Page 20 of Lady Dragon
Kirek turned around to face her, submerging herself below these breasts of hers—no,nothers—for the sake of Samansa’s awkwardness, and yet the princess gasped far louder.
“Skies above, whatnow?” But Kirek looked down at the same time as she spoke and spotted it.Of course.
The Heartstone. Kirek hadn’t wanted to tell her much about it earlier, let alone expose it, but she couldn’t do anything about it after the fact. It was the primary reason she liked to come to the baths alone at night. She wasn’t shy of how her body looked, not in the way Samansa was—rather more revolted. But her pride could take it. Ithadto, for her purposes, so she would wear this body as if she didn’t care. No, it was more that she guarded her secrets carefully, and the Heartstone, while humans were aware of its existence, was still shrouded in mystery.
And, as Samansa had clearly just realized, shrouded in herflesh.
“Is that—” Samansa swallowed. “Embeddedin your skin?”
“In the bone, even,” Kirek said, keeping her voice level, though it unsettled her as well, she hated to admit. Perhaps only because her entire body unsettled her. She tapped the stone, smooth, round, and of the deepest purple, where it sat within her chest, peeking out from her flesh above her breastbone like a jewel nestled in a setting. Aninferiorsetting.
“It doesn’t look as if it’s bleeding or infected, but… does it hurt?” Samansa asked tentatively.
Kirek was surprised by the concern in her voice. Again, the princess was trying to look out for her where she didn’t need it. Kirek was adragon. And yet, where Samansa’s protectiveness had been nigh laughable before, Kirek didn’t laugh now. She was pleasantly bemused. Charmed, even.
So she assured her quickly, “No, I only had to swallow it in my true form, and it didn’t hurt.” She shrugged, rippling the water around her shoulders. “Once I changed into this form, it looked like this, and it still doesn’t pain me. But removing it will be another matter. This body is the only place I can reach it now. Cutting it out of this flesh is the only way to be rid of it, since it’s hidden behind my scales as a dragon. After I do that, I’ll no longer be able to shift into this human form, and another dragon will be free to use the Heartstone in the future. But I won’t remove the stone until I’m done with my mission here in Andrath, since it lets me change back and forth at will, no blades required.”
Samansa winced as if imagining what carving it out would feel like. Kirek decided to spare her the details, since the princess didn’t have much of a stomach for such things, after all.
Finally, Samansa tore her gaze away, only to fuss with the sash of her dressing gown.
“Well?” Kirek said, after a stretched moment, startling the princess. “Now that you’re done gawking, are you going to come in?”
When Samansa began undressing hurriedly, however, it wasKirekwho couldn’t help peeking ather.
The princess’s skin was pale as milk, her flesh silken and rounded, beginning to take on a rosy blush in the steam. Her face, however, was a red bright enough to mask her freckles as she slipped into the water as if to hide. But she couldn’t hide,not from Kirek’s piercing sight, as she began to scoop water over her shoulders and arms. She looked even softer and creamier under the sheen of water.
Kirek abruptly swallowed. Her mouth was watering as if she were looking at a bloody cut of meat. Except, devouring the princess wasn’t what she wanted to do.
She didn’t knowwhatshe wanted to do.
Ridiculous human bodies, she thought with a silent snarl, and did what she’dcometo do, promptly ducking under the water where her eyes were less sharp and the heat burned her hated flesh clean until she could feel nothing else.
Kirek was inexplicably irritable as she returned to her tower quarters later that evening, taking the long, spiraling blue stairs instead of winging into the air and causing a stir. And it wasn’t because of the endless questioning she’d endured from the humans regarding the assassin, but something else. She forced the feeling down, because, as her queen would no doubt remind her, irritation without reason was just another chink in one’s scales for tooth or sword to pierce.
She couldn’t show any weakness. Not here. And not to her mother.
She took a deep, calming breath after securing the thick iron door behind her, and turned to the Songstone.
After ensuring she was alone in her chambers and had her mother’s attention, she said, “I believe Prince Branon may have attempted to have the daughter heir assassinated. I’m still only following my instinct, but I trust it’s correct with regard to him. Especially now.”
And your instinct with regard to the daughter heir?That was the Queen Mother’s only response. No concern or surprise, of course, from her. Only what felt like an attack directed at a crack in Kirek’s human armor—just not one the dragon girl had anticipated.
“What instinct?” Kirek asked, feeling caught out, for some reason.
That she deserves her position.
“Ah, that,” Kirek said quickly. “Yes, she still strikes me that way, such that any human can deserve their position without a dragon’s help. She even tested herself against me in combat, and I didn’t find her lacking.”
And have you continued to gain her trust?
Kirek once more felt saliva gathering in her mouth at the thought of plump, exposed flesh—but, this time, as confounding as the last, it wasnotout of a desire to bite. “Yes. To this end, I thwarted the assassination attempt.” She didn’t know if her mother would be displeased that she had so handily kept the peace, if only temporarily, unless Kirek had a good reason to.
But gaining the princess’s trust wasn’t the only reason Kirek had done it, nor did she wish to gain it only for her mother’s purposes. Somehow, she wanted to be as deserving of Samansa’s trust as she wanted the princess to be deserving of her position as heir, neither one of them earning it under false pretenses.
Only because my honor demands it, Kirek told herself.Nothing else.
But of course she could tell the Queen Mother none of that. She was bound to follow her mother over any personal sense of honor, after all. Duty and loyalty flew above the rest.
