The Dragon Prince's Consort

Eight

She was wide awake, and freezing. Fang lay curled on her side, rubbing her hands together and tucking them under her arms. She'd fallen asleep in front of the fire earlier, a luxury she would have barely imagined just a few days ago, and now she wished Valen had let her spend the night in front of the flames and their glorious warmth; she would have kept the hearth in the bedroom going if she'd known how. Fang shivered and clenched her teeth together to keep them from chattering, considering the idea of wrapping herself in that beautiful red coat Yena had lent her and wondering if the prince would think she was crazy for sleeping in it.

The bedchamber door creaked open and Fang held very still. There was a long pause, then Fang listened to the rustle of silk and tinkle of jewelry and guessed he was undressing. She heard the jingle of a small chain nearby, probably one of those in his horns, and a gust of chill air brushed across her back as he lifted the covers and she felt the bed shift under his weight. The covers fell back into place and Fang felt like she could breathe again. Hopefully some of his body heat would seep over to her side and she could get some sleep.

For a long while it was quiet, the only sounds the muffled chime of his horn jewelry against his pillows and the faint sigh of the wind – the weather report had said it would be a rough night for anyone caught outdoors. Behind her the prince seemed to be settling down, facing away from her if Fang could guess by the brush of his tuft-ended tail against the back of her legs. Another tremble wracked her body and Fang tucked her hands tighter against her sides and closed her eyes.

"Fang?"

Fang lay perfectly still. Or she would have, if her body hadn't picked that moment to shiver again. Trying to fight it only made her rattle even harder. Damn it.

"Fang, are you cold?"

"N-no," she lied through her chattering teeth. Yes, I'm cold, Anun is fucking freezing. I was trying to get off this stupid rock, now I'm stuck. She heard him sigh, and after a pause felt a light, hesitant tap-tap on her shoulder. Fang forced herself to look back. Valen lay on his side, not facing away like she'd thought. In the faint light from the washroom behind her, his eyes reflected back in glassy yellow and it gave Fang the feeling of being watched by some predator. She knew Drass could see much better in low light than humans, and she wondered how she looked to him. "What?"

"You're shivering."

"No, I'm not."

He huffed again. "You're shaking the bed." Fang huddled deeper under the silk, but she didn't say anything. Valen watched her for a moment, and after that moment passed in silence he made a motion with his hand like he was sweeping crumbs off of a table. "Um... Come here."

Oh, hell with it, it's better than freezing my ass off. Fang shuffled across the mattress, closing the gap between them but leaving a finger's width. He pulled the comforter up over them and Fang sighed in relief as his body-heat began to creep to her side. "Thank you."

Valen looked away, shy or perhaps embarrassed. "It wouldn't look good if I let you freeze to death, my brother would make a day of it."

Fang tucked the silk under her chin. "What's his problem, anyway? Why is he such an asshole to you, and why does your dad let him keep doing it?"

Valen sighed and rolled his eyes. "Our father is the Dragon Emperor, he doesn't have time for his sons' petty sibling squabbles." From the way he said it, he sounded like he was reciting something he'd heard many times before. "Tias is the heir to the Empire, as the firstborn son he's always been our father's top priority. Me, I'm the Royal Runt, a surplus dwarf with no hope of ever sitting on my father's throne. Tias can do whatever he wants to me, and there's no consequence for it. My father doesn't actually expect me to succeed, he knows I haven't had the training and he knows I can't learn overnight. He did this to keep it quiet, and when I fail he's just going to hand the colony back to Tias and you'll still be stuck here with me." He said when and not if, as though his failure was certain.