Chapter Four

I expected to meet the Dragon King in his throne room, with him seated on his throne. That”s not exactly what happened.

Gunrel and I were walking down one of the tidy corridors when the Dragon King of Latur came striding toward us from the other direction. Gunrel kept going, so I followed his lead. We only stopped when the King was about four feet away. Gunrel bowed. I bowed.

Then I peeped up through my bangs.

The King was staring at me. No emotion on his face, utterly indifferent as advertised. But then something shifted in his stare. Flickered. It was just a second, but I swear I saw . . . something. Something far from indifferent. Something that made me shiver.

“Rise,” the King said, his voice neither high nor low, just a mellow in between.

I was surprised by it. After the way his appearance affected me, I expected his voice to zing straight through me. But it was just one word. Maybe it would get better.

“Sir Gunrel, you have succeeded in your mission. You have my gratitude.”

Nope. Nothing. I didn”t feel anything because there was nothing for me to respond to. The King”s tone was bland. Utterly unbefitting of his face.

“It was my honor to acquire you a gardener, Your Majesty.”

“Ugh!” I couldn”t help it. That word. That horrible, annoying word. “I”m not a gardener!”

The Dragon King blinked.

Sir Gunrel winced.

Then I remembered who I was meeting. “Shit! Sorry, Your Majesty. Sorry for saying shit too. Fuck, now I”ve said it twice. Oh, son of a bitch! Now I”ve said fuck, bitch, and shit.” I clamped a hand over my mouth.

The Dragon King”s jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and he made a soft sound of amazement.

Gunrel froze.

I barely noticed. I was too mortified.

“Uh, I”m really not an uncouth asshole,” I said. “Oh, great Gods, why can”t I stop swearing?!”

“Maybe because you keep talking,” the King said dryly.

Gunrel whimpered.

“I”m better with plants, I swear,” I said. “I swear in a good way, not in an F-word way. I just hate being called a gardener.”

“I believe His Majesty was politely telling you to shut up,” Gunrel hissed at me.

“Oh, fuck! Sorry, Your Majesty.” I bowed again. While I was bent over, I muttered, “Gods damn it, I said fuck again.”

The Dragon King grunted. “What is your name, Mr. Not Gardener? And your preferred title?”

“Uh . . .” My name. What was my name? I had one of those, didn”t I? I looked at Gunrel but he was no help. He was just staring at the King. “It”s uh, Sebastian. Sebastian Dahl, Your Majesty. I”m a Master of Vegetation. An expert on plants.”

“Doll? As in the things little girls play with?”

Am I just hearing things or did his voice just get deeper?

“Spelled differently, Your Majesty. D-A-H-L,” I said. “And I prefer boys to play with me. Big boys.” I grinned.

Gunrel choked.

The Dragon King”s brow lifted.“You are more like a puppy than a doll.”

“A puppy?”

“Yes.” He waved at me. “Jumping about, practically peeing yourself, and looking for something to hump.”

“First, I”m a toy and now I”m a leg-humping dog about to pee myself?”

The Dragon King frowned as if he were trying to work out the intricacies of social graces. “Ah. Yes, that was rude. Forgive me.”

His aloofness, even with that apology, got under my skin. I wanted a reaction from him. So I pushed it even further. “Honestly, Your Majesty, I”m just teasing you. Call me a doll or a puppy, dress me up or collar me, whatever tickles your fancy. I”m at your service.”

King Shaleros”s frown smoothed. “That is not the kind of service I”m interested in, Master Dahl. But thank you for the offer. I sense a compliment in it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I did intend for it to be flattering, not offensive.” I inclined my head.

“You”re excused, Sir Gunrel,” the King said.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Gunrel bowed and left, shooting me a strange look.

“Come with me, Master Dahl,” the King said. He turned around and headed back in the direction he had come from.

I stared after him for a few seconds. What an ass. And I mean his actual ass. I wasn”t insulting him. That ass was even better than my friend Galen”s, and Galen had an ass that had won him a Dragon King. Fuck, Galen”s ass could have won him the world.

Then I realized I wasn”t moving, and I jolted into action, running after the King. “Uh, you can call me Sebastian, Your Majesty.”

“Just not gardener?” He slid a look my way.

I cringed. “Sorry. I worked hard for my degree. I”m not just some guy who trims bushes.”

“Oh, but I know. I sent for you because I need more than a few bushes trimmed.”

There was a joke in there but I was too dazed by him to find it. And it was probably inappropriate anyway. I needed to stop teasing him. He was called indifferent for a reason, and as much as I wanted to, I wasn”t going to change him. I”d been arrogant to think I could.

I fell silent as the King led me through the corridors of his castle. Beauty was everywhere, and I couldn”t help pausing occasionally to gawk at it. Unlike the city, the walls of the castle were all stone, but they were carved just the same. Well, not exactly the same. These walls were more elaborate. They didn”t need artwork on them and so didn”t have any.

The King finally noticed my awe and slowed down. “Is this your first time in a castle?”

“No, Your Majesty. Actually, I just finished a job for the King of Sken.”

No reaction. “Was his castle not as striking?” Not bragging, just a question.

“It was beautiful, but not like this. Sken is very cold this time of year. You won”t find open windows there.” I waved at the windows through the doorways we passed. “I like the fresh air.”

“You are not dawdling for fresh air.”

“Dawdling?” I chuckled. “That”s a fun word, isn”t it? Daw-w-w-dling.”

“Perhaps you enjoy it because it sounds like your name.”

“Are you teasing me now?”

“Doubtful.” He continued down the corridor.

I grimaced at his back before following.

The Dragon King turned a corner, and the corridor became a colonnade, with one side open to the outdoors. The columns supported more of those beautiful arches. “Here we are, Sebastian. The reason I hired you.”

“The reason . . .” I stepped toward the edge of the walkway, beneath one of those frilly arches, and stared at a garden courtyard, my words trailing away.

Two things became evident to me immediately. One, no one had tended this garden in years, maybe even decades. And two, I could make it magnificent again. I could make it stunningly beautiful. I was certain of it.

“I know it”s a lot,” the King said as he stepped up beside me.

I was already entering the garden. So, as he drew close, I moved away, down some stone steps.

The overgrowth might have scared other men, it was that vicious and thick. But I knew what plants to handle with care and which ones I could simply brush aside. I flowed through the greenery like that sea dragon had through his territory, finding my way to the center. Absently, I heard movement behind me, but I didn”t look back. I could see something pale peeking through petals and leaves. Flagstones. Walking paths. They radiated outward from something in the center of the garden.

“There you are,” I said when I found it. I brushed aside leaves and twisted branches to find dirty marble beneath. But I have always had the talent of seeing the potential in things. I didn”t need someone to draw me a picture. I could envision it myself.

“I don”t know if it still works,” the King said as he joined me.

I looked over at him. He wore light silk garments in pale blue, but his long tunic and loose pants were still immaculate. Nothing had touched him. In so many ways. For so many years. Suddenly I saw the Dragon King”s potential. Just like his garden, King Shaleros needed a little love. Some tender attention. I didn”t care if he had cut himself off from his emotions. They were still there, they had to be, and I knew if I could just unearth them as I would this marble fountain, he would shine. And this time it wasn”t my arrogance talking. It was hope.

“If it doesn”t work, I”ll find someone to fix it,” I said.

The King nodded, his gaze on the garden. “And the garden?”

“I can fix everything, Your Majesty,” I whispered.

He swung his gaze back to me and it sharpened before it went neutral again. “There”s a lot to do. And I don”t want you to hire a team. This garden was special to someone who was special to me. I don”t want it mistreated, not in any way. No workers stomping through it.”

“It will be a lot to tackle on my own. But I can handle it. Just don”t expect overnight results.”

The Dragon King shook his head. “Something that has been neglected for so long requires patience and determination to bring it back to life.”

“Yes, it does.” I looked away from him before I got emotional. This man was affecting me even more than I expected. “I will give it exactly what it needs and restore it to its former glory.” My stare went back to the King. I couldn”t stop myself. “No matter how long it takes. You have my word.”

The Dragon King stared back at me for several long seconds and then nodded. “Very good. I will have the original plans delivered to your room today.”

“That would be helpful.”

“If you need anything for the garden, send one of the servants into the city for it.”

“I”d rather choose the supplies myself. Especially if they”re plants.”

“Then go yourself and have the bill sent to the castle. I”ll have a letter of credit sent to you along with the garden plans.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I bowed. “It will be my honor to tend to this special place for you.”

The Dragon King looked across the wild garden as if searching for something. His expression remained neutral. Finally, he nodded. “Do you know the way back to your guest room?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then I will leave you to get settled and see you at dinner tonight.”

“I think I”ll look around here a bit more before I head back.”

“Very well.” He turned, went a few steps, then stopped and looked at me over his shoulder. “Master Dahl?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Do not disappoint me.”

“I wouldn”t dream of it, Sire.”