House of Dragons (Royal Houses 1)

Clover rushed out into the ring and helped her backstage. “What the hell, Red?”

“He escaped.”

“You’re losing a lot of blood. We need to get you to a healer.”

“No,” Kerrigan said, straightening. “We have to get to the mountain. Fordham, Darby, and Hadrian got Ever out of Basem’s house. If we have Ellerby’s nephew, then we have a witness. We have proof. We have to tell Helly.”

“Bravo,” Dozan said. He stepped into the back room and casually applauded her. “Devious… even for you.”

She glared at him. “No thanks to you. Basem escaped.”

“But you brought him down. He won’t be able to show his face in Kinkadia ever again.”

“That’s not justice.”

“It’s more than most people get,” Dozan said.

“He’s right,” Clover said. “He’s not behind bars, but he can’t come after you now. Not when we have proof of what he’s done. He’ll be hunted by the Society.”

Kerrigan sighed and nodded. “I know. It’s just… half as much as I wanted.”

“Run off to your mountain, princess, and see if they give you more justice than I did.” Dozan smirked. “Doesn’t tonight prove that you belong here… with me?”

“Just because we work well together doesn’t mean that I belong here.”

He stepped forward, exposing her ears once more. “I have never seen you look more magnificent than when you were out there tonight, proud of your heritage. Can you really say that you can do that in the mountain? Anywhere else in fact?”

Kerrigan swallowed, caught in his golden gaze. She ignored the beat of her heart at his words. The rightness in them. She hated that he was right. Hated that he still had a pull over her after all these years.

“I belong where I can do the most good,” she told him. “That is not here.”

Dozan dropped his hands and shrugged. “We’ll see.”

Kerrigan turned to Clover. “Come to the mountain with me?”

She nodded once and headed out of the Wastes and through the Dregs. They were nearly to the mountain when Clover finally sighed.

“So… you and Dozan? You and Fordham?”

She blew out an exasperated breath. “I’m bleeding from my neck and my ears, and you want to talk about boys?”

“Men,” she purred.

“Dozan and I are both fire. We’d burn each other to the ground. And Fordham… doesn’t want this.”

“What’s not to want?”

Kerrigan shook her head, unable to explain about Fordham’s curse. That was his story to tell. “Let’s just get to Helly and deal with my love life after we save the city.”

Clover laughed, and they jogged the remainder of the way inside.

By the time they caught up with Fordham, Darby, Hadrian, and a shaking Ever, Kerrigan’s neck wound had soaked through her fighting shirt, and she was feeling woozy.

“What in the gods’ name happened?” Hadrian gasped.

Darby stepped forward in horror. “Kerrigan!”

She put her hands up to start the healing, but Kerrigan shook her off.

“Helly. We need Helly. Deal with me later.”

“Kerrigan,” Fordham said gently. “This is serious. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“Please,” she forced out.

Her friends shared a look and then nodded. Taking her to Helly was likely the best bet anyway. The neck wound was beyond Darby’s expertise in healing thus far, and Helly was the most accomplished known healer.

Fordham and Hadrian came to either side of Kerrigan to assist her the rest of the way to Helly’s quarters. Clover and Darby walking Ever between them. They were almost there when a figure stepped out of the shadows, clutching books to her chest.

“Oh my gods, Kerrigan!” Valia gasped, nearly dropping the books. “What happened to you?”

“Come with us. I only want to explain once,” Kerrigan muttered.

Valia’s eyes were wide, but she nodded and stepped into ranks with Kerrigan’s friends and the confused Ever. They stopped in front of Helly’s quarters, and Clover unceremoniously banged on the door. After a minute, the door flew open, and Helly appeared, still in her nightgown, as she hastily tried to drag her black Society robes over them.

“Yes?” she asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Then she saw Kerrigan and gasped. “Kerrigan, what happened? Come in. Come in. Gods!”

Fordham and Hadrian carried Kerrigan across the threshold. Helly tossed pillows off a couch, and they deposited Kerrigan on it. The rest of her friends followed inside with Ever huddled against Darby. Valia seemed to disappear entirely in the shadows.

Helly threw flames from her fingertips to ignite all of the lanterns and take them out of darkness. Then, she assessed Kerrigan’s injury. “What happened? Were you attacked?”

Kerrigan shuddered as she realized she was so close to losing consciousness. She couldn’t do that before she told Helly what had happened. “I was… fighting in the ring.”

“What?” Helly gasped. “After I strictly forbid you from leaving the mountain?”

“There’s more,” she said, but Helly shook her head and began her work.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood. You shouldn’t speak. This will hurt.” Helly looked around the room. “The rest of you, begin to explain to me what is going on, and who is that young boy?”