Page 53 of Dragon Heir

A frown crosses her pretty face. “Who else would I be with?”

“Vynessa…you’re a princess. Princesses are mated with princes, not guards.”

“No one gets to tell me who to love,” she says, her eyes burning.

“Then tell me,” I say, unable to stop myself. “Tell me how you feel.”

“When I’m queen, I can make my own rules,” she says, a familiar edge of defiance in her voice.

The ache in my chest returns like I’ve been punched in the sternum. She didn’t tell me she loved me. I can’t burden her with my feelings until she feels the same way, and I know she’s still confused by finding out about herself… And about my lifetime of betrayal. When she’s ready to love me, it will be too late. I’ve always known this moment would come, I just didn’t know it would break me this way.

“You can,” I say, standing and straightening my tunic. “But until then, there are rules against this.”

She sits up, naked, gasping, and reaching for me, and a flare of hope ignites in my chest like phoenix fire. But she lets her hands drop, knotting them in her lap, and looks down at her entwined fingers. “I just…”

“It’s okay,” I say. “You don’t have to explain.” I edge towards the door, wanting to bolt through it and never stop running, not until I reach the village where we grew up and find her still there, as she was a year ago. But even a wind dragon can’t fly fast enough to reverse time, and I’m a sea dragon.

“Pax,” she says. “Please stay with me.”

“I can’t,” I say, backing to the door. “You’ll be needed soon for royal business, something I can’t help you with. You’ll need your ladies to help you dress and your royal tutor to fill you in on everything. I’m just your guard, Princess Vynessa. We have to remember that.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Vynessa

I don’t sleep after Pax walks out. Instead I spend the whole night pacing, fighting back tears.

Pax came in, went down on me, and then basically told me it was over. We’re over. Was that a goodbye kiss? Was that his way of leaving me on a high note? Now I can’t help but wonder if this is how he treats all women. Hot. Cold. Hot. Goodbye. There were certainly rumors. I want to trust him, to think he actually has genuine feelings for me, but another scenario is blooming in my mind, and I hate it.

What if Pax was trying to use my feelings for him for social advancement? Now he either got what he wanted or he’s given up. It’s a ridiculous idea, but it sticks in my mind all the same. I don’t know what to do with all my energy, and I’m pulling at my hair when there’s a tapping at my door. Both my ladies enter without waiting for a reply.

“Are you ready for your lesson with Master Sinetar, Princess Vynessa?” Yadira asks with a bow.

I sigh. Honestly, I’m ready to wake up from this crazy dream and go back to the village, knowing that somewhere in the far north, perched on a mountain, a three-thousand-year-old lady dragon controls most of the world’s wealth. I was happy with the idea of being a Scholar for the rest of my life. I didn’t give much thought to the dragon queen.

And now I’m supposed to replace her.

“You’ll want something impressive, but understated,” Kimbra says, bouncing to the closet. She runs her fingers across the gowns of silk and velvet, her eyes full of longing.

“You know, if you ever want to borrow one of those, you can,” I offer. “It’s not really my style, anyway.”

Kimbra gasps at the idea, and clearly not because of my generosity. She looks so positively scandalized that I can’t help laughing. A second later, her attention returns to the dresses, and a spark of hope lights her gaze. “Really?”

“She can’t, Your Highness,” Yadira says with a roll of her eyes, making Kimbra physically deflate. “I’m not being cruel, but dragon royals don’t share treasures with their servants. And we’re half-breeds anyway. If anyone saw Kimbra in your clothing, they’d assume she’s a thief or worse.”

It’s the most I’ve ever heard from the woman, and I start to wonder if I got Yadira all wrong. She and Kimbra have been thrust in this situation as much as I have. They could be as miserable as I am, and I haven’t exactly been warm to them.

“That makes sense,” I say. “For now. The dragon court will eventually get used to my small-minded ways and know how little I care about dresses and jewels. The only things I hoard are books and historical artifacts. For now, we can have a dress-up party here when no one else is looking. You too, Yadira.”

In all honesty, I’m not sure girls actually do that. I never had a lot of girlfriends, and Sadie outgrew me long ago. It’s not like I could have gotten Pax to agree to it.

“We’ll revisit that idea later,” I say when neither of my ladies jump at the offer. Awkwardly, I take the dress Kimbra chose. Since they’re obviously not planning to leave, I quickly peel off my nightgown and slip into the dress, keeping my back turned. The girls fasten the buttons up the back, then take turns torturing my scalp with a hairbrush, trying to make my hair presentable.

At last, we step from the room into the hall. I’m bracing myself for confronting Pax, but he and True are nowhere to be seen. A tall stone-faced guard I’ve never seen before is stationed outside my door. “The princess is to stay here.”

“Um.” Kimbra looks at Yadira, who stands at her full height.

“The princess has a summons from the queen.” Yadira says it as if she’s outraged that a lowly guard would prevent such a noble task, and the man immediately steps back.