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“I’m sorry.”
“You did the right thing.” He could have added “you did what I didn’t have the courage to do”, but he didn’t. It was better to leave it this way. The past was in the past. The future was the only thing worth talking about.
“Then why am I here?”
“I was hoping you could help me keep a promise.”
“A promise?” Viggo turned to look at Max, his dark blond eyebrows raised in curiosity.
“A promise I made to the one who gave me the cure and saved my child’s life. James Harington.” When the dragon didn’t say anything, Max continued. “He has a sister.”
“Lily Harington. She’s a Donation here.”
“Oh. You know about her.”
“Of course I do. I didn’t spy on the Harington family all these years for nothing.”
“Well, this makes things easier.”
“What things?”
Max took a deep breath. He had thought about it long enough to know it was, in theory, a good idea. He just wasn’t sure how to phrase it.
“I promised James I would find his sister a good suitor, an influential shape-shifter who would take care of her, offer her everything she needs, while also satisfying Councilor Harington’s ego of having his only daughter married off to someone worthy of her name and status.”
Viggo’s handsome face lit up with a bright, indulgent smile. “I see. Unfortunately, I’m afraid I’ll have to refuse. Our tradition doesn’t allow an Annarr to take a mate before his Fyrstur.”
“I know. That’s why I’m not offering Lily Harington to you, but to your Alpha. Eric Drekinn.”
Viggo’s smile fell. He had to admit: the werewolf had taken him by surprise. He was now more curious than ever.
“Why would you think Eric Drekinn would even want a bride? He’s been asleep for over seven centuries, and he has no intention of waking up.”
“But you have every intention to bring him back, don’t you? I’ve paid attention to everything you said in that office. The cure. You want one for dragons because immortality is a terrible burden when you take human bride, after human bride, after human bride, and you only get to spend a couple of years with each of them.”
“We’re not immortal…” Viggo had turned his gaze back to the mountain.
“We, wolf-shifters, go through the exact same thing, except in our case it ends sooner. How much has your Fyrstur suffered? How many wives has he lost? You say he doesn’t want to wake up and take back his place as leader of the ancient Clan Drekinn. And you’re tired, aren’t you, Viggo? You’re so tired. I can see it in your eyes. You’ve taken care of the clan’s businesses for too long, and you’ve done it all by yourself. Eric Drekinn doesn’t want to wake up from his slumber because he believes there’s nothing to come back to. However, if you present him with a beautiful hybrid bride who could give him heirs and spend the rest of eternity with him, he’d change
his mind, wouldn’t he?”
“You’re awfully observant, Maxwell Blackmane.”
“I’m just good at putting two and two together.”
Viggo was silent for a couple of minutes. He had to think this through. He couldn’t jump in without taking everything into consideration. On the other hand, Lily Harington was a perfect candidate for Eric Drekinn. There were so many advantages. She wasn’t only the daughter of a human Councilor, but she was also the daughter of the only man in the world who had managed to discover a cure for the werewolf venom. Now that his endeavor had been successful, he could start working on cures for the other types of shifter venom. Like dragon venom. If he ever found the right formula for it, certainly Arthur Harington wouldn’t refuse his daughter the opportunity to become almost immortal.
“I’ve seen her with Avelyn,” he finally said.
“She’s a bright and beautiful young woman.”
“She is.” To tell the truth, he did think the blonde, fragile Lily was exactly Eric’s type. “I’ll ask for an interview with her.”
Max sighed in relief. He would have loved to show his enthusiasm in some way, maybe through a light punch to the dragon’s shoulder, or a friendly shake of hand, but he settled for a polite “Thank you.”
They stayed like that, in silence, watching the sun slowly rise to the middle of the sky. It was comfortably peaceful, with the wind blowing lightly, but never making a sound since it didn’t have any branches or leaves to get caught on. The air still smelled of burned wood and grass, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
The perfect moment was interrupted by rushed steps on the rock pavement. The quick click-clack of high heels was the harbinger of bad news. Max’s heart pumped adrenaline through his veins. When he saw Rosanna’s big, watery eyes, and quivering chin, he knew something was wrong.
