Dragon Rose(69)

“And here I thought no one knew anything about that.”

“I have my ways of keeping track of people’s comings and goings within the keep.”

I wondered at that, if it were a part of his dragonish powers, or something to do with all those ingenious little devices in his chambers. Perhaps one day he would tell me. At the moment all that mattered was that he had known where to find me.

“And now—” I began, then stopped, as I was not sure what I had meant to say.

“And now,” he said heavily. The aquamarine eyes were fixed on me in an odd mixture of hope and dread. “The curse is broken, and you will always have my thanks for that. I fear you must stay here, for you are the lady of Black’s Keep, but I will make sure you have everything you need, all the supplies—”

I stood then and placed my hands on my hips, and stared down at him. “What by all the gods are you going on about, Theran? You fear I must stay here? You do not want me?”

His lips parted, and he shook his head. “It is rather that I thought you would not want me. Not after you knew the truth—knew I had been the cause of so much misery and death.”

Oh, how could he possibly have gotten it so muddled? I dropped to my knees before him and took his hands in mine. His fingers were cold now, the inhuman dragon heat long gone. I would have to do my best to warm him. “You were not the cause of anything, Theran, and your only guilt—if one could even call it that—was a certain heedlessness, which poor Lianna certainly shared. It was that mage Udell…and if his curse is any indication of the sorts of magic the mages used to perform, then no wonder they were all hunted down and killed! I will stay here, because I am your wife, and I love you. I loved you when I thought a monster was hidden under those robes, and I loved your face when I did not even know it was yours. I fear you are stuck with me, Theran Blackmoor.”

The light breaking over his features was like the coming of dawn after a long, cold winter. He grasped my hands and pulled me upright, then gazed down into my face. “You are quite certain?”

“I have never been more certain of anything in my life.”

And he took me in his arms, and kissed me, and it was like the kiss from my dreams, only so much better, because this was the real man holding me, the real Theran, everything so vivid and true, from the faint taste of wine on his lips to the sweet herbal scent of his robes.

It seemed the most natural thing in the world for my body to press itself against his, for him to fumble with the laces at the neck of my chemise, for the two of us to fall to the bed, our need bringing us together. I understood finally just what I had ached for, as Theran touched me, stroked me, made me cry out his name. And then we were no longer two halves, but a whole that could not be denied, a consummation all the more sweet because I had never dreamed it could truly be mine.

For the first time, I understood reality could be so much lovelier than dreams.





Midwinter was upon us, and Black’s Keep had opened its doors to not just the residents of Greyton, but also those of Lirinsholme hardy enough to make the snowy ascent. My parents were there, and my sisters—Therella scowling quite a bit as she realized not only was I the lady of the castle, but also that the feared Dragon Lord had turned out to be young and handsome—and Lilianth and Adain and so many others of my friends and family.

“I told you the true Seeing would come in handy one day,” my Granny Menyon told me with a wink, as she helped herself to yet another cup of mulled wine. “Proud I am, that my own granddaughter should be the one to break the curse!”

“It was luck more than anything—” I began, but she shook her head.

“Not luck. It was the gods’ doing, knowing it was time for things to change.”

As may be true. I somehow doubted the gods occupied themselves with such petty matters, but if that was what my grandmother wished to believe, I would not gainsay her. Who knows, really, why a certain combination of circumstances brings about a given conclusion? Chance, or luck…or the gods. I was not quite stubborn enough to say it couldn’t be any one of those things, or perhaps all three.

All I knew was that I stood in the great feasting hall where once I had taken my first meal with Theran, and reflected that it could not be more different. Evergreen boughs were swagged from the mantel and from the great wrought-iron chandelier overhead, and even from the sconces along the walls. The air smelled of spiced wine and rich roasted meats, and everywhere I looked I saw smiles, albeit mixed with glances of wonderment. After all, no one save members of the castle’s household had set foot in Black’s Keep for five hundred years.

Well, that was changed now. We would have to make our own traditions, and forge our own path in the world. And I knew I could face the future without fear, for I would have Theran at my side.

I gazed across the room and saw him watching me. A rush of warmth went through me as I recalled the touch of his mouth on mine, the heat of his skin against me as I lay in bed next to him. We were now man and wife in every sense of the word, and again I marveled at how much I desired him. Even now, with the hall crowded around us, I recalled his touch, and a flush of desire went through my body once more. The celebration was grand, but I would be glad when we were alone once more, and could disappear into one another all over again.

As if our eyes meeting were a signal, he excused himself from the portly merchant with whom he had been speaking, and came to meet me.