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“I don’t know!” She throws her hands up in frustration. “I don’t know the correct bathroom etiquette here.”
Despite the silly nature of the conversation and her blatant annoyance, I can’t help but smirk. “No, wife, you will not have to pee on a rock. Unless you choose to.” She mutters obscenities at me and I shrug them off. “We do not have indoor plumbing in the same sense the mortal world has it. Or at least from what I’m told, but we do have chamber pots when the need should call.”
Everything I know from the human world came from two people, one of which is no longer with me, the other being Ender. Ender is our eyes and ears in the human world, though I still don’t know why he took that job upon himself.
Rose nods once before walking farther into the room. She stops by my—our—bed, looking down at the untouched sheets. I have the bed as a necessity, but usually prefer to sleep in my dragon skin. Even though the bed is equipped to handle two large bodies in it, more than enough room for Rose, it isn’t substantial enough to accommodate my dragon. No, that's on the other side of the room.
I notice the exact moment Rose sees the large pallet on the floor. It’s tucked off into a spacious nook, filled with cushions and pillows of various sizes. There is a sizable indent in the center from where I had slept last night.
“This will be your room now. You are safe here. No one is allowed in without my permission,” I say, not sure if I want to keep her safe or simply keep her to myself.
“So I’m your prisoner, not your wife.” The fierceness from earlier is back. I’m not naive enough to think I hear hurt in her voice, especially when the look she gives me rivals an angry dragoness.
“This isn’t your prison. It’s for your?—”
“Safety, yes,” she interrupts me. Anyone else and I would have their tongue. I’m tempted to do just that. “A cage is still a cage, no matter how prettily decorated.”
“Need I remind you that you agreed to this arrangement as well.” I will not be the recipient of her ire. I have enough shit to figure out and dealing with an angry wife doesn’t even make my to-do list.
Rose doesn’t speak, but I feel the anger wafting off her. She doesn’t want to be here any more than I want her to be here. Neither of us is getting what we want, but this is our reality. A part of me wonders what made her make the deal in the first place, sacrificing her own life to save my home.
What was she running from?
I don’t get to ask this because a moment later there is a knock on the door. I curse silently, forgetting that I had invited him over today. Instead of meeting him in our ballroom, I opted for the privacy of my own chambers. Too many wondering eyes eager to get a glimpse at their new queen. And they would. Just not yet.
“Who is that?” There’s a slight tremor in Rose’s voice that makes my dragon want to wrap my tail around her and placate her fears. With the strength of a monk, I keep to myself.
“That would be our spiritual advisor. He’s come to marry us.” With that, I answer the door, allowing another person into my sanctuary.
Chapter 5
Rose
Ihalf expect a dragon to walk through the door, but instead a short, gray-haired man enters the room. He’s in vermillion-red robes, the cuffs dyed in a midnight black. He’s a far cry from Sister Tammy, but his presence is still oddly comforting. Maybe because I’m no longer alone with my husband-to-be.
The door shuts behind him with a resounding thud. Even though the room is large enough to probably fit a full grown dragon, with high ceilings to match, I feel suffocated.
This isn’t real. You’re here out of necessity and for no other reason.
Except, that isn’t entirely true. This is very real and whatever happens to me in this realm will pave the path for this new chapter in my life. I wait for the regret to sink in, but it doesn’t. I don’t regret what I did. Yes, I primarily did it to save my sister, but there were selfish reasons for seeking out Ender too. In the end, I got what I signed up for.
“My King, I came as fast as I could. There are many dragons at the temple seeking spiritual guidance and we lost another spiritual advisor.” The man’s words come out all at once and I don’t miss the pain in Malix’s expression.
What did he mean by lost? It was another question I would ask Malix as soon as we were left alone. Not exactly how I pictured my wedding day to be, but I suppose there have been worse ceremonies.
Honestly, who am I kidding? I really can’t complain. Not when my husband looks like the star on the show Vikings.
“Then I won’t keep you long. Perform the ceremony, and then you can go.” Malix gestures for the spiritual advisor to come farther into the room. “Thank you for coming, Solaris,” he adds, almost like an afterthought.
Solaris enters the room, moving toward a small table by the hearth. He places a bag down that I hadn’t seen him carry, opens it, and takes out two vials and a golden chalice.
My curiosity gets the better of me and I reach out for the small vial to inspect it, but before I can grab it a hand wraps around my wrist. I jerk away, but Malix’s grip on my wrist tightens. I hadn’t even heard him move close to me.
“Don’t touch that.” His voice goes all growly and I think it’s meant to intimidate me, but it does the exact opposite. My traitorous body leans closer, heat rushing to my core.
“Or what?” I can’t help it—I lick my lips.
His eyes drop to my lips, burning with something other than desire. I shudder and he leans closer, his hot breath on my ear. “Or I might have to restrain you, little dragon. And I’d rather not have my wife-to-be tied up during our ceremony.”
