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He’d passed out and was currently snoring his head off. I’d been trying to sleep, but between Anselm’s snores, the pain in my leg and Veronica’s final words echoing in my mind, I was wide awake.
I climbed out of bed, hit the bathroom for a long hot shower, then quietly dressed and headed out into the dark halls. Night time in the castle was so quiet, but a skeleton staff always remained on duty.
There were a few single candles lit in the hallway sconces, making it just light enough to walk easily, and I could hear footsteps that told me there were people still moving around in other parts of the castle.
As I rounded a pillar on my way to the kitchen, I ran into Veronica. Literally.
“Oof.” We bounced off each other and she grabbed for her cloak, pulling it tightly around her body. But not before I’d caught a glimpse of what lay beneath.
“What the hell, Iain?” She growled at me.
I stood frozen, not wanting to upset her or rouse my dragon. She was naked beneath that cloak and my shifter would spring to life in the most embarrassing way if I dwelled on Veronica’s luscious curves.
“Sorry,” I managed to mumble, and tried to move past her.
“No. Iain.” She stepped into my path to block me. “We need to talk.”
My chest tightened and breathing suddenly became more difficult. “Okay. Where? When?”
She bit her lip. “Um... everyone else is asleep. Do you want to chat in my room?”
Oh God. “Yeah. Okay.” How the hell was I going to control my need for my mate with her bed mere steps away. And when she was wearing only that cloak?
She nodded once, stepped around me, and walked off, as if she wasn’t aware of the need that thrummed inside me.
I took a breath, and a moment, then followed in the dragon daughter’s wake. Her bedroom was up two flights of stairs, and deep into the wing containing the family bedrooms.
A healer was walking toward us as we neared the king’s bedroom, and Veronica rushed over to him. I sped up my steps to catch the last of their words.
“There’s no change, but he’s not getting any worse,” the healer said. “I’m going to bed for a few hours, then I’ll come up and check on him again.”
“Thank you,” I managed to choke out.
Veronica turned right, grabbed the handle on an ornately decorated door, and opened it. I followed her, closing the door behind me, knowing I was now in her bedroom suite. My heart rate sped up a touch so to distract myself, I stared around at the room.
The space was beautiful, with a magnificent four poster bed in the center and a roaring hot fire in the huge grate off to one side. She hurried over to the fireplace, stretching out her hands to warm herself.
I wandered over to a large ruby red seat in the corner furthest away from the dragon princess and sat on the cushion. “Are you all right? Where did you fly to?”
Veronica stared at me, her blue eyes sparkling in the light of the room. “Nowhere really. I just flew until I couldn’t fly anymore. Then I ended up at Sarah and Dymitri’s house, and my uncle walked me home.”
I shifted on my chair. “Dymitri is a great man. I’ve worked with him a lot over the years.”
She turned away, toward the fire, so I was shown her back.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, standing up to walk closer. If she wanted to talk, then I was here for her.
She chuckled softly. “What’s wrong? Um... other than the fact that my father may be dying and my fated mate has hated me my whole life?”
I blinked at the unexpected accusation. “I’ve never hated you,” I growled, my dragon thrashing inside my head at the prospect that she could believe such a thing. “Never.”
She twirled back in a flash of both tears and anger, a Veronica duality that had always confused me. “Then why, Iain! Why? Why would you make me think that you hate me?”
I couldn’t stand it any longer, being apart from her.
Fully aware that she might slap me in the face, I reached out for her, grabbing her body and hauling her close.
She didn’t hit me. In fact, her hands came up to cling to my shirt. She stared up at me, her blue eyes wide and open, perfect for me to stare down into their gorgeous depths.
