The Princess's Dragon by JManess Read Free Book Online Page A

sound of shocked gasps trailed by leaden silence shook Sarai out of her frustrated anger. She realized that she towered over her sister, her finger in the other girl’s stricken face, and quickly covered her mouth as if she could push her hasty words back in.
    Sondra slowly stood, the shine of tears darkening her eyes as her shoulders straightened with quiet dignity. She ignored the shaking hand Sarai stretched out to halt her retreat and turned her back on her sister.
    “I’m sorry you feel that way, Sarai, but at least now that I know the truth, you won’t need to defend me anymore. In fact, I don’t want you around me at all unless the occasion dictates it. Good-bye, Sarai. Oh, and do keep an eye on my ladies-in-waiting. I have no more need of them this evening and I’d rather not have to watch my back tonight.” The last words quavered as Sondra strode 30
    ✥ Susan Trombley ✥
    to the door, jerked it open, and stormed out, her skirts barely clearing the doorway just as it swung shut behind her.
    The sound of the closing door intruded on the awkward silence as the girls glanced nervously at each other, the frozen princess, and the pale young prince.
    The spell broke when Sergen stood, stretched and ran his hand through his shaggy mop of hair, leaving behind a mess of spiky locks. He patted his sister uncertainly on her shoulder, uncomfortable with emotional girls, and eager to escape before one of the many women in the room started crying. “She’ll get over it. You know she will. She just got her feelings hurt, but sometimes people need to hear the truth, you know…”
    “Sergen, please, don’t … ” Sarai turned to him, tears welling in her beautiful eyes, and Sergen swallowed, nodded, and beat a hasty retreat, racing from the room as if Morbidon’s own reapers snapped at his heels. He didn’t stop until he reached the sanctuary of his own chambers, raced inside, slammed the door, and leaned gratefully against it, safely away from the tears of both sisters—
    tears he didn’t know how to deal with.
    Sondra made it as far as the flight of steps leading to her own chambers before she crumpled against the cool wall and, sliding to her knees, shook with powerful and painful sobs that clawed at her throat and tore at her insides. She curled up in an effort to protect the gaping wound her sister’s careless words had carved in her heart.
    She always knew people thought her strange but she never really concerned herself since people expected a certain level of eccentricity from royalty, didn’t they? Sarai’s words cut the most, not because of what other people thought of her, but because those she loved the most knew about it, suffered embarrassment for it, and never once told her. The thought that they would ever grow tired of defending her and supporting her in spite of what others might think made her question whether they even returned her love.
    Suddenly she understood why her own mother always seemed so disappointed with her, or why her father couldn’t always stifle the embarrassed grimace when she started explaining logical studies to his councilors. Now she knew why her brother often avoided her while visiting with the few noble boys allowed in his company. Still, she never thought her sister Sarai felt burdened by her and her eccentricities. Elona, yes; she couldn’t stand her eldest sister and knew the feeling remained entirely mutual, but she always believed Sarai loved her as much as she loved Sarai. To find out differently left a gaping hole that

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    steadily filled with the same feeling of betrayal that she experienced when her sisters sent her on a fool’s errand to catch a magical fairy so many years before.
    “I bet they don’t care about me at all,” Sondra muttered, a spark of anger burning her stomach and igniting the well of betrayed feelings finding shelter there. “Fine, let’s see how they fare without me. I’ll run away. I’ll go to