Page 8 of The Gold Dragon Prince
Selle’s expression went flat, confirming my suspicions. “There is a great deal of real information contained within fairy tales,” he insisted. “It has been said that the purpose of fairy tales is not to prove that dragons exist, but that they can be vanquished.” He paused, grinned, then said, “You can be vanquished.”
My heart fluttered and my cock increased in my tight breeches. I very well might enjoy being mastered by my dear Selle one day.
“There isn’t a single book in your entire cruel world that compares to just one within the castle library,” I said, nodding toward the illuminated castle on the hill, which we could see from where the dance had positioned us.
I felt a jolt of excitement from Selle. “There’s a library in the castle?”
“A magnificent one,” I said, smiling with pride. “A magical one,” I added with more of a hush, mischief in my eyes.
Selle caught his breath. “A magical library.”
“Not that you would understand the books it contains,” I said, shrugging one shoulder as the dance ended, leaving us standing facing each other.
Selle frowned again, his ire unable to hide behind his golden mask. “You are supposed to be my fated mate, and yet you tease me as if you do not even like me.”
My eyebrows flew up. “What makes you think I don’t like you? The fact that I delight in teasing you?” I asked, findingthe notion ridiculous.
“Love does not tease or make fun of its beloved,” Selle said. “And I dare say I’m as intelligent as you are. Perhaps even more so.”
I laughed. Not because I thought he was ridiculous, but because I knew he was right and I adored it.
Before I could say as much, or, more likely, continue to tease him, one of the castle’s pages rushed up to us.
“Prince Gildur,” the young woman said, bowing appropriately, but obviously on a mission of some urgency.
“Can I help you, Prudence?” I asked.
“It is your help that is needed,” Prudence said. “The ogre clump has been spotted, and they are on their way to Lady Saoirse’s estate.”
I caught my breath. It was as I’d suspected. Saoirse had somehow convinced a clump of ogres to do her bidding.
“The people of Lady Saoirse’s estate have appealed to Queen Gaia for help,” Prudence went on. “I have been given to understand that you are your mother’s agent in matters such as this.”
“I am,” I said with a nod. “I will make haste and go to Lady Saoirse’s people at once to see what the matter is.
“I will tell the queen,” Prudence said.
I nodded to dismiss her, then turned to Selle to make my regrets for cutting our extraordinarily enjoyable meeting short.
But Selle wasn’t there. I hadn’t seen him slip away, but obviously he had taken an opportunity and run with it. I wasn’t certain how much of Prudence’s message he’d heard, but I didn’t think he was acting on that. No, I was certain he was acting on another piece of information I’d inadvertently given him.
I glanced toward the castle, and sure enough, I saw a small shadow carefully making his way up the hillside,concealing himself behind bushes when anyone came near.
“Well, well, my sweet,” I said, leaving the pavilion and heading toward the castle. “It seems we will be together sooner than I anticipated.”
I headed for the castle, my mother’s mission forgotten.
Chapter
Three
Selle
Tovey was right. Bonding with a dragon was a strange and disorienting thing. Logically, I barely knew Gildur. He was a handsome man I had danced and flirted with twice now, that was it. There were men from the magical world that I’d danced with every time my brothers and I had snuck down to the pavilion who I should have known and felt a thousand times more comfortable with.
But with that first whiff of Gildur’s linen and ceder scent, with the first warm touch of his skin and the first of his smiles that seemed to have been for me and me alone, it was as though I’d known him my entire lifetime.
Known him and been amusingly exasperated with him all that time as well.
