Dragon Betrayed (Immortal Dragons Book 0) by Ophelia Bell Read Free Book Online

bind him to the braces. I will see to him myself tonight.”
    The commander, a seasoned veteran who had chosen to retire to the court rather than languish without a post, looked confused for a second. He and Belah shared a glance. The quirk of her mouth and her raised eyebrow were enough to let him on to her intentions.
    It helped that they knew their mistress had a nearly unquenchable appetite for sex and required their assistance, on occasion, to facilitate her pleasure. She did have dozens of pets in her harem, after all, some of whom were also retired veterans who often left the harem as quickly as they joined when they discovered that her pets sometimes worked as hard as any soldier. She never faulted them, but she always made sure they enjoyed themselves while they were there. She also avoided mentioning that they were the most pampered members of her harem when they were in attendance.
    This act would make her guards believe that Nikhil had also become a member of her harem, which was one of the most honored positions in her court and very fitting of a wounded general. It was also a position that regularly involved her guard retrieving and securing members in her chamber for her later use.
    She took her time making her way back to her room, stopping on her way to have a leisurely dinner with her physician. Meri was a friend, and a woman she respected enough to tell many of her secrets to.
    “Let me give you more,” Belah said after they’d finished their meal on the balcony of Meri’s quarters, overlooking the torch-lit courtyard below and the tranquil sea beyond. “You have liberty with my harem, but I know that isn’t what you want. So tell me, Meri. What is it you desire? If it’s one of my brothers…”
    “No, it isn’t that, I promise you,” Meri said. “I… I had a dream about you and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”
    “Tell me,” Belah said, sensing Meri’s hesitance. The woman was a skeptic and rarely gave credence to superstition, but she seemed rattled.
    “I dreamed you had a child that turned to ashes. When you tried to gather them up, they turned into a bird made of fire and flew away. It made me so sad I woke up crying. You were sad in the dream too, but not as though you’d lost a child. You were filled with regret so deep it made me want to comfort you. Do you have such regrets?”
    Meri reached out a hand, her eyes watering. Belah’s skin chilled in spite of the warm breeze that blew through. Did she have such regrets? Only one, long past that no one but she and her closest brother shared. That particular secret was buried so deep, she rarely even thought of it herself anymore. That wasn’t to say she wouldn’t have other regrets, in time. Such was the burden of immortality.
    Belah shook off the chill, refocusing her attention on her friend. She took Meri’s hand and squeezed, sensing nothing more than deep love and caring from the woman. This woman deserved a gift only Belah could give, but she wouldn’t push.
    “I have no regrets, Meri. If I ever do, I will let you know. Please consider letting me give you a gift?”
    Meri shook her head. “I know you are a special woman, but I serve you because I love what I do. I need no other reward than your friendship and the already ample compensation I get by living here.”
    Belah nodded. “If you ever need anything, I will not fail you, friend.”
    Meri laughed. “I know you won’t. You never lie, even when it would suit you to do so. But you do like to hide your emotions. You’re in love with him, aren’t you? If you weren’t, you would be telling me exactly how you feel.”
    Belah’s eyes widened at Meri’s display of intuition. But no… she wasn’t in love . Was she?
    “I…” She stopped and closed her mouth again, took a swallow of her drink, and looked at Meri helplessly. She couldn’t lie to her friend, either. She wanted Nikhil on a visceral level, but he had captured her heart so deeply during