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I let my dragon go and shifted back to human, my chest heaving with the strain and my legs trembling in their attempts to hold me up. An older male servant walked out onto the balcony to see me, his gaze narrowed as my human body replaced my dragon one.
“Let me get you a robe, sir,” he said with a regal incline of his head, then stepped inside once more.
I sighed with relief at the confirmation I was definitely in the right place. None of the servants in the winter palace treated a stranger so well.
The man returned with a warm robe that I slipped on gratefully. “Thank you.”
Then he handed me a glass of water, which I downed immediately. The coolness flowed over my aching throat, soothing it, making me moan with gratitude.
“Can I help you, sir?” he inquired. “Are you here to see King Stavrok?”
I nodded, though it wasn’t entirely true. “Could you tell Stavrok and Lucy that I’m here? My name is Lucian. He’ll know who I am.”
The servant bowed and walked away. I managed to put down the glass of water and tie up the robe just as an older man dressed in fine clothes stepped out onto the balcony.
“Lucian, sir, please follow me.”
“Thank you.”
I followed the man who had to be the steward, into the castle, marveling at the richness of the carpet under foot, and the beautiful paintings that lined the halls.
What a difference it made when the king in charge of his kingdom actually looked after his wealth. Unlike my father, who’d been a tyrant king and let his people and his castle fall to ruin.
He’d been the worst of men.
You’re not him, and you’re far away from his memories. Let it go.
I gazed about Stavrok’s castle and briefly indulged myself in the fantasy of what life might have been like if I’d grown up as the bastard son of this king. Raised in this home, or within the castle’s walls. Perhaps then I wouldn’t be such a fucking mess.
The steward stopped in front of a large, wooden door. “King Stavrok is waiting for you in here, sir. He’s aware of your arrival.”
Wonderful. Hopefully he doesn’t kick me straight back out again.It wasn’t like he knew me well.
The man opened the door and held it open for me to go inside. I took a deep breath and moved forward. Part of me had expected an office or a sitting room, but instead I was staring down a grand dining hall with an impressively long wooden table.
At the head of the table sat King Stavrok, food laid out before him and a glass of red wine in hand. When he saw me, he grinned and waved a hand at the seat across from him. “Lucien, what brings you here to my humble home? Isn’t your brother getting married today? That’s the rumor I heard, at least.”
King Stavrok was a huge man, and even seated, cast an imposing figure.
“You heard correctly,” I mumbled as I sat down in my robe, feeling more naked than before. “The ceremony is taking place as we speak, in fact.”
“Please, help yourself.” Stavrok gestured to the feast before him.
I poured myself a glass of wine and picked up a bread roll, my gut still churning with the accumulation of daily stress. I wasn’t very hungry, but I wasn’t going to turn down the king’s generosity.
“So, Lucien, tell me why you aren’t at the wedding.” The king tilted his head to the side, no doubt curious as to why I would leave such a joyous occasion.
I wanted to tell him it was none of his business. That he could stick his nose elsewhere and leave me be.
But I’d shown up at his home unannounced, and owed him an explanation. He had a human mate from the other side of the veil, his wife, Lucy, so perhaps he’d offer me some advice.
Certainly, my brother, Dymitri, would have tried to help me, however I had no intention of burdening him further. Not on his wedding day, of all days. Just seeing me flee the ceremony had probably left him worried enough.
I needed a sounding board. “My fated mate is at the ceremony.”
“I repeat then, why aren’t you there?” Stavrok chuckled.
I saw nothing amusing about the situation, but instead of answering immediately, I took a bit of my bread roll and a sip of the wine. Then another.
