Page 52 of Cursed with the Dragon Prince

Holding his gaze, I pluck the final petal. My jaw tightens as a deep knowing fills me—my body is permanently transformed, yet some damage remains. I do not know if I can conceive a child. Only time will tell.

The acceptance of grief chokes me as I release the last petal and clutch the bare stem. I clear my throat, absorbing the pain, letting it pass.

Sitting taller, like a queen, I press my back to Wisp’s throne, allowing her power to flow into me. When I lift my arms, the petals spiral around me, and I raise my gaze past my dragon prince and settle it upon the ceiling of Wisp’s great hall.

Wisp speaks through me.“By accepting a new leader, your curse has been broken and a new era can begin.”

Shooting upward, the petals rise. Bursting like fireworks, they turn to sparks. Glittering ashes scatter upon the clan.

While the clan watches the display in awe, Drakon’s gaze remains rapt upon me. As the rush of Wisp’s power ebbs, leaving me weak, his attention soothes me.

I’m still clutching the thorny stem, bleeding slightly where it pricks me. A drop falls to the ground, scented with eucalyptus, and seeing this, he rises, steps upon the dais, and kneels at my feet.

Stretching out his hands, he cups mine, and prying at my fingers, he helps me relax my grip. “I want to offer you another vow.”

“There’s no need! I’m okay. Just…changed.” Words elude me. It’s a struggle to describe what I’ve become, what it is to be Queen of Wisp. She’s within me, part of me. I sit within the womb of her great hall, gathered with her clan, facing the impossible responsibilities of guiding a deity and leading a clan.

He squeezes my hand. “You are changed. And that is why I must offer a new vow.”

I shake my head, but he continues.

“I, Drakon, lover of Reina, the queen of my clan, vow that so long as she allows me in her service, I will guard her, protect her. Love her. May I support her, aiding her rise as queen.”

Tingles run up my spine as Wisp preens, eager to accept this vow of loyalty, but she waits, seeking my advice before accepting.

My instinct is to shy away from his commitment, but a smile tugs on his lips. To him, I’m not barren or broken. I’m not even valuable because I’m blessed. He treasures me because he can see the best in me. His vow is proof of that.

I cup his chin. “I accept your vow on one condition.”

“What is it, my queen?”

I lean forward until we’re brow to brow. “Say your mind, speak with me—each and every day. I need a companion and lover, advisor and friend. Someone I can talk with who speaks plainly in reply. Someone I can trust to tell the truth.”

He holds my gaze, soaking up my words, my requests, like this is everything he has wanted. “I agree.”

Wisp accepts his vow, and the power of it settles within me. The thorny stem shifts, the Maledictum taking a new form.

The stem lengthens, thorns vanishing as it thins into strands. Weaving, the cords twist and turn, becoming two circlets—rings.

Wisp explains, speaking through me,“So long as you both wear these rings, the vow holds. May you become a dragon prince and his queen.”

With her blessing, silence settles between us. I take the smaller ring, settling it upon my finger, while Drakon does the same with the thicker one. Hands brushing, our fingers examine the other’s palm, testing the weight of our rings. Satisfied we’re no longer alone, our hands intertwine.

Together, we rise.

Epilogue

One Decade Later

Reina

The great hall is bustling, the clan gathering as the dinner hour approaches. Smells of food waft from the kitchens, making everyone’s stomachs growl. The faelings run between the banquet tables, flying over them, as their cries fill the hall with the sound of laughter.

From my throne, I watch as my niblings try to join in, learning the other’s games. My mother-in-law visits with her young brood, Drakon’s half-siblings. Her children are part dragon fae, their wings more suitable to gliding than flight, but with their greater skills in magic, they intrigue the other faelings.

Drakon, his mother, and her mate watch from nearby, chatting with ease. Their visit has been a success, and we’re already planning next year’s visit to Dawn Court, where they live.

It’s amazing, watching how fae grow. Their development of magic adds an entire element to childhood. I try to relate, in my different way, coming into my power so late. Every week I teach a lesson.

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