Free Dragons Among Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice) by Kyra Jacobs

Jarin’s sentries was nearby and misinterpreted my actions. One of his arrows found my ribs, but Emeline safely removed the weapon once we returned to the cottage.”
    Helena put a hand over her mouth to silence a gasp. Why would Jarin’s men have shot at her son? Everyone in the lands near and far, from royals to peasants, knew he was the last remaining golden dragon. Did it mean nothing to them that Zayne was arranged to wed Jarin’s daughter?
    “Serves the blasted idiot right,” King Robert snarled. “What did he expect, showing himself behind their wall? Damned fool should have left the girl to die rather than jeopardize our entire kingdom.”
    “Indeed.” The squire cleared his throat once more, then continued with his reading. “As soon as I received word from Edana that my appearance had been seen as a threat by the royal Forathian army, I made ready my men and horses. We ride with the girl today to our border, where several of my men will request permission to continue onto Forath’s soil and return the estranged maiden to her family. Upon sending this scroll, I will also pen a message to King Jarin, offering my humblest apologies and asking his forgiveness in the matter. In that scroll I will also pledge to hold true to my arranged marriage to Rosalind and set the date for one fortnight from today, as a testament to my sincerity in wishing to maintain peace between our lands.”
    The queen’s needlepoint slipped from her hands. “No.”
    “About damned time,” her husband said in the next room, satisfaction in his voice. “I would have threatened to imprison him in the dungeon months ago had I known how swift the results would be. Was there more?”
    “Yes, sire. His letter goes on to say that once the girl and a small band of his men pass through the gates of Forath, he and the rest of his soldiers will turn west and ride without stopping until they have returned here, to the castle.”
    “Excellent. Once Zayne returns, we shall see how sincere he is about his intentions to right his recent wrongs.”
    Helena heard a grunt and pictured him rising from a seat in his chamber.
    “I have half a mind to send him to the dungeon still.” The king’s voice faded as footsteps sounded in the next room. “To keep him out of trouble…or from changing his mind.”
    The king and his squire shared a chuckle, then the king’s chamber fell silent.
    It is done…
    Helena gathered her needlework in shaky hands and looked out the room’s wide window to the courtyard below. She had to find a way to speak with Zayne upon his return, alone, without another soul around. It was imperative she be able to watch his face, uninhibited by the deprecation of his father when she asked about this girl in the woods.
    She had to know if the scroll’s message was true…and whether or not to prepare for the battles which may lie ahead for them all if it were.

Chapter Nine
    The last leg of the ride was, as the prince had anticipated, plagued by an increasing level of torture. Not because he and his guest were weary or unamicable—far from it. Addie had grown steadily more talkative, as though the thought she’d soon be home had freed her tongue. Zayne savored her every word, memorized her beautiful face’s every expression.
    It was impossible not to, as he found her completely and utterly fascinating.
    Her musical ramblings made the prince all the more aware of his growing fondness toward the woodland nymph…and how utterly impossible it would be for them to remain together. She had a world so very unlike his waiting for her, a world he neither understood nor would ever come to know. Zayne had a throne to inherit, a kingdom to one day rule, and an arranged marriage to be consecrated if peace were ever to be truly considered between the peoples of Edana and Forath.
    Ah, Fate—how cruel a mistress she had become.
    “What about your parents. Are they nice or tyrannical? And what was it like growing up as a prince?”
    With a