Dragons Against Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice #2)(42)

He frowned. “Words to appease. Tell me, my queen, if not my actions, then what is it that upsets you so this day?”

“I…” What could she say that would be neither truth nor lie? “I am not upset so much as melancholy, my king, after receiving a scroll from my sister Ella.”

“Ah.” He led her to the nearest pair of chairs and motioned for her to sit, then took a seat as well. “Your sisters, are they well?”

“It seems as though they are.”

“But…?”

Why does he take such interest in me this day? “There was much left unsaid in the letter. I fear for their well-being.”

“Then perhaps we should travel to Weston, allow you to speak with them directly.”

“No!”

Robert’s brow arched skyward. Curse Ella’s warning, and the most recent from Berinon. Both had made her skittish and her deceit flawed.

“Your health, Your Majesty! You are much too weak to travel as yet.” She shook her head. “My sisters will be fine, as shall I. Please, let us remain here, at the castle, until you are well once again.”

“You wish me to believe that you, the woman who has sought to escape this castle since the day it became her home, would rather remain here than visit with your beloved sisters?” His eyes narrowed. “Are you expecting a visitor, Helena?”

“A visitor? At this hour?” She shook her head. “None I am aware of, Your Majesty. Though Zayne should soon return from his visit with Adelaide.”

“Try as you may to hide it, I know it is not Ella who has reduced you this day to tears. It is him.”

Helena froze. “Him, sire?”

“Zayne, our son. You fear losing your boy to his future wife. ’Tis an emotional time for you, I see that now.”

Relief washed over her at his erroneous deduction, though she continued to play the part. “Yes. Yes, a highly emotional time.”

“Fear not, my wife, for we shall overcome this difficult time as we have all others: together.” He pushed himself up and out of the chair, then offered her his hand. “Come, I require your assistance with another matter entirely.”

Together? Helena was taken aback. His words this night were kinder than any offered to her in quite some time. Had healing from his illness brought clarity to mind and perhaps softened his hardened heart? She took his hand and rose from her seat as well.

“Oh? And what is it that you require my assistance with, sire?”

“Why, drawing my bath, of course.”

Helena forced the smile to remain upon her lips as the insult of his master-to-servant request slowly consumed her. She shifted her gaze from Robert to the hall. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”





Chapter 23





After several harrowing minutes, Adelaide felt her kidnapper begin his descent. She cracked open both eyes and struggled to make out anything around them in the moonless night. Screaming, of course, was still pointless—the tail wrapped around her chest was like a cast of steel, preventing her from drawing in anything but the shallowest of breaths.

For once, instead of terrifying her, the whole scenario just pissed her off.

She was tired of being bullied by dragons. Tired of being told what to do, what not to do, and when and how to do just about everything else. If they ever did decide to touch down, whoever was behind tonight’s capture was in for a rude awakening.

As had happened the last time she’d been snatched up by a beast, Addie found herself being deposited not so gently upon the ground. Only this time, she was ready for it. She rolled to a stop and sprang to her feet, fists raised and ready to punch her captor square in the throat. But instead of transforming to snag her in human form, her captor sailed to the far side of their clearing, landed, and turned its monstrous black head and glowing red eyes her way.

“You.”

Quinn offered her a snort and made for the woods. Addie stormed after Quinn, fists clenched tighter.

“Get down here and transform, you big ugly jerk!”

“Adelaide, please. Lower your voice.”

She spun to see her brother step from the woods maybe twenty feet away. “Tristan! Oh, thank goodness you’re here. I told you we couldn’t trust this asshole. He stole me from my bedroom window!”

“I know. He did so on my orders.”

“But…why?”

“Because I could not leave you home with Father, not while we were away rescuing Prince Zayne.”

“Rescuing him?” Addie started toward Tristan. Behind her, the air whipped and whirled as beast became human once again. “What the hell did you do?”

“After I took the scroll to Father, he ordered that Zayne be captured and forced to lead us to the witches. And to Rosalind.”

“Captured? Why didn’t he just ask Zayne to help him?”

“Father believed Zayne would lie to him, or lead him into a trap set by the witches.”

Addie shot her brother a dark look. “And who would have given him that idea?”

“I admit, it was I who convinced him Zayne could not be trusted—”

Her fist sprang forward of its own accord and slammed into Tristan’s left cheek.

“Ow!” Shock then fury washed over his features, and he raised a hand to strike her back. “Why you little—”