The Passionate Queen Read online

  But even as I thought this, I caught Icarus glancing at me from the corner of his eye. I sniffed, sensing his agitation in the bitter scent wafting from him. He didn’t know what to think of me.

  Good. I grinned.

  Her eyes snared mine, and I drowned in their depths. I was a dragon, free and powerful. The world and all its treasures were mine to possess. But not her. As much as I’d wanted it to be so, I was weak when it came to Zelena. She held me enthralled, hypnotized, and she always had. I could study her for a lifetime and never reach the depth of just who she was. She was a multi-faceted jewel, one so rare and precious that the thought of losing her again made me want to claw at my chest and roar with fury.

  As though she knew, sensed the pain I felt now, her features softened just a little, and the smile she wore, it was mine alone.

  And those with us ceased to be; I only saw her. There was no one else here, nothing else that mattered. I’d made such a mess of things when I’d returned; I was desperate to make it right.

  “Please,” I whispered so low I knew she could not hear it, and yet the tension that’d held her stiff vanished, and she was like a shy sprite rose blossoming slowly open to me.

  Her cheeks pinkened as she glanced down at her stirrups.

  The mood was spoiled when Midas cleared his throat. Loudly. Reminding us both we weren’t alone.

  Shifting on the balls of my feet, I tried to hide the growing evidence of my desire for her, for once grateful that Midas had planted himself at the head of the group to catch her eye quickest.

  Druscella curtsied to her queen, spread her arms wide, and whispered, “My queen, may the goddess bless you in the choosing of your future mate.”

  And with those words, the maiden turned, vanishing behind what’d been a hidden doorway covered in shrubbery.

  As though I were her perform, Lena transformed before my eyes. Gone was the softness, replaced by the implacable hardness of the queen she now was.

  “So you are my choices, are you?” She sounded bored.

  I knew what this was. What she was doing. She was nervous and unsure, and so my sweet Lena was disappearing behind the authoritative, prickly mask that was most comfortable and familiar to her.

  Pushing my way through the men, I reached her side, took her hand, and planted a warm kiss on her jeweled fingers. “Good morning, my queen. I hope all is well.”

  She inhaled sharply, and though I wondered if she meant to snatch her hand back, she instead squeezed me tight, and I gave her whatever strength I could. Holding onto her until she’d regained herself.

  Lashes fluttering like feathers against the tops of her cheeks, she gifted me with a grateful smile and said, “Yes, beast, it is now.”

  I wanted to kiss her again, hug her, but I knew that I’d be crossing a boundary of decorum if I did. It was all I could do to let her go and step back.

  The moment I did, the other men pressed forward.

  Midas was next, fawning and petting over her wrist while he uttered complete nonsense. Like that he’d never seen another near as lovely, or that she’d awoken a fierceness of need and hunger in him like none before. The fact that all those statements would have been true had they come from me made me despise him just a little bit more. From him they were pretty little lies he thought would make her quiver and melt and make her slave to him.

  “Oh, I doubt that very much.” She snatched her hand from his lecherous grasp.

  His smile slipped for but a moment, and I could read his thoughts much too easily. She was not one for petty words; he’d find another point of attack. Determination fixed firmly back in place yet again, he bowed deeply. “My queen,” he murmured deeply.

  Jonas took his time, practically slobbering over her fingers until even I cringed in response, embarrassed for the poor fellow’s attempt at flirtation.

  “My beautiful, lovely, beautiful queen Zelena,” he murmured, and I curled my nose, wondering how she was able to keep such a straight face.

  “Jonas.” She nodded.

  Then her eyes turned toward the bird.

  Icarus never reached for her. He simply inclined his head. “Good morning, fair queen.”

  He said the words in such a way that I could not doubt their sincerity. Lena apparently felt the same, as I saw a genuine smile cross her face.

  “Good day to you, Icarus. It is truly good to see you again.”

  Pursing my lips with impatience and disgust, I flicked at an imaginary bit of lint on my shirt and decided then and there that Icarus might be a real problem for me.

  Sighing, Lena adjusted her riding breeches and nodded toward the portcullis. “Mount your steeds, or prepare to sail as you so choose; we leave now to the enchanted forest.”

  Icarus withdrew his wings, and Jonas slipped two fingers into his mouth and let loose a piercing whistle. Midas, who could neither fly nor call an animal to him, stood off to the side, glowering at the lot of us.

  And I, smiling broadly, called the fire to me. All the men scattered; even Lena’s well-trained royal steed grew skittish when I stepped out of my flames into a form as true to me as the man I was for her.

  I could not help but give them all a snaggletoothed grin. “Lead on, my queen,” I hissed in dragonish.

  In this form, I was far more sensitive to smells and sights, and I wanted to roar to the skies with satisfaction when I saw her body visibly lean toward mine. No matter the words that spilled from her lips, or how much she might even like the bird, Lena still loved me. I tasted the dewy essence of her yearning perfume the air between us.

  And I couldn’t help but smile softly to note the sunshine and wildflowers of her still remained. When humans aged and matured sometimes their smells did too. I’d feared Lena’s would alter. That the heavy mantle of her queenship would kill off that innocence in her, but it hadn’t. If anything, it’d only grown stronger. I inhaled heavily, wishing to take her deeper into my body, into the very soul of me.

  Jonas, who up until now had been little more than background noise, suddenly snapped, “Dragon, will you please get into your skies? My mount refuses to enter the gates with you near.”

  Blasting a jet of flame through my pearlescent nostrils in response, I chuckled when he shrieked and sidestepped, as my blast barely missed the toe of his boot. Unfurling my brightly jeweled and heavy wings, I shot into the sky, causing a heavy downdraft that scattered a few of the pins in Lena’s hair, so that curls of her sleek, golden tendrils draped heavily across her shoulders.

  I chuckled deeply. I’d promised to be a good dragon; I hadn’t promised to stop having fun altogether.

  Moments later I spied the glowing silvery coat of a unicorn come trotting through the gates. The majestic creature took my breath away. Unicorns, no matter which lands they hailed from, were awe-inspiring creatures that demanded respect and attention.

  Even from this height, I could hear Lena cooing to it. The filly tossed her pastel-colored mane, and her silver horn gleamed brightly in the noonday sun.

  “Score one for the imbecile,” I grumped to no one.

  I sensed movement to the right of me but paid it no attention until I realized the disturbance came from Icarus.

  “I do believe that may have been a checkmate,” he mumbled.

  Turning my eyes to the bird, I snorted. “I do believe you are right.”

  We didn’t speak for a moment, as we waited for Jonas to attain permission for both he and Midas to mount the magnificent creature.

  “You knew the queen before, didn’t you?” he asked me in such a way that I was almost certain this was less of a question and more of a statement.

  I could deny it, but I didn’t feel like pretending. So instead I asked another question.

  “I thought you were supposed to be a fool, Icarus.”

  He tossed his head back, causing the sun to glint off the blond curls of his hair, making him appear as an angel surrounded by a halo of light. “I could say the same to you, dragonborne.”

&nbs
p; I snorted out a jet of steam. Possibly in his direction. And possibly on purpose. He shot quickly to the left and gave me a withering glare before deciding anger wasn’t worth the energy spent and chuckled beneath his breath.

  “Try as I might, I cannot fathom what she sees in you,” he said, crossing his broad arms across his equally massive chest.

  There was something about the man I trusted, despite my need to hate him. I simply couldn’t find it in me. Of all the men left, I knew Icarus to be a true threat to Lena’s heart, but at the same time, I found myself curious to learn more about him.

  “I knew her long before she became the woman you see today. As she knew me. Lena and I, we are kindred souls and always have been.”

  “Why now then?” he asked with a shrug. “Why do you pursue her now and not before? You’re royalty; you could have had her easily, could you not?”

  Mine and Lena’s history was long and complicated and not one I wished to reveal to him. Not many in wonderland knew of her morphling heritage, and I would never be the one to share it. Nor did I wish to expound on why it was she had to be noble before I could have her.

  “I’m here now, and that is all that matters. Why are you here, Icarus? I know Midas is here for the crown, as is Jonas to an extent, I suspect. But you, you I have a difficult time understanding.”

  The blond-haired demigod glanced down below us. I noticed movement and realized the procession was finally underway. We gently glided along, following Lena’s path.

  “I do not love the queen; this is simply fact. But I would like to learn to do so. I see a kindness in her that has been long hidden.”

  I snorted. “You expect me to believe it is nothing more than altruism on your part?”

  His brows dipped. “Of course not. I have aspirations; I always have. I’ve yet to find a woman I love. There is nothing and no one tethering me to home. I wished adventure, and it seemed to me adventure could be had here. I’d not have stayed if I hadn’t felt that the queen and I could also learn to enjoy one another’s company though.”

  Sensible. Down to earth. And without agenda.

  “I hate you, bird.”

  He chuckled. “You wouldn’t be the first to say so.”

  Neither of us talked the rest of the way toward the picnic spot. There were parts of Kingdom I’d never ventured into before; the Enchanted Forest was one of those places.

  The scenery was bucolic on the one hand, with normal-looking birds flitting through the skies. Though not a one of them sang. Which wasn’t in and of itself all that odd since most animals scurried off anytime I was about in dragon form.

  Anytime I’d come to Kingdom I’d only ever visited wonderland. I found the mundaneness of the enchanted forest to be rather...disappointing. The trees were thick towers of greenery and rich, robust bark. The flowers had no faces; they were simply colored petals that danced on their stems from the breeze.

  However, when stared at long enough, there was also something slightly sinister to the place.

  The curl of white fog that banded about the knees of the steeds that came from seemingly nowhere. The lack of sunlight filtering between tree branches.

  Something about this place bothered me. I wasn’t afraid. But I was... aware.

  Lena finally stopped at a clearing a mile wide with a sparkling lake of deepest-blue water at its center. Here the sun shone on the blankets of gold spread out with baskets upon baskets of foodstuff.

  I dropped lithely from the sky, shifting before I’d touched both feet down, sensitive to the unicorn’s skittish manners.

  Even in human form, the animal was not blind. The soft-pink body quivered with muscle ticks, and she kept neighing, dropping her head, and shaking her horn at me, as though to make battle.

  Unicorns were thought of as passive, shy animals. Shy they were, but they were far from passive.

  Jonas was patting her mane; Midas had hopped off her back the moment he could.

  But regardless of Jonas’ calming voice, I sensed the mare was seconds from bolting. I was one of a very few dragons who not only admired the beasts, but highly valued them. I’d never been able to draw near to one before and relished the thought of getting to do so now. Keeping my movements steady and calm, I held out my palm to her.

  “I’ll not harm you, creature. In fact, I find you to be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in the whole of my life.”

  But the closer I drew to her, the more visibly nervous she became—tossing her head and stomping her front hoof. I wanted her to meet me as an equal. So I stopped moving and simply waited on her. No one else moved either. I felt all eyes on us. Only after several tense seconds did I start to notice her skittishness turning to curiosity. It took her several prancing, pawing foot stomps before she tentatively took that first step toward me.

  From the corner of my eye I could see Lena staring at us with bright-eyed wonder. The unicorn and I historically were known to be bitter rivals. But I’d never been much like the rest of my people, and it must have been that truth the animal sensed in me that finally caused her to take the final step and brush my palm with the sharp tip of her horn.

  There was very little on this world or mine that could bring a fully-grown dragonborne to its knees, but if the unicorn pierced my hand with her horn, I’d be writhing in agony.

  It was an act of trust that went both ways for us, for I could just as easily decide to eat her for a light snack.

  When I didn’t move, she stepped in a little closer, so that the velvety tip of her nose rested on my palm. I smiled broadly. “You are lovely.”

  At my words a strange, high-pitched whistling emitted from the mare, and I quickly realized she was humming through her horn.

  “Let me try,” Midas grunted gruffly, coming at us so quickly that the sharp snap of him breaking a twig beneath his foot ricocheted like a bomb through the surreal quiet of the woods.

  The unicorn screeched, her silvery eyes bled through with thick bands of bloodred and she whirled, running off in a mad dash.

  Furious at the idiot, I reached for his neck with fingers that suddenly sported several thick claws, but Lena’s hand quickly covered mine, and she gave it a gentle squeeze before saying, “That was brilliant, Ragoth.”

  Jonas grouched, “You idiot, Midas, now I’ll never get her back.”

  Midas merely rolled his eyes and headed in the direction of the picnic, but I couldn’t seem to move. My heart thumped wildly in my chest with the realization that Lena still hadn’t released my hand.

  Her lips were right there. As if sensing my turn of thought, she held perfectly still. A gentle, wildflower-laden breeze stirred the curl on her shoulder, teasing me and drawing my eye, making me want to snatch it up and wrap my finger through it.

  The air between us grew thick with unspoken words, but I read her thoughts in her gaze.

  Icarus quickly clearing his throat finally broke us from the hypnotic spell.

  “The picnic, my queen.”

  “Oh yes. Yes.” She snatched her hand away, adjusted herself, and shyly glanced down at her feet before moving off toward the baskets of food.

  “You’re a foul creature,” I hissed at Icarus when I walked past him, who merely chuckled.

  “Fair’s fair, dragon. You’ll not get her all to yourself today.”

  Chapter 13

  Aphrodite

  “I’m boooooored,” Calypso grumped and tossed several kernels of popcorn at the see-orb. “Boooooo. Hiss!”

  I smiled patiently. “What are you talking about? The picnic is going splendidly, and did you not see the heated exchange between Zelena and Ragoth?”

  “Yes.” The sea elemental rolled her quicksilver-colored eyes, the octopus tentacle blue hair writhed agitatedly around her shoulders. “Yes, I did. And now I see this Icarus brat being all noble and kindhearted, and it makes me want to barf.” She stuck a finger in her mouth. “Zelena’s getting her head turned by a pair of pretty eyes and a nice arse.”

  Chuc
kling, I agreed. “He does have a nice ass. But honestly, my love, things are going well. I do not think Zelena has forgotten all about our Ragoth.”

  Her look was unimpressed. “Yes, well, I’m about to reach through this orb and pimp slap some sense into her. Seriously, can she not see the dragon’s ears steaming? No, this will just not do. We need to make him appear more heroic.”

  “Caly, dear, I’m the goddess of love and I’m telling you things are going splendidly. There was never anything wrong with a little good old-fashioned jealousy mind play. She’s making Ragoth work for it, and I for one am proud of h—”

  “Oh goddess”—she slapped a palm to her face—“you’re exhausting and absolutely too devious. I’m ready to see some monkey loving happening; time to rev this engine up.”

  Smirking, she got to her feet and dusted off her buttery fingertips on the sleeve of my pristine white gown. I glared at the offensive oily marks.

  “Calypso!” I growled.

  “Oh, poo, I’ll make you another one. Now, time to make things just a wee bit more interesting.”

  “Caly, leave them be.” I rubbed at the spot with a napkin dipped in soda water; it really didn’t work.

  “Well, look at that, a pond. How beautiful. How rippled and pretty that water is.” Her smile grew wider and far more Machiavellian than it had a right to be, “Oh my, I wonder that they didn’t realize that a sea monster lived within its briny depths.”

  “Sea monster? Briny depths?” I shivered, wondering what horrors she’d spew forth from it. “Calypso, it’s naught more than a puddle. Don’t do what you’re thinking of—”

  “Too late.” Her laughter sounded like the tinkling of sea bells, and I gazed on in horror as a nasty thing of legend and fury came crawling from its depths.

  “Good gods,” I breathed.

  Sitting down cross-legged, she nodded. “Yes, now things are going to be fun!”

  ~*~

  Zelena

  The picnic was going well, I thought. Icarus made a fine companion, listening to my silly stories with the type of smile that seemed like he was really enjoying himself. Interjecting comments now and again to let me know he was actually paying attention, and flattering me sporadically so that none of it felt forced or heavy handed.