Page 28 of The Dragon’s Captive

“Settle down,” Vilka said. “There are still some elders yet to arrive. I suspect they will be of more use.”

“Oh? Will you be stripping and fucking me again, then?”

“Not quite,” Vilka smirked as if she had said something particularly funny.

“Why not? They missed the show. That’s not fair, is it?”

If anything, Kate was more mouthy than she had ever been, making up time for all the abject obedience she had displayed before the gathered elders and Vilka’s legion. She had a lot of making up to do, and she was not wasting any time doing it.

“The elders in question are my parents. My father is a veteran of the first war, as is my mother.”

“Oh. Well,” Kate said. “So I guess that would be weird if we had sex in front of them, huh. Good to know you have some boundaries.”

“I wish to present you to them,” Vilka said. “And not solely because you are the cause of this crisis, but also because you are my mate.”

“So you want me to meet your parents,” Kate said, stunned. “And will I have to do that naked too?”

“No,” Vilka snorted. “This will be a clothed event. And though it will not be formal, I would appreciate it if you could at least try to be polite.”

Kate watched him as he dressed, fussing over his leather armor. He had adjusted it several times and still did not seem entirely comfortable in it.

“Why are you so nervous?” She tilted her head at him curiously. “You were less worried about the world eater, and losing all your men and the elders coming.”

Vilka hesitated for a moment before answering her. “My father is a demanding man, and I have been less than a perfect son.”

“How?” Kate frowned. She couldn’t comprehend how Vilka could be considered anything other than perfect. He was handsome, intelligent, commanding… “You have your own fortress and everything. What kind of high expectations does he have that you’re not meeting?”

“I was once on track for much more than command of a fortress this far from civilization,” Vilka admitted. “You understand, Kate, there was never any indication that Avastias would wake in my lifetime. This is not a post of honor. This is a place where those who are too much trouble for other places end up.”

“Oh, so the perfect place for me, I guess,” she said with a little grin.

“Yes,” Vilka agreed. “I believe so. Though you seem determined as ever to go back and wreak havoc…”

“Aren’t you?” Kate cocked her head to the side and fiddled with the length of her hair, braiding a few strands loosely with her fingers. “I mean, before I came here, were you content to look at a mountain all day?”

“No,” Vilka admitted. “But I had already brought enough shame to my family name.”

Kate’s curiosity spiked. “What did you do?”

Vilka hesitated for a moment. “I am sure I will regret telling you this, but as all highborn men do, I joined the winged guard when I was of age. I did well, but I was not promoted as often as I should have been because they did not care for me. My father’s choice of mate was, and still is, controversial among many. I paid the price for that controversy many times over, being passed over for promotions, spoken to in a condescending and often cruel fashion… it became clear that they would not respect me, no matter how many times I proved myself to my command. So I did something which made it impossible for them to ignore me any longer.”

“What did you do?”

“I really should not tell you,” Vilka repeated. “It will only make you even more difficult to deal with.”

“Are you kidding me? This is the most likeable you’ve ever been,” Kate exclaimed. “You’re always so stiff and perfect. I want to know what you did.”

“There is a king of dragons,” Vilka said. “Becoming one of his personal guard is the highest honor. It is given to the fastest, fiercest, and most adept warriors. I proved myself in the seven trials and was among the top three initiates in the final counting, but when the time came for the king’s guard to be chosen, I was not among their number.”

“Okay…”

“You must understand, my father was of the king’s guard. And his father before him, and his father before him. As long as we have existed, my line has guarded the king’s riches—a vast trove which lies buried deep in the king’s castle. To not be chosen was not just a slight against me; it was a denial of my entire lineage.”

“Mhmm…” Kate nodded along. He was going to get to the point soon, she was sure. The way he kept avoiding telling her precisely what he had done made her certain it was something he did not want her to know. “So what did you actually do?”

A dark, attractive smirk settled itself on Vilka’s features. “The greatest treasure of all is the dragon crown. It weighs half a ton, and is worn by the king when he takes his dragon form. It is studded with all manner of jewels, laden with gold and silver and many more valuables besides. It is guarded at all times by four of the royal guard who rotate around the chamber, and there are many other layers of protection… I was so angry, so desperate to prove my worth and ability, that I decided the best way to do it would be to steal the crown.”

“Oh, god,” Kate half-groaned.