Page 73 of The Forbidden Dragon King
He stiffens in shock. Then he nuzzles me back.
It’s a good feeling, more than I expected it would be.
I cup the back of Lucius’ head over his silky curls. “Don’t be a fool. I’m not going to punish my heat mate, am I? And why would I tell anyone on your Alpha, since you obviously love her. I know how powerful a bond is now. You’re never going to let someone threaten to hurt me again, huh?”
This is the test.
Lucius shakes his head, fervently. “Never.”
I smile, nuzzling him further.
The only thing better than getting rid of a threat is turning that threat into an ally.
I’ve been studying the dynamics of the Golden Family, and Lucius is Aurelius’ best friend. He’s also the only Omega in the group.
If he can becomemyfriend, then I truly will be accepted into the inner court.
I’ll be a step closer to my mission.
I take a deep breath of Lucius’ heady, narcissus scent. It suits him. I imagine that his luxurious suite of rooms has a lot of mirrors in it.
Lucius pulls back from me. His eyes are red rimmed.
“So, I’ll give you this warning for free. Be more careful stealing from dragons. We’re possessive of our treasures and notice when things go missing more than others would. Don’t worry, our King has been covering for you.” Then he casually takes my hand in his, playing with my fingers, despite my horror.
I think of the items that I’ve stolen from around the palace, ready in case Daire and I need them: a book on dragon lore, a silver knife, and glittering obsidian ring.
They’re stuffed under this mattress that we’re sitting on.
By the moon, it breaks a thief’s heart to have to put their haul back but I can’t take the risk right now.
“You not telling Relius about… It’s not that I fear dying, you know.” Lucius is lost in his own thoughts. “War certainly doesn’t. It’s that I fear letting down Relius. I couldn’t bear for him to think that he’d made a mistake in saving me.”
“Did he pick you up in his claws and carry you off into the night sky too?” I huff.
Lucius chuckles. “Would you believe that it was much more dramatic? He rather has a thing for Omegas in distress. He may believe himself to be wicked because so many have told him that he is but he’s truly not.”
“How are you so sure?”
“Because I know him better than almost anyone in this court. My father, Propraetor Rustica Atticus, brought mybrothers and me to visit the palace from our country villa, which borders Blood Kingdom. Father is a harsh man, governing the mountainous region with a strong military presence. He would never have allowed me to court, having traditional beliefs about Omegas.” Lucius’ lips pinch. “I had never left the walls of our villa before. Barely left my rooms. Yet King Tarquin demanded that all the Atticus family attend court. When Tarquin spoke, you listened. I believe now that he was growing to fear Father’s strength in the borderlands.”
I don’t like how pale Lucius has become as he talks about his past in that villa.
I squeeze his hands. “You enjoyed your visit.”
“Enjoyed it?” Lucius looks up through his curls. “I could finally breathe for the first time in my life. Also, I did the unthinkable. I ran away and found this beautiful rose garden to play in. I never wanted to go home. Then I met a golden haired Alpha. I remember thinking,I’ve died and this is a Shadow God. What other Alpha wouldn’t hit, mock, or shame me? I was such an innocent. When he told me that he was actually Prince Aurelius, I made him a crown of roses and asked him to become my Alpha when he was older.”
I wince, bracing myself for a rejection as painful as my own confession to Bard.
Lucius gives a wry smile. “I can hardly believe that I was once such a naïve child. Relius could have ripped my heart from my chest. My brothers had enough experience of doing that. Instead, he happily patted the roses on his hair like they were precious to him, despite the thornsthat pricked him. Then he let me down gently. He thanked me but told me that he was forbidden to bond because of a prophecy and asked me to be his friend instead. I hugged him then because being friends was even better; I’d never had one of those.”
Relief at Aurelius’ kindness to the lonely young Omega floods me. Yet concern also sits heavy in my stomach.
Why is Aurelius forbidden to bond? What prophecy?
“Of course,” Lucius adds lightly, although his expression is tight, “Father found me in a whirlwind of fury and blows. I was knocked into the rosebushes, scratched and crying. The flower crown was trampled, while Aurelius, young as he was, tried to defend me. I was locked in my rooms for the rest of the trip on Tarquin’s order for being atroublemaker.”
I swallow. “Did you get to stay at court?”
