“A hatchling.” His gaze drops briefly to my stomach. I smile. I love that we share this secret. “It’s about two months old.”
“I love him.”
“What will you name him?” Brenica asked.
“Garnet.”
The name pops into my head. It feels right. Everything about this moment does. The bright sunlight, the people gathered around to celebrate our union, even my nippy little pet dragon.
If I have to give up being queen of the Myseci to be with Tovian, it will be worth it. I’m still optimistic that we can convince my father to see reason.
The only sour note of the day is that Lorcan couldn’t be bothered to show up for our ceremony. I’m still weirded out by his reaction to seeing me for the first time since his accident.
Where has he been—or do I want to know?
Chapter 26
After the ceremony, Tovian and I spend most of the next couple of days in bed. We’re a paint-smeared, blissed-out mess.
Couldn’t ask for a better honeymoon.
Until Lorcan barges in. There’s a momentary scramble to make sure nothing essential is exposed. My pulse races with barely-contained outrage. How freaking dare he? I bury my sleepy face in the crook of Tovian’s neck. I don’t want to deal with Lorcan’s shit right now.
“We have to go,” Lorcan declares in clipped tones.
“What’s the rush? I thought you liked it here.” Tovian yawns.
“I do. I have business further north.”
“Now, you decide you’re going to rescue the princess?” Tovian doesn’t scowl often. “Five months after you wake up, you’ve suddenly got a burr under your saddle?”
“Seven. I came out of the coma in September.”
Tovian feels me go tense and gives me a reassuring squeeze.
He knows how unsettled things are with me and Lorcan. It crashes back down on me all of a sudden, just how fucked up this whole situation is.
Lorcan ducks out. I throw back the covers and get dressed. Honeymoon is over. Time, once again, to wage war.
#
“We’ve chased the invaders into Central Auralia.” Tovian points at the center of the map, tracing a lopsided circle around what was once the most populous part of the country. “Canavale is still overrun. If we don’t keep up the pressure, they’ll make it their new base.”
“You’ve already made their lives harder by taking out the bridge across the marshlands. Nicely done.”Lorcan saunters around the table where we’ve laid out hand-drawn paper maps. There are cheap printed examples created by the outsiders stacked haphazardly along with our homemade ones. You can’t buy a commercial map of Auralia outside our country, and the Skía only hand out partial maps to their underlings because they don’t want them to join forces and take the island for themselves.
“That was all Raina’s idea.” Tovian, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, gestures to me. My stomach turns all fluttery. I want to preen. He never hesitates to acknowledge my leadership, and compliments from a hot shirtless guy do wonders for my ego.
Which, frankly, could use a little coddling right now. I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy hormones or the fact that I’m not going on this particular adventure and I’m feeling left out, but all my emotions are too near the surface. I’m one argument away from biting Lorcan’s head off.
He even moves differently now. Before, he used to walk with this tightly-controlled gait. He was quick and quiet, the way the Covari move. He was, after all, trained by them. But now he’s adopted a rolling lope that’s almost a strut. It’s hypnotic. You can’t help staring at him. He has a fantastic body, all lean, sculpted muscles, and he’s covered with scars. It’s impossible to look away.
“I learned from the best,” I say weakly, not meaning it.
Lorcan’s cut-glass gaze rakes over me. “I did teach you, didn’t I.”
“Everything I know about fighting.”
It’s the truth. Saying it in front of Tovian, though, feels wrong.
