Page 152 of Crown of Briars
We had just bared everything to one another.
Now, it was time for me to be completely honest with him. He deserved the truth from me.
“I have to tell you something, too,” he murmured, stroking a lock of sweaty hair out of my face. “But you go first.”
I cleared my throat, suddenly nervous. “I—I have a dragon.”
He merely blinked at me. “A dragon?” His voice was full of doubt.
“Yes. She’s a Blue Amethyst, and her name is Azure. She—She’s my best friend.”
His brows knitted together as he searched my face. Perhaps he thought I was joking. Then, his gaze dipped to the amber stone at my throat, and comprehension lit his features.
“She is who you communicate with through the stone.”
I nodded.
He wet his lips, and his breathing became uneven. “You have a dragon? A real dragon?”
“Yes. She came with me from the Earthen Court to protect me. She’s been hiding near the stables. But I swear she doesn’t mean you any harm. I mean, as long as you don’t hurt me…” I trailed off as I found Varius grinning. “What?”
“You have a gods-damneddragon.” He choked on a laugh. “That’s—That’sincredible, Sybelle.”
I found myself smiling, too. “You’re not angry with me?”
“Why would I be angry? There’s adragonnearby! What is she like? I must admit, I’ve never seen one before.”
My smile widened. “She’s magnificent. Brilliant blue scales that can lighten or darken to help her blend in with her environment. And she can sense the magic around her and describe how powerful it is and where it came from. I can show her to you sometime. Maybe after a few days, though. She is likely a bit wary of strangers, and?—”
Varius gently placed his fingers over my lips, silencing me. As he gazed at me, his eyes crinkled with warmth. “You can show her to me when you’re ready, Sybelle. There is no rush. I trust you.”
My chest cinched tightly from the affection burning in his eyes.
Would he still be looking at me like that after I shared my next secret?
He seemed to sense my hesitation. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s something else.”
When I paused, hesaid, “Go on.”
I took a shaky breath before I said, “I think the witch who cast your curse had a child in secret. And… I think it’s Tislora.”
The euphoriafrom our lovemaking had not fully subsided when Sybelle uttered those words to me. They rang in my mind, circling over and over again until the elation died, and dread and anger took its place.
Sybelle stared at me with worry in her eyes. She chewed on her lower lip, and I could smell the fear wafting from her.
She thought I would be angry, just like when she’d told me of her dragon. She thought that I would deny her claim that Tislora was a traitor. That I might rescind the declaration I had spoken only moments earlier.
I wasn’t sure how I could read all of this on her face. Ever since our bodies had come together, I could sense her thoughts. I wasn’t sure why, but in this moment, it kept my anger at bay.
I swallowed hard. “Why do you think this?” My voice was low and rough, and I couldn’t keep the rumbling anger from my tone. I had just told her how much I trusted her. I needed to prove that right now.
Besides, I was about to tell her the truth about the curse and what it would demand from her. The least I could do was hear her explanation.
She flinched, as if she had expected me to roar at her. I took a steadying breath. Perhaps she had a good reason forsuggesting Tislora was a traitor. Surely, she would not base this off of petty jealousy alone.
Sybelle’s words came out in a rush. “When Warwick found me in the Noxen Forest, I was looking for something. A glowing jeweled rose. When I touched it, it brought me to a memory of when the witch cast the curse.”
