Wyvern's Prince (The Dragons of Incendium Book 2) (21 page)
Read Wyvern's Prince (The Dragons of Incendium Book 2) Online
Authors: Deborah Cooke
Then Gemma shattered the crystal stalactite, cracking it on the side of another stone projection and releasing the flame. Fire burst forth and the flames swept over Gemma. She felt invigorated and saw the shimmer of blue that heralded her shift of shape. She summoned that a familiar tingle from deep within herself and shouted with joy that her powers were returned. She felt it surge through her body, then gave a triumphant roar when her transformation was complete.
The queen cried out in protest, but Gemma swung her tail and shattered a thousand crystals. She let it rip the other way and broke a thousand more. The queen moaned, but Gemma beat her wings and broke as many stones as she could.
The roof began to crumble.
Gemma bounded across the Grotto and seized the rock that held Urbanus captive. She cracked it hard against the ground, using every bit of her strength to shatter it.
He tumbled out and she feared she was too late.
But he was breathing. Gemma snatched him up and raced for the stairs. She was glad the descending passageway was so wide, and took the steps fifteen at a time. She burst into the reception hall of the Citadel, flung herself through the portal, then leaped into the air. She beat her wings, soaring high with effortless ease, and breathed a stream of fire just because she could.
Home to Incendium, and the hidden Starpod as planned.
* * *
The wind in his hair roused Venero.
He was wide awake when he realized he was high about Regalia, in the tight grasp of a massive dragon.
The dragon was as deep a blue as the midnight sky. Its scales could have been carved of sapphires, and ornamented with diamonds. The dragon’s chest looked like hammered gold, and its eyes, when it looked down at him, glittered like faceted sapphires in the snow.
Gemma.
She was beautiful, powerful, and the queen of his heart. “You found the antidote.”
“Your mother had it, just as you said. Marked with a flame and all.”
“I owe you a thank you,” he said and she chuckled.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
He noticed that she had the satchel and wondered what had happened to the pavofel. The air was thinning and he could see the stars when Gemma rolled in the air. He didn’t see what she did but when her spin was completed, they were sealed in a clear bubble.
“A crystal orb,” she informed him. “It’s only strong enough for jumps between planets in the same system, but it will get us home.”
Home.
Venero looked down. She must mean Incendium. He had to consider that any home would be better than the one he had known.
Especially if Gemma was with him.
He cleared his throat. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m really glad you’re a dragon.”
Gemma chuckled. “And I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad of your DreamCasting powers.”
“Maybe we should reconsider our assumptions.”
“Maybe we already have.”
Venero sensed that she was waiting for him to say something, so he did. “You know, I’ve been thinking about that true love stuff.”
“Really?”
Venero had the definite sense that she was teasing him, but he carried on, knowing he needed to say it. “I think we make a good team.”
“Because I keep saving your butt.”
“There’s something appealing about a woman determined to save my life.”
Gemma gave him a challenging glance. “Even if she isn’t demure.”
“Even then. Maybe especially then.” Venero grinned. “In fact, you’re changing my mind about a lot of things. I think that’s a good sign for the future.”
Gemma flew onward and said nothing.
“It makes me wonder if you like defending my back as much as I like defending yours.” He paused and swallowed. “I love you, Gemma, against all expectation.”
“I could say the same, DreamCaster.”
“We could get married, and ensure the union between our kingdoms and our family line. I’m the Carrier of the Seed, after all. We could have more sons.”
“True,” Gemma acknowledged. “It’s usually good for a king to have more than one heir.”
Venero blinked. He hadn’t considered the implications of his mother’s injury. “She won’t die,” he said, shaking his head. “Not anytime soon, that’s for sure. No one even knows for sure how old she is.”
“Maybe you should check on her.”
Venero looked down. He took a deep breath and he cast a dream down toward the Citadel. He closed his eyes and felt it spiraling down, through the clouds, through the roof, passing through the seams of the building to the Grotto.
He felt Queen Arcana winced, as if she were aware of it, but her eyes were closed and evidently she was unable to defend herself against it. The dream slipped into her mind, a poisonous and dark place, and Venero was startled to hear one resonant thought.
I should have killed you in the cradle.
Then darkness descended in her mind.
The queen had breathed her last and died.
Venero was shocked.
“Mission completed,” said a mechanical voice at close proximity. Venero’s eyes flew open and he looked around in confusion. “Begin self-destruct.”
The voice was coming from the satchel.
Venero opened the bag and stared at what was left of Felice. The distinctive fur had already thinned and disintegrated. A moment later, he could see the pavofel’s skin, except it looked more like the silvery surface of the
memoria
. Tiny seam lines appeared around the joints and down the spine, then opened as the internal mechanisms smoked and disintegrated. He gasped as he glimpsed gears within the creature, including one emblazoned with a symbol.
He seized it and sheltered it in his hand. By the time Gemma landed on Incendium, there was only the single gear remaining of her pet, and a quantity of blue-green dust.
He was so busy staring into the bag that he barely noticed Gemma changing shape. There was a flash and a ripple in the air, then she was standing beside him with her hair flowing loose over her shoulders.
“It doesn’t hurt you?” he asked, amazed by her all over again.
She wrinkled her nose to tease him. “Amateur.”
Venero’s smile was fleeting because her gaze dropped to the bag. “I’m sorry, Gemma,” he said and offered her both open satchel and the single gear.
She paled as she lifted the gear from his hand. “You were right,” she whispered and he saw that the symbol upon it was Arista’s mark.
Gemma turned it over and frowned. “
I die gladly for duty
,” she read, then looked up at Venero.
“She knew she was going to be stalked, and she let herself be killed,” Venero guessed.
“Maybe so that the ShadowCaster wouldn’t be retrieved.”
“Maybe.” Venero picked up the gear from Gemma’s hand and examined it again. “She wasn’t just a cyborg: she’d created one that looked like pavofel and programmed it for one purpose.”
“To kill the queen.” Gemma shook her head, marveling, then fixed him with a piercing look. “Why do you hate pavofels? You hated them before you were a toad, before you met mine.”
“My mother had one, years ago.” Venero touched his throat, revealing the scar there. “It often attacked me.”
“They’re known for acting upon their custodian’s will.”
“Then she always wanted me dead. Good to know.” He exhaled shakily and pushed a hand through his hair.
“Arista planned this,” Gemma whispered, tears shining on her lashes. She reached into the bag and ran her fingers through the remaining dust. “How could she have known?”
“She had the ShadowCaster,” Venero reminded her.
“There’s no way we’ll be able to find it, then. Arista would have planned for every possibility. She would have ensured its safety.”
“Maybe it told her its destiny and she set it free.”
Gemma smiled up at him. “I like the idea of that.” Her smile faded as she held his gaze. “You have a throne to claim,” she noted softly.
Venero shook his head, thinking about practicalities. “Not easily. The Captain of the Guard always coveted the throne, so he might lead a coup. Then there are my other brothers, who will think they deserve to rule.” He shrugged. “I can’t just walk in and claim my legacy, Gemma.”
“Good thing you know a dragon princess who trained a regiment of commandos,” she said quietly and he dared to be encouraged. She took a breath and he saw an answering hope in her magnificent eyes.
“You’re not going to finish Arista’s mission?”
Gemma shook her head. “I’m going to make an exception for my HeartKeeper.”
Venero grinned and offered his hand. “Then marry me. Let’s claim the throne of Regalia together, Gemma.”
“You won’t mind a dragon queen by your side?”
“I wouldn’t want anyone less. I love you.”
“And I love you.” Gemma laughed and threw herself into his arms. Her smile was brilliant and her kiss was fiery. She kissed him with such enthusiasm that Venero knew a woman of any less passion would have bored him to tears. There was no chance of that happening with Gemma as his wife.
“Come meet my father,” she whispered when he finally broke their kiss. “We’ll make an official request for military support, and launch a new alliance between our kingdoms.”
And Venero had no complaint with that.
* * *
Watch for
A short story of Incendium
#2.5 of the Dragons of Incendium
#3 of the Dragons of Incendium series
Coming Soon!
The Dragons of Incendium have their own website
http://dragonsofincendium.com/
About the Author
Deborah Cooke sold her first book in 1992, a medieval romance called
The Romance of the Rose
published under her pseudonym Claire Delacroix. Since then, she has published over fifty novels in a wide variety of sub-genres, including historical romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, fantasy romance, time-travel romance, women’s fiction, paranormal young adult and fantasy with romantic elements. She has published under the names Claire Delacroix, Claire Cross and Deborah Cooke.
The Beauty
, part of her successful Bride Quest series of historical romances, was her first title to land on the
New York Times
List of Bestselling Books. Her books routinely appear on other bestseller lists and have won numerous awards. In 2009, she was the writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library, the first time the library has hosted a residency focused on the romance genre. In 2012, she was honored to receive the Romance Writers of America’s Mentor of the Year Award.
Currently, she writes paranormal romances featuring dragon shape shifter heroes under the name Deborah Cooke. She also writes medieval romances as Claire Delacroix. Deborah lives in Canada with her husband and family, as well as far too many unfinished knitting projects.
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