Her lips parted, her eyes teared up. How could she go from being a no-account dragon shifter to a duchess to a princess within only a matter of minutes if she married a man she’d want to kill? Not to mention he would feel the same way about her.
She wanted to politely decline. She knew she couldn’t. She did anyway.
“I’m not ready to marry. I’m not even sure I’m ready to be a duchess.” She spoke very low so the queen didn’t hear her. “And I’m not ready to be a princess. Certainly, I want no part of marrying Prince Grotto. He hates dragon shifters and me especially.” She was used to speaking her mind. Not to the king, of course, but it was high time she said something before he ruined her life.
Not that he couldn’t still do so. And probably would. Royals were known to do that to their courtiers when they felt justified.
She thought of how she would have to leave her people behind. Her castle. Her staff. All because she would choose not to marry an obnoxious prince that she had never in a millennium considered she’d have to marry.
She knew she couldn’t even move to the dark fae kingdom, not when she would be on the outs with the dragon fae king who would be angry with the lion fae queen for giving Ena refuge while she avoided marrying the king’s nephew.
The king smiled and sat taller in his chair. “Prince Grotto will show you every respect due you. You have my word.”
And that was the problem right there—the key words—every respect due you. What if he didn’t respect her in the least? And Grotto didn’t. So he wouldn’t owe her any.
Even if Prince Grotto showed her every respect—which she was certain he wouldn’t—they didn’t even like each other. No way would she ever marry the snake.
“You will have a month to get used to the idea. Use it wisely to get to know Grotto.” The king smiled at her as warmly as he could, which was icy, considering he hadn’t liked that she’d refused his offer. Or probably that she’d spoken so frankly about his nephew. Who was she to speak of the royal family in such a way, after all?
She considered that Alicia had some other cousins. Maybe one of them would suit better? Then again, they weren’t dragon shifters. How could someone who was not one understand her like someone who was?
She looked for Micala and saw him sitting at the high table with his royal family and poor Cassie looking alone and miserable, sitting at a lower table with other courtiers. That’s what she envisioned for herself if she was forced to live with Prince Grotto at Crislis Castle.
She couldn’t even eat a bite of the celebratory feast, and then the dancing finally followed the meal. Princess Alicia and Prince Deveron led the dance, and then the royal families all took to the dance floor, except for Micala. He’d managed to slip over to the lower table and sit beside Cassie. He had his arm around her shoulders, and she was resting her head against his chest. That’s what Ena wanted. Love like that. And like Princess Alicia and Prince Deveron had. She watched Princess Ritasia dancing with her husband and the winged fae with Niall.
She folded her arms and snorted. That would never happen if she married the pompous prince.
The king was dancing with Queen Irenis, which surprised her to such an extent, she stared, wondering if she just imagined the two of them were dancing together and her eyes were playing tricks on her.
“Let’s dance,” Prince Grotto said, coming up from behind, shocking her to the core.
She whipped her head around and saw him offering the best smile he could, under the circumstances, his hand outstretched. He must have been ordered to be nice to her because goddess forbid, he had to wed her in a month’s time.
“You have heard what your uncle wishes of us?” she asked, not taking his hand.
“I have and I do not object.” When she narrowed her eyes at him, he gave her a conceited smile. “Not too much,” he amended. “It’s part of the royal game. You win some, you lose some.”
“And what do you win with me?” She hated to ask. She was afraid of what he might say.
“Why you’re lovely, when you’re dressed in a gown and in something other than black. It suits you. I will insist that you wear no more black.”
“And if I refuse?”
He shrugged, took her arm, and pulled her from her seat, then led her to the dance floor. “If I can’t get your concession any other way, I’ll ask the king to demand it of you. It works out quite nicely really. If I’d had to marry a spoiled princess, I’d have to abide by her wishes—being she’d be from a royal family and I mustn’t upset another kingdom. With you, no worries at all.”
She knew this wouldn’t be a match made in heaven. “And what do you lose with marrying me?”
He began to dance with her, holding her way too close for comfort, but he wouldn’t allow her any distance. “The opportunity to find someone I truly love? I hadn’t met anyone like that, so for now, I have nothing to lose by marrying you.”
And if he did find someone to love? She could just imagine she’d suddenly be a dead dragon shifter.
What if she found someone she loved? Even worse.
There had to be some other reason for Prince Grotto wanting to marry her. He hated her!
“You plan to use me, don’t you?”
“Your skill to hide your fae aura? It had crossed my mind. You’re ability to shift into a dragon? Could have its advantages.”
He spoke as if she would be his pet on a leash. Train the dumb beast what he wanted it to do. Though she was highly intelligent and normally wouldn’t agree to such a thing, except when her king requested for her to go on missions, but she could see where Prince Grotto would just go to the king anytime and tell him he needed her to do some task, and she wouldn’t do it. Could the king convince her?
She stifled a growl.
“Do you want me to tell your little shifter friends that you are off-limits now? That they’re not to visit your keep any longer? Because I won’t allow it. But you can make it seem as though it’s your decision, if you wish.”
She ground her teeth.
“I will sleep in late tomorrow, but I’ll expect you to eat the nooning meal with me.” The dance ended and Prince Grotto leaned down to kiss her mouth, but she turned her head, and he kissed her ear instead of her lips. “We’ll have to work on that also.”
He led her back to her seat, then took off to speak to some of his friends who had been watching them dance.
She hated him and hated his friends. She had no one to talk to, save Alicia, but she was busy with her prince. She decided to do the only thing she could. Because she’d never been here, but the one other time, she had to walk to where the dungeon was and was glad no one followed her. When she reached the stairs leading down, a guard approached.
“I’m…Duchess Ena,” she said. “The queen said she would release the two human prisoners to me.”
The guard frowned. Please don’t give me trouble over this. I’ve already had a night and a half.
“Of course, my lady, but we expected you would take them with you under guard. They are dangerous fae killers.” The guard looked over her gown.
Yes, she didn’t look like a deadly dragon shifter, right about now. She looked like a fae princess.
“I’ll be fine. Do you need to accompany me?”
“No, the guard downstairs will release them for you.”
“Thank you.” She hurried down the steps, well, as fast as she could manage in a long gown without falling on her face. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, a guard straightened. “I need to leave now. I’ll take the prisoners with me.”
“Alone, my lady? Without guards?”
“Yes, yes, I’m a dangerous dragon shifter.”
He looked at her gown.
She would never impress anyone that she was a deadly advisory if she wore emerald green dresses. Best to stick to black trewes and tunics.
He walked with her to the back of the dungeon where the two boys were sitting in separate cells. They both stared at her, both looking a littl
e apprehensive. She figured that was because the queen had ordered them beaten until they gave up the location where they were keeping Alicia. So they knew that a woman’s arrival didn’t necessarily mean that she was going to use a soft touch.
“The guard will release you into my care,” Ena said simply. “Don’t test my resolve. The last man who did is a pile of ashes on the floor of the basement where you had manacled Princess Alicia.”
One of the boys was limping, the other favoring his arm, both were badly bruised.
When she had walked with them up the narrow steps to the landing of the common’s area, they could hear the music and gaiety in the great hall.
“Where are you taking us?” the one boy asked.
“What’s your name?”
“Bryan.”
“I’m taking you home, Bryan. The queen has given you both to me as she wishes no part of you any longer. Returning you to the human world would normally not be an option, but I can’t care for you, so I’m taking you both home.”
“What about Brett?” the other boy asked.
“He’s safe. I’ve been caring for him. But I will be returning him home as well.” She felt badly about that. He probably would be happy about returning home, but now she’d outfitted him in fae clothes, and he didn’t even have his own to wear.
She didn’t care for the conspiratorial looks the boys gave each other. But she knew they had no ability to hurt her and though she said she was taking them home, she wasn’t taking them to their actual homes. They’d have to find their own way there. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about running into more of their kind.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
“When are you bringing Brett home?” Bryan asked.
Again a look passed between the boys. She suspected they thought to capture her when she returned with Brett. She smiled sweetly. “Right away.”
And she would, as soon as she got rid of these two. Then? She had to, well, somehow pack up her gold and leave. If she could take her staff with her, she would, but she knew they wouldn’t want to leave their own people behind, either. But she had to have her gold to be able to start over again. A dragon shifter without their pile of treasure was worse than nobody. Even if she did have the title of duchess now.
When she alighted at the Renaissance faire in Waxahachie, the boys both looked around and Bryan said, “Where are we? This isn’t home.” The faire was closed for the season.
“I’m not very good at direction. I think maybe you’re a couple of hours from home.” Then she vanished. Let them figure it out for themselves.
When she transported to the front door of her castle, she swore the next one would not be made of iron ore so she could just transport straight to her bedchamber when she was as exhausted as she was. She knocked on the door.
Ryker hurried to answer the door, and she felt so weepy when she saw him, she burst into tears. She couldn’t help it. These were her people. Her family. She’d lost her own years ago, and though none of her staff were dragon shifters, they were as close to family as she could get.
She’d even miss her brother, Halloran, and all the other shifters. But for now, she had to hurry and do what she needed to do.
“Mistress Ena,” Ryker said, holding her in his arms, patting her back ineffectually.
She felt like a fool. She was supposed to be strong, a tough, fire-breathing dragon. She’d turned into a puddle of tears in a pretty green gown she’d never wear again. And she was weeping hot wet tears all over Ryker’s impeccable tunic. She was almost surprised he didn’t tell her that consoling a dragon shifter mistress was not in his job description. He should have. And she should have quickly stepped away from him.
“We have to…” She shook her head, her voice breaking. “I’m sorry.” She looked around at her gathered staff, at Brett, and realized everyone had quickly arrived to see how the celebration had fared, probably coming to the conclusion it had not gone over well.
She swallowed hard. “Tonight I became a duchess.”
No one smiled. They looked stunned and they knew she wouldn’t be crying about something like that.
“That was Queen Irenis’s gift to me. Princess Alicia and Prince Deveron were married this afternoon. That’s what the celebration was about.” She was rattling off everything, all out of order. She glanced at Brett. “The queen gave your friends to me to do as I wished. I took them home. Well, to a place about two hours from their home. I was afraid they’d try to hurt me if I took them straight home.”
She brushed tears from her cheeks. Ryker pulled out a hanky and gave it to her.
“Thank you. The king didn’t like that Queen Irenis made me a duchess, so he decided that since there was only one rank higher than that—a princess, well queen above that, but I’d have to marry him for that honor—he decided I should marry Prince Grotto.”
Her lady’s maid covered her mouth in shock. Lila gasped. One of her maids sat promptly on the floor in a near faint. The other waved air in front of her face as if she couldn’t breathe. Ryker stared at her as if he couldn’t believe her words.
A dragon shifter marrying into the royal family was pretty farfetched. But she was glad they didn’t react as though they thought she was crazy not to accept the honor.
“Prince Grotto, the man who seemed to despise you when the king wished you to dispose of me?” Brett asked quietly.
“Yes.”
“Then what are we to do?” Brett asked.
She couldn’t help staring at him in disbelief. Did he think her staff could rescue her? It wasn’t going to happen.
“I have to return you to your home as I did the others. I have to let my staff go.”
“No,” Lila said. “No. No one else will have us. We’re family.”
“I know, but I’ll have to leave here for good. I couldn’t ask you to go with me. I have no idea where I’d even go.”
Ryker said, “We could go to the hawk fae kingdom. Princess Ritasia is a friend of Princess Alicia and since she is a friend of yours, maybe that would work?”
“King Tiernan has a human friend who has been his constant companion,” Muriel said, looking wide-eyed and hopeful. “If Brett wanted to come with us.”
Brett folded his arms. “I haven’t even had a chance to earn the money for these fine clothes you made me buy.”
She couldn’t help but smile just a little.
“What about your gold?” Lila said.
“I have to take it with me. It’s what will support us until we can get settled.”
“How much do you have to carry?” Brett asked.
Everyone smiled.
“Our mistress works very hard and the dungeon is full,” Ryker said.
“The dungeon,” Brett said. “You mean, I couldn’t have slept in there even if you’d wanted me to?”
Ignoring him, Ena said, “We will have to move in phases all night long. It’s too far to travel to the hawk fae kingdom by fae travel. We’ll have to stop along the way.”
With a much lighter heart than when she’d first returned home and with a love for her staff, which now officially included one human gardener, she felt her heart nearly burst with hope. “I’ll get changed. Everyone pack everything you need to take.”
“How will we be able to move everything overnight?” Ryker asked.
“I’ll have to solicit my brother and the other dragon shifters’ help. It’s the only way.” And she hoped they’d help and not want to start a war with the dragon fae king instead.
Maybe where she settled next, she’d find another dragon shifter colony and a dragon that sent her over the moon where she didn’t analyze every characteristic like she did with the ones here. Or maybe her own dragon shifters would decide someday to join her, too.
That was something to think about for another day. Tonight, she had to move. And fast.
***
Alicia and Deveron retired to his chamber after a wild night of dancing and merrymaking and he hurried to help
her out of her gold gown. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him in that much of a rush ever.
“Your mother said she was sending Micala with Ritasia and her husband to the hawk fae kingdom. That Cassie could find a home there because King Tiernan is agreeable. Do you think they’ll be happy?” Alicia asked.
Deveron kissed her naked back as he continued to untie her ties on the back of the gown. “I should just cut these,” he grumbled.
“Don’t you dare even think that.”
“There are too many.” He sighed. “Yes, they will be happy. Micala was trying not to show it because he was afraid my mother would change her mind and punish him in some other way. But she knew. She always knows. She couldn’t allow him to stay here with Cassie. It’s against her ruling, and if she let her own nephew break her laws, then any of the fae could find human mates and bring them to the kingdom. So it was the next best thing she could do. Either remove his fae abilities and exile him to Earth with Cassie, and worry that fae seers might know who he was and kill him, or allow him to stay with my sister and make Cassie his wife there.”
Alicia sighed. “What is taking you so long?”
He growled. “The ties are knotted.”
“All right. All right. Don’t cut them.”
He continued to struggle with the satin fabric.
“I overheard my grandfather tell Ena that she was to marry Prince Grotto,” Alicia said, worried. No way could her grandfather force such a marriage.
Deveron stopped working on her ties. “What did Ena say to that?”
“No.”
“Good. I like her. She saved you. She doesn’t deserve to be married to the troll. No offense to trolls.” Deveron continued to untie Alicia’s gown.
“My grandfather said she would anyway. I’ve got to convince him that it wouldn’t be right.”
“Oh. We’re off on our honeymoon tomorrow.”