by Donna Grant
She took a deep breath as the large door was opened, and the guards waved her inside. Her gaze immediately went to where Rankin always stood, but he wasn’t there. Her eyes quickly scanned the large room, but he was nowhere to be found. Other warriors were there, so his absence was intentional. Was it because he didn’t want to be around her? Or could it be because he was on a mission?
Jeyra kept the questions to herself and bowed her head to the council as was expected of her. Five pairs of eyes stared at her. She studied the three women and two men, each as different from each other as night and day. Yet, they were also similar in many, many ways.
“Do you have news for us?” Arn asked.
She barely held back a snort. “I received the council’s request only yesterday. It’s going to take time to build rapport with the prisoner.”
“That means she doesn’t have anything,” Palmira stated.
Jeyra’s gaze slid to the older woman. There wasn’t much left of the faded red in Palmira’s gray head of hair now. She kept the long coils loose with the sides pinned back by brightly colored gemstone pins. The years had not been kind to her, lining her face with a multitude of wrinkles, particularly around her mouth. She wore a perpetual frown, her blue eyes cutting like shards of glass. She only wore various shades of yellow that accented her golden-brown skin. With her penchant for sweets and her considerable girth, she always had a shawl that she used to cover her arms, and the lack of armbands—an adornment she didn’t wear because of her size.
“I need more time.” Jeyra wasn’t sure why she said such a thing. She could’ve given them the story Varek had told her the day before. She still wasn’t sure why she hadn’t. Or why she’d asked for more time when the very thought of having to face him again made her want to do literally anything else.
Yet those weren’t the words that fell from her lips. And she couldn’t take them back now.
Arn looked at the other four council members, each bowing their heads at him in response to some silent question. The leader then swung his attention to Jeyra. “Do what needs to be done, but get the prisoner talking. Report to us tomorrow morning.”
Jeyra turned and walked from the room, wondering what the hell had come over her. She blamed it on lack of sleep as she collected her food and made her way out of the building. When she strode into the dungeon, she seethed with anger. Anger at the council for giving her the order, anger at Rankin for not standing with her yesterday, anger at herself for asking for more time with her enemy, and anger at Varek for making her feel sorry for him.
She came to a sudden halt when her gaze landed on him. Varek had his back to her, and despite what little light was available from the torches, she saw he was naked from the waist up. There was a large bruise on his left side that extended onto his back. Her thoughts quieted when he dumped water over his head, and the sound of the chains rang loudly. She watched droplets run down his back and into the waist of his pants while more fell onto the packed ground and beaded there.
Even as she told herself not to look, her eyes moved to his head. His blond hair fell onto his forehead and cheeks as he bent at the waist. He splashed water on his face before dumping more over his head. Her eyes followed his right hand as it scrubbed at the back of his neck, then down his left arm. His left hand repeated the movements on the right side. He then tossed his head back, spraying her with water.
She barely noticed as her eyes ran over the thick sinew of his shoulders and arms. Varek twisted toward her and raked a hand through his wet locks before wiping a hand down his face to dispel the water.
“Good mornin’,” he said and sat back on a stool.
She frowned at the stool and the bucket of water. Neither had been there the day before. “I see you’ve already had company.”
“Aye,” he replied, not giving her any more.
Jeyra looked around, wondering if someone was in the shadows, watching.
“There isna anyone else here, lass.”
She snapped her head back to him. The retort she had died on her lips when she saw his chiseled abs. He didn’t have an ounce of fat anywhere on him. All the moisture left her mouth, making it impossible to swallow. Then her eyes saw something on his left arm.
Jeyra wanted a closer look. She moved forward before she realized what she was doing and found herself close enough to touch the bars of Varek’s prison. But she didn’t move away as she took in the artwork that covered his arm.
“Is this what has your attention?” he asked with a chuckle and turned so that she could see his arm.
“What is it?”
His brows snapped together. “Do your people no’ have tattoos?”
“Tattoos?” she repeated, testing out the word on her tongue. “No one decorates their body in such a way. Why do you have it?”
He shrugged and glanced down at the dragon. “When we shifted for the first time into this form, each Dragon King found one somewhere on his body. We might have always had them, but we didna see them in our true form. We honestly doona know.”
Unable to help herself, Jeyra moved closer. The dragon appeared to be clinging to Varek’s arm. Its head lay near his wrist, facing him with the neck curled slightly inward. The front and back talons seemed to sink into his upper forearm. The dragon’s wings were tucked against his body while the tail curled around Varek’s upper arm to his shoulder. She couldn’t discern if the color was black or red, and she finally decided that it was a mix of both.
“On Earth, many mortals get tattoos of all kinds, but none has ink the color of a Dragon King’s,” Varek said.
Jeyra looked up and found herself staring into his dark eyes. They pulled her in, just like his voice. She wanted to take a hasty step back to somehow break whatever had ensnared her so, but that would show him that she didn’t want to be close to him. Somehow, she made herself remain where she was. She squatted down and tore the bread in half before handing it to him. She did the same with the cheese, as well as the jerky. She left the jug of milk, leaning against the bars.
“Thank you,” he said as he took the food and began to eat.
She plopped down on the ground, wishing she had a stool. Her stomach growled with hunger as she bit into the smoked cheese. She closed her eyes as she savored the flavor. Only after she had swallowed did she open her eyes—to find Varek watching her with an odd look on his face.
Jeyra hastily lowered her eyes and took a bite of the jerky. Out of her peripheral vision, she noted that Varek didn’t move for several minutes. She didn’t breathe easily until he did. Mainly because his look, one of befuddlement and maybe a hint of longing, confused her. Or perhaps she just thought she saw those emotions. Lack of sleep and hunger always put her in a foul mood. A combination of the two usually meant that everyone should stay out of her way.
“You’ve surprised me.”
Her head swung to him. “How so?”
“You returned yesterday when I was sure you wouldna. And again this morning. You made it verra clear that you doona care for me or my kind,” he said before tearing off a section of bread.
“I don’t.” She wasn’t quite sure why she admitted such a thing to him. Perhaps it was because he had asked for truth yesterday. Come what may, she would give him the truth—or as close to it as she could.
He nodded. “Hmm. You heard my story yesterday. Care to share yours?”
“I doubt I heard your entire story.”
Varek chuckled, the sound shooting straight through her and settling warmly in her lower stomach. She swallowed, glad that he was too preoccupied with his food to notice her reaction. It gave her the few seconds she needed to wipe any emotion from her face. He didn’t need to know that his laugh could rouse such a…reaction…from her. No one could.
“My story would take a lot longer than we have,” he said, glancing at her.
She propped one foot on the ground and rested her arm on her knee. “Tell me more.”
“This is the information you want, aye?”
<
br /> Jeyra’s gaze lingered on his lips after he took a bite. She watched him chew then swallow, noting the growth of whiskers on his face as well as the muscles in his neck. “It is.”
“And why would I tell you more? Your hatred will cloud anything I say. No’ to mention, you’ve no reason to believe me. I have no proof I can give,” he replied coolly.
Jeyra finished her food and dusted off her hands. “The more you talk, the longer it’ll be before you’re put on trial.”
“A trial that has no’ a single piece of evidence against me.” His gaze narrowed. “I’ve a feeling that isna going to matter, is it? I willna have a fair trial.”
She wasn’t going to get into their justice system or how it worked. “The fact is, you’re behind bars, not any other Dragon King. You’re the one going on trial.”
“Then take me now. I doona see a reason to tell you anything more about me or the Dragon Kings. If there are actual dragons on this realm, then I willna do anything that could bring them harm.”
His statement took her aback. Of all the things she had expected him to say, that wasn’t it. “I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to prolong the trial.”
“You sound almost upset that I’m willing to die. Is that because you know I’m innocent? Or could it be because you know that my death willna bring you or anyone else the peace you seek?” he asked, his gaze hard and unyielding.
She hated that his words hit too close to home. “You know nothing of our life here.”
“Nay, I doona, because you’ve no’ shared it,” he retorted with as much anger as she had.
This was going nowhere. Jeyra dropped her chin to her chest and closed her eyes. She was still confused about her reaction to him yesterday, her not giving the council any information on Varek this morning, and then being outraged that he’d rather die than talk to her. It was like everything was backwards.
She could give up now and go to the council and tell them what little information she’d gotten. It wouldn’t be enough, though. They would order her back since no one else was brave enough to talk to Varek. But if they did happen to find someone else, that person would discover that the King wasn’t from this realm, which would then lead to them finding out that she had broken the rules, crossed the border onto the dragon’s land, and used magic to trap Varek. Everything would go downhill from there.
Which left her one option—talk to Varek and give him the story he wanted.
“I never knew my parents. The ones who actually gave me life.” She lifted her head and met Varek’s gaze. “I showed up here as an infant, like everyone else.”
Chapter Eight
Varek didn’t move, didn’t even breathe. He couldn’t have heard Jeyra right. He dragged in a deep breath when she licked her lips and briefly lowered her eyes to the ground. He hadn’t actually thought she would tell him anything. The fact that she was talking told him that gaining information from him meant a great deal to her. Even knowing that, he was curious about her. He wanted to know every detail.
“For many, many years, we’ve sought to figure out how babies show up,” she continued with a shrug. “But no matter what we do, there are still no answers. We’ve yet to uncover who brings the babies here. When an infant is discovered, the council allows people in the city and the surrounding farms to come forward and give reason why they should raise it. The council decides who should take the child. That’s how I was placed with my family. They were good people. Loyd was a farmer. He and his wife, Irma, had taken in two foundlings before me, both boys. Because his crops were so important to the area, the council allowed them to take me so I could help Irma.”
Varek leaned forward, bracing his arms on his thighs. Jeyra’s gaze looked straight through him as if she were living it all over again.
“Milford and Ernest were my brothers,” she said with a soft smile. “They were several years older and teased me mercilessly. But there was much love in our household. The work was hard, but life was simple. And good. Loyd and Irma had a lot of love to give, and they shared it with us.”
Varek slowly released a breath, never taking his gaze from her.
Jeyra blinked a few times quickly. “The spring of my eleventh year, my world came crashing down. I was out searching for mushrooms when I heard a roar. I was terrified and dropped the basket to rush back to the house, thinking the dragon was coming for me. I rushed through the woods, branches tearing at my clothes and body. When I reached the clearing, I saw the dragon hovering over the house. The barn was already engulfed in flames, the livestock rushing away in fear. Then the dragon sucked in a breath.”
Varek closed his eyes because he knew what came next.
“Even from that distance, I felt the heat of the dragon’s fire,” Jeyra said in a soft voice. “I covered my head, afraid it would see me and breathe fire on me, as well. I’m not sure how long I lay there before I dared to lift my head. The dragon was gone, but the house was burning. I ran to it, hoping I’d find my family still alive. Instead, I found their smoldering bodies.”
There was nothing for Varek to say. Nothing that would help. So, he remained silent, watching her.
Jeyra cleared her throat. “The dragon was seen from the city walls. Rankin and the warriors rushed to fight it, but it was long gone by the time they arrived. Rankin was the first one to the house. He’s the one who found me, lifted me in his arms, and carried me back to the city and to safety. The council questioned me about what happened, and I answered as best I could. I don’t remember anything until the next morning when I woke up in Rankin’s house. He stayed by my side for the next few days, sitting with me when my nightmares woke me, and comforting me as my family was buried, as is our custom.”
She focused on him then, revulsion shining in her amber eyes. “You want to know why I hate dragons and Dragon Kings? That’s why. My family was taken from me in the most horrendous way possible. And for what reason? They were good, decent people who never harmed anyone.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, lass. I really am. But that wasna me, and you can no’ blame me for something I wasna a part of. If a dragon did that—”
She shot him a look of condemnation. “If?”
“There has to be a reason,” he continued. “I can help you find out which dragon did it and why.”
“As if you would help me.”
“I would. Just as I know that if a dragon did something so horrible, a Dragon King would have punished them severely so no other would dare attempt such a thing.” What he didn’t say was that if a dragon had singled out a family, it was likely because they had done something to the dragon. Jeyra had been just a small girl. She loved her family, and believed they could do no wrong. It would be pointless for him to suggest that they might not have been aboveboard.
Her lips twisted as she snorted. “It wasn’t just a dragon who killed my family. It was a Dragon King.”
“How do you know?”
“I was told.”
“By who?” he pushed.
Her face contorted with frustration. “It’s none of your damn business. We know the difference.”
“That’s just it, lass. You can no’ tell the difference between a Dragon King and a dragon when we’re in our true forms. We look alike.”
Puzzlement passed over her face before she shook her head. “Of course, you’d lie to make the dragons look innocent. You don’t want to die, and you’re trying to save your own arse.”
“I’m no’ lying. I’ve no need to.”
“So you say.”
Varek sighed, trying his best not to lose his patience. He wanted to ask her so many things about her story, mainly the dragons. But now wasn’t the time. He needed to tread carefully and slowly work his way up to that. “You say that bairns show up here?”
“That’s right.”
“Is there a certain place they arrive? Does anyone see how they get here?”
She rolled her eyes. “No and no. Why are you even asking about that?”
/> “Because it’s concerning that babies are being taken from the arms of their parents and brought here. Do you no’ want to know where you come from?”
Jeyra shook her head. “I’ve accepted things.”
“I wouldna. If there isna a place the bairns are placed, how do you know when one has arrived?”
She released a long-suffering sigh. “If you must know, small groups roam our lands, looking and listening for babies.”
“They’re then brought to the council?”
“Yes,” she replied in irritation. “Just as I said.”
He sat up, stretching his back. “Has anyone ever kept a bairn to themselves without going to the council?”
“The laws are in place for a reason. They’re not to be broken.”
There was something in her voice at the end that caught his attention. Varek quirked a brow. “Oh, I imagine there are those who break the laws and doona get caught.”
Jeyra shrugged. “If anyone kept a baby, that’s between them and the council if they’re ever caught. There are no records of people, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s done.”
Varek rubbed his hands down his thighs, the clanking of the chains reminding him of his position. “On my realm, there is folklore about changelings.”
“What are changelings?”
“Human children stolen by the Fae. They leave Fae children in their place.”
“Fae? You can’t be serious.”
He was so taken aback by her refusal to believe, that he could only blink at her. “In my world, dragons are myth, and yet we’re verra real. Trust me when I say the Fae are, as well. Have you never encountered a Fae?”
“No,” she said with a decisive shake of her head.
“But you have heard of them.”
She considered that for a moment and then shrugged. “I must have. Though it isn’t something that’s discussed often.”
“Are only humans and dragons in this realm?” he asked.
“As far as I know. We don’t venture out beyond our borders. I’m still confused why a Fae would steal a human child and replace it with one of their own.”
