Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
She shakes her head, worried. "It's Lord Azar. He's in the dining hall and he's throwing things. Something's wrong."
Shit. I nod, sliding out of bed. "Give me two moments and I'll get dressed." I race to the closet and put on the very first thing I grab—a flimsy pink princess dress with an empire waist. Fine. Whatever. I shove it over my head and pull my sleeping wrap off my hair as I head across the compound for the dining hall. I'm aware of the stares of servants rushing away, of the crash of precious dishes on the floor, and it takes everything I have to calm my features. If there's one thing being with Azar has taught me, it's that appearances matter, and if I look distressed and upset, it's going to upset others. I make sure I'm radiating serenity as I sweep inside, just in time to see my lover throwing another ceramic plate against the wall as lines of women stand miserably off to one side.
There must be a problem with Azar's “program” for unmated women. I won't call it the panty program like the soldiers do. I'm not a fan of it, but Azar swears we need more dragons to keep the fort safe—and to have children so we can block whatever thing is reaching down through the Rift. To that end, we have young women housed in the fort and protected. This, however, doesn't look like protection to me, I think critically. It looks like a tantrum, and it doesn't suit my husband very well.
"I should throw all of you out of the fort," Azar snarls at the group as he picks up another plate. "Ungrateful, useless, tiresome—"
I cut through the women. "Excuse me," I say, projecting my voice. I move toward Azar with a smile on my face. Serenity, I chant inwardly. Serenity. Serenity. I ignore the cowering of the women, and the wary looks of the soldiers. My gaze is on Azar and Azar alone, and when I move to his side, he puts the plate in his hands down, his mouth flattening. He won't apologize. That's not who Azar is.
I put my hand out.
He hesitates only a moment before putting his hand into mine.
I squeeze his fingers and move closer, smiling at him like a mannequin. "Do you want to tell me what's going on, love? You're scaring everyone."
Azar's nostrils flare and his mouth works in frustration. "Everyone works against me," he mutters in a low voice. "What is the point of me straining myself to the edge of madness if no one else will help?"
"I'm here," I say softly. "And I'll help. Tell me what's going on."
"One of them is stealing my drakoni," he mutters, casting suspicious looks at the women nearby. "Here I am, being a good leader and feeding them and making sure they are safe, and they are going behind my back and trying to steal my drakoni." He's agitated, his hand raking through his hair, and I can see hints of claws on the tips of his fingers, a sure sign that he's struggling to control himself. That's only happened a few times before, each time when Azar woke up from a nightmare. I clasp his hand in mine and press on one of the claws to give him a quiet signal, and he grimaces.
"One of the ones on the wall?" I ask gently, trying to grasp why he's so upset about someone possibly mating to another dragon.
"Yes! I need them to bring in new drakoni, not pick apart the ones I already have." He pulls in a deep, shuddering breath. "It tears at my concentration. I worry if I lose one, I will lose all."
"It's all right," I soothe. "Maybe they didn't know. And is it such a bad thing if one of them takes a mate? You're just holding them in limbo until they can handle themselves, right?"
"Right," Azar says, but he doesn't sound convinced. He tucks my hand into his arm and turns to glare at the women across the room. "I'm not mad," he practically bellows at them. "I simply wish to know which one of you is seducing my dragon out from under my nose."
I elbow him. If he wants to win them over, that ain't the way to do it.
"You're supposed to recruit other dragons, not the ones I already have." Azar scowls at the women, and when a long, uncomfortable moment passes, he turns his frown on me. "No one is coming forward!"
Oh boy. I know he's beyond stressed, but this isn't the way to handle it. I put a hand on his arm, soothingly. "There's an easy way to do this. There's no need to terrify everyone."
"They deserve it. Fear is the best tool of the ruler."
I just give him A Look. "We can just take the girls outside and see which one the dragons react to. There's no need to bully."