Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Raines left to attend to his chores and the two of us waited with baited breath for our guests to finish their preening. After a time the door opened and Raines made his reappearance. “They are ready for their tour, My Lord.”

Will stood and nodded. “Tell them we’ll be down forthwith.” Raines bowed his head and shut the door.

Will turned to me and offered me his hands. “Ready?”

I snorted and set my hands in his palms. “More ready than you.” He helped me stand but I tripped over my own feet and fell against him. I sheepishly smiled up at him as his eyes twinkled with mischief.

“You were saying?” he wondered.

I dropped my gaze and plucked at the collar of his shirt. “I was just saying that you don’t have to worry. You’re always there when I stumble and I’ll be ready to catch you when you need me to.”

Will leaned down and pressed our lips together in a gentle kiss. Still, I was left breathless by the sign of affection as he drew away. “I know. All my worry is that you will let your curiosity lead you away from me.”

I grinned. “I’ll make sure to keep it in check, at least while we have company.”

“And after?” he wondered.

I wagged my eyebrows at him. “Well, after that I’ll be the only thing you have to worry about, so I’ll keep you on your toes.”

He wrapped an arm around my back and drew me against his side. “Then I’ll be sure to keep an eye on you and more afterward. Now let us see how we can entertain our guests.”

We exited our bedroom and joined the others down in the foyer. I couldn’t help but remember the first time I’d stumbled through those two doors searching for help. It turned out that I’d found the right place, even if I hadn’t known it at the time.

Lord Ware was dressed in rough attire with coarse pants and a heavy jacket. He carried a sword on his hip and a hungry look in his eyes. “Your servant tells me you have quite a bit of game on your lands.”

Will nodded. “Enough to satisfy me ad any friends who come calling.”

Ware puffed out his ample chest. “Then I will take that as an invitation to make use of my hunting prowess and bag myself some of your fine birds.”

Lady Vastag rolled her eyes. She was dressed in a casual if old-fashioned flowery dress and a wide-brimmed hat adorned her head. The lady held her purse in her hand and heels adorned her feet. She looked the epitome of a woman about to go out on the town.

Will examined her and cleared his throat. “Perhaps you would like to sit on one of the balconies overlooking the forest and see the sights from there, Lady Vastag?”

She sniffed the air. “You forget to whom you are speaking, Lord Thorn, or have you forgotten the great battle over the fallen capital of Edimien?”

Ware scoffed. “That was an age ago, Lady Vastag. You have grown-” He stopped himself when she gave him a sharp look.

“I have grown what, Lord Ware?” she challenged him with more than a little hiss in her voice. “Wiser? More fashion-conscious?”

He swallowed hard and bobbed his head. “Just so, My Lady. Your fashion sense will be a, um, asset on the hunt.”

Lady Vastag grinned. “Of course it will. Now shall we be off?”

She took the lead and Ware, glum and pouting, shuffled behind her. Raines and Allard were after them and Will and I brought up the rear. My mate kept his arm securely wrapped around one of mine as we stepped out into the fresh air of the wilderness that surrounded the beautiful manor house. I hadn’t had too much time to enjoy the woods so I took in the sights with fresh eyes.

The lovely trees provided us with a cooling shade and I heard the faint call of small birds all around us. The scenery would have been even more pleasant were it not for the sight of Lady Vastag marching down the path. Her heels sank into the dirt in more than one spot and she occasionally stumbled over an exposed root.

I leaned toward Will and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Fallen capital of Edimien?”

He nodded. “One of the older human settlements. It attempted to conquer many of its neighbors and we dragons intervened on their behalf after they came to plead their case.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “So you guys do get involved in those sorts of things?”

“When the need arises. Their need was great as the people of the empire were a bloodthirsty lot. Much of the dark magic spells that exist now were created by them.”

I wrinkled my nose as I thought back through our adventures with magic. “So was that one spell Baddock tried to use on me one of them?”

“Undoubtedly. Only the people of Edimien would have had the knowledge and the temerity to craft a spell that used the blood of a dragon bride.”

Ware’s face became even more downcast the further we traveled down one of the wide trails. After a few minutes he glanced over his shoulder at us. “I thought you said there were many birds out here.”

Will nodded. “There are but they have to be scared out.”

The lord wrinkled his nose. “And how do we do that?”

Vastag stopped and spun around to face us where she rolled her eyes. “You old fool. How long has it been since you were out hunting?”

He scowled at her. “I have not the opportunity to hunt on my own grounds!”

“And why not?”

He pressed his lips together and turned his face away from all of us. A few mumbled words came from him.

Vastag cupped a hand over one ear. “What was that? Speak up.”

A dark cloud settled on his brow. “It is because I have no animals on my property.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

“Because I have hunted them all, you fool!” he snapped.

The impolitic name ruffled Vastag’s feathers. She puffed out her chest and marched toward him. “I will have you know-”

It was at that moment that one of her heels caught the side of a large root. She yelped as gravity flung her forward. The lady dragon tried to catch herself but ended up tilting to one side. She fell into the bushes with a tremendous crash which startled all the animals within several miles.

That made Ware overjoyed as a dozen varieties of birds flew out of their hiding spots, frightened by the flailing figure that rolled around in their roosts. “Yes! Magnificent! Wonderful!” he shouted as he turned in a circle to take in the glory of the fowl.

Meanwhile, Vargas found herself in a mess of brambles. Her purse hung loosely on a branch and her dress was caught in dozens of sharp thorns. “Help me out of this, you old fool!”

Ware was too busy enjoying the prospect of a successful hunt to assist her, but Allard and Raines came to the rescue. They pushed into the brambles and began the arduous process of freeing her from the thorns.

“I think we’d better help them,” I whispered to my mate.

He patted my arm as the corners of his lips twitched upward. “Stay here. This is more danger than I wish for you to experience.”

He slipped away and over to the others as they tried their best to help the hapless woman. Vargas had grown frustrated enough that her hands were now claws and she sliced the air like a crazed food blender that had escaped its bowl. It was all Allard could do to push Raines out of the way before he became shredded lettuce. For the doctor’s part, scales sprouted all over his arms but his clothes couldn’t be saved. She sliced through them like they were melted butter, but she also did the same to the thorns.

Vargas was freed in a few frenzied moments and the brambles were in tatters. She flopped over onto her hands and knees, and crawled out with all the dignity of an earthworm. Her hair, so perfectly done, was a mess that would have made Medusa blush. The fine clothes were now strips of cloth and both her shoes had lost their heels.

Allard assisted her to her feet and she stared daggers at the oblivious Ware. “You oaf!” she snapped as she marched flat-footed over to the man and grabbed his arm. She yanked him around so he faced her in all his bewilderment. “You swine!”

Vargas drew her hand back and gave Ware the mother of all slaps. The sound echoed through the forest and the force behind the blow spun him in a full circle. His eyes became crossed and he staggered to one side. Vargas lifted her chin and marched off down the path toward the manor. Ware lost his balance and dropped to the ground.

“Was it something I said?” he asked us.

Allard hid his bemusement behind his hand and the rags of his sleeve. Raines wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief but only managed to smudge the dirt on his face. Will sighed and shook his head.

That’s when I heard the noise.