Chapter Ten

Half an hour into the show, I was completely engrossed. In Aras. I kept glancing at him, drawn by his expressions. They were so very, well, expressive. His eyes widened in amazement, his whisker pads wrinkled and lifted with delight, and when he was shocked by a plot twist, he would grip something and gasp. Aras used the glasses a few times, but mostly, he leaned on his knees, sometimes with his furry chin propped in his hands. We were so close that the glasses weren't necessary.

Aras kept sweeping the stage with his stare, taking it all in. The backdrops that kept changing. The props. The costumes. Nothing escaped his notice—nothing too small to gain his interest. But at the same time, he was enthralled by the story. He laughed and scowled and even shed a few tears. And I found all of it pleasing, even his tears. It filled me with pride to know that I had given this to him. No one else had done this for Aras. I had opened his eyes to a new experience.

The acting was good, and the play was interesting. I was relieved that it had indeed been a good choice for our first date. First date. That implied there would be others. And there would be. I'd see to it. Many, many more nights like this one. I'd get to watch Aras enjoy all the delights my wealth and status could offer him. Things I wouldn't have been able to give him in my old life.

All of my suffering and hard work had been to get me the crown, but I hadn't truly appreciated it until that moment. It had been more about revenge and pride than enjoying the perks of wealth. I was never a man who needed the finer things. The coin that came with being King was just a bonus for me. Yes, I did enjoy hiring workers for my parents' farm and buying them a luxurious manor. They would never have to till a field again, and there was great relief, joy, and pride in that for me. But none of that came close to the feeling I got knowing that I could give my mate status above all but myself in my kingdom and wealth that he had probably never dreamed of.

Great Goddess, I wanted to tell him so badly.

“Yes!” Aras shouted and launched to his feet along with many others in the audience.

I blinked, refocused on the stage, and realized that the play had ended. Ah, yes, there was the happy couple, embracing. Love had overcome all. As per usual onstage. The actors parted and bowed as the curtain came down behind them. I stood up to clap beside Aras, who glanced at me to grin. Oh, there it was again—that joyous feeling. I felt as if I could rule the world.

Then I remembered that the Eye had promised me that very thing, and I sobered. Did I want to rule Serai? Fuck, no. It was hard enough to keep control of one kingdom. My life would be a constant flow of meetings, battles, and who knows what else if I tried to rule the world. I didn't like trusting others to watch over things for me.

I had assigned the government of the dread's enclaves to my old friends, making them nobles so that they'd outrank the people they governed. All but my parents, of course. Most of them had to move their families to new enclaves to take those positions, but they'd been happy to do so. It meant a new start in a city that didn't know they had been commoners. The worst position had been the governorship of the Vacrond Enclave, but I'd given it to my closest friend, Ellas.

Poor Ellas was in a constant battle for control and respect. All the nobles knew he used to be a cobbler, and they did not think he was fit to run an enclave, much less give them commands. He was living my life on a smaller scale, and that weighed on me. But Ellas was the only one I could trust to keep those motherfuckers in line and watch over my parents.

If I ruled the world, I would have to assign Dragons to look after entire kingdoms for me, and as much faith as I thought Ellas could handle it, I didn't think the others were up to the task. No, ruling the world sounded like a terrible idea. Besides, my priorities were shifting. I grinned and took my mate's hand.

It was only as we headed out of the private box that I realized we hadn't made use of that couch. Aras had been enjoying the performance too much for me to take him away from it. And I had been enjoying his enjoyment too much to even think about sex. Holy shit, I was falling in love. Nothing else made sense.

My knights fell into position ahead and behind us as Aras and I strode down the corridor. The theater manager met us at the bottom of the stairs, in the grand foyer, his hands held before him and a hopeful expression on his face.

“Sire, did you enjoy the performance?” he asked.

“It was spectacular,” I said. “I look forward to your next production.”

“Oh, thank you! I can't wait to tell the others. They'll be thrilled!”

“Please pass on our congratulations on a brilliant play.”

“I will, Your Majesty! I will!”

I nodded and led Aras toward the exit. It was crowded in the foyer, but everyone parted for us. The royal carriage waited at the bottom of the theater steps, my driver already opening the door. He wasn't any of my usual drivers, but Mossemas was always hiring new staff, so I didn't think much of it.

I let Aras climb in first, then went in after him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my knights head to their positions—one beside the driver and the other on the standing ledge in the back. The one on the back ledge was Alfain, and there was something odd about his expression, but I didn't linger on that either. He often gave me odd looks.

I was too happy for such trivialities to register. That was the problem. I didn't notice when the carriage headed in the wrong direction. Not at first. I was too focused on my mate. Aras had nuzzled in against me as soon as I sat down, and he was warm. And silky. And smelled good. I would need him sexually soon. But at that moment, the mating magic remained at a level I could control. It felt liberating after those five days of burning, thrusting need. So, I basked in it instead of paying attention to the view from the window.

It wasn't until we left the city that I realized something was wrong. That's when all those little details came together and sent a warning into my thick brain.

I sat up abruptly and leaned across Aras to push the curtains aside. It had been the lights, or lack thereof, that alerted me. It was dark outside, and Renris was never dark, not even in the middle of the night.

With dread unfurling in my stomach, I sat back and looked up at the ceiling, as if I could see what was happening through the wood and steel.

“What is it?” Aras looked out the window. “Where are we going? Have we left the city?”

“Shh,” I whispered.

“Ly?” he whispered back.

I cracked my neck and slid out of my coat. “I want you to stay in the carriage no matter what you hear, Aras.”

“Ly.”

I took off my shoes next. The boots were my favorites. “I will handle this.”

“Ly.”

I summoned my dragon but only into a half-shift—a half-shift most Dragons couldn't manage. It had been this ability that convinced my father that I could win the crown tourney. A full transformation into a dragon wasn't allowed, but you could summon parts of your beast as long as you remained on two legs. After seeing my half-form, my father began to help me train. And yet, I didn't use that skill in the tourney. I decided it was better to hold back my greatest strength unless I absolutely needed to reveal it. And I never reached that point. I won without shifting. Now I knew why I had held back. Something in me knew that this day would come.

I was grateful that the traitors outside our carriage wouldn't know to prepare for what I could do. Because it's special. There are powerful Dragons who can manage a partial shift—summoning claws, wings, or horns. And then there are Dragons like me.

Crimson scales covered my skin even as I continued to undress. I had to hurry, and not just because I didn't know when the attack would come. I also needed to get out of my clothes before my muscles grew. I pushed down my pants just in time to save them. Meanwhile, horns emerged from my skull, sweeping back into deadly points, and claws extended from my fingertips. Wings came next, then a tail, and with them, my transformation was complete.

“Lyrandir!” Aras hissed.

I snarled as I turned to face him. I was crouched on the floor of the carriage, too large for any other position. As it was, parts of me pressed into him.

Aras's eyes were wide, but his expression was steady. “ We will handle this together.”

“No,” I said.

“They've betrayed you, haven't they? Your knights.”

“Yes. I assume so, since I heard no fighting.”

“I will not, Ly.” He laid a hand on my shoulder. “You don't need to fight alone. I will stand with you.”

In that beast form, the softer emotions were dulled. Usually. But my mate's words called forth a rolling tide of emotion so strong that I was grateful for my crouched position. I betrayed nothing when I went to my knees under the force of it. Not alone . How long had it been since I hadn't felt alone? Those two words completed the fall. They were the final click of the key that opened my heart.

That was the precise moment that I fell in love with my mate.

“Do you hear me, Lyrandir?” Aras growled as he ducked below a wing. “You will not do this alone.”

My need to protect my mate battled with my pride in him. I may be the alpha in our relationship, but I didn't want to unman Aras. He would be good in a fight. A normal fight. But this wouldn't be a normal fight. I assumed we'd be fighting Dragons.

“Listen to me,” I said. “I will be facing at least two Dragons—knights who are trained to kill. They are likely taking us to a location where more soldiers are waiting. And they are likely Dragons too. I don't doubt your fighting skills, Aras. But you will not win against them.”

“Not alone, I won't,” he said. “But with you, I will.”

I started to argue again, but he cut me off.

“I can at least guard your back. Ly, I won't sit in here and watch you fight them alone.”

I stared at him. “Very well. But do not leave my side. And you must promise to run if I tell you to.”

“Fuck that.”

“Aras!”

The carriage came to a stop.