Page 50 of The Forsaken Heir
My inner dragon roared in the back of my mind, a deep and rumbling explosion of rage.
“You held your own pretty well from what I could see. I was honestly sure we’d find you…” I trailed off and shook my head. “We didn’t think we’d find anything good when we got to your apartment and heard what was going on.”
It was hard to even express how terrified I’d been when we’d gotten there. After pulling up to the curb, Vincent and I hadgotten out of the car and hurried to the entrance to get out of the rain. As soon as we opened the door, the sounds of screaming and a roaring battle echoed down the stairs to us. Emotion had surged through me. Terror, panic, anger, and shock. It surprised me how intensely furious I’d been at the merethoughtof someone hurting Elle.
Before she could respond, the door to the platform burst open and Vincent came running, two of our healing staff in tow. The women blinked in surprise when they found not only their prince on the roof, but two wolf shifters as well.
Waving at them, I shouted, “Here! She’s hurt. Someone check on her.”
Despite Elle’s protests, the healers began their work on her and Delphine. Forcing myself to give them room to work, I backed away, watching as they used magical oils on their cuts and bruises. Elle stole a few glances in my direction, and that strange feeling swelled within my stomach again—a pleasant warmth that eased up into my chest.
Whatever she saw in my eyes must have been too much. She tore her eyes away, and a faint blush crept into her cheeks. It was one of the cutest things I’d ever seen.
“All right, Your Highness,” one of the healers said, taking a step back from Elle. “She should be fine. There was nothing serious, mostly minor.”
“Thank you, Octavia,” I said, surprised at the relief in my voice.
The second healer tugged a couple blankets from her bag and handed them to my two soaked guests.
“Let’s get you all inside,” I said. “I’ll have dry clothes brought up for you, and you can get changed.” I glanced at the healers, giving them a look and a nod. They hurried off to do as I’d asked.
“Yeah,” Vincent said. “Dry is better than wet.”
“Very astute, my dear friend,” I said as I ushered Elle into the castle.
Delphine followed, and Vincent closed the door behind us. Now that everyone was safe and secure, I could ask the question that had been burning in my mind since we’d arrived at Elle’s apartment.
“Who wants you dead, Elle?”
She turned and looked at me as if I’d told her one and one makes three.
“My family, Aurelius. Isn’t that obvious?” she said, an incredulous look on her face.
“But…”
The response we’d received from them had been curt and emotionless, something unbefitting a high-ranking shifter family. Sure, that showed that they were heartless and uncaring, but could they actually be bloodthirsty enough to actually send assassins to murder her? Their own daughter? The idea of something like that happening in the dragon world was so outlandish and disgusting, it was nearly heretical.
Before I could find words to argue against Elle’s assumption, a low, rumbling sound groaned out from Delphine. Turning to look at her, I found the older woman blushing and holding her stomach.
“Sorry,” she said. “All the shifting and fighting. I’m starving.”
“Vince, run to the kitchens, have them prepare a meal. Let them know we’ll be down shortly.”
“You got it.” He took my words literally and broke into an actual sprint to the stairs.
“He’s an interesting one, isn’t he?” Delphine said.
“Interesting and sweet,” Elle said.
The servants arrived a few moments later, laden down with dry clothes and more towels. Elle and Delphine ducked into a bathroom on the top floor to get changed. When they came back out, Elle looked refreshed. With her wet hair and face free of makeup, her natural beauty shone through. It seemed she was gorgeous no matter what she was doing.
“Come on, then,” I said. “Let’s get you fed.”
In the dining room, Vincent was bringing out a big pot of coffee, and the servants were setting out sandwiches, simple salads, crackers, cheeses, and sliced meats.
Delphine’s stomach grumbled again at the sight of the food, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Go ahead,” I said, waving at the food. “Dig in. Compliments of House Decimus.”
