Dragon Born

Chapter 7

I'd never felt closer to Heaven in my life than when I was in this bath. I felt like I was floating in a bed of clouds, safe from the world below me, not in a deep tub filled with deliciously warm water. I could even envision Wala, just as beautiful and whimsical as it had been on Daemon’s back. The infinite plains, the pastel summer colours, the dazzling ocean. A truly unforgettable sight.

The extreme heights should have terrified me--no human had any right to be that high off the ground--but I found myself loving the memory of riding Daemon, of being in Quinn’s arms as we soared over the world. Next time, I promised myself, I won’t be a chicken. I would embrace the terrifying heights, the cool, harsh wind, the wonder of the sky's embrace.

If I ever got another chance, anyway. Quinn had better things to do than to give me joy rides on his dragon. They had lives to protect, people to save. An animal healer had no place amongst heroes.

A gentle knock pulled me from my thoughts.
I froze. Only one person knew I was in here, but a servant could have come by to do some cleaning, heard the water sloshing and thought Quinn might be taking a bath. I didn’t want him to get into more trouble than he already was by bringing me here. What’s the punishment for sneaking a girl into your bathtub?

“Quinn?” I squeaked.

“It’s me,” he called from the other side. I let out a breath of relief. “May I come in? I have clothes for you.”

It could have been the heat of the water that made my face so red. He would never know. “Come in.”

He stepped in, keeping his gentlemanly gaze on the window to the side; though, by the way he worried his bottom lip, it was difficult for him. I appreciated his discretion, because there wasn’t much in the way of bubbles to separate us. Clearing his throat, he held out a deep blue silk dress to me. I didn’t want to think where he got the gorgeous piece from.

“You can put it on the chair.,” I told him timidly. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Oh, um, right.” Instinctively, he knew where the chair was and hung it over the back without looking, then he hurried out of the room. It had to be the most adorable thing I’ve seen a grown man do.

As soon as the door shut, I swung out of the bath, dried off, then slipped into the soft dress. It shimmered in the sunlight and hugged my body tighter than it was designed for but still managed to be flattering. The colour brought out the blue in my eyes more too.

Maybe he’ll let me keep it.

A girl could dream.

My hand just touched the doorknob when I caught voices on the other side. I pressed my ear against the door to listen in.

“Where have you been, Quinn?” It was Prince Eli; it was hard to ignore the deep, big brotherly tone. The tone of my future king. “We’ve been looking all over for you.”

“I’ve been here.” Could Quinn be any more vague and aloof?

“You’ve been back an hour from your mission with no word to any of us on how it went. What did she say?”

There was a beat of silence. “I haven’t asked Lyla anything yet.”

“Why not?” I could basically hear Prince Eli cross his arms with a disapproving glare. “What have you and Cam been up to all morning? Don’t make me bring Father into this for disobeying me again.”

“Arg. You always bring him into it. For once, don’t be a stick in the mud.”

“Maybe if you took the job seriously for once I’d stop nagging you. People depend on us, Quinn.”