Dragon Blood (Completed)

The Need to Escape

Chapter 27

Zane walked slowly to the dining hall, wondering if he was out of his mind. He'd just promised Lavender that he would take her home. He only had two days left, and then he had no idea when he would be able to return. Definitely not until after his Desma. He knew once he got home that it would consume his world.

He knew it would make Lavender happy, and that was the most important thing to him, but he just didn't like the idea of leaving Paige.

"Zane," Vic Redblood called to him while he was on his way to the dining hall. "Just the dragon I was looking for."

"Vic, how is it going?" Zane asked, flashing him a broad, friendly smile.

"Rumor has it that you have found the most favor with this queen." Vic clamped his hand on Zane's shoulder.

"I wouldn't say I've found the most favor with her. She seems to push me away just as she does anyone else. You know Lilly would probably be a good one for you to ask about the queen."

"Lilly's a girl, she's not going to tell me what I need to know to win the queen over like a man would know."

"Vic, she's a Yellowback. You can't win her like you could another. The only thing I can tell you that will give you any sort of advantage is to be honest with her. She likes honesty. Everything else you need to know, she will tell you herself."

"What about the short temper I've heard so much about?"

"Well, there is nothing you can do about that," Zane said, returning the hard clap on the shoulder that Vic was giving him. "You're a royal, and she just doesn't seem to like other royal's very much."

"You mean, she doesn't like royal men? She seemed to like Lilly's company just fine. And you know there was that time I walked in on Lilly with her handmaiden."

Zane barked out a laugh, then he paused. He'd never considered that Paige would prefer women, but her circumstances were forcing her into a union with a man. She had to produce true Bluescale heirs; there was no way she could get around that.

Zane rejected the idea, but he also didn't want Paige to choose Vic. Blazes, he didn't want her to choose any of them, so he said, "I've never considered that. She did hate Ryder from the moment she found out he was there as a possible suiter. Although, that was before she knew it was Heartsbane poisoning and she would need the Desma to save her life. And by that time, she'd pushed him away so much, they didn't want anything to do with each other. Maybe you just need to offer her a more liberal arrangement."

"A liberal arrangement..." Vick mused, his ruby eyes flashing with mischief and hunger. "I wonder how liberal she'd be. Do you think she'd share?"

"I wouldn't dare to guess," Zane said coldly. "Why are you so intrigued by the young queen?"

"Blazes, Zane, are you blind? I guess you are wound tight for Lavender, but Paige is one of the best-looking royal's I've seen in a long time. Add to that, all this." He spread his arms wide to encompass the BluescaleCastle. "And she's dual-natured. Do you know what that will mean for me?" The conversation was putting Zane in a foul mood. Paige had been through so much already. She needed someone who was going to protect her, not try to use her.

"Well, I need to go to dinner before all the good stuff is eaten by Cain."

"I'll join you." Vic turned to walk with Zane to the dining hall, but just as they reached the doors leading into the hall, one of the guards stopped Vic to let him know the queen wanted him to join her for dinner in her suite.