Prince of Spies (2 page)

But oddly, Loralie was also to thank for Lucan leaving her sexually unmolested. The North Witch had told the mad king that the healing magic would be forever lost should anyone breach her maidenhead. The old magic, Loralie claimed, would depart as soon as she was no longer a virgin. For that reason alone, Lucan hadn’t raped her. He’d tortured her, played with her flesh, hurt her in ways that didn’t bear thinking about, but he hadn’t taken her virginity. For that small boon, she supposed she should thank the witch, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

The witch was back in the north now, with her master, King Salomar.

She’d done the sickening work of merging Lucan with the skiths and gone back to her own king. The girl was left to heal the recurring injuries of a body never meant to hold two such diametrically opposed essences in one space. She figured Lucan would die a slow and agonizing death without her constant healing treatments and almost wished he’d go too far and kill her one day so he would die too.

But somehow she couldn’t bring herself to goad him into that final, irrevocable act. Something inside her fought to hang on. Some kernel of hope remained. Hope that somehow she would get a chance at escape or a chance to kill Lucan herself. Either would do.

She struggled to her feet, knowing she would have to clean up first, then see to the fallen warrior. After she gave him her healing energy, she would be too weak to move for several hours. If the room was dirty when Lucan returned, she would pay a heavy price, so she scrubbed the blood away, cleaning in a familiar rhythm. She’d been ordered to do this before. She knew what was expected.

After over an hour of scrubbing, the room was clean and everything put back to rights within the length of her chain tether. Only then did she settle by the fallen man, stroking back locks of long, dark hair from his chiseled face. He would be badly scarred without her help. As it was, she didn’t know how much energy she could give him. She was dangerously weak.

Lucan kept her that way so she wouldn’t try to escape—or if she did manage to escape, she wouldn’t be able to get far.

Settling next to the man, she looked to his worst wounds first. She sent little pulses of her energy, rationing it as best she could, to make him as strong as possible before her own energy gave out. He was a brave man.

She’d never seen one of Lucan’s victims defy the crazy king so long or so well. This foreign warrior impressed her and stirred a womanly interest she’d thought long dead.

After watching Lucan’s bed sport over the past months, she never thought she would feel any kind of attraction for a man again. Lucan was brutal. She didn’t know if she could trust a man not to turn into a beast like Lucan if she ever gave one the chance. Plus, her virginity was the only thing protecting her. If she lost that, she lost everything—her power, her tenuous position, and most probably her life.

The man groaned as she touched the savage wounds on his torso. Skith venom burns ate away at the skin, causing agony unmatched by anything else. She knew it from painful, firsthand experience. She had skith venom burns all over her body thanks to Lucan. It was one of his ways to remind her of her position and warn her not to cross him.

The warrior’s skin was hot and feverish, but her healing gift confirmed he was in prime health aside from the torture he’d just undergone. She didn’t understand it, but like her, his normal body temperature seemed to be a bit higher than most other humans she’d treated.

His warmth was comforting as her strength waned. He’d gone from pain-laden unconsciousness to more normal sleep while she sent healing energy to his battered form. At least she’d been able to do that much for him, allowing him to rest easy before the next round with Lucan. The injured man would need

whatever she could give. So thinking, she concentrated the last of her remaining strength in one final, powerful burst, sending it to the terrible burns on his face. He had such a strong, handsome face, she thought it a shame to have it scar.

Slipping into oblivion, she settled down at his side, her hand over his heart, her head resting on his shoulder as she unconsciously snuggled closer to his warmth. Just before the darkness claimed her, a stray thought drifted across her mind. She had never been so comfortable in all the years since being stolen from her home. For just this short moment, she was finally at peace.

Nico woke to the rich scent of woman in his nostrils. Unsure of his surroundings, he immediately noted the soft, female form snuggled at his side. She was thin and shaking with cold, clinging to him for warmth. He opened his eyes and was startled to see the girl there, her elfin face resting against his heart.

Something inside him twinged at the sight. The sleeping dragon inside him woke, possessively pulling the small woman closer as if to never let her go. Nico noticed then the energy flowing between them, from him to her and back again, making them both stronger. Already he could see a bloom of healthy color on her pale cheeks and a new vibrancy to her previously pasty skin.

He took a moment to savor and examine the connection. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced before, but he’d heard of it surely enough. In the ancient texts of his ancestors there were tales of this kind of sharing, and his own brother had mentioned just such a phenomenon when he’d met his new wife. A dragon healer might be able to absorb and reflect the massive power of his dragon half, strengthening them both in the process.

He looked more closely at the beautiful waif in his arms. No wonder he’d been so drawn to her when all other females left him cold. This poor, starved woman was almost certainly his new sister-in-law’s twin, though she looked far different from the robust woman his brother had just married. No, this poor creature had been starved and tortured for months, perhaps years, but there was still a marked resemblance to the healthy woman she should be.

There were her eyes for one thing. Nico had been struck by the luminescent green of her eyes right off. Royal green, some in Draconia called the color, since many of royal blood had just that shade, unlike himself. Nico was the rarity among the royal princes, with his tourmaline gaze. Most had the deep emerald of this woman’s eyes.

Her hair would probably be a deep, blazing auburn if it were healthy. Even under her pallor and the poor state of her clothing, it shone with reddish highlights, very much like her sister’s. She was the same height as well and had similar bone structure, though this poor girl’s features stood out much too prominently, her body mere skin and bones.

She stirred in his arms as if she felt his close study and her giant eyes opened into his. Nico caught his breath, knowing this poor girl was the reason he’d come to Skithdron. When he thought his mission utterly failed, she’d come to him as if the Mother of All had brought them together.

And indeed, perhaps She had. Nico had no other explanation for the set of dire circumstances that led him directly to the girl. She blinked and tried to move away but Nico held her firmly, though not harshly, his gaze gently questioning.

“Arikia?” He breathed her name, watching reaction jolt through her. She recognized the name, he felt it

immediately from the tremor in her spine. His quest was at an end.

“How do you know my name?” Her whispered words tugged at Nico’s heart. This was the first time he’d heard her speak, and just the sound of her quiet voice lanced through him.

“I came to Skithdron looking for you. Your sisters Alania and Belora, as well as your mother Adora, were recently found and reunited. They miss you, Riki.”

Tears flooded her eyes and he pulled her gently closer, raising one manacled hand to soothe the hair back from her face as he crooned to her. His hands were bound together with strong chains, but he wasn’t worried. The dragon inside him would break them easily enough.

“No one’s called me that since I was little. No one knows my name.”

“Except your family,” Nico spoke softly, “and those of us who have been searching for you. I’m glad I

found you.”

Her beautiful eyes widened with hope, but then disillusionment shattered her expression. “But what good is it? We’re both prisoners here.”

Nico was glad to see some spirit still flared within her battered soul. She was of royal blood after all—as

was he. Nico knew firsthand how hard it was to keep one of their kind down for long.

“Did Lucan say when he’d come back?”

“Not ‘til morning. We probably have only a few more hours of peace at most.”

“That’ll be more than enough.” Nico smiled at her confusion, a little hesitant about how to broach the

next thing he must tell her. He decided to start off slowly. “Riki, your sister recently discovered she can,

well…change. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

Riki shook her head. Nico didn’t know if she was merely protecting herself or if she truly wasn’t able to shift from human to dragon like her twin. But then, if she’d discovered how to shift, she would most likely have escaped long ago.

“Okay. Promise not to scream. I’m going to shift just a little bit and it might frighten you, but I would never hurt you. Neither man nor dragon in my homeland would ever harm you, Riki. Do you believe me?”

“Dragon?” She paused. “My mother told us stories of a dragon she once knew.”

“Ah yes, the infamous Lady Kelzy.”

“Yes! Kelzy. That was her name.” Riki smiled with obvious delight at the small memory of her youth

returned to her.

“My name is Nico, and if you sit tight, I’ll have us both out of these chains in a moment. Do you trust me enough to do that?”

Sitting up and hugging her knees, she nodded, though she was nibbling on her lips in worry. Unable to

resist, Nico bent forward and kissed her forehead quickly. She jumped a little, but seemed encouraged

by the small, comforting gesture. Moving back, Nico called forth the change and allowed the black mist to envelop his human form. He saw her eyes widen and then felt the manacles burst as his human hands changed to dragon scale, the iron of the chains unable to hold him. He heard Riki gasp, but overall, she was taking it well.

Sitting before her, he let her just look at him and tried to give her time to get used to his dragon form before he moved closer. He’d have to break her chains, leaving the cuffs intact for the moment. His talons were too sharp and too big to do such delicate work without hurting her, but he could definitely manage to snap the chains. The rest could be done once they were safely away.

“Nico?”

I’m here.

She clutched the sides of her head in confusion. “How’d you do that?”

You can do it too. Follow the path back to me in your mind, Riki.

She scrunched up her face so tight he had to try hard not to laugh.

Like this? Can you hear me?

I hear you, sweetheart. Well done. Now, don’t be afraid. I’m going to
move closer to break the chains, all right?

Riki held up the closest chain eagerly. Oh, she was game all right. Even as weak and tired as she was, she had a spirit that just wouldn’t die. He admired that even as he guessed at the horrors she’d suffered at Lucan’s hands. The mad king would pay, but first Nico had to get Riki to safety.

Working quickly, but as quietly at possible, Nico broke the chains as close to Riki’s tender flesh as he could risk. Moving back, he shifted to human form once more.

We can still talk silently if you don’t mind. It would be safer while we make
our escape.

Is that what you meant when you said Lana had learned to shift? Can she
become a dragon?

Nico headed toward the doorway as quietly as possible. They still had to get out of the palace and had little time left in the dark of night that would shield his black dragon form from eyes down below.

Yes. It was under dire circumstances and she’s still a little awkward, but
she can shift to dragon form. She’s the first woman in centuries to be able
to do so. I believe if anyone else can, it would be you, Riki. You’re her twin
after all. But don’t worry if you can’t. It is a rare, rare thing and we won’t be
disappointed in you if you can’t shift. I promise you that.

I never knew such a thing was possible.

It’s a secret, even in my land. The dragons know, but few humans
are trusted with the knowledge.

Then I’m honored.

He liked the feel of her thoughts, so intimate in his mind. Rarely had he communicated with a human female in this fashion. There were so few women who could speak with dragons, they were each prized and protected by all knights and dragons in his land.

This woman would be doubly so. Not only could she hear and talk with dragons, she could probably heal them as well, or so their energy exchange led him to believe. Nico felt good, even after that dreadful torture session, and he knew he owed it all to Riki’s incredible abilities and kind heart.

Did I thank you for healing me, sweetheart?
He sought to distract her while he dealt with the guards. Two quick punches and the guards at the door were dispensed with. They would not wake for hours.

You’ve an amazing healing talent, milady. It’s more like a curse. It’s what’s
kept me a prisoner here.

She didn’t even flinch as he led her past the unconscious guards. Nico admired her grit. She seemed to be ready for whatever might come. She looked fierce, but beneath the bravado he sensed a quaking fragility that touched his heart.

Nico took one of her hands in his as he led them up a narrow stair. She tugged hard on his hand, but he kept moving.

The castle gates are the other way.
Her voice was a desperate whisper in his mind.

I know, but we’ve no need of doors. A tower ledge would be good or
even an open window. We’re flying out of here. They don’t know I can
shift and will never look for us in the sky.

But I can’t fly!

He felt the panic in her mind and paused to bring her into his arms, calming her with his warmth.