What a fool.
I shifted into my half-dragon form, wings sprouting from my back, claws extending from my fingers and toes, scales rippling up my calves and forearms, then hopped up onto the window ledge. Leaning out of the opening, I did a visual scan of the area, picking out the guards stationed on the walls and in the patrol boats cruising the lake. The guards on board would spot me if I flew, so instead I gripped the window ledge, then swung myself down and began climbing sideways.
Dragon claws are harder than stone, so I had no trouble scaling the wall, my clawed hands and toes puncturing the rock wherever I couldn’t find a hand or foothold. Following the mating bond, I climbed around the palace until I found the infirmary in the east tower. Peering through the window, I saw Adara’s supine form in one of the beds, chest rising and falling slowly. And while I imagined Prentis had posted a guard outside the infirmary door to ensure no one tried to get in, there was no one in the room watching over her.
I shook my head again, then summoned heat to my fingertip and pressed it against the window frame. The metal warped and bent, the latch on the inside bending just enough to allow me to ease the window open. Shifting back into bipedal form, I climbed in and shut the window as best I could, then quietly drew up a stool to Adara’s bedside.
Adara didn’t stir at my presence at all—not so much as a wrinkle in her brow, or a twitch of her pointed ears. The healers had likely put her into a deep, healing sleep so she could fight the infection and recover her magic faster. I sat and watched her for a long moment, debating the merits of slinging her over my shoulder, stealing back through the window, and making a run for it.
Eventually, I discarded the idea. I hadn’t slept in nearly two days, and while the meal I’d eaten had given me enough energy to shift into my half-dragon form, I didn’t have the energy to protect Adara if we left now.
If I was truthful with myself, I hadn’t snuck out of my quarters so I could steal Adara away from Prentis’s clutches.
I snuck out because I couldn’t bear to be separated from her, even if just by a few walls. Not after I’d nearly lost her to Aolis.
Unable to help myself, I reached out and brushed the backs of my knuckles against Adara’s cheek. She mumbled a little, turning into my touch, and though she didn’t wake, her fingers reached up to curl around mine.
My heart skipped a beat at her feather-light touch, and it took all my willpower not to crawl into that criminally tiny bed and wrap myself around her. Every fiber of my being wanted to be as close to her as possible, to bury my nose in her hair, to feel her skin against mine and her long leg slung around my hip. To feel the heat of her core against my…
I growled as my cock began to stir, and ordered the blasted thing to stand down. Pulling in a deep breath through my nose, I gently extricated my fingers from Adara’s and focused on my breathing until my blood calmed and the lust receded.
Well, somewhat, anyway.
Shaking my head, I slipped off the stool, then rummaged through the healer’s supplies until I found a piece of twine. I tied one end to the doorknob, the other around my ankle, then made myself comfortable on the bed between Adara and the door. The healer was going to piss herself when she walked in tomorrow morning and found me here, and Prentis would throw a fit. But at least the bastard would know exactly who he was dealing with.
Smiling at the thought, I turned to look at Adara one last time, then slipped into a peaceful sleep.
7
Adara
An ear-splitting shriek woke me from the deepest sleep I’d ever had in my life.
“What is the meaning of this!” a voice roared, and I bolted upright in bed, heart hammering. I whipped my head around, looking for the source of the commotion, then blinked at the scene unfolding in front of me. A fae dressed in white healer’s robes stood in the doorway, wringing her hands, her eyes wide with shock. Next to her was Prentis, his face livid with rage, a glowing water whip snaking from his outstretched hand.
And dangling upside down from it, by the ankle, was Einar.
“Put me down!” Einar snarled, or at least he tried to. His tunic was hanging around his face, muffling his words, his legs kicking as he tried to get free from the whip’s grasp.
I stared at the ridiculous scene, my brain fogging with confusion as a jumble of memories crashed into my mind’s eye from the last twenty-four hours. I knew I should get up and help him. That I should be questioning where I was, and probably be more concerned for both Einar’s safety and mine.
But a small giggle escaped from my lips. Then another. And before I knew it, I was roaring with laughter.
Einar craned his neck to face me, and Prentis pursed his lips, his gaze flickering my way. “Do you find this amusing?” they asked simultaneously, then scowled at each other, which only made me laugh harder.
“I’m sorry.” I clutched my aching sides and ballooned my cheeks, trying to get my mirth under control. “I know I shouldn’t be laughing, but…” I gestured helplessly at the pair of them. “I can’t help it. This is just so absurd. Please, Lord Prentis, put Einar down.” Some of the laughter died from my expression when Prentis didn’t immediately move to do so. “He’s my protector. I’m sure that whatever he was doing here, it was for my safety.”
Prentis huffed, and with a snap of his fingers, made the whip vanish. Einar crashed unceremoniously to the ground, but he was on his feet in a flash, fangs bared, golden eyes sparking with fire.
“You did that on purpose!”
“It’s the least you deserve,” Prentis retorted, stepping forward so the two males were nose to nose. “Shadows take it, how did you even get in here in the first place? I had guards posted outside both your doors!”
Einar smirked. “A dragon doesn’t kiss and tell.”
Prentis raised an eyebrow, his gaze turning to me. “Is that what was happening in here last night?”
I shrugged, trying to ignore the blush rising to my cheeks. “If any kissing occurred, it was without my knowledge. I was dead asleep.”