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No. I want to know why you bother with potions when you have magic at your disposal. I want to know why you risk callouses and tiredness for those damned potions.
“Sure,” he said out loud.
Sapphire nodded in satisfaction. “Very well, then. Goodnight.”
He waited for Emerald to stand up, and walked her to the door, where Sapphire was already rushing away. She was vibrating again, and he knew without a doubt that she was off to either make more of those potions or dig away at more of his pond crystals. He wanted to remind her to get some rest.
Not your business. Not your bride.
Before Emerald could follow her sister, he took her hand.
“Meet me in the garden. Belly knows where it is. Let me take you for a walk.”
The words were low, but her head perked in interest. Emerald glanced back at Sapphire, then nodded before she tugged her hand away. He went in the other direction until he reached the garden located at the back of the castle, where the barren yard boasted a circular patch protected by the same lush trees.
He reached the center, where he found a clearing housing the magical pond that Sapphire had been gushing about. It looked ordinary, but he spotted the crystals poking from the surrounding ground in varying shapes and sizes. Klaus left it alone, sitting on a rock that had eroded into the shape of a bench over the years.
It was weird how the soil outside this circular patch killed every living plant there was while the flowers inside rioted in wild, different colors. It was magic all in itself, but he supposed his ancestors had been aided by outside sources. He was also sure his ancestors got rid of those sources to claim the magic as theirs. Assholes—that was what dragons were, generally.
Beware. Trouble will come and the forces of evil will be stronger than ever.
When footsteps sounded, he stood up, half-expecting a blue-eyed witch to show up and shoot laser beams at him. His shoulders tingled in anticipation, then settled when Emerald wandered in instead. She looked around in awe.
“I haven’t explored this area yet.”
He held out his elbow and waited for her to slide her hand around it. They started their walk, slow and relaxed, with the moonlight illuminating their path. It was the perfect place for a romantic evening, really, and he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of meeting her here before.
“It’s not that big of an area, but it’s the only place where these flowers grow.”
“They’re great. Can I pick some?”
He bent over and did it for her, handing her a bouquet and watching as she sniffed them appreciatively. Then she began to arrange them more neatly, giving him a glimpse of the organized, efficient woman underneath all her agreeable persona—the perfect wife material.
“Thanks,” she said. “I can’t stay long. My sister will be looking for me soon.”
He bit back a grimace. “Let’s hope not.”
Emerald gave him a look, then sighed. “She’s not that bad. And I swear she means you no harm. This is just her way of monitoring us.”
“Hmm.” Talking about Sapphire put him in a mood. Talking about her led to thinking about her, and he bit his tongue from letting out harsh words. “Has your sister always been this...spirited?”
“She's very passionate about a lot of things, most of all when it involves family. She's been the head for a few years now and takes her responsibilities seriously.”
“Such as thwarting her siblings’ potential partnerships?”
So much for restraining harshness. To Emerald’s credit, she didn’t seem offended, just contemplative.
“She has always been supportive of Silver’s partnership with Rosa despite initially wanting to bring him back home to Broom’s Isle. May I be frank?”
“Yes.”
“The display you put on when you tried to…convince Rosa to still marry you didn’t leave a good impression on any of us, especially when Silver’s happiness was our priority. He needed it after years of torture and suffering.”
He didn’t know what the details were about the warlock’s past, but he knew all about suffering. Klaus perused her.
“And is that what this is, then? You mating with me to keep Silver happy?”
“Yes,” she said honestly. “But that’s not all. I also have my reasons.”
