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When one dream comes true,
find another, one that’s new.
Ashleigh
For years—days? hours?—I existed in a world of darkness and pain, trapped in the nightmare in which I’d been dropped, my mind constantly replaying my plummet down a seemingly endless void, my body jerking and cringing in a desperate gambit to escape. Again and again, I learned the void wasn’t endless, after all, and hit the ground, every bone in my body breaking.
I remembered Leonora’s laughter. How relieved I’d been to feel a slow spread of numbness. I remembered how that relief had evaporated as paralysis set in, stealing my ability to fight back. All the while, my would-be killers had taunted me.
What’s taking so long? Die already.
This time, stay dead.
I fought to live, I fought so hard. I couldn’t let Leonora win and ruin Saxon’s life again. But...what was that noise? Dragon screeches? A male’s voice? Yes, yes. A roar of utter devastation. Saxon’s roar. Over me?
My heart leaped in my chest. My family had come for me.
Words I didn’t have the strength to speak tangled on my tongue as strong arms gently gathered me and lifted me. Saxon.
The phantom purred. —I have what I’ve always wanted. It’s done. Soon, you’ll be gone.—The more she laughed, the more my thoughts cleared.
She had poured her magic through me, strengthening me and weakening herself.
Voices filtered into my awareness. Saxon was speaking with the healer. The one who’d healed me after Trio’s attack.
Saxon: “—do it. Cage her.”
Healer: “It’s only a temporary fix, and it’s going to put her on the offensive when she escapes.”
Saxon: “I don’t care.”
The healer mumbled something I didn’t understand, and I heard the phantom scream with rage.
As soon as she quieted, I heard the healer say, “You will sleep and you will heal the rest of the way, Princess Ashleigh.” His voice was like a summoning finger, luring me into a darkened room. “Sleep and heal.”
A wave of lethargy swept me up, but I fought it. Can’t sleep. Leonora will gain control again and—
“Sleep.”
Yes. Mmm. I would sleep...
* * *
Awareness returned gradually. I thought I might be lying on a bed of clouds, Saxon nearby. His husky voice cooed sweet everythings. His incredible scent drugged me. His delicious heat provided a cocoon of tranquility, and the softness of his wings caressed my skin. Part of me clamored to awaken all the way and find out if he was real or imagined. The rest of me demanded I remain in this paradise.
I felt no pain or turmoil. Leonora slept deep inside me, her power recharging. For the first time in what seemed forever, I couldn’t feel the taint of her emotions. There was no Raven or Tempest laughing as I choked on a mouthful of my own blood. Think I’ll stay here forever.
A calloused fingertip glided between my eyes, down the bridge of my nose, then around my eyes. “Come back to me, Asha. What my family did to you... I’m so sorry. They will pay. They will pay hard. Restitution shall be yours. Our dragons have gotten so big. They are the size of horses now. But they still miss their mother.” Saxon’s deep, smoky voice stroked my ears, and his warm, minty breath fanned my throat as he jumped from one topic to another. “Also, I have a surprise for you. One I know you’ll love.”
A gift? For me?
“You’re safe with me,” he said, “but no one else is.” The words escaped on a growl. “I’m willing to do bad, bad things for another of your kisses, Asha. Be a darling and wake for me, before I’m the one who torches all of Enchantia just to lay the ashes at your feet. Yes. I like this idea. Know that I’m closer to doing it every minute you fail to tell me you are well.”
Okay, I must be imagining him. Real-life Saxon didn’t act as if he couldn’t live without me.
“I need you to design and craft more weapons for me. I want an entire suit of armor, too. The final battle of the tournament nears. I should have all the protection I can get, shouldn’t I?”
So he could win Dior’s hand in marriage? No. But I did want him to survive.
Great. Now I could only think about how he would soon face the last—and the strongest—competitors. He might be a savage warlord who’d lived and warred before, but he wasn’t infallible. He truly would need every advantage he could get. And my designs were extraordinary. Plus, for the right price, Ophelia could make everything Saxon wanted and more.
Wait. Didn’t I have a secret to tell him, to save him from the next incarnation Leonora possessed, if something were to happen to me?
Well. I couldn’t stay away now. I would do it. I would fight to rejoin the land of the living.
I kicked and paddled through a watery darkness, feeling as if I breached the ocean’s surface, only to be met with a crushing wave. Still I kicked, still I paddled and...yes. I gasped, my eyelids popping open. Bright sunlight made my eyes water, and I blinked rapidly.
As my hazy vision cleared, my heart threatened to pound its way out of my chest. Saxon. He hovered over me, his face suddenly all I could see—all I wanted to see. He wore an expression of concern and hope. Lines of tension branched from his bloodshot eyes and bracketed his mouth. A day’s worth of scruff decorated his jaw.
“You’re alive,” he croaked, searching my face. “Are you in pain?”
I wiggled my fingers and toes, rocked my hips, rolled my shoulders. “No,” I breathed with wonder, my voice a hoarse rasp. No permanent damage had been done.
He sagged over me and rolled to his back, taking me with him. With one hand on my nape and the other cupping my bottom, he kept me splayed over his body.
“How long have I been sleeping?”
“Seven days.”
What!
“The magic needed time to work.”
I began to orient, my surroundings crystalizing. We were in the stable, inside a stall, no, inside two stalls that had been joined together to create a bigger space. We rested on a pallet of furs. The dragons slept at our feet—and they were indeed the size of horses. Sweet goodness.
“But the tournament,” I said.
“Finalist will be announced tomorrow. Then we’ll have six more days of competition before the final battle.”
Seven days wasted. Seven days left. I didn’t... I couldn’t... I frowned. Cool air was kissing a very private area, and I realized I wore a large tunic...and nothing else. Flutters teased my stomach.
“Someone changed me,” I said softly, not wanting to wake my babies.
“Your dress was—” His entire body jerked, as if the memory of the bloody garment was too much for him to bear. “You needed clean clothes, so I summoned Ever—the ever tardy Eve. As she bathed and changed you, I was the only other person here, and I swear I kept my back turned. I just couldn’t bear to leave your side.”
This boy...oh, this boy. Who could have known the heart of a gentleman beat inside the chest of a warlord?
He shuddered, adding, “You aren’t allowed to die, Ashleigh.”
I hoped he always felt that way, because the time had come to tell him about Leonora; I hadn’t changed my mind about that. This amazing, caring boy deserved to hear the truth. So, I would do it. I would give myself a few hours to wake up and center my thoughts, and then I would spill all. Would he believe me when I told him Leonora wouldn’t die when I died? That my death wasn’t a solution—yet?
“No matter what happens,” I said, “I want you to know that I’m grateful for you and everything you’ve done. Thank you.”
“You thank me?” He rubbed his fingers into his eyes and uttered a bitter laugh. “You owe me nothing, Asha. I owe you everything. I told you this while you were sleeping, but I need to know you’ve heard it. I’m sorry for what my family did to you, and I swear to you no
w, they will never hurt you again. They will be punished. Please, tell me you know I didn’t want you harmed this way.”
His vehemence touched me, somehow healing the wounds the phantom’s magic couldn’t reach. Wounds he hadn’t even caused. The disdain of my fellow Fleuridians...a friendless existence...years of my father’s rejection.
“I know you didn’t want me harmed.” I reached up to stroke his chest—his warm, strong completely bare chest. Silver glinted from a nipple and—hey! One of his bracelets wrapped around my wrist. The yellow one.
How lovely. “You gave me one of your bracelets?”
He held his breath. “I did, yes.”
The yellow...what did the yellow mean again? Wait. Yellow meant a commitment of marriage, right? But, that couldn’t be right. Could it? My eyes went wide. “Is this your way of...proposing to me, Saxon?”
He flushed for some reason. “Yes. But don’t tell me if you agree or not. Not yet. All right? Give me a chance to show you how good things can be between us first. We can discuss the...engagement in seven days, before the stroke of midnight. Like the fairy tale. All right?”
Reeling. “I...yes. I mean, yes, I will give you seven days. To consider an engagement. To you. Saxon Skylair. Future king of the avian. Marriage?” I gasped out. I would give anything to marry him, just not while I played host to Leonora.
Maybe an open-ended engagement?
He didn’t relax. “I have a gift for you.”
“Another one?” Marveling, I said, “Where has my grumpy warlord with a grudge gone?”
He chuckled, the sound of it pure ecstasy to me. “With you, the grumpy warlord is gone forever.”
Warm honey seemed to pour over me. “Oh, don’t say that. He’s fun to play with...and defeat.”
Another chuckle, this one rumbling and husky. All that warm honey got hot.
“Have mercy on him. He’s not as strong as you are.” He lightly smacked my bottom, and I yelp-laughed. The dragons stirred but didn’t wake.
“They must be tired,” I remarked.
“This is the first they’ve slept since we found you.” Saxon sat up, taking me with him. He kissed my cheek. “Let’s get up, clean up, and I’ll show you the gift. I think you’ll like it.”
He stood and drew me do my feet, but didn’t let me go right away. He held on to make sure I remained steady.
After giving my cheek another kiss, he gave me a little push toward the exit, saying, “Head to the next stall.”
Confused but excited, I walked over...and drew up short. Oh. My. Wow. He’d turned the stall into a luxurious bathing suite. A large tub was already filled, steam curling through the air, rose petals floating over the surface of the water. Along the tub’s rim rested the best toiletries money could buy. Things from every kingdom. Minty toothpaste from Sevón, with a toothbrush made from a split twig. Seaweed scrub from Azul. Perfumed oils from Airaria. A lotion from Fleur, made with more rose petals.
I soaked and primped as I’d always wished to do, astounded by the opulence of every product, I cleaned my teeth, plaited my freshly cleaned hair, and donned the clothes he’d left for me—the finest undergarments money could buy and a gorgeous pink gown made of the softest material, with side buttons I could easily latch.
“Saxon?” I called.
Hurried footsteps, as if he’d been waiting for my summons. He blazed into my stall a second later, a dagger drawn.
I stumbled back, hand fluttering over my mouth. Never had I seen a more ferocious expression. “Whoa.”
His gaze darted. “Someone threatens you?”
“No, no,” I assured him, melting inside. Like me, he’d bathed and dressed. He now wore battle clothes. A white tunic paired with black leather pants and combat boots. “I just wanted you to see the end result.”
The tension drained from him, and he sheathed the weapon. The one I’d designed. A smile bloomed. As he roved his gaze over me, his irises heated and his pupils expanded.
Did a hint of possessiveness radiate from him?
“There is no one in this world who compares to you, Asha.”
Melting faster. I bit my bottom lip and stepped toward him, a bit shy, a lot eager. Drawn... He stepped toward me, too, closing the remaining distance. My heart galloped, as if I’d been dropped into the middle of a race.
I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to kiss him so bad.
Click, click, click. Uh-oh. A dragon must have awoken.
Sure enough. Pagan barreled into the stall and squawked. As she ran over and rubbed against my leg, Pyre did the same. They were stronger than they realized; if Saxon hadn’t wrapped an arm around my waist to hold me up, I would have fallen over.
I laughed. “Daddy wasn’t kidding, was he? Look how much you’ve grown.” Soon, they’d be too big for the stable, too, but that was a worry for another day.
Saxon pressed his lips against my temple. “Do you trust me, Asha?”
“Mostly,” I hedged.
“Do you trust that I will not harm you?”
After the roar of devastation I’d heard? “I do.” This boy had saved me from his family, despite our differences, despite our rocky past. Honestly? I was beginning to think he would never harm me, no matter the circumstances.
Something had changed between us. Something significant, all hint of animosity just...gone.
He rewarded me with a glorious, bone-melting grin that set my cells on fire. Then he wrapped a strip of cloth around my eyes.
Except for an internal spark of excitement, my world went dark. “What’s going on?”
“I have another gift for you.”
“Another?” I squeaked.
Saxon led me through the stable...and outside? The temperature cooled, the scent of hay replaced by pine.
My heart pounded a frantic beat, my excitement doubling. “Where are we going?”
“Not much farther.” He continued leading me forward, being careful with me.
I heard the whoosh of dragons’ wings overhead and knew the babies were playing. When he stopped, he moved beside me and untied my blindfold.
Sunlight penetrated my vision, and my eyes burned and watered. I blinked to clear the blur and the landscape came into view, revealing...hmm. What was I looking at? A glittery wall of...what was that? It looked like the portal in my secret passage, just bigger and without a frame. No, not true. Whatever it was, it stretched up, up, creating a dome all around us.
“It’s beautiful, and I love it.” Or I knew I would love it, whatever it was. “But, um, what is it?” I asked.
“A magical dome, created by Ophelia. Inside these walls, nothing and no one can harm you.”
Truly? “That’s wonderful.”
“Her magic revolves around energy. We will—I mean, we can, if you agree—spend the next seven days here. You can finish recovering in peace. I can teach you self-defense and...other things. We can do anything we desire.”
Seven days with Saxon and my dragons? No worries or responsibilities? And mmm, mmm, mmm. His voice had deepened there at the end, turning husky with promise. I shivered.
There was still a problem. “What of Dior?”
“I will never wed her, even if I win. I told her so, and she understood,” he said. “This, I swear to you.”
I almost shouted, Yes. Because I wanted this. I wanted to be with him so badly. But he must have had to pay the witch a never-ending fountain of gold for this. I didn’t want him emptying his coffers for me. If we got rid of Leonora, I’d be in charge of half that money. I didn’t want him wasting it. Especially since I hadn’t yet admitted the full truth. “How much did Ophelia charge you?”
“It was her wed—engagement gift to us. Just in case you say yes.” He reached out and gently smoothed a lock of hair behind my ear. “Would you like to stay here with me and our dragons, Ashleigh?”
&nb
sp; Free magic? I needed no more time to think. “Yes, Sax. I would like to stay here with you and our dragons.”
He gave me another bone-melting grin, this one slow and languid. And now I was a puddle of goo. “There’s more,” he said, and my heart nearly stopped.
More? “More than a beautiful possible-engagement bracelet and magical seven-day vacation together?”
He flinched at “possible-engagement,” the muscles in his chest flexing, a reaction I didn’t understand. What was I missing? “I know there are obstacles in our path. I know I don’t deserve a second—third chance with you. I know there’s much we must discuss. But I also know this. I want to marry you, whoever you are. Whatever you are. Whatever happened in the past. Whatever will happen in the future.”
Head spinning. He needed to stop saying such nice things to me. Because oh, the temptation to say yes...but not with Leonora inside me. I wouldn’t change my mind about that. I wouldn’t sentence him to a lifetime with the phantom.
When I opened my mouth to respond—what was I going to say?—Saxon pressed a finger against my lips. “You aren’t answering my proposal until the stroke of midnight on the seventh day, remember? We will make our pledge—or not—then.” He pressed a soft kiss into my cheek. “For now, look over there.”
He continued to upend my world with his generosity, and I knew it was his way of making reparation. He didn’t owe me anything, but curiosity got the better of me. I slid my gaze to...
Oh, sweet goodness. I couldn’t be seeing what I thought I was seeing. “A forge. A real-life forge.”
Saxon positioned himself behind me and leaned down to nuzzle his cheek against mine. “Here you’ll find everything you need to craft your designs. As long as you wear this—” He reached over me to reveal a pink bracelet pinched between his fingers. “You’ll always know what to do. It’s a teaching bracelet. When you wear it, magic will quicken your mind with everything you need to know about bringing your designs to life.”
The Glass Queen Page 34
