by Ivy Clyde
No wonder the townspeople appeared depressed this early in the day. They were expecting another disaster to befall them. Rumors of rogue dragon sightings all over the city were further making them nervous.
As I turned away from the crowd, I wondered how Adal and Norvin would react to the news.
Adal had been careful about his family’s safety right from the start. When we decided to embark on our impossible mission to overthrow Ivan, his only concern had been the royal family of Baledonia. He didn’t want to involve them in our schemes to keep his young nephews and nieces safe.
The news article said nothing about the other royal family members. It only mentioned the princes. I could only hope Ivan had spared them so that he could put one of them on the throne all the while controlling their actions.
My other worry was controlling Norvin. He wasn’t the kind of man to sit idle while his people were being killed and burned. He would want to avenge them.
For the past few months or so, I had no contact with my people either. Being away from Iorna got me desperate and anxious too. There was no way to know how my people were faring without their ruling prince.
Walking back to Ren’s house, I knew we couldn’t wait any longer.
All of us were already in Fuvaros. It was time to strike Ivan and take back control over our kingdoms and people.
I hurried back to Ren’s house, knowing it would be best for both my companions to hear the devastating news from me rather than coming across it from someone else. There was no one we could trust other than Daria. The bonds around our fates had become stronger than ever.
Reaching the house, I looked for Daria but she was nowhere to be found. Ren was also missing. Where could they be that early in the morning? I hoped they weren’t up to something dangerous again.
Heading to the room assigned to us, I found both Norvin and Adal eating bowls of barley porridge. They beckoned me as soon as they spotted me.
“The food is still warm,” called Norvin. “Come eat with us.”
I wondered if I should wait for them to finish eating before giving them the news. Once they heard what happened to their families and people, they would be too sick to eat.
I sat down on the small table in the corner and accepted the bowl Adal pushed towards me.
“Why do you look so grim?” asked Norvin. Some of the bluish tints were starting to appear among his henna-dyed orange hair. Within another week, the color of the natural dye would wash away completely and it won’t be long before someone recognized him. I glanced at Adal. The blonde of his hair already looked pronounced.
I ate some of the porridge without responding to them.
“Did you hear something distressing?” asked Adal. He was watching me closely. His bowl was already empty.
Releasing a heavy sigh, I pushed away the food. “There is something I have to tell you both.”
“Don’t sound like you’re about to announce doomsday,” said Norvin. “And where is Daria? Shouldn’t we wait for her?”
“Daria and Ren are missing. However, the news I am about to disclose pertains to both of you. The whole town knows anyway, so it’s time you heard too.”
“Did Ivan do something again?” asked Norvin in a grim voice. His purple-hued eyes watched me closely now.
“The night we were at the dragon temple in Fuvaros was the same night Ivan killed Kurozeru and your other brothers,” I said, looking at Adal. He froze immediately. Giving him a minute, I turned to Norvin. “Ivan burned the whole province of Dakuru.”
It was painful to watch the torturous expressions on both their faces. One lost his brothers while the other lost his people.
I sat there quietly, waiting for them to ask me more questions. My own mind wondered when I’d hear something just as tragic from Iorna. So far, there had been no news from my kingdom. Part of me wondered whether Helena was still looking to be my queen. It would be the only reason Ivan hadn’t razed Iorna to the ground.
“What about my mother?” asked Adal in a pained voice. “What about my nephews and nieces? Are they all right or did Ivan murder them too?”
“The article posted in the town square only spoke of the deaths of the royal princes. No one else.”
Closing his eyes, Adal gripped his hair tightly. “It’s all my fault.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” I said sternly. “If given a chance, would you choose to do something different in the situation Kurozeru put you in? He didn’t even warn you of the dangers before coming to arrest you with his soldiers. Kurozeru showed you no loyalty. There is no need to blame his death on yourself. He was the one who thought he would live longer if he sided with Ivan.”
“I worry about my nephews and nieces,” said Adal. His blue eyes shone with unshed tears. “They’re still too young.”
“I’m sure you’ll protect them better than their fathers,” said Norvin. To my astonishment, he gripped Adal’s shoulder and forced him to look in his eyes. “It won’t be long before we set things right. Hold tight! This isn’t the time to indulge in grief.”
Norvin was still calm enough to console Adal despite hearing the news of Ivan destroying one of his provinces. I stared at him wide-eyed until he glanced at me.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” asked Norvin with a frown.
“I can’t believe how calm you are.”
He shook his head. “It’s not calm. It is resolve. Ivan will pay for every death he’s caused to my people.” He glanced between me and Adal. “It is time. We fight him. And for once, I’m glad Daria is absent. There is something I wanted to discuss with both of you. We retract the mission we gave her. We’ll be the ones to fight and defeat Ivan. Not her.”
Adal nodded. “I agree with you completely on that.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “There is no need to put her in danger anymore. I’m sure we can handle Ivan between ourselves.”
“Daria would still want us to be cautious,” said Adal in a low voice. His brows were knitted together as he thought of her. “We were supposed to read the tomes we collected in the dragon temple. There might be something of importance in there.”
“There’s no time to go through them all,” said Norvin. “I say we attack Ivan right away.”
And there it was. My companion’s irrepressible impatience.
“Let us wait for Daria to come back,” I said, not comfortable with Norvin’s hastiness. “We will attack him in the days to come but let’s not rush into something without a plan.”
Norvin’s fist connected with the table. The china bowls clattered at the heavy impact.
“Calm down, Norvin,” said Adal. “We will avenge ourselves but let’s wait for Daria. She needs to know what happened. We also need to tell her to withdraw from the mission.”
“Fine,” he bit out. “Where has she gone? And with that redhead too.”
“Let’s hope they get back soon,” I replied. “Ivan will already have heard about us terrorizing the city and the dragon temple.”
“He might even be aware of the books we stole,” added Adal. “I am worried about her now.”
A few hours passed with no news.
Close to noon, we heard a commotion coming from the front of the house. A single voice spoke in a loud, commanding tone. I recognized it to be Ren’s.
“Let’s take a look,” said Norvin, getting to his feet.
We joined a crowd of servants headed to the front foyer. Before we’d reached the spot, four women walked past us carrying a female body. Even though the limp figure’s face was veiled, I could easily tell it was Daria.
Ren followed after them, effectively ignoring us.
My hand shot out to prevent Norvin following them. “Wait until the crowd clears up,” I said under my breath.
“Master Ren is highly favoring the new maid,” a woman whispered to her friend. “He got a palace palanquin to carry her home.”
“But what’s wrong with her?”
“Who knows? Probably a fever or something.�
�
Within minutes, the maids and servants took their whisperings back to their stations.
“Let’s go,” said Adal. “No one will notice us now.”
We headed towards Daria’s bedchambers. Anxiety coiled around my chest tightly. What had Ren and Daria been up to that would lead her to become unconscious? My dragon urged me to go to her quickly. The mating bond had grown stronger between us.
Adal pushed the door to her bedchambers and strode forward. I followed after him and the first thing I noticed was Daria’s body on the bed. Ren had removed her veil, revealing her pale face and the streaks of dried blood that had dripped from her nose.
“What happened to her?” roared Norvin, stomping past me to reach Daria’s bedside.
“She was okay for a while,” said Ren in a tight voice. “But I suppose the effects of poison didn’t fully leave her body yet.”
“What poison?” I demanded. My dragon wanted me to tear into Ren for letting Daria get hurt.
“Daria and I went to the palace,” explained Ren, turning his attention to us. “She insisted we take a look at Ivan’s private garden. Only there was nothing there except a field of weeds. She got sick there. She believes the weeds are poisonous to her.”
“Then why aren’t you affected?” asked Adal.
“Daria believes it only affects dragonborns. She suspects that’s the place Ivan used to grow them secretly so he could poison her father and the other dragons fifteen years ago. She asked me to go back and collect more of the herb.”
“It looks bad,” said Adal in a low voice. He was seated on the edge of her bed and gently caressed her hand. The skin there looked raw and bloody. It was only a minute before he started itching at his own palm. “It’s affecting me too.” His worried blue eyes met mine and Norvin’s. Glancing at Ren, he said, “Did Daria touch those weeds?”
“They might have brushed her,” said Ren. “But no, she didn’t touch any particularly. The breeze might have also caused some of the pollen to enter her body through her nose. She bled from her nose earlier.”
“This is a potent poison,” said Adal in a grim tone. “Just touching Daria’s hand is making me want to peel my skin away. Can you imagine what would happen if one of us consumed it?”
“Why did you take her to the palace?” asked Norvin with a narrowed gaze. “You must have already heard the great things your father did.”
“He is not my father.”
“But why did you both go to the palace?” asked Adal.
“I asked her for a personal favor. She agreed.”
Norvin strode forward and clutched the front of Ren’s tunic. “How do we know you didn’t do this to her?”
“If I wanted to hurt her, she would be dead already,” said Ren, matching Norvin’s angry gaze. “It wouldn’t have been hard when I first found her with an arrow sticking out of her chest.”
Norvin pushed him away with a grunt.
“I am going back to the palace,” said Ren. “I’ll get some of the maids to look after her. In the meantime, I suggest you don’t touch her.” Tying his cloak around him, Ren left the room.
“Could you get me a basin of cold water?” said Adal through gritted teeth. “I can’t bear the way it’s burning my skin.” His hand was beginning to like Daria’s. Bloody scratches had appeared on them.
A soft murmur caused us to look towards the bed. Daria was slowly sitting up.
Blinking her eyes open, she met our gazes.
“Did you touch me, Adal?” she asked at once, staring at the red scratches on his hand.
“Yes. Looks like I got affected too.”
She frowned, despite looking like she was going to be sick. “Have you ever read about such a potent poison?”
“Something that specifically targets dragonborns?” said Adal. “No.”
“How are you feeling Daria?” asked Norvin, reaching her bedside. He was about to touch her hand but she snatched it away.
“Don’t touch me until I’ve gotten rid of the poison. It will take me an entire night to get rid of it. I will be greatly weakened though. I already lost too much energy healing Helena and a couple of maids.”
“What? Why would you heal Helena?” I demanded.
“It was a favor I owed Ren,” she said in a bitter tone. She put up her hand before I could ask her to explain herself. “Come here, Adal. I’ll heal your wound.”
“No. You need to preserve your strength to heal yourself.”
She shook her head. “It won’t take much to cure you. After that, make sure no maid or servant bothers me in these chambers. I will be in deep meditation and a disturbance can cause me to injure myself.”
“We’ll protect you,” I vowed to her.
Adal moved closer to her. Daria didn’t touch him but merely placed her hand over his. Before our eyes, the red scratches on his skin disappeared.
“Thank you, love,” said Adal.
Daria leaned away from him. “Now go. I’ll be fine by tonight.”
I gestured at both Adal and Norvin and together, we left the room.
Once we were outside, I turned to my companions. “We’ll speak to her about our decision when she gets better.”
They both agreed.
“We’ll watch over her until then,” said Norvin, leaning against the wall.
5
Daria
The sun was close to setting by the time I was able to get the poison out of my system. It was extremely minute but the effect it had on me was devastating. I didn’t want to think what would have happened if someone gave me a concentrated dose of the venom.
The clothes on my body were drenched in sweat. I shivered with cold shudders, trying to get on my feet. My head throbbed painfully. Somehow, I managed to reach the pewter jug nearby and poured myself some wine. After a few gulps, I felt a little warmth spreading through my veins but not enough to make me feel any better.
I headed for the door and opened it.
Three figures stood guarding the passageway. Their heads turned in my direction the moment I stepped out.
“How are you, Daria?” Cain’s deep voice spoke up.
“The poison is gone but I still need time to recuperate.” I leaned heavily against the wall to support myself.
“You need to lie down,” said Cain, reaching me. Bending down, he easily swept me in his powerful arms and walked inside the room. Adal and Norvin followed after him.
“We need to get you out of these clothes,” said Adal just as Cain laid me on the bed. “They’re damp and you will catch a chill if you stay in them.”
“I’ll get some hot water to bathe her,” said Norvin. “In the meantime, strip her out of those wet clothes.” He hurried out of the room while Cain began loosening the ties and hooks of the dress I wore.
Weak as I was, warmth flooded my cheeks. While I’d been intimate with both Cain and Adal and it didn’t matter whether they saw me naked at a time like this, it never happened with both of them present at the same time.
I remained quiet as both Cain and Adal stripped me of the maids’ uniform. Their whole focus was on getting the dress off me as gently as possible. Neither realized they weren’t alone with me.
Norvin arrived in the room with a steaming basin of water. His gaze zeroed onto my naked form before meeting my shy glance. Moving forward, he placed the basin on my bedside table.
“Look for a washcloth,” said Norvin.
Adal moved away to rummage in the bottom drawer of the wooden cabinet in the room, coming back with a stack of neatly folded linen towels.
Each of my princes took one and dipped them in the hot, steaming water.
Without a word, they began washing my arms, face, chest, and legs.
The headache tormenting me before disappeared as I succumbed to the three pairs of hands on my body. Soft, pleasurable moans escaped me. My core throbbed each time I met one of their intense gazes on me. Arousal pooled between my legs.
I pressed my thighs together tightly.
“Loosen up,” said Norvin in a rough, husky voice. He parted my thighs and sensuously swiped the warm, wet linen towel on my inner thigh. His purple-hued eyes glanced into mine. “You’re dripping, woman.” My cheeks burned hotter as Adal and Cain followed Norvin’s gaze. My core pulsed with desire at the sight of them gathered around my naked body. Weak as I was, I needed my mates to take me right then.
Norvin’s warm finger slid through my slit, causing a shudder to ripple through my body. “She is so ready for us.”
“She needs to rest,” said Adal. He averted my gaze but I’d noticed how his eyes had darkened when Norvin touched my sex. “She is still too weak.”
“Yes, but we can help her relax,” said Cain. He sat down on the edge of the bed and lifted my body onto his lap. I leaned against his broad, hard chest, feeling completely safe as his arms came to hold me protectively.
“Keep her like that,” said Norvin, proceeding to part my thighs once more and dipping two of his fingers inside my wet, pulsing core. I moaned out, thoroughly enjoying the feel of his digits stretching my walls.
“Adal,” I murmured. “Don’t stay so far away from me.”
He hesitated for a moment but came to sit on my other side on the bed. Leaning into me, he whispered, “I can never stay away from you.” Angling my head towards him, he captured my lips between his. At the same Cain, placed his mouth on one of my nipples and sucked it hard.
“Ahhh.” I moaned into Adal’s mouth as his tongue swept over mine.
With Norvin’s fingers working deep inside me, I felt my core tighten deliciously.
Cain and Adal held me to them tightly as Norvin worked me to a climax. My inner walls clamped around his fingers, urging him to move deeper inside me. His thumb brushed over my clit, making my pleasure rise higher.
I moaned into Adal’s mouth as heat rushed through my veins to warm me to the very tips of my toes and fingers. My awareness of each of their touches was fuelling my desire to new heights. My fingers clutched onto the bed sheet underneath me as my pleasure became unbearable.
Suddenly, all my control came crashing down. A soft cry escaped me as my body trembled against Adal and Cain’s. Waves of pleasure cascaded down on me and I was left to gasp and moan, feeling thoroughly relieved and energized at the same time.
