Fist of the Furor by Frankie Rose, R. K. Ryals, Melissa Ringsted Read Free Book Online Page A

come to ignore the way the dragon could sneak in and out of situations without being noticed, gliding into dark corners before disappearing.
    “He could look like a god naked, and I’d still want to run him through right now,” Maeve fumed.
    I grinned. “He isn’t one for following wolves.”
    Oran snorted. “He isn’t one for following anyone. You’ve a knack for surrounding yourself with independent males, Phoenix.”
    There wasn’t time to ponder his comment. Oran led us through dank tunnels, the stone floor wet and slippery beneath our boots, the sound of dripping water loud in the corridors. There was more slithering in the darkness followed by the noisy squeak of scurrying mice.
    Maeve tensed. “By the gods,” she cursed.
    The tunnel suddenly narrowed, ending at a flat wall, and Oran pushed against it. I followed suit, my fingers splayed over the stone. Maeve joined us.
    “This wall doesn’t feel right,” she panted.
    I dug my fingers into the rock, my nails burrowing into soft silt. “Because it isn’t really stone,” I responded.
    “It’s a concealed door,” Oran revealed. “It opens into Prince Cadeyrn’s bedroom.”
    I glanced down at him in the darkness just as the door fell inward, causing each of us to tumble into Cadeyrn’s chamber, into the paneled part of his room holding the bed I’d once slept in. The panel stood open now, the blue eyes of a prince staring down at us.
    “By Igneet,” Maeve breathed. “He’s naked.”
    Cadeyrn’s face remained impassive as he reached for a red dressing gown. He pulled it slowly across his shoulders and belted it, his movements unhurried. “There’s a reason, I hope, for your intrusion.”
    My words were lost to humiliation. Maeve squeaked. Oran butted me in the stomach with his head, and I pushed myself off of the floor before helping Maeve to her feet.
    “I think we may be needed in the hall,” I answered, my feet slowly finding their way to his bedroom door, Maeve on my heels.
    Oran huffed, “Females.”
    I kneed him in the snout, and he growled.
    I couldn’t be sure, but I was almost certain I heard laughter within Cadeyrn’s chamber as we exited. It sounded good, his laugh.

 
     
    Chapter 7
     
    “I’m guessing you had a good reason for entering my room earlier through a door no one is supposed to know about?”
    The castle ballroom was full of people, a colorful parade of dresses and tunics. The outfits were an eclectic mix of three cultures trying to exist as one, fake smiles and painted faces blurring as they moved. There were a lot of different dances, some of them fast and some of them slow. I didn’t know any of them.
    I couldn’t see the prince. My back was to him, the hood of my cloak pulled up to hide my short hair and scandalous attire. The royals had learned their lesson from the last ball. The doors leading to the gardens remained closed, but I hadn’t forgotten the terror and the deaths. I hadn’t forgotten the threat Raemon posed.
    “You’ve never had dragons at the palace, Your Majesty,” I answered, my lips twitching. “They have the uncanny ability of finding small, dank places.”
    I caught a quick glimpse of a golden goblet with rubies lining the rim. A strong hand held it, swirling the contents before depositing it on a passing tray, untasted. I had the uncomfortable feeling that someone was going to die tonight, all in the name of Prince Cadeyrn. I didn’t know how he lived with it.
    His laughter from earlier flitted through my mind. It was gone now, replaced by his usual sultry expression and alert gaze. I missed the laughter. It had been an easy sound, at odds with the man behind me.
    It was the laughter that made me smile. “I have a sneaking suspicion you knew we were there,” I muttered.
    It made sense. The prince was always on guard, his sword at the ready. It bothered me that I’d known nothing of a concealed door the prince, Lochlen, and Oran all seemed more than aware of.
    “Secrets are