Izzy knew she was dazzled, but she couldn’t help herself. They were all so beautiful.
As the two dragons moved through the crowd, the others grew silent and openly stared at Izzy. She realized that this was a throne room. They were taking her to meet with their king.
A small dais jutted from the rock wall and that’s where the dragon carrying Izzy stopped. Her kidnapper, however, kept walking until he’d stepped onto that dais and faced the court of dragons. That’s when everyone around Izzy kneeled, heads bowed. It was something even Rhiannon didn’t bother getting her subjects to do, the Southland dragons notoriously difficult about basic court etiquette. But these Sand dragons all kneeled without question . . . to Izzy’s kidnapper.
Chewing her lip, she looked up, shrugged. Sorry, she mouthed at him. When he winked back, Izzy felt a little relief knowing she hadn’t brought down her grandmother’s alliance with a few snotty words. But that feeling of relief was all too brief when she heard war cries from outside the chamber.
The guards immediately pulled their weapons, but the king held up his claw. “It’s all right. Allow him entry.”
“My lord?”
“Do as I instruct.”
Izzy tapped the shoulder of the dragon she rode. “You may want to put me down now.”
“You sure you’ll be all right?”
“Safer than you, I’m afraid.” The dragon lowered himself to the ground and Izzy easily slid off. Good thing, too, because Éibhear came in just then, two axes out, sand still covering his hair, looking quite homicidal. She definitely found it sexy.
Gods, I’m pathetic.
“Éibhear,” she called up to him, worried he’d start killing all these frightened royals. “I’m fine.”
“We leave now,” he ordered, silver eyes watching everyone.
“Don’t you want to know, Fire Breather, why I felt the need to take Princess Iseabail?”
Izzy smirked. “Princess Izzy. I like the sound of that.”
“When I called you princess, you nearly bit my head off,” Éibhear needlessly reminded her.
“Didn’t much like your tone when you said it, now did I?”
“It’s always something with you, isn’t it?”
“What’s that supposed to mean, you big bas—Macsen!” Izzy crouched down and opened her arms, Macsen diving into them, covering her with disgusting slobber and messy fur. She loved it.
“Of course,” Éibhear complained, “you go for that damn dog first.”
Eyes narrowing, Izzy accused, “You’re jealous.”
“Of a dog?”
“Of my dog. My loyal, dependable—”
“—never speaks so it can’t tell you when you’re being an idiot—”
“—dog!”
Izzy looked around and stood. “Where did everybody go?”The cavern had cleared out, leaving Izzy, Éibhear, Macsen, and the Dragon King of the Desert Lands.
Izzy faced the desert royal. He stared at them, his forearms folded over his chest, one talon tapping.
“Sorry about that,” Izzy said.
“Why are you apologizing?” Éibhear demanded. “He kidnapped you.”
“He rescued me. There’s apparently a difference.”
King Heru VII of the Desert Lands watched Princess Iseabail and the youngest son of the Dragon Queen bicker. That seemed to be all they did. Bicker. Once he’d realized that they wouldn’t stop soon, he’d ordered his court cleared. The last thing he needed was for his people to know exactly how ridiculous the Southland royal family truly was. He understood the value of having Rhiannon the White as an ally but there were still many who questioned the decision made centuries ago by his father to align themselves with the Fire Breathers. And that concern had only grown when it was discovered that the Southlanders had joined forces with the Lightning dragons out of the Northlands. Barbarians. Rhiannon had aligned her people with barbarians.
“Are you two done?” he asked Iseabail and her—quote, unquote—uncle.
The royal brat eyed him. “Who the hell are you?”
“This is King Heru,” Iseabail introduced them, eyes widening in warning at the Blue.
“Centaur shit.”
“Éibhear!”
“Why would the king of the Desert Lands kidnap you?”
“What does that mean?”
The Fire Breather frowned. “What do you think it means?”
“You know exactly what I think it means. And I think you know that what I think it means is exactly what you’re meaning.”
“That made absolutely no sense.”
“Shut up.”
“But—”
“Just shut up.”
Heru put his claws to his head. “Suns above. Are you two like this all the time?”
The couple gazed at him and asked together, “What do you mean?”
Rhi looked up from her sketch to see her grandmother standing a few feet away. “Hello, Gran.”
“Hello, my dearest love. Do you have some time to talk?”
“Of course.” She put aside her sketch.
“Should I shift?” her grandmother asked.
“No need.” Rhi gazed up at her. “I love seeing you like this. You’re beautiful.”
Her grandmother stretched out, white wings extending from her back until they could lay flat, her tail reaching up and pulling fruits down from a nearby tree.