The Passionate Queen (Dark Queens Book 2) (27 page)

I grinned. “I thought them extinct.”

Wallarams were a hybrid species, like most of the rest of wonderland, but a little more unique. Part roo, part ram, they were cute and deadly, and many places in wonderland had had them hunted into extinction because of the velvety softness of their pelt.

He shook his head. “No, a few have survived. Though they’re shy and timid, we still see evidence of them now and again. Lately we’d noticed tracks cutting through our trails.”

“You suspect poachers?”

“Wallarams’ fur is far more valuable than gold in certain parts of Kingdom; yes, the council at Avion very much suspects hunters.” He shrugged.

Pursing my lips as I nodded, I said, “Then perhaps my visit will be fortuitous after all. This is a platform I could get behind. Let us save the wallarams.”

Chuckling, he dipped his head low. “I should like that, queen.”

Not sure what to say after that, I looked to my left, feeling suddenly awkward and shy myself. It was odd, I was sure, to be here with Icarus when I’d basically told him he’d lost his chance at the crown.

Also, I thought it better for my people to see me, just me, without a theatrical processional behind me. But suddenly I wasn’t sure I should have come out here alone, especially without my magic.

I touched the stone of Charles’s now blackened Heart ring.

“You’ve lost your powers.” Icarus said it so casually that it startled me.

“What?” I snatched my hand back, giving him a dazed look. “But how did you—”

“Know?” He finished my question. “Because the games smacked of a magician’s smoke and mirrors.”

It would have been nearly impossible for him to see through the deception; true enough I was magicless at the moment, but a powerful witch had cast the spells inside the castle. The illusions were flawless.

“My grandmother is a witch, you see, I recognize the
feel
of real magic.”

I shivered. “Did you tell anyone?”

“No.” He reached for a low-hanging branch, snapping it off at the base, and toyed the leaves through his fingers. “I figured you were going to such great lengths to hoodwink us, that it seemed rather obvious you’d not want the ruse revealed.”

I patted my suddenly slick fingers down the burgundy crease of my riding habit.

“And how do you know that I ever had magic then? For all you know, it was always a ruse.”

His grin was brilliantly white, and I couldn’t help but respond back to it. I really could have been happy with Icarus, but I’d never have felt the passion.

“My grandmother came and saw you years ago; she’d remarked on your heroic take-down of a wocky who’d come tromping through your forest—”

“Ah yes, that.” I snorted, recalling how I’d almost lost an eye when that brute had fallen, kicking up so much dirt and debris in the process that a stone the size of my palm had smacked me straight in the left eye. I’d seen blurry for a month after that. “Well, someone had to do it.”

I shrugged.

“You act as though it was no big deal; very few magic wielders could have brought the likes of it down alone. I knew then I had to meet you.”

Feeling embarrassed by his praise, I flicked his words away. “Really. It was nothing. Truth is, Icarus, I’ve not often felt like a good queen for my people. And the death of Alerid only cemented that reality for me.”

He nodded. “The family receives a basket once a month from an anonymous source. Full of food, clothes, and even at times, tradeable commodities. I wonder if they know how much they owe you.”

I cringed. Gods, the man was much too smart. “I really want that to remain between us, please. Regardless that I try to help as I can, the truth of it is, Ic, I’m directly responsible for the death of their father.”

“No, their mother is. She painted him in such an ugly light that even my own people believed her lies. Astira’s viper tongue fooled us all. You cannot hold yourself responsible for sentencing him to what, at the time, was a justifiable punishment. Thievery is nothing to be tolerated.”

“Yes, except he didn’t thieve, did he? And his death is a constant reminder to me of the wrongs I’ve committed not only to his family, but to all of wonderland. I fear I have a rather wretched reputation among my people.”

“Reputations can be fixed.”

His words, with no rancor or condemnation to them, did actually serve to make me feel a little better. Not much, but a little. Perhaps someday I wouldn’t hate myself quite so much anymore.

~*~

I
spent the rest of that afternoon and early evening visiting with the people. Hearing their words, promising to make restitutions where possible, and finally, I’d screwed up my courage enough to visit the farmer’s children.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover them clean, healthy, and most of all safe. The thatched-roof home was in good working order; the children were well clothed and tended to by a kindly neighbor who served them warm meals each night.

After my promise to their people to put a strict ban on further hunting of wallarams, I’d like to believe that their overall sentiment concerning myself had changed. If only a little. I had no allies here yet, except for maybe Icarus—who’d not once taken his eyes off me during my visit—but I also knew that at least in this part of wonderland, my reputation was no longer quite so tarnished.

I waited now for Ragoth to come. Most of the villagers had returned to their nests and burrows for the evening, but Icarus remained by my side still.

“And how did you like Avion, my queen? I hope we made you feel welcomed.”

Nodding, I took in the splendor of a land part of my own and yet entirely foreign at the same time. There was a mystical splendor to the place that made me happy. Something ancient and magical, and for a moment, I could only wish I’d been born here, amongst these people. My life could have been so different.

“I quite liked it and plan to visit more often. And truly, if any of your people should ever need my ear, my doors are always open to you.”

Nodding deeply, he took my hand and kissed it gently. “I think I could have loved you, Zelena,” he whispered, for my ears only, and I shivered.

It was easy imagining a life with Icarus by my side. It would have been safe and peaceful.

“I have no doubt of it. When the walls come down, my Lena is very easy to love.”

Ragoth’s deep, shivery voice cut through our retrospective moment, and I had to stifle a groan as my body erupted in flame from the sensual caress of his words alone.

When standing side by side, there was no comparison or confusion between the two of them. Twirling on my heel, I rushed to Ragoth’s side and wrapped my arms tight around his neck.

Laughing, he banded his own arms tight about my middle and squeezed. “I missed you today.” He said the words hotly in my ear.

Aware that there was still a small, and now very curious, crowd surrounding us, I forced myself to pull away. But I didn’t release him completely. Taking his hand in my own, I nodded regally at the people.

“This is my soon-to-be mate, and your soon to be king, Ragoth Nur of the royal house of Drakon.”

Just that word caused the eyes of many to swell with the first stirrings of fear. But Icarus held up his hands, and in his booming voice said, “I know him. He is a good man and will be an equally good leader. Long live the queen and her king.”

And even though I still sensed the beat of fear, Icarus had the ear of his people. He bowed first, and the rest followed suit.

I was more grateful to him than he could ever know.

Ragoth dipped his head in acknowledgement. “I vow that there shall be no eating of wonderlandians in my future.”

The only thing you could hear after his pronouncement was the chirping of crickets. But then Icarus tossed his head back and laughed.

And even though the few citizens that remained outside took a heavy step back, they at least had stopped trembling.

“You wish, lizard,” Icarus hissed. “I happen to know a siren who could—”

Ragoth growled, but the sound was neither deadly nor menacing, more of a humored, grumpy kind of sound that brought a smile to my face. Whether my dragon had intended to or not, he liked the bird almost as much as I did.

“Say another word about it, and I’ll pluck your feathers and roast you on a spit.” His large smile exposed his fangs.

Apart from Icarus, the rest of Avion vanished, no doubt taking refuge from the dragon in their presence. But the noble Icarus walked over to Ragoth and held out his arm in farewell.

My dragon took it in his own, and they gave a powerful handshake.

“Take care of her, lizard,” Icarus said with a note of warning, “for I now know where you live.”

Chuckling, Ragoth nodded. “You’ve no need to worry there. And should you need anything from us, our doors are always open to you.”

Then turning to me, Ragoth placed his hands tenderly on my shoulders. “Are you ready to go home?”

Icarus had already been given instructions on returning my filly to the castle. I wished to be with Ragoth alone for a while. Our times alone had been few and far between, and I was greedy for more of it.

“Yes.” And taking ten giant steps back from him, I shielded my eyes just as he released the fire of his transformation.

Moments later I was cradled in the cage of his claws and sighing happily. It seemed hard to believe that this was now my reality and not my fantasy. For so long I’d dreamed of this life. Always sure it would never happen to me.

About thirty minutes later Ragoth landed on the topmost cliff of a large mountain range. I frowned when he released me, eyeing the sights below. At least a hundred feet below was the twisted, dark labyrinth of the Hatter’s forest.

“Ragoth, I cannot meet them yet. It grows dark and—”

A burst of light flared, and then he stepped out of the fires a man once more. “We won’t go to them tonight. But nor will we return to the castle. I need you alone, Lena. Without the eyes of so many upon us.”

I shivered to hear him say it and turned toward him, gasping when I spotted a small tent behind his left shoulder I’d not spotted before.

“Are we to camp the night?”

“Yes, like we sometimes would as children. Out in the wild, without anyone else in the world around us.”

His surprise so touched me that I found myself bursting out in tears.

“Lena?” he asked with confusion in his voice.

Unable to speak, I rushed up to him and threw myself into his waiting arms, unable to speak for a second because I couldn’t seem to stop my tears. They came in a torrential flood as memory after memory took me.

All the pain and hurt and horrors of my past came crawling up. And then I felt something I’d not felt from him in a long time. Ragoth leaned his face to mine, and his dragon tears mingled with my own, so that I no longer drowned in the pain. This cry was a healing cry. I was finally letting it all go, and he was here by my side as he’d always been as a child.

At least ten minutes passed before I could speak again. And I did so haltingly. “Dru will worry.”

He shook his head. “She knows. She helped me pack all your toiletries for the night and forced me to bring you a change of clothes that would ‘bespeak regality’ as she put it, for our trip tomorrow.”

I chuckled, sniffling and wiping at my nose. Of course she would. “I must look a frightful mess.”

Shaking his head, he took my hand and led me back a few yards to a brook I’d not heard. Kneeling with me, he tugged a handkerchief from his pocket and dipped it in, wetting it enough so that he could run it wetly across my face.

“Why do you paint yourself this way, Lena? You need nothing to make yourself beautiful. You already are. You’ve always been.”

I could only stare and tremble as he cleaned up the layers of face paint. The exaggerated lip and eye colors. The heavy white I used to camouflage that I was even human.

The colors dripped onto the stone beneath me, gathering in a puddle of swirling reds, whites, blues, and black.

Then he smiled broadly, and my lashes fluttered when his knuckles brushed along my cheeks. “I love your glow. I’ve always loved your glow.”

“I wish I could see myself the way you do.”

“Then close your eyes, and I’ll describe you.”

Giving him a lopsided grin, I did as he asked, feeling strange at first.

“You have such pale, smooth flesh on your face, and it’s soft, like the satiny feel of rose petals. Your lips are a perfect cupid’s bow shape, slightly fuller on the bottom than the top.”

I sighed when his lips brushed delicately against mine. Just that feathery brush made my blood start to sing.

“A nose that turns up just at the tip.” Another soft kiss against the tip of my nose.

“There’s not a mar or blemish on your porcelain features. No freckles, no birthmarks. Simply utter perfection.”

I gasped when his fingers began running lightly along my cheeks and across the bridge of my nose.

“I’m...I’m sure I don’t look this way,” I gasped when his other hand moved to the column of my throat and he traced a line from the tip of my chin down to between the ‘v’ of my breasts.

“Ssh.” He admonished me gently. “It’s my turn to talk.”

I grinned at his high-handed manner. The man was a beast, and I adored him.

“Now, where was I?” He paused in his exploration of me. “Oh yes, here.” He framed my throat with the width of his palm, and I gasped, feeling small and oddly excited.

His voice had dropped an octave, and I couldn’t seem to stop trembling. A cool breeze brushed against the heated flesh of my body, and all I wanted to do was rip my clothes off and do the same to him.

There was nothing stopping us now but us.

I curled my fingers into a pool of fabric, groaning as his hard, calloused hands scraped against my lotion-softened skin.

“Your eyes are so blue, they always remind me of the skies of home. Vast and enchanting.”

He kissed first one closed eyelid and then the other. I knew I was panting like a wild cat in heat, but I couldn’t stop myself.

I opened my eyes, knowing he could read not only the lust for him, but the raw, unmitigated desires and yearnings. I’d only ever wanted Ragoth. From the moment the dragon boy had stepped into my life, he’d been my one constant. My one craving. The only thing I did not want to live without.