Knightfall (Page 49)

I yelled at Quinn. What’s the opposite of blood?

What?

Dec reduces the opposite. What can he reduce to make blood?

Lips pressed against my arm.

What’s the opposite of blood? Quinn yelled at us all.

The dragon was almost to the moat. Sarding hell. It was too late. I might have thought of a solution. But it was too late. My brain started shorting out in panic. My heart started pulsing so hard I felt it in my throat.

He’s crossing the moat! Quinn, you have to go—

The moat! Quinn yelled. Water!

Suddenly, the water in the moat surged overhead. It rose in a ring around the castle, floating above the towers, rippling in the wind.

I heard Declan’s voice muttering next to me. Yellow light shot toward the water droplets, which suddenly turned black. An iron stench filled the air. My breath caught. My heart skipped when I realized the droplets weren’t black. They were red. Red as blood.

Blood started to rain down on all of us as the dragon flew over the first tower and spewed flame.

I could feel my power swell with the presence of so much blood.

And for the first time, the rush of adrenaline in my veins carried the edge of excitement with it.

This beast wanted to attack my castle? Let it try.

My arms automatically swung to follow the dragon. I pushed out every last ounce of power I had. Green light exploded through the sky. The ring of blood shriveled, evaporating as my power consumed it.

I met the dragon’s orange eyes head on.

Its eyes flickered, turned brown. And then it fell, smashing into the cobblestone courtyard.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Meeker was brought up by two of Quinn’s spies. He’d been caught trying to leave Marscha when the dragon was spotted.

At first, the Sedarian ambassador refused to disclose how to work the elven chain. He said it was a betrayal of Sedarian state secrets.

But Quinn was not my spy master for nothing. He was eventually able to persuade the ambassador that disclosing that information was in Meeker’s best interests.

Though I had defeated the dragon and was able to stop using my powers, I wasn’t able to climb off the balcony until Meeker provided the counter spell. So when I came down, it was on shaky limbs.

I collapsed into Connor’s arms.

Ryan personally drug Abbas into our deepest dungeon and chained him there.

Declan went to find our beast master, to see what might be done about a dragon who’d collapsed in the courtyard and was snoring peacefully.

Jorad and Avia made an appearance to check on me.

Neither were very impressed by the state of my clothes, the state of the balcony, or the state of the courtyard. I didn’t get a single clap for defeating the dragon.

Instead, Jorad’s lips thinned as he surveyed all the damage he’d need to get repaired, the blood stains he’d need to get out of the stone, and the awful state of his queen and her knights. The ledger-keeper in him was tallying up the expenses of my first day as monarch. Watching that almost made me laugh.

He stiffly reported that the citizens had been calmed but would expect a speech from their ruler. I nodded and waved him off.

“In a moment.”

He gave a curt bow before going back to do … whatever he needed to do.

That’s when Avia launched into me.

“You idiotic strumpet! You got engaged to that lunatic? And then, sent me below like some, like some—” she collapsed into dramatic teenage tears.

“I needed Abbas to feel in control.”

“He had a sarding dragon! He was in control!”

“Well, yeah. We didn’t know it was that close.”

Avia smacked me. Hard. “Don’t you ever do that again!”

“I’m your queen. I’m allowed to do that.”

“You’re my sister and you’re never allowed to do that! And that’s final!”

I bit my lip to hide my smile. “Well if you say so—”

“I do say so. You big stupid shite!”

“Oh, stop squacking,” I pulled her into a hug.

When I released her, I turned to Connor. “Do you mind doing most of the talking? You’re better at not being offensive than I am.”

Connor gave me a tired half-smile and nodded. He grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. “Of course, Bloss Boss.”

We made the announcements to a stunned crowd and then put Jorad in charge of answering questions and politely kicking everyone out of the castle.

The dragon woke before Jase and Declan could figure out how to wrangle him. The beast took off and was followed by Ryan’s guards as he headed north.

I doubted we’d seen the last of him. But, at least now, we knew we stood a chance. We knew we could fight him, so long as we fought together.

“What do you think of a moat permanently filled with blood? It could be kind of neat.” I joked.

“I nearly puked from the smell alone,” Declan responded.

“Alright. But the Blood Queen has a ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“No,” Connor responded.

“Bloss, the dragon killer?”

“How about Bloss, the spanked?” Ryan retorted with a yawn.

I pretended to pout. “You all are no fun at all.”

We are exhausted from saving your beautiful butt, Quinn said.

I turned in outrage, ready to lecture him.

Just joking, Dove. Let’s save the nicknames for a time when we’re not utterly spent.

We went to the royal wing together, bathed, and everyone piled into my bed. In under two minutes, we were all asleep.

The next morning, I woke to four naked men, standing at the foot of my bed, stroking themselves.

I yawned and stretched. “Well, if that isn’t a sight for sore eyes.”

“Your eyes aren’t going to be the only thing sore today, Wife,” Ryan said.

He walked forward and pulled me out of the bed. He hugged me to him for a moment before he set me down. Then Ryan tore at my clothes. He ripped my chemise in half with his bare hands and shoved it off my shoulders. It fell to the floor in a heap and I was left shivering in the brisk morning air.

Four pairs of eyes raked over every inch of me.

“Dearling,” Ryan murmured.

Declan came up and hugged me from behind as Ryan ran his hands over the newly healed scars on my thighs. Connor and Quinn came to stand on each side of me.

Ryan stroked the scars. “Never again, Dearling. You will never do that again.” His voice grew rough. “Say it.”

“Which part?”

“You’ll never come up with a stupid plan. Or get engaged to another man. Or fight a dragon. Or try to send us off—”

“That’s quite a list. What if I don’t have a choice?”

Ryan growled, his fingers curling around my thigh. His hands were so large he covered nearly half of it. His eyes burned down into mine. “Bad girls talk back. Say: I won’t put myself in danger again.”

“I won’t put myself in danger again … sir.”

Ryan groaned, and his fingertips dug into my thighs.

Declan pushed aside my hair and whispered in my ear. “Blossie, I think you need to be punished.”

Ryan roared and spun me around so that I was facing Declan. Declan held my hands and bent me forward so my breasts dangled. I had a clear view of his erect cock, pointed up at my mouth. But he wouldn’t lower me enough to let me touch it.

“Not yet,” Declan breathed. “You’re in trouble.”

Quinn stepped forward and cupped my right breast, squeezing softly. He released it so I felt the weight as it fell back toward the floor.

Bloss, he moaned in my head.

Having the three of them touch me all at once set off something wild inside me, something untamed. I hummed with need. My eyes sought out Connor, who was standing back, taking in the scene as Declan cuffed my wrists in his hands and Quinn bent and sucked my right nipple into his mouth.

Connor’s tousled curls fell over his eyes but he didn’t bother to move them. His hands were busy on his shaft. One of his thumbs slid over the sensitive head of his dick as he pleasured himself. I could only imagine the sensual picture the four of us made.

But I ached to feel all of them at once.

“Connor, come here and touch me too, please,” I begged. “I need all of you.”

Connor stepped forward slowly and sank to his knees under my belly. He kissed from my belly button downward, leaving a feather light trail that made my nerve endings light up.

Ryan’s finger traced a trail down my spine and over the curve of my ass, under each cheek.

Then Ryan’s finger left my body. He gave me a smack, pushing me into Declan’s chest just as Quinn grabbed my left nipple and pulled, just as Connor’s tongue touched my slit.

I bucked like a wild colt and only Declan’s arms kept me in place.

Having all of them stimulate me at once was amazing and overwhelming.

But then they all stopped. They waited. I looked up at Declan but his eyes were on Ryan, awaiting orders. I turned my head to look at Ryan out of the corner of my eye.

Ryan held his hand up, poised to smack my ass again. But he stayed there, frozen. “I can’t,” he said. “I’m actually mad. I can’t spank you again.” His eyes softened as he dropped his hand. “You scared me so bad, Bloss.”

Declan released me. I stood and turned to reach for Ryan, but Declan grabbed me.