Page 84 of Golden Queen
"In Nightfall, the only ones who wear these cuffs are bound criminals—people who have been judged guilty of a crime and had their magic bound while they serve their sentence in prison."
I pulled my hand back, toying with the golden cuff, somewhat offended by the implication.
"The rulers of Windemere have worn them—"
She cut me off. "Are you sure, Your Majesty? Because I have never heard this about the kings of the Godsgrass Kingdom."
"What are you implying?" I asked, more than slightly annoyed at her tone by then.
She smiled. "I am not implying that you are a criminal," she laughed. "I am sorry. Sometimes I am much too blunt. Juriae is always chastising me to take more care with my words."
She reached down and took my hand again, placing her other one on the skin above my shirt collar. She let just her fingertips touch the flesh over the hollow at the base of my throat and closed her eyes.
When she opened them, she said, "What I am implying, dear sweet girl, is that someone has bound you just the same."
"I'm not—" I began, but the words cut off abruptly as some memory came back to me—something buried in my mind.
A flower, dead and wilted, hanging down the side of a crystal vase. And then it wasn't anymore. It stood straight and pure white, the petals fanning out in a lovely halo around the black center. And Markus was angry—angrier than the small version of me had ever seen him.
I shook off the thought, even as another began to filter in; glass raining down onto the head of that sniveling Tudemond of Balus who had the nerve to pinch me under my arm when I would not show him my teeth.
Cazmiri's eyes softened. She nodded almost imperceptibly. "Take them off Aelia of Windemere. Show them who you really are."
And then she swept out into the hall before I could formulate a response.
By the time we reached the top of the sweeping staircase under that glittering crystal chandelier, I had once again forgotten about the gold cuffs that lay on my wrists.
Io stood at the bottom of the stairs. His dark eyes slid up to meet mine, watching me as I descended. The look sent some delicious jolt of warmth running down to my toes.
I took the hand he offered, and we left the manor house, angling down the steps and striding to the western side of the property.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Just past the trees," he said, giving me a grin that told me he wouldn't tell me more. I had my suspicions, though, as we entered the forest I could still hardly believe existed in my crowded city.
Soft, green-tinted light filtered in from the thick canopy overhead. Long, draping vines dangled from branches; moss, lichen, and rich loamy earth underfoot—things that I had sadly only ever read about—things that made me realize how sheltered I had truly always been.
The trees began to thin, and my first glimpse past them confirmed my suspicion. Dark, inky-black scales ran down the huge body of a dragon slumbering in the sunshine streaming through a break in the trees.
The clearing was small. I could see broken branches all around the edges where his huge body had apparently crashed through, taking parts of the forest down with him.
He was alone, and I wondered for a moment where the other dragons were. But then my mind was cleared as Io pulled me past the last of the trees, and Veles swung his big head around to look at me.
Io didn't hesitate. His steps did not even falter as he approached the beast, who was large enough to swallow us both, probably without even noticing as we slid down his massive throat.
But I did hesitate, pulling on the hand that was clasped in mine.
Io smiled. "Don't worry. He will all but ignore you. He rarely lowers himself to notice anyone, but even if he does, he won't harm you since you're with me."
"Would he if I was not with you? Taiger said dragons don't harm people." I thought my voice sounded a tad frantic to my ears.
"Not on purpose," he said with an apologetic grin. "But even so, Veles is a grumpy old dog. I would not approach him alone."
I still hesitated, so Io turned to me, giving me a look. "Do you really think I would put you in any danger, Sera?"
I smiled wanly. "No."
I reluctantly allowed him to lead me forward. Veles was watching us warily as we approached. His massive green and gold-flecked eye tracked me across the clearing. When we were no more than a yard away, he lifted his head and pointed it directly at me.
