She took several steps away from the pair before turning back to face them. “Now, however, things have changed, haven’t they, Ailean the Blue?”
He nodded, his eyes locked with Shalin’s. Without a word, without moving, the greatest battle took place between them. The greatest and the most important.
“You wish to Claim her as your own, do you not?”
Ailean gave one determined nod in agreement.
“No!” The word rang out over the chamber, but it wasn’t Shalin who spoke. She’d only shaken her head to let him know she’d rather eat stone than be his mate. It was from the princess.
She pushed past the other royals into the middle of the chamber. “I demand to speak,” she snarled.
Her mother chuckled. “Denied. Your mate has already been chosen for you.”
“I have not agreed—”
“You’ll do as I say or regret that I ever gave you life,” the queen hissed. “Your future mate waits for you. Go to him. Now. And on the next full moon, he’ll make you his own.”
“You can’t make me—”
Ailean grabbed Shalin by the arm and yanked her against him as a line of flame lashed by, hitting the princess in the chest and sending her flying back across the chamber. Then Queen Ganieda, in a rarely seen full rage, stormed forward. She grabbed the heir to her throne by the neck and lifted her from the floor.
“You dare tell me what I can and can’t make you do? You betray your friend, break our laws, and bring the potential of war down on our heads, and you think you have rights to tell me anything?”
Adienna gasped and slapped at her mother’s claw, but the dragoness was simply too powerful. Even Ailean would have thought twice of challenging Ganieda. But he would have—for Shalin. For Shalin he’d take on an entire army of Lightnings and even his own kin.
“And you do all this,” the queen continued, “for a male. A male who never loved you and never will. Now,” she threw her daughter across the chamber to the exit, “go to your chosen mate before I can no longer control my temper.”
Palpable rage radiating from her, Adienna dragged herself to her feet. The onetime friends locked eyes, but Shalin never backed down. She never looked away.
Then Adienna’s gaze moved to Ailean and although he expected to see the same rage, he saw nothing but an obsessive longing that unnerved him more than the rage could have.
Without another word, the princess left, and the queen let out a disgusted sigh and shook her head. “Honestly. These hatchlings today.”
She turned back to face Ailean and Shalin. “And as for you two—”
“My queen,” one of the Elders gestured to her and she went to him. The queen and the council whispered amongst themselves while Shalin snatched her arm out of Ailean’s grip and stepped away. She glared at him and didn’t seem to appreciate when he blew her a kiss and winked at her.
“I agree,” the queen finally said and turned to face them all. “I have one question for you, Shalin the Gold. Did you give yourself willingly to Ailean or did he have to seduce you into his bed?”
“What does that have to—”
“Answer me, dragoness.” Shalin gritted her teeth and the queen smiled, showing many rows of bright, white fangs. “You’ve already seen how I handle my daughter’s impudence. Do you really want to test me as well?”
Shalin glanced once at her father before looking away and answering, “Willingly.”
“I see. Then yes, we have no choice but to follow the law regarding this. Ailean the Blue has until the next full moon to mark you as his own. Shalin the Gold will stay on his territory until that time. If she is not marked by the full moon, Ailean, you must leave her be. Is that understood?”
Ailean nodded and he could see it in Shalin’s eyes. She had no intention of letting him mark her…ever.
“That being said, Shalin the Gold, Ailean can use anything in his, shall we say, arsenal to convince you to remain with him forever. Except, of course, violence or the threat of violence against you or your kin.” Suddenly Shalin’s father moved up behind the queen and whispered to her. She frowned in confusion and added, “Or against your…dog?” Shalin’s father whispered something else, “Or against your…horse?” The queen blinked and shook her head. “You have a dog and horse?”
Shalin nodded, her head down to hide the rage Ailean could feel like he could feel the cold wind whipping through a hole in the cave wall.
“As pets?” Shalin nodded again. “How…fascinating.” Although the queen sounded more disturbed by it than fascinated. “That is the decision of this council,” she walked back to her dais. “We wish you both good luck.” She smiled again, her rows of fangs twinkling from the light of the pitfire nearby. “I sense you’ll both need it.”
Livid beyond all reason, Shalin stormed to an exit that would take her from Devenallt Mountain. That’s where Ailean caught up with her, grabbing her arm and pulling her around.
She slammed her two front claws against his chest and pushed. Of course, she might as well have pushed the mountain instead, for all the good it did.
“I hate you, Ailean the Slag. I’ll always hate you and
