“Yeah, you two aren’t settling in like normal,” Vemar said. “Or…” He paused and thought a moment. “Maybe you are but it’s been so long since someone was new that we’ve forgotten.”
“The prince has nearly everyone out of suppression, and the people in the villages are shifting,” Hannon continued. “There are a lot of first shifts happening, and there’s an incredible number of dragons. Incredible, given they are coming from non-dragon parents. They say this happens when the people are in peril. The goddess, or the old gods, or nature—no one agrees on who or what—calls dragons into existence to defend their people and set things right in the natural order. Or the kingdom. Or something—again, there are a lot of views on this. Regardless, there are a lot of dragons who need flight instruction now, but the prince doesn’t have wings.”
Micah frowned. “Why doesn’t he have wings?”
“He refused to let the curse and the suppression take his dragon from him,” Tamara said softly, in the way of someone who’d repeated it often. “So he forced the change as the suppression was trying to take hold. It reduced his power and sheared off his wings, but he kept his dragon when everyone else lost theirs.”
“If a lot of people are doing their first shifts, why didn’t you, brother?” Vemar asked Hannon.
“I tried. Wouldn’t happen. Everyone else in the village did. I felt the swell of power and all the other things I was supposed to, but it just wouldn’t happen. My animal didn’t seem frustrated by it. It felt like whatever needed to happen in order for him to come out hadn’t yet, and he is content to wait. Neither of us knows what we’re waiting for, though.”
“Unlucky.” Micah’s voice was soothing. “That happens sometimes. We used to call that a late shifter.”
“But at least you aren’t suppressed anymore,” Lucille said. “There’s that. You know you have an animal, and you get most of its rewards, so that’s good enough until we get out of this toilet.”
“Speaking of. Strange Lady, when are we getting out of this toilet?” Vemar asked with a crooked smile.
I took my cup from Tamara and went to stow it under one of the loose stones in my cell. I had three cubbyholes now, which I’d dug out myself. They mostly held leaves, except for the one that held the cup and Nyfain’s notes.
I sighed and shook my head. “They don’t let us out. Me especially. I think we’ve fucked ourselves with our ruthlessness. I need to speak to Hadriel and see if he’s made any headway, but I haven’t seen him. They don’t even whip us at the same time as the other dungeon.”
“Have you practiced subduing your stench, though?” Vemar asked. “That’ll help you get into the after-parties, and that will help you socialize with the others.”
I leaned against the bars to Hannon’s cell. “Yes, I have. It means I have to subdue my connection with Nyfain, and he goes a little crazy when I do it, but yes, I can get it done.”
“Even though I rather like that smell”—Lucille licked her lips, then winked at me—“do it and let’s see if it works.”
Quickly, so as not to stress Nyfain out too much, I pushed down the feeling of our bond and muffled the connection, the separation from him immediately making my heart ache for his touch. For the slow smiles only I seemed to tease out of him, and the sparkling rage in his eyes that led to explosive sex.
Micah reached out and grabbed the bars, his large body tense and eyes blazing. “That’s enough.”
Vemar started laughing. “Makes it even more enticing to claim her, huh, Micah?”
Micah rolled his shoulders. “I’ve never felt that level of challenge before,” he murmured. “When it’s subdued, it’s almost like the male is taunting me, hiding the full brunt of his power. It’s…hard to explain.”
“You’re obviously powerful, even in suppression,” Hannon said to Micah. “How did a powerful dragon like you end up in here?”
Vemar answered, “A storm blew us off our trading route. We ended up on foreign land. Faerie land, actually. We ran aground, and guess which creature owned the vessel that found us?”
“So they just randomly take people they find?” Hannon asked. “They kidnap magical people all over the world?”
“They host a collection of missing peoples, yes,” Lucille said. “And stolen people. And conquered people. No one comes looking because why would they think to search in the bowels of the demon castle for people who were last known to be out at sea?”
“Or maybe they suspect, and they don’t have any proof.” My words came out like a growl. “But look—we’re proof. We just need to get out of here to show people.”
“We need to get to Hadriel and Leala,” Hannon said.
“Or Weston, the wolf alpha.” Vemar rubbed his slightly bearded chin. We hadn’t been called up for a party recently, and everyone was looking a little worse for wear. They didn’t bother grooming us if no one but the officers would see us. “I’m never fond of dealing with wolf alphas, but if anyone knows what’s going on with the wolves, it’s that guy. No one farts without his permission.”
I released the smothering hold I’d put on my bond with Nyfain, and relief and love washed through me. I echoed it, closing my eyes to relish the feeling of him deep inside of me, then thought of his body deep inside of me, causing another ache that pooled heat into my core and tightened my nipples.
“Bedtime, I think.” Vemar pushed to standing, stepped over Hannon, and closed the cell door behind him. “Strange Lady has that look in her eyes. She needs quiet time where she thinks no one can hear her moan.”
My mouth dropped open. I worked my jaw, willing words to come out to deflect, but I didn’t have a clue what to say. It didn’t happen often, but occasionally I let myself fall into the feelings from Nyfain when I wasn’t in pain, experiencing pure pleasure from the bond. From him. It eased some of my longing to see him again.
“Quick, let’s all go to sleep so she won’t be embarrassed.” Lucille smirked at me. “Just think of how embarrassed she’ll be when she is crowned princess and she knows her guards all listened to her climax.”
“If all this is true and he’s truly the one who holds her claim.” Tamara gave me a poignant look.
Lucille rolled her eyes, because yes, there could be no doubt whose scent it was. Whose power blended with mine. Still, I was common. I wasn’t officially a dragon until my first shift, and as long as I was stuck in this dungeon, I would never shift. The courts adhered to a certain protocol, and I didn’t tick any boxes. It was a problem for a later day.
I was not happy with this conversation so near Hannon.
“You guys,” I hissed. “My brother is here.”
“Please leave me out of it,” Hannon said, turning his head the other way.
I was determined to hold out just on principle, but when we were all locked back in our cells in the darkness and I lay on my bed of uncomfortable straw that did little to soften the hard stone…I did give in once again. I let the longing wash over me.
Desire spread through my body. I spread my legs and slipped my hand into my loose pants, careful to make absolutely no sound. An answering need flowed from the bond. Nyfain’s desperation to touch me again was so strong that it nearly took my breath away. I stroked my finger through my wetness and rubbed it around my clit, sighing at the glorious sensation. Through the bond, I felt him stroking his cock. This was basically bond sex. We might be an incredible distance apart, but it wasn’t so far that we couldn’t make-believe-fuck each other.