my scent was likely stronger than usual.

“I wouldn’t know, my lord,” I told him with a shrug. “Omegas can’t smell their own scent. And I only just started working with Gildur the gardener recently.”

Unfortunately, that only sparked Manfred’s suspicions. “Where did you work before?” he asked. “Are you entirely certain you’re from this world? ”

More alarm splashed through me. “This world, my lord?” I said, my voice shaking. “Is there any other world?”

“Of course there is,” Manfred said, leaning even closer and sniffing. If he laid a hand on me, I would smash his face with my platter of tarts. “There are many other worlds. I come from another world entirely, a world that I will soon rule.”

My brow shot up. Did Lord Manfred still have ambitions of usurping my father?

As if he could hear my mind working, he shrugged and said, “Well, Saoirse will rule that other, pitiful world. I will merely act as her agent as she uses the farmers and peasants to grow her army until it is of a strength to attack Queen Gaia herself.”

I gaped, not only at the plan Manfred revealed, but that he could be so irresponsible as to reveal it before it had happened.

Then again, the smug confidence that Manfred exuded seemed to say that he was so certain of his eventual victory that there was no point in concealing what Lady Saoirse had in mind. Almost as if he believed some force would aid them in achieving their goal one way or another.

“Tart, my lord?” I offered Manfred the tray, my voice shaking slightly.

“I’ll have all the tarts soon,” Lord Manfred said with a chuckle, taking a tart from the platter. “And then I’ll ensure that only the right sort of people can have tarts ever again.”

“Manfred, there you are,” Lady Saoirse called out as she and her small retinue, including Gildur, approached us. “We’re ready to begin discussions,” she added, excitement and malice glittering in her eyes.

Lord Manfred stepped away from me without a thought, as though I were below his notice. As soon as he joined Lady Saoirse and her followers, their group hurried off toward the hedge maze.

Gildur stayed with me as we watched them go, then he turned to me.

“Are you alright, my darling?” he asked, taking the tray from me. He set it on a nearby table, then took my hand and whisked me across the lawn to the nearest cluster of topiary that could conceal us for a moment. “Your emotions are all over the place.”

My head was still trying to make sense of what Lord Manfred had said, not to mention the vile tidbits from the others, so it was easy for Gildur to lead me aside.

Once we were behind the topiaries, I took a breath and glanced up at him. “Lady Saoirse is planning to take over my father’s kingdom and use our people to form an army against your mother,” I blurted out in a tight whisper.

Gildur’s face fell into a sharp frown. “She cannot. It is expressly against the laws of the magical realm for our kind to exert any sort of control or ambition in other worlds, especially ones that do not have magic.”

“I don’t think that Lady Saoirse cares two figs about laws and rules,” I said. “I think she plans to consolidate her power in whatever way she thinks she can, laws or no laws.”

Gildur’s frown deepened. “Mother will not allow it.”

An unexpected burst of relief hit me. “Good! Then we need to go to your mother right away and tell her what Lady Saoirse has planned. Surely, she will take my word as witness to all you have discovered and do something to stop this plot.”

I expected Gildur to agree with me wholeheartedly. I did not expect him to look guilty and shuffle his feet.

“I would prefer that we resolve this matter ourselves,” he said, his cheeks pinking a little.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why?” I asked. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Your mother is a good queen, is she not? She would want to stop this and neutralize any threat to her peaceful rule, wouldn’t she?”

Gildur cleared his throat. “Yes, of course she would. It’s just that….” He hesitated, face tight, guilt and shame rolling at me through his bond.

“Gildur,” I said as kindly as I could, stepping forward to touch his arm. “Is there something you’re not sharing with me? Have you done something you’re not proud of?”

His eyes widened a little, and he said, “I am immensely proud of you.”

I almost laughed at his off-color comment. Then I realized it wasn’t merely a joke.

“You’re not supposed to be with me, are you,” I said, gasping as I grasped the truth. “Being with me has somehow meant you’re not doing what your mother asked you to do, and you don’t want to face her and admit you’ve disobeyed her.”

“It’s not that,” Gildur said, stepping closer to me and sliding an arm around my waist. “I love you, my darling. You are my fated mate. You bear my mark and have birthed my egg and everything.” He stroked the top of our egg as it rested against my belly, then looked sheepishly up at me. “But I may have disobeyed just a little by taking you when I did…and ignoring the call for help when the ogres attacked.”

“Gildur,” I said, raising a hand to cradle the side of his face. “You might have made a small mistake, but you did it for a good reason. I’m certain your mother would be pleased to know you’ve found your mate and that you have an egg, even if you disobeyed her a little bit to get there.”

“You don’t know Mother the way I do,” he said, wariness in his expression and our bond.

“If she is good, she will forgive you,” I said. “And everyone I’ve spoken to says she’s good.” I leaned into him, wanting to hug the fear I could feel in him away. It made me wonder if he’d ever gotten into trouble before or if he’d always been his mother’s golden boy.

But of course he had. He was a gold dragon. He probably felt as though he had to be perfect at all times.

“You are wonderful just as you are,” I told him, smiling as I caressed his face. “You are doing your best.”

“But I—” Gildur tried to protest. I could feel the shame and uncertainty boiling within him.

I countered it by lifting to my toes and pulling him close for a kiss. I wanted to convey that I loved him and would stand by him, come what may. He was my dragon, my mate, and whatever he did I would help him and be proud of him.

Gildur made a sound of acceptance and pulled me into his arms to kiss me back. I could feel love and gratitude spilling from him. The feelings between us were so powerful that I felt our egg vibrate with?—

“Scandalous!” Lady Saoirse’s voice shouted far too close to us. “Betrayal! Gildur, how could you?”

We jumped apart and turned to find Saoirse standing just a few yards away from us. The nobles who had been following her around the party were still with her, but the more I looked at them, the more I saw flickers of light around them, as though some sort of magic that had been cast around them was failing. The more I looked, the more the nobles seemed to grow and bulk out until they looked like?—

“Ogres,” I whispered.

“How dare you kiss your undergardener?” Saoirse demanded, stepping closer to Gildur. “How dare you throw me over for him ?” She turned to me with a sneer.

To his credit, Gildur stood straighter and put a hand on the small of my back. “Selle is my mate, my true love,” he said, head held high. “I never cared a bit for you.”

Saoirse gasped. At first I thought it was in offense or anger. But, no. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at my stomach. “Is that a golden egg?” she asked breathlessly.

Terror ripped through me, but not even that reaction was fast enough to stop Saoirse as she used some sort of magic to rip my egg away from me. It flew right out of its holder and into her arms.

“A golden egg!” she squealed, everything else forgotten as she stared at my baby and rubbed her grubby hands all over it. Gildur was completely forgotten. “I’ve always wanted a golden egg. One golden egg can make more golden eggs. This is exactly what I’ve needed.”

“No!” I shouted, lunging toward her.

She held up a hand without even looking at me and I was frozen.

“Give that back,” Gildur said, charging at her as well.

To my shock, Gildur was also frozen to his spot. Saoirse’s magic must have been strong indeed if she could stop a dragon in his tracks.

“Take them out of my estate,” she told her ogres, which were now fully visible, her eyes still trained on our egg with extreme avarice. “Do whatever you want to them once they’re beyond the wall. I have an egg to play with. ”

“No!” I shouted again as she walked away, cradling the egg.

My cry fell on deaf ears as the ogres surrounded us and lifted us to take us out of the estate grounds.