Hidden Dragons (14 page)

“
Talinor is a kingdom across the
sea from Helios,”
Sir Sandor said, his
voice reaching them all.
“In the last
briefing from Prince Hugh, he stated his belief that the assassins
called
Eyes
were
from that land.”

“
Eyes?” Isabelle was startled into
speaking. “Cleef Mantell has an eye-shaped tattoo on his chest,
right in the center.” She pointed to her own sternum. “It was the
talk of the village several seasons ago when his shirt ripped open
during harvest. Everyone saw it and several dared to remark on it
to him. He said he’d gotten very drunk one night when he visited
the city of Tipolir and woke up with it. Claimed some tart had made
off with his coin and left him only a weird tattoo to remember her
by. He also claimed to be from the south, near Tipolir, but my
mother always thought he was lying about that. She stayed far away
from Cleef Mantell and counseled me to do the same.”

“
It sounds like your mother was a
wise woman,”
Kelzy offered.
“Growloranth tells me she is no longer with us—my
condolences—and that Tildeth believes she carried the blood of the
Fair Folk.”
Kelzy’s large head loomed over
the table, her jewel-like eyes looking directly at Isabelle.
“You have the scent of their magic about you,
though it is faint. And you can bespeak dragons, which argues in
favor of you carrying a small trace of their magic. Do you know
where your mother came from? I understand you were not born in
Draconia.”

“
My mother came here from over the
northern border. She chose this land because she thought I would be
safe here. She also said my future was here. Sometimes she had
visions of the future and when she foresaw my destiny was in
Draconia, she decided to give up the life of a traveling bard and
settle here. I was very small, but I remember her singing to large
crowds of people when I was little. She was celebrated—or maybe
that’s just my memories. She often joined with groups of other
bards and played with them. I remember brightly painted wagons and
dark haired people who were always smiling and played the most
beautiful music.”

“
The Jinn?” Lord Darian theorized.
“Maybe we should contact Prince Nico or see if Sir Drake is
anywhere near.”

“
I remember a young man named
Drake,” Isabelle volunteered. “He had a strong voice and the people
we traveled with were teaching him. He was golden blonde and could
play many instruments.”

“
That sounds like our Drake,” Jared
said with a grin. “I think we had best send him a message. He may
be able to tell us more about your mother,” he said, not unkindly.
“But for now, we must concentrate on the village and its traitorous
headman.

What followed was some of the most intense
questioning of Isabelle’s life. They wanted to know the layout of
the village, which she, Growloranth and Robert supplied. They
wanted to know who lived in each house and what their jobs were in
the village, also if they were likely to side with Mantell.
Isabelle answered each question as best she could and was amazed by
the drawing Princess Belora made on a large parchment laid before
her on the table. It was an exact map of the village, with
notations stating who lived where and what they did.

Isabelle was glad her mother had taught her to
read and write, so she did not look quite so ignorant in front of
these important people. She sent up a prayer of thanks to the
Mother of All and her own mother, who had brought her here to these
good people, able to help defend the land that she had been raised
in and had come to love.

When the meeting finally broke up, Robert
escorted Isabelle back to the great hall where lunch was being
served. They dined together and she was amazed by the wide
selection of foods that were available. Robert explained that
dragons routinely flew between Lairs and often brought supplies in
from other parts of the country.

“
By the way…” Robert said, reaching
into his shirt to withdraw the chain he still wore about his neck,
“…I promised to return this to you.” He removed the necklace and
handed it back to her. “It worked just as you said. Mrs. Nethins
would not speak to me until I showed her the pendant. And then she
insisted on questioning me to within an inch of my life about your
wellbeing. Finally, I had to point out where Growly was hiding
before she would believe who and what I was. After that, she
cooperated. She sends her good wishes, by the way. And she said you
should never forget where you came from, whatever that means. She
made me promise to repeat it exactly like that.”

Isabelle took the necklace and put it back on.
She had felt it missing these past hours, but knew Robert would
keep it safe. She trusted him as she had trusted no one since her
mother had died.

“
Thank you. I’m sorry she gave you
a hard time, but she is a good woman. I knew she would help you if
she knew she could trust you.”

“
You were right about that, milady.
I could not have gotten the evidence we truly needed without her
help.”

He changed the subject and they talked of less
worrying things while they ate. Robert greeted a few people who
passed their table. It was easy to see that he was popular among
his contemporaries. She wasn’t surprised. He was a very nice man,
in addition to being incredibly charming.

As they left the great hall, Growloranth caught
Isabelle’s attention, chatting about their suite and asking if she
liked it. She was conversing with the dragon when Silla approached.
Distracted by the dragon, Isabelle saw the healer slip something to
Robert, which he tucked into his pocket. She thought little of it
until they arrived back at his suite.

Chapter Seven

“
I have it on good authority that
you might be a little sore today,” Robert announced when they
arrived back at his quarters. The sand pit was empty and they had
the place completely to themselves. “Lady Silla gave me strict
instructions on how to treat you.”

“
Oh, she did? Did she?” Isabelle
challenged him in the same playful tone he had used. He stalked her
around the oblong circle of the sand pit, but she wasn’t scared.
Robert was at his most charming and playful. “What did she tell you
to do to me?”

The tension that had built between them all
through lunch was coming to a head. Isabelle didn’t really
recognize herself at the moment, but she liked the new freedom she
felt to play these new grown-up games with Robert. Or Bear. Or
both. It didn’t seem to matter. Both men held a rather large chunk
of her heart already.

She would have been afraid of her newfound
horniness, but her desire was limited to Robert and Bear alone.
None of the other knights she had seen had roused any sort of
response in her, though many of them were handsome and all were fit
specimens of manhood. No, only Robert and Bear flipped her switch
and made her want to have her way with them—or have them have their
way with her.

Since both men, and their dragons, seemed to
think that was perfectly all right, she couldn’t really question
her response too much. Apparently this was as it should be for
knights and their lady.

But was she really going to be their lady? The
thought still managed to boggle her mind. She had made love with
Bear not really acknowledging the idea that she might be able to
live this dream of having them both in her life on a long-term
basis. But now Robert seemed to want her. If she let him have
her—and she was leaning heavily toward jumping his bones before too
much more time had passed—then she might have to consider their
proposition more seriously. Maybe this could work. Maybe she could
be the woman for these two knights.

Only time would tell. But now she was more open
to the possibility that this strange relationship might actually
work. She’d seen other triads in the Lair now, and they had all
seemed happy. Silla had even discussed her own mating with Isabelle
and she thought she understood it all a little better
now.

“
Come with me, sweetheart, and let
me take care of you,” Robert said, the teasing replaced by a caring
smile that warmed her heart.

Almost without conscious thought, she found her
feet moving toward him. He held out a hand and she took it. She let
him lead her to a room opposite of the one she had lain with Bear
in the night before. The room he chose was also a bedroom, but this
one was clearly Robert’s. It held mementoes that fit his
personality. Gear for Growloranth lay neatly piled in one corner
and a polished metal mirror above a chest of drawers sat against
another wall. The dominant piece of furniture, just like in Bear’s
room, was the bed.

He led her to it and they both sat on the side
of the wide expanse, side by side, tilted slightly toward each
other. Robert kept hold of her hand.

“
I know you and Bear were together.
He’s had all the firsts with you so far and though I love him like
a brother, right now I’ll admit, I’m jealous as hell.” Robert
squeezed her fingers. “Will you let me take care of you,
sweetheart? I promise we won’t do anything you aren’t ready for. I
just want to touch you and kiss you, and hold you while I sleep.
Will you indulge me?”

She was touched by his words. “There’s nothing
to be jealous of, Robert.” She reached up and placed one palm
against his cheek, enjoying the sensation of his beard stubble
against her skin. “While I might not be up for everything, I
promise I’ll let you know how far we can go. I’d like to lay with
you, even if it’s just to cuddle,” she admitted. “I am sore, but
maybe Silla’s medicine will help with that.” She lowered her hand
from his face and held it out for the small package Silla had
slipped to Robert earlier, but he refused to give it up.

“
Oh, no, my dear. Lady Silla gave
me explicit instructions. It will be my pleasure to act as your
doctor in this instance.” He winked at her and she felt her cheeks
heat. Did he really intend to doctor her injuries
there
?

“
Now, my pretty patient,” Robert
said, rising to his feet and motioning for her to rise as well. “I
believe we should start by removing all your clothes.” His
businesslike tone made her hesitate, then want to giggle after she
saw the dancing merriment in his eyes. “Are you shy?” he asked with
pretend concern. “Well then, we can’t have that. Perhaps it will
make you less shy if we both removed our clothes. Then you wouldn’t
be the only one naked.” His teasing made her blush grow deeper, but
she was also excited by the idea of being naked with Robert. “How
about I remove your dress while you work on my tunic?”

Emboldened by the dare in his gaze, she reached
for the hem of his tunic and pulled slowly upward. He stood still,
letting her do as she willed. Thankfully, he had rid himself of his
sword belt and gauntlets earlier. There was no impediment to her
pulling the well-worn fabric up over his head.

And then she got to look at the play of his
muscles over his broad chest. He had magnificent shoulders and she
found her hands drawn to them, caressing his skin, tracing the
faint lines of scars that were a testament to the fact that he was
a fighting man.

“
Now your turn,” Robert said after
a moment, his breathing a little faster than it had been
before.

He reached down with both hands and gathered
the fabric of her dress in his hands, lifting it upward an inch at
a time. He moved closer, his hands moving from her sides a little
more around her back. His fingers rubbed against her backside and
when the hem reached his fingers, he held it with one hand while
the other caressed her bare buttocks, rubbing and
squeezing.

Then he lifted the dress higher and held the
fabric at her back while his other hand rubbed upward, against her
ribcage. His fingers teased the undersides of her breasts and she
was glad she hadn’t had a chance to unpack her bags before he’d
come in. She’d simply thrown her dress on after her bath and there
were no under things to get in his way.

He held her gaze as his fingers grazed upward,
over the peak of one breast. She gasped when he paused, his thumb
and forefinger squeezing her nipple. Bear hadn’t done that. His
touch had been gentler, less demanding, though just as
exciting.

“
Seems you like that,” Robert
whispered, moving his hand to her other breast. “How about this?”
He rubbed little circles around the tip of her breast, flicking the
taut nipple with his fingertip.

Her knees almost gave out and he grinned. Then
the dress whooshed up and over her head in one quick move. Before
she could even miss him, he was back. Both hands covering her
breasts now, squeezing and teasing the tips. He held her gaze as
his head lowered and she nearly swooned when his mouth opened over
her breast, licking, nipping and then sucking in a way that made
her throw her head back and moan.

“
Oh yes, you definitely like that.”
She lifted her head and opened her eyes to find him
grinning.

And then he bent, scooped her into his arms,
and deposited her on the bed, coming down to rest at her side. He
didn’t stop kissing her skin, paying special attention to her
straining nipples, even as his hands lowered and spread her legs
apart. His fingers rubbed delicate circles around the little nubbin
at the apex of her thighs, causing her to squirm. She felt the
soreness that hadn’t quite left her all day and it did temper her
reactions a bit.