Page 76 of Dragon King’s Duty Bride

Stella was bright-eyed and hungry as she tugged at the curtains to let in the sunlight. Her cheerfulness and lack of so much as a cough left Sia wondering how a child could burn like a fire and be perfectly well a few hours later.

Celeste was also different in subtler, stranger ways.

At dance class the following week, Sia had lingered near the mirrored wall and watched Celeste’s reflection rather than the instructor, because there was something about the way Celeste held herself that drew her attention and refused to release it. She was only eleven, all long limbs and determined chin, yet when the other children faltered in their steps, it was Celeste who corrected them. She wasn’t mean about it, but she had a natural authority that seemed to ripple outward from her like a quiet command.

“No, like this,” Celeste had said and demonstrated the turn with a sharp precision that made even the teacher blink in surprise. “Again.”

And they did.

Without complaint, without mockery, and without the usual chaos of kids her age that often happened if they felt they were being bossed around. Instead, they simply obeyed.

“Natural leader, that one!” The instructor laughed it off and Sia forced herself to smile, but she knew there was something off about the whole situation.

Then there was Luna.

Luna who came padding up to her at breakfast with her hair mussed and eyes wide as she whispered with breathless amazement about the sky. “Mama Sia,” she had said and climbed into Sia’s lap, “I can fly in my dreams. Not like falling. Like…like I have wings.”

Sia had brushed her fingers through Luna’s hair and swallowed hard. “What do you see up there in the sky?” Sia had asked softly.

“Everything,” Luna replied, with a certainty that felt older than her years. “And it’s all mine to protect.”

Sia had closed her eyes at that and pulled her into a hug and held her close. She wasn’t sure what the statistics were of all three girls having dragon tendencies, but she was fairly certain that they did and would continue exhibiting the traits as they grew up.

She sought Lucas one evening after the girls had been tucked into their beds and found him in his study surrounded by maps and papers. The low light threw sharp angles across his face as he leaned over a large boundary map that marked the borders of Crystafalls. His jaw was tight and his eyes reflected the weight of a kingdom’s worry.

“Lucas,” she began gently and closed the door behind her.

He looked up at once, and the warmth in his gaze for her was immediate and real, yet it was threaded through with distraction.

“They’re showing signs,” she said without waiting. “It’s subtle, but it’s there. Stella’s fever wasn’t ordinary. Celeste commands without trying. Luna dreams of flight as though she remembers it.”

“They are children,” he replied. “Gifted children, perhaps. Strong-willed. Imaginative.”

His expression darkened with concern that seemed directed elsewhere. “There are more pressing matters,” he said, rubbing a hand over his face before glancing back at the map. “I can’t divide my focus right now.”

It was so unlike him to not make the girls his priority. She leaned over him. “What’s going on? You’ve barely said anything to me lately, and I never see you anymore.”

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face again. “I didn’t want to make you worry.”

“Oh, because that will make me just carry on.” She sat in the chair opposite him. “Tell me. What’s going on?”

He gave her the brief rundown of the unexpected visit. “And now, I don’t know what he’ll do.”

The name settled heavily between them.

Voilear.

Sia had heard it spoken in lowered voices by advisors and messengers as she moved around the castle, but she hadn’t put any weight behind the name.

“So, he’s another dragon that thinks he can just woosh in here and take over?”

Lucas nodded. “Basically. It doesn’t help that it’s the way land has been conquered for centuries. I just never thought I’d have to deal with it in my lifetime.” He leaned over and kissed her. “And that’s why I’m distracted. The girls are the most important thing, you know that. But keeping them in their home is just as important at the moment.”

She kissed him back. “I miss you, but I understand.”

“I promise as soon as this scum is sent packing, I’ll be right at your side as we figure out my little dragon-lings. It shouldn’t be long.”

Waiting did not sit well with her.