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Except now, her potions were running low, and she was at risk of exposing this vulnerability to a dragon shifter who might take advantage of it.
Can’t. Won’t happen.
She went to check on Emerald, who had fallen asleep in the tub and would probably drown if not for the instinctive magic that held her afloat. If Sapphire was an envious person, she would curse the gods who gave her this weakness and hold a grudge. But she wasn’t, so she tiptoed back to the room and solved her problems the way she knew how.
Sapphire took her satchel of ingredients, tossed it over one shoulder, and set course to find the most private room in the castle.
As it turned out, there were too many rooms that could serve her purpose perfectly. Sapphire stationed herself in one that was far from all the castle’s entrances, then looked around for a table. She dragged the nearest one to the room, lightening its weight with her magic, and admired the craftmanship of thick, polished wood intertwined with golden iron and encrusted with rich-colored gemstones. Laying a blanket on top, she took out her ingredients and surveyed her options. Then she got to work.
It started with easy magic, then demanded the use of her muscles, sometimes even brute strength to push out what energy she could. The intense use earlier made it difficult, but some meditation had her relaxing enough to tug more from her core and add a little bit to each of her new mixes. The hours flew as mix after mix became successful, and she soon concentrated on bottling them up to the last drop in her reserved vials.
When she was done, Sapphire stepped back to scan the rows of potions she had produced and couldn’t help but feel a blaze of triumph. She heaved a deep breath, stashed them all carefully in her satchel, and placed the rest in her pockets. When the table called to her, she climbed up—a bad idea as her back ached immediately.
“A bed. I need a goddamned bed.”
Sapphire groaned and climbed back down, then trudged to the hallway in a daze of sleepiness and emptied energy. When she glimpsed a familiar form headed in a familiar direction, instinct snapped and she was moving faster than she thought she could in her state. Klaus stopped in his tracks when a thin sheen met him at the closed door before she slipped in between for good measure.
“Sapphire,” he said, not hiding his surprise.
“Klaus,” she returned. She waited for him to move back, but he didn’t. Up close, she noted that he had shaven, and his hair was sleeked back. His attire was new, too, not the impenetrable hide he always bragged about but actual dark blue clothes that set off flecks of dark blue in his eyes. He was…polished, the rough dragon gone. “What are you doing?”
“Visiting my bride.”
The confidence in which he stated it had her scoffing.
“In the middle of the night? Surely you don’t think that’s appropriate at all…” She trailed off when he kept staring, unwavering. A ringing suspicion formed as she glanced around until her gaze landed on a window above, where rays of sunlight fluttered in. “Oh.”
Oh, shit.
He didn’t smirk, but his tone savored. “That’s right. Daytime. Does recharging not include sleep?”
Her cheeks heated. “I got distracted.”
“With what?”
“Recharging.” Mortified, she switched her focus to the box he was holding. “What’s that?”
“A gift for my bride.”
“You can give it to her for lunch.”
“I would rather give it to her while she enjoys her breakfast in bed…and enjoys my company.”
There was no mistaking what he meant. Perhaps it was a taunt again just to raise her hackles, but she took the bait, anyway, and gritted her teeth.
“Lunch. When she’s properly dressed and ready to see you.”
“Breakfast. And shouldn’t she decide that for herself?”
“Lunch,” she repeated. “Em likes her space and to present herself well. And I will be there with her during that lunch.”
“There’s no need—”
“I’m the head of her family. I will supervise all interactions until you’re mated.”
His features sharpened. “Would you like to add that to the pact too?”
“Now that you mention it—”
