Page 110 of The Heart of the Dragon

"Astounding." He stood to his full height, forcing me to crane my neck. He was as tall or taller than Magnus, but his slender build did not have the menacing presence or aura of strength of his nephew. I immediately got the sense that he had but a fraction ofthe power that Magnus carried. No wonder he spent all his time doing everything he could to keep Magnus under his thumb.

Remaining still as he approached, his eyes traveled up and down my body, and I willed Magnus to stay calm. I'd already witnessed how possessive he could be and for him to lose his shit now would not bode well for any of us. I needed time to get this spell to work.

"Not the best Omega specimen I've ever seen, but still quite good. I look forward to exploring her." He'd moved so close I nearly spat on him. "If she is what you say she is, I might eventually find a way to forgive you."

"We brought you an offering," I said sweetly, pretending to the best of my ability that I didn't want to grab the knife hidden in my belt and slit his throat from ear to ear. "I didn't have much, but my parents passed on their kitchen gifts to me, and I've been told I am quite good.”

Again his eyes lit up, but I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the contents of my basket. At least until I jostled it under his nose and lifted the blanket containing the sweet magical scent no living creature would resist. I'd taken the recipe my mother had given me to lower inhibitions and ramped it up tenfold. With any luck and a dash of time, he would be neutralized long enough for Magnus to stake his claim and mete out punishment.

He peered inside and his lips curled into a smile. "Have you now?" He took the basket and passed it to the guard standing next to him. "I have to say, Magnus, this young lady has far better manners than you."

I held my breath, praying that Magnus stayed calm. So far everything had gone exactly as Magnus had laid it out, including the king handing over the basket of food to his right hand. The idea that he had to force someone else to sample all his food first to be sure it wasn't poisoned sounded right out of some weird fantasy novel and still made me want to roll my eyes.

In fact, it served as a reminder that I wasn't in Scotland anymore.

I kept my eye on the King as he waited for the okay, but I couldn't help but watch the man eating the buns from the corner of my eye. Soon enough he and the king would be disabled. As long as it didn't kick in too soon.

"What is your name?"

"Rose." I kept my answer brief, not wanting to give this vile man any extra opportunities to get to me.

His gaze raked over me, and I fought the urge to squirm under his scrutiny. "And are you here to serve your king in any way I see fit?"

I lifted my chin, refusing to back down despite the trembling of my insides. There was no way I'd publicly swear fealty to a man like him, no matter how meaningless it might be.

"You arenotmy king."

Chapter

Forty-Two

Rose

A collective gaspshot through the room, and the king's expression darkened. "You dare?—"

"Rose," Magnus snapped, cutting him off. "Tell him what he wants to hear." He added the last in a barely audible whisper I'm sure meant only for me, but it was obvious others had heard.

Not that it mattered when I could feel the tension radiating from my mate, making it clear he was barely holding on to his control. The king's magic was still affecting him, and I could see the strain on his face as he fought against it.

And still my lip curled at the idea of swearing anything to this piece of filth. He deserved nothing. I measured my next words even though I knew they went against what Magnus wanted. But he also didn't have all the facts. Those biscuits paled in comparison to the real plan. I took one last steadying breath as I fingered the vial hidden in my pocket. Magnus would have to get over not knowing my true intentions. I only prayed to the Goddess that this worked.

"I'm here to stand at Magnus's side. That is the only allegiance I owe to anyone."

The king's lips curled in a sneer. "Then you are a fool, girl. Magnus is nothing but a bastard?—"

"Mind your tongue,uncle." Magnus interrupted, his tone deadly this time. "You speak of the future king."

The tension in the room ratcheted higher as the king's eyes narrowed dangerously. "We shall see about that." He then turned his gaze back to mine. "I guess it's true what they say about an omega," he snickered. "They really are only good for one thing."

His words sent a shiver down my spine, and I could feel Magnus tense even further. But it was my head that nearly exploded where I stood as outrage poured through me. I'd endured less than ten minutes of this man and was ready to slit his throat. How Magnus had put up with a lifetime of this was beyond my comprehension.

"One thing you can know for sure about me, your majesty,"—I paused until he looked on the edge of his seat for some kind of sweet devotion from the silly omega only good for one thing—"is that my one thing is better than your sum total will ever be. Too bad you won't survive to understand what that means. You are a horrible bastard male, who doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air as the true dragon king."

Silence descended around the room and for a moment time truly seemed to stand still. I fingered the glass vial as I pulled it from my pocket just as the room exploded around me.

The king's mouth gaped in shock, a second before the mottled look of rage twisted his face into an ugly mask. "Guards!" he shouted, leaping to his feet. "Seize her!"

But it was too late. I had already thrown the vial to the ground, shattering it on the stone floor. A cloud of green smoke filled the air, and the guards began to cough and choke. But more importantly, the energy in the room rippled and shuddered, the tension palpable as the king's magic was stretched to the breaking point.

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