Page 14 of Winter Goddess
“I didn’t think unicorns made friends,” the Goddess replies coldly. Seriously, what is it with that woman? Why does she have that massive stick in her arse?
“Well, he’s mine,” I say just as coldly. “So you were the one captured?”
A black film spreads over Dewi’s aura. Pain? Fear?
“Yes.” Her voice is quiet all of a sudden. “I don’t remember it.”
I sigh. “You know what? I think we’ve moved on beyond silly games. Ada and her men will come back with me. Her dragon shifter too, if he wants. He’ll be welcome in my Realm. Now, I assume you want revenge for what the Morrigan’s done to you and your people. Be my guest. You’re very welcome to join my battle against her. We’ll be grateful for your help, but I’m not going to stand here and prove to you that I’m worthy. We’re wasting precious time. I’m fighting the Morrigan, you want to, so I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t join forces. If you decide you don’t want to, then so be it.”
I’m fuming inside, but I keep my voice calm and level.
Agierth and Dewi look at each other, their auras still touching. Are they bonded like I am to my Guardians? I can’t see my own aura, so I don’t know if ours looks the same. I hope it does. It seems like a beautiful connection.
“You have shown your claws,” Dewi says gravely, “and we have seen them. We recognise your strength and we will follow you into battle.”
Chapter Five
“It’s good to be home,” Ada sighs as she lets go of my arm. I’ve teleported us into my private quarters so we can have a proper chat. Her men are with her, immediately looking around the room as if they're expecting a threat. After all they've been through, it's no wonder they're a little skittish.
"You better stay here until I've announced that you're no longer wanted for treason," I say with a grin. "I don't want any vigilantes attacking you, thinking they're doing it for the good of the crown."
"Yes, good idea," one of her men growls. I can never tell them apart. They're triplets and with their uniforms, they look far too similar. Right now, those uniforms are dirty and ripped in places.
"Storm, would you mind looking after these gentlemen? I have a few things to discuss with Ada."
His aura swirls like he's about to protest, but he nods and takes them outside. The dragon prisoner follows - no, wait, he's no longer a prisoner. I guess he's an ally now. Hopefully, his craziness really has vanished.
"Want us to stay?" Arc asks but I shake my head.
"No, I want some girl time."
"That sounds like fun," Crispin snickers. "If you want some boy time after, we'll be in our quarters. Probably. Unless someone finds us and gives us something to do." He sighs. "No rest for the wicked."
They leave and I take a deep breath when we're finally alone. "How are you?" I ask Ada carefully, cursing my strange eyes that don't let me see her expression.
"It's strange to be back here," she says after a moment of hesitation. "At one point, I didn't think I'd ever be able to return."
"You've been through a lot, but I'm glad to have you back. I will need to have a chat with Gwain to discuss how to announce that you're back, but before you start work again, I want you to recover."
"I don't need...," she protests, but I cut her off.
"Yes, you do. You need some rest and proper food. I think you deserve some downtime, and so do your men. You all look like you'd collapse as soon as you're sent into battle."
"Your Majesty," she replies sullenly.
"Oh, stop it. I only want the best for you." I want to hug her, but right now, I need to be the Princess rather than the friend. If Ada could, she'd immediately go back to her duties, but I can't have her do that. She needs rest.
"But first, I have a few questions, if you don't mind."
She shrugs. "Go ahead."
"Can we trust the dragons?" It's a loaded question, but I need to know. Ada will be able to give me a better answer than my advisors.
"Dewi is an ungrateful bitch, but she wants revenge, so yes, I think we can," Ada replies. "And she's got Agierth to keep her in check. That one's quite a nice dragon and one of the few who managed to fight the Morrigan, if just a little. I can't promise you that they'll stay in touch after we defeat the Morrigan, but I think we can count on them for now."
I smile. Finally some good news. It seems that the strange trip to the Dragon Realm was worth it after all, despite all the weirdness.
"It's good to have you back." Again, I have to stop myself from hugging her. I'm all giddy and excited, and I'm not quite sure why. Probably my hormones, or my weird Goddess powers. They keep doing strange stuff to me. I clear my throat. "Hold my hand, I'll get you to your quarters the quick way."
