Page 100 of The Flame King's Queen

Zabriel groans and digs his fingers into my ass. “I already miss you being pregnant. I can’t wait for your heat,sha’lenla.”

He sinks his teeth into the side of my throat, making me cry out in pleasure.

“Such a good Omega. Look at you taking me all the way to my knot.”

His praise sends me over the edge, and I bury my face in his shoulder as I climax. He follows me a moment later, urgently thrusting upward with his hips.

I don’t want to let him go, so when he eases down on the bed with his cock still lodged inside me, I fall asleep with the comfort of being so full of him.

I stay close to home for several days, enjoying the summer weather and delighting in every moment I spend with Sylvi, Zabriel, Esmeral, and her hatchlings. The baby dragons spend most of their time in the nesting caves, venturing out with their mother for short romps in the sunlight. They’re growing fast, and the two males who Stesha suspects will be Alphas are as long as one of my legs from snout to tail tip, but they’ll have to be a lot bigger before they leave the caves for good.

I’m cuddling the black and turquoise hatchling in the sunshine while Scourge stands proudly over us, when there’s an excited “Whoop!” above me.

It’s Anise on Ereskier, and she waves madly at me while circling Scourge. He doesn’t appreciate the disruption when his hatchlings are out of the nesting caves, and he grunts his disapproval and snaps his teeth at her.

Anise squeals in surprise, and then darts off toward the eyrie, Ereskier moving like a silver blur.

“That was your auntie Anise,” I tell the little dragon, who has opened his sleepy eyes and is staring at the sky. “I think she’s having fun, don’t you?”

I put the dragon down, and he scampers back to Esmeral—who’s dozing in the sunshine with her other hatchlings—and make my way to the wyvern eyrie with Fiala and Dusan.

While my bodyguards make a fuss over their wyverns, I approach Captain Ashton, who bows to me courteously. “Do you wish to visit your crone, Queen Isavelle?”

“Yes, I let Zabriel know that I would be flying to Amriste today.”

He smiles at me. “Then I will prepare your escort. The skies are excellent for flying.”

Apart from Zabriel, Captain Ashton is probably the most thoughtful person when it comes to me flying back and forth to Amriste all the time. Even without the enticement of Ravenna’s arms wrapped around his waist, he’s still ready to personally accompany me.

He hesitates before turning back to me. “May I ask, have you heard from Miss Ravenna since she departed Lenhale?”

My heart aches at his question, and I wish I had better news to tell him. “I have received two short letters from Ravenna, and she tells me that she’s well. She promised to give me her address so that I might write back to her or visit, but so far, she has forgotten to include it.” Ravenna hasn’t forgotten. She doesn’t want to put anyone in danger of Kane’s wrath.

Ashton nods, but his jaw is tight with distress.

“Ravenna is able to protect herself. I believe her when she says she is well.”

“The lady is not well if she is not here,” he says quietly, but his words are filled with frustration. He calls over his shoulder, “Queen Isavelle’s escort, mount up. We are flying to Amriste.”

While we are still alone, I say gently, “Captain, I wish so much that it was not so, but she could not love you even if she were here.”

Captain Ashton gives me a dark, angry look that I think would be a great deal darker and angrier if I wasn’t the Queen of Maledin. “Miss Ravenna has put herself in danger for our sake yet again. I do not know what impression I have given that makes you believe I am feeling sorry for myself.”

He turns away and mounts his wyvern.

“I’m sorry that I presumed…” I call after him, but the captain isn’t listening.

My escort is ready, so I call out to Esmeral in my mind. It takes her a moment to corral her lively offsprings back into the nesting caves, and then she joins me at the eyrie.

During the flight to Amriste, I watch his back, feeling miserable for Ashton. Of course he’s worried about Ravenna. He can’t ever have her, and he doesn’t even have the comfort of knowing she’s safe or happy wherever she is.

It’s early afternoon when we land in a field by my village, and as usual, my wingrunner escort spreads throughout the village. Esmeral settles down in the field and basks in the sunshine, and I tell her I won’t be more than an hour or so. She chirrups contentedly in reply and closes her eyes.

Normally when I come to the village, Biddy’s crows are lined up along rooftops or perched on fence posts and the edge of the well. Today, many of them are flying in circles over the village and cawing. I shield my eye with my hand, wondering if there’s a bird of prey about. A hawk will sometimes upset the other birds.

A figure waves to me from a nearby path, and seeing that it’s Dad, I wave back and hurry to join him. After kissing his whiskery cheek, I ask him, “What’s up with the crows?”

Dad peers up at the sky. “Couldn’t say. They’ve been like that all day. Can I make you a cup of tea?” he asks, pointing toward the cottage.

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