A Fifth Daughter [Book 1: The Dragon Rider]

Chapter ~ 19

I glance toward Rosemont Castle as Blackridge Mountain begins to take up the horizon. The once shining castle is now a charred and ruined smudge on its little island. Just a little over a week ago it had been a beautiful structure ready to house the wedding of Prince Carter King and no-title, country girl Carma Green. Now it is a desolate place and a bread crumb of Davenport's destruction. He left everything within Legend alone, except for Rosemont.

There were only seven deaths; all human, and now there's a mob of people crowding the doors of the school, because they found out the queen is in Legend and they want answers. We have to land at the caves of Blackridge and travel through the escape tunnel just to avoid the mob, but even at the backdoor a group of people mill around, waiting for their chance to talk to the old men of the Council and Fantasy's queen.

Trust me, guys, it's not worth it. They're all a bunch of crabby, lazy butts too old to tie their own shoes.

With a dejected on-the-verge-of-a-groan sigh, I slip from the saddle and nearly sit down on the ground like a child about to pout. I really don't want to deal with these old men again, let alone my grandmother.

"Come on, Smoke." Eaton pushes against my shoulder, bumping me toward the great gates. "Let's just get this over with." I turn back to Astrid, but she won't come in, something about too many people to try and understand. I think it's just her excuse to get out of seeing these old guys, and I don't blame her. We all hate them.

We enter the tunnel, the guards letting us through immediately, and almost instantly I bump my head on a low part of the ceiling and hash out a groan.

Eaton chuckles.

"Thanks for the warning," I grumble, rubbing the now sore spot on my crown.

"I did warn you," he puts his hands up defensively; palms out. "You're just always in your own head, barely ever listening to anyone else."

"Yeah, well, there have been a lot of things to think about lately," but I can't stop there, because we've hit a gloomy time and I need Eaton to laugh again, "and a lot of people to ignore."

He does laugh, although it seems throatier than it used to be; deeper; richer. Now that I have seen the beast under his skin, even his laugh sounds enhanced.

I didn't have to ask Eaton about his Werewolf bloodline or Alpha control, he told me. His grandparents were very strong Werewolves and so is his father and mother, giving Eaton a very pure power. Even though a Werewolf's only powers are command and healing, Eaton has the even more advanced version of that, and the Alpha title just adds to strength. Of course, Eaton is just like me when it comes to titles and he really doesn't want it. Apparently they don't take refunds.

"You'd think they'd treat us with a little more respect." Eaton comments. We've had this conversation before. The Council members find him and I a nuisance and wouldn't mind us dead, but I'm Crown Princess and Eaton is Alpha of Southern Lunashield. It doesn't get much worse than that. There are no refunds for what we are, and ignoring the purchase is nearly impossible. "We're no disgraces. We're both from a pure royal line."

I shrug to hide my flinch at that word. Disgrace. It's what got me in this mess in the first place. But I can't hide my disgust toward my own title – or titles. Pure One and Crown Princess of Fantasy. Neither of which I'd had a choice in having. Neither of which I want.

All of my four friends know. They know that I'm in line for the throne. They know, and some of them aren't in the happiest of moods that I hid it from them. Mandy about bit my head off, and Filly sounded ready to eat the leftovers over the phone. Astrid and Eaton took it okay, but then again, Eaton had been hiding that he was a Werewolf from Filly and I, so he wasn't allowed to get mad.