“The elven goddess?” Alistair asked, sounding as surprised as Drystan felt. “Has she spoken again?”
Shadley nodded. “My spies tell me that the king and his son had heated words. Arolas tried to take advantage of being the only royal sibling left in the castle by urging his father to strike at our armies again, but Andur blames him for this whole mess, and he is ready to sue for peace. The warlocks sent him a message that they have Princess Basilla, and are threatening to storm the castle if the king does not hand over her dowry. The king was outraged when he heard they were going to force his daughter to marry Prince Mordan, but Arolas argued that it would be a waste of resources to go and rescue her, and that it was her fault for sneaking off in the first place.”
“Snake,” Tariana spat, her eyes glittering with rage.
Alistair shook his head. “He deserves to be strung up by his balls and hung on the tallest tower of Castle Whitestone for all to see,” he snarled. “He’s an insufferable bastard, and he’s tried to force Dareena into his bed before.”
Drystan clenched his fists beneath the table as a red haze filled his vision. The thought of his beloved being violated by that elven prick sparked a roaring flame in his chest, and he had to draw in a slow, deep breath to keep himself from torching the room.
She’s all right, he reminded himself, picturing her sleeping form. She’d cuddled against him all night long, her sweet curves pressed against him, her cheek resting against his heartbeat. Arolas was no danger to her.
But even so… “You have my permission to kill him, if the opportunity presents itself,” he said to Alistair. He might have claimed the right himself, but his brother had gotten his arm chopped off by the elven prince. If anyone deserved to kill Arolas, it was Alistair.
“In any case,” Shadley went on, glancing warily between them, “the elven goddess was so infuriated by Arolas’s callous behavior that she seized control of one of the servants and spoke to them. She told the king that a great curse would befall his house should he put Arolas in any position of power again, including general, and that as recompense for what they have done, she will lift the curse on the dragons as soon as Dareena’s babe is born.”
“What?” the three of them shouted in unison. They stared at Shadley as if he’d grown a second head. “Are you certain?” Tariana asked, her eyes bright. “This is not some trick?”
“The information came from one of my most trusted spies,” Shadley said, beaming. “I am certain.”
“This is fantastic news!” Drystan cried, elation filling his chest. He jumped up from his chair and embraced his siblings, who were equally overjoyed. “Damn the warlocks for making us huddle in here like this. We should have a drink to celebrate!”
“Damn right, we should,” Tariana agreed, grinning from ear to ear. “My sisters and I will finally be able to have children! I cannot wait to tell Ryolas.” Her eyes glowed. “We will finally be able to marry now.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Alistair said, putting an arm around her shoulder. “Though I am sure Ryolas would marry you regardless.”
“While this is great news indeed,” Shadley said, interrupting their moment, “Shadowhaven will have also heard of this development, and will do everything they can to stop it. Breaking the curse is contingent on Dareena delivering your child safely, after all. If they can prevent that from happening…”
“Blast it.” Drystan scooped a hand through his hair. “She needs to be under guard at all times.” With some of the joy wearing off, fear squeezed his heart like a vice. Dareena was strong, but her body was only human, and she did not have the healing abilities of a dragon. It would be all too easy for a warlock spy to assassinate her.
“I’ll take care of it,” Alistair said grimly. “Whenever she is not with one of us, she must have at least two of her ladies-in-waiting with her, and four guards whenever she leaves the Keep.”
“Better to not let her leave the Keep at all,” Tariana said. “That will infuriate her, of course, but too much depends upon keeping her safe. The fate of our race lies in that babe.”
Drystan sighed. “Which of us gets the dubious honor of informing her of this?” he asked. He could already imagine how upset she would be—Dareena loved her garden walks, and had been taking them daily since returning. Just the other day, she’d talked of visiting the market to shop for toys for the babe.
Alistair winced. “I hate denying her anything,” he said, “but this is for her own protection, and that of the babe. She’ll understand that.”
“Let’s call her down here now,” Shadley said, rising from his seat. “She should really be here for this.”
The four of them waited as a guard brought Dareena to the council chamber. She was dressed in a garnet-colored gown today, Drystan noted, similar in color to the one she’d worn for the selection ritual. He was pleased to note the healthy color in her cheeks, and when she squealed in delight at the sight of Alistair, he knew that her energy was up.
“I’m so happy you’re home,” she said, hugging Alistair tightly. “Why didn’t you come and see me first?”
“We didn’t want to wake you, since you’ve been feeling ill in the mornings.” Alistair kissed her soundly, then pulled her into his lap as he resumed his seat. Drystan felt a flash of jealousy as he watched them cuddle together, but he couldn’t very well have a tug of war with his brother over their mate. She was free to sit with whichever one she wanted.
“Well, I’m here now,” she said. “What are we discussing?”
“Your safety,” Drystan said.
Dareena frowned. “My safety? I’m not in any danger.” She glanced around the room. “Am I?”
“We have received word that the elven goddess is rescinding the dragon’s curse as penance for the insults you and Alistair have suffered at the hands of the elves,” Shadley said. “We must only wait until your babe is born for the curse to end.”
“I…what?” Dareena’s emerald eyes widened, and she clutched at Alistair to keep from falling off the chair. “The curse is being lifted? That is wonderful.”
“Yes, it is,” Alistair said, tightening his arms around her. “We will finally be free, and the Dragon’s Gift line will end with you, my love.” He nuzzled her neck. “But if you or the babe should die before you give birth, the curse will remain unbroken. Shadowhaven will have already thought of this, and will do everything in their power to make sure our child is never born.”
Dareena’s face paled. “You think they will send assassins in the night to kill me?”