Page 83 of Sanctuary with a Dragon

I nodded, tears running down my cheeks for no discernible reason. I sniffed and wiped them away.

I am sorry for your pain, little queen,Vyseris said without turning, finally making his way out into the courtyard, where the sun was flooding everything, making the gleam off the patches of snow blinding.I would stay for a while if I could.

“But she needs you.”

He nodded, lifting his head to the sun, then closing his eyes.It is good to feel the sun on my face again. I never thought the day would come again when I would.

“Vyseris? What… happened? It looked like someone had cursed you, at least that’s what Shay said. Why would someone do that to you? You’re a good dragon.”

Vyseris lowered his head so it was closer to mine and looked at me for a long moment before he shared,I had another Kindred Bond a long time ago. But a warlock maiden who was obsessed with him didn’t like the bond between us and was jealous. She found a way to mute our bond, so I had no knowledge of where he was, then lured me to that system of caves with the lie that my Kindred was introuble. When I arrived, she cursed me with a foul-smelling ring before I could kill her.

My mouth opened and closed soundlessly. How could anyone be so cruel? The thought broke my heart.

More tears ran down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Vyseris.” I touched his snout. “I’m so, so sorry.”

He brushed his nose gently over my head, then warned us to step back. A moment later, he unfurled his wings. For an instant, he struggled to lift off the ground—but then he rose, slowly, majestically, higher and higher, until he was only a speck in the bright sky.

Alaric joined me then, wrapping an arm around my waist as we both watched him disappear into the horizon. King Garyyk was nowhere in sight.

“He’s gone?”

I turned to my mate, wrapped my arms around his middle, and sobbed into his shirt.

Fortunately,I didn’t spend my entire wedding and mating day sobbing.

I eventually got showered and dressed and met Alaric in front of half the world so we could say our vows to each other.

After our wedding, I was crowned queen, and, standing before our people with my scepter and my ball of everlight, the people’s cheers were so loud I’m convinced allof Alaska heard them.

Later, Alaric changed to his dragon form, and we flew to the cabin where everything had started for us.

Inside, there were candles and rose petals by the dozens, and on the kitchen table were two perfectly frozen ice-cream sundaes.

Sadly, we never made it to the sundaes.

Some things are more important.