Page 38 of His Dragon Princess

I finally cried, but I was strangely numb. Cold.

When there was a knock at my door, I ignored it. I didn’t even know who it was. The whole house was crawling with family and friends, so it could have been anyone.

I didn’t care. I needed time out, to try and calm down.

The next knock was followed by the door opening, then a low whistle. “I thought I heard the breaking of expensive things.”

I didn’t look up, but I rested my face on my knees. “Mom doesn’t put expensive things in here. She knows they’re not safe.”

King Stavrok walked into my room, then sat down on the floor beside me, resting his back against the bed.

“How are you doing, dragon daughter?”

I sniffed. “Despite the broken bits, I’m fine.” I was always fine.

Stavrok nudged me with his shoulder. “You can’t take the things that Iain said when he woke up just now to heart. He didn’t mean any of it.”

“How do you know? You didn’t even know I was his fated mate. He didn’t tell you. He’s ashamed of me. Embarrassed I’m so... well, me.”

I couldn’t help the fire that burned inside of me. I’d tried to quiet my fiery nature. I’d done yoga and meditation and tried to channel my mother’s calm, but it never worked.

“Hate to tell you this, kid, but you are awesome. You’re so much like your mother.”

I turned my head to look at the big king, still resting my cheek on my knees. “What are you talking about, Uncle Stavrok? My mother is the perfect queen. Calm. Ladylike.”

My uncle laughed so hard I sat up and straightened out my legs to mimic his posture. “What are you laughing at?”

“Oh,” Stavrok chuckled, “just the way time changes things. Who we all were thirty years ago is very different to how we are now.”

I stared up at him, remembering a story my cousins had shared with me a few years ago. “You mean like how you killed the King of the Black Mountains to save Aunt Lucy?”

Stavrok sobered, but nodded slowly. “Yes, just like that. I may be old now, Veronica, but I wasn’t always. I loved, I fought, I almost died. I made mistakes, a lot of them, but it all came out well in the end.”

I waited, but I wasn’t patient on my best day, and this wasn’t that day. “And my mom? What was she like?”

He rested his head back against the bed. “She was a true dragon princess. Strong, opinionated, beautiful.”

I smiled. “She still is.”

“But she wasn’t the calm lady you know now,” he said. “She wouldn’t settle for an ordinary life. She wanted to see the Kingdom to the North, when no-one traveled here back then. This place was in ruins... but your mom, she wasn’t afraid. She fought the wolves to keep the children safe. She pulled your father back from the brink of death. She was stronger than you know, Veronica. She was just like you, but you have the advantage of growing up here. In the toughest kingdom in our realm. You’re your father’s daughter, but trust me, Queen Cass was a rebel in her day too. Very feisty. I could barely keep her in line.”

I chuckled. “Mom, feisty? And needing to be kept in line?” That didn’t sound like her.

“Exactly.” He nudged me again. “Stop being so hard on yourself. You’re young, and yes, you’re a hothead. But that’s the dragon royal blood. My children have a human mother, Erik and Marienne are a mix as well. But you... you’re a dragon princess through and through.”

I gulped. “But mom isn’t actually your cousin.”

He smiled. “Her parents were my mom’s best friends and full blooded dragons, so trust me. They had the strength of our ancestors in their bones and they passed it on to Cass. And through her, to you.”

I sighed and rested my head on my knees again. “So, I’ll be this out of control with my emotions forever, huh?”

“Hey, are you forgetting the first part of this conversation? I’m old and tired. Your mom is calm and queenly, and your poor dad... well, he barely managed the flight home after an injury.”

“That’s not making me feel better!”

Stavrok chuckled again. “Dragon daughter, you are in your physical prime. You’re young and healthy. Enjoy the fire that flows through your blood instead of fighting it, and please... give my son a second chance.”

I pressed my lips together in a flat line.

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