Border Lair (3 page)

Nico took the goblet and smiled. “I’d enjoy that. If I’m here long enough.”

Adora stirs. Kelzy sent her thoughts to both men. Jared instantly moved to the archway, a look of touching concern on his weathered face. Nico suspected the older knight was already half in love with the mysterious woman who could very well be a lost member of the royal family.

“Perhaps I can help?”

Nico didn’t make the offer lightly. The royal line was said to be among the last of the wizard blood in this realm, and each of them had some healing talent. Nico didn’t use his often, but it was there. He could do small healings, but his true magic was something far different. Still, if he could help this woman who clearly meant so much to two beings he valued so highly, he would do what he could.

Kelzy’s glowing eyes pinned him. Would you? Oh, Nico, I’d be forever grateful! We don’t have another true healer in this Lair. Her daughter’s gift only works on dragons, not humans.

Nico knew the dragon didn’t bother stating the obvious—that Kelzy’s own magical healing ability, known as the Dragon’s Breath, could not heal wounds made by dragons or that Adora’s own healing skills were useless on her own wounds. It was a quirk of magic that healers generally couldn’t heal themselves.

The prince followed Jared into the small guest room, noting instantly the unusual tenderness with which the older knight stilled the thrashing body of a small woman mostly hidden under the covers. Nico moved closer to stand on the other side of the bed as Kelzy’s head filled the doorway, watching all closely. The dragon hovered over the woman as if she was truly her own dragonet, and Nico had to hide a smile at Kelzy’s completely un-dragonish behavior. That was one of the many things he loved about this particular dragon. She never let anyone—be they dragon or human, prince or pauper—

dictate her actions. Kelzy was her own dragon, through and through.

Nico could see the woman more clearly now and she was definitely a beauty. Only a little older than him, she looked somewhere near thirty winters or so. Though if she had a grown daughter, she must be a bit older than that.

Still, she was a beauty. Her flowing hair was auburn in the dim light of the room and her features could almost be described as fragile though what he could see of her bare arms were lithely muscled and firm. Judging by the muscle, she had not lived a life of leisure, but she looked every inch the fair damsel. And she was most definitely in distress.

Jared soothed the woman and drew her onto her stomach, pulling the blanket away from her loose bandages. Three angry red, parallel furrows were partially covered by light swaths of linen across her back.

“Adora, wake up.” Jared spoke softly near her ear and her head shifted sideways toward the knight.

Nico saw her eyes open and was stunned by the deep green reflected there. Most of the royal line had green eyes. His own hazel color was the exception rather than the rule.

“Adora, we have a guest. He has a bit of healing skill and is willing to try and help you.” She looked as if she would have objected, but Jared placed a finger over her pouty lips, stilling her words. “Just lie still and let us do this for you. You haven’t slept well and it pains Kelzy to see you hurting. Think of her before you object.”

Nico sensed the resignation in the woman as she turned her tired green eyes to the doorway.

For you, Mama Kelzy.

Nico was amazed by the mental communication all three of them heard in their minds. Unskilled, but powerful, this small woman showed yet another of the gifts of the royal line. While knights could certainly communicate with dragons in such a way, it was a rare female human who could even hear dragons, much less send their own thoughts. All royals could do it, of course, but such a gift was rarer than diamonds among regular folk.

The woman settled down with a sigh, her magnificent green eyes closing as she trusted the men to do what they would. It was clear she had no doubts that Kelzy and Jared would protect her. She trusted them, which was undoubtedly why she didn’t question his presence. That and her own pain and fatigue conspired to make his job easier. Willing patients were always preferable to those who were in too much pain to lie quietly. Nico’s healing talent was small when compared to some of his kin, so it was important he be able to focus without too much distraction.

Jared stripped away the bandages with a gentle hand, and Nico was surprised by just how badly this little woman was injured. She had borne her injuries without much complaint from what he’d just seen and that was remarkable in his experience. He’d seen these kinds of wounds before and they weren’t pleasant. The gouges were deep. Neat and clean, but very deep.

Without help, they would take weeks to heal and scar badly, but he thought he could at least speed up the process, to help limit the scarring and take away the worst of the pain.

Focusing his energies, Nico reached out and touched the woman with just his fingertips. Then the strangest thing happened. A flare of light filled the small chamber as his energies met and reacted to hers. There was a moment of resistance, then a moment of pure bliss as the woman’s magic welcomed his, aiding him in the healing and directing his meager skill with all the knowledge and power of a highly skilled healer.

Nico found himself wielding the strong healing power with ease. The serious wounds were no challenge to the incredible energy that echoed through him. When he sat back after a few minutes, all of them were smiling and Adora’s back was whole and unblemished.

“Merciful Mother.” Nico stared at her back in amazement. “That’s never happened before.”

Your energies recognized each other. They meshed so you could work together. Kelzy spoke softly to all of them. This cements it then. Adora has royal blood. This just proved it.

Adora shifted in the bed, clutching the blanket to her nakedness as she looked at strange man at her side.

“Who are you?”

The rogue smiled and bowed, winking at her. “My name is Nico.”

The Prince of Spies, Kelzy supplied with a dragonish cough of laughter.

We’ll have to track down exactly where you come from, Adora, but this boy is probably a distant cousin of yours. Don’t let the fact that he’s a prince stop you from boxing his ears if he gets too fresh.

“Prince Nicolas?” Adora’s eyes widened even more as she realized the prince had just healed her and was even now watching her lounge, half-naked, in bed. Could this day get any stranger?

“I’ll leave you to dress, milady. We have much to discuss as soon as you’re ready.”

The prince winked at her again and walked easily out the door, past Kelzy’s bulky head, leaving Adora alone once again with Jared. She looked up at him, seeking answers.

“Did the prince just heal my back?”

Jared chuckled but nodded solemnly, his eyes twinkling. “Nico is an old friend, Adora. I’ve known him since he was just a boy. He’s still a bit of a rascal, but a good lad. He came to see if you were what you claim to be.”

“I don’t claim to be anything!”

Jared shook his head. “That was a bad choice of words on my part. I should have said what you appear to be.”

“Why?” A knot of fear settled in her stomach and unreasonable anger battled with panic just below the surface. “Just what do I appear to be?”

Jared eyed her bare shoulders, making her all too aware she was naked under the blanket. He stepped back and seemed to force his gaze to meet hers.

“Royalty, milady.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

He twisted his lips wryly. “Afraid not. Your daughter healed Rohtina’s mortal wounds with nary a thought. Healing dragons—now that’s a gift reserved to those of royal blood alone, Adora, and you bespeak dragons as easily as a knight. Kelzy heard you call her when you were hiding in that tree.

Even I couldn’t reach her over such a distance and we’re bonded.”

“It was an emergency. Sometimes people can do amazing things when faced with a life or death situation.”

“That may be the case for others, Adora, but I believe you’ll find no ready explanation for the way your magic sparked off the prince’s just now. I think the magics recognized each other and that allowed him to use your knowledge and his gift to do a more thorough healing than that lad has ever been able to do before. He’s not a strong healer. The most I expected was for him to be able to speed your healing a bit and maybe take some of the pain. Kelzy will back me on this.”

Adora shot her gaze to the dragon whose head still filled her doorway.

What Jared says is true. Nico has never been a strong healer. His talents lie elsewhere.

She stared at them both, speechless for a moment. Flopping her hands down on the blanket, she shook her head.

“I can’t deal with this right now. I’ve got to get dressed. There’s a prince waiting out there for me to make my royal appearance, for heavens’ sake! Go away, Jared, and let me dress. I’ll deal with all of this once I have some clothes on.”

Jared moved toward the archway. “Your leggings were ruined but I found a few things that might fit and put them in the wardrobe for you.”

“Thank you, Jared.” Her voice went soft as emotion threatened to overwhelm her. “Once again, your thoughtfulness amazes me.”

He just shrugged and left, but Kelzy stayed in the doorway as Adora stood. She examined her back as best she could in the polished metal mirror along one wall by the wardrobe. Her skin looked healthy and pink, without a scar in sight. Amazing.

Adora pulled on her own soft leather shirt, needing something familiar to help her deal with the upheaval in her life. She had to search in the wardrobe for leggings that would fit. There was a selection of both skirts and pants in the small cupboard.

Jared must have scrounged clothing from some of the younger boys who lived in the Lair to find leggings that would fit her small frame, and it was these she took from the closet. Adora was used to the feel of soft leather against her skin after having worn the unconventional outfit she’d made for a few weeks.

She needed comfort now. She couldn’t worry about style. The reassuring feel of Kelzy’s shed scales sewn into the layers of her tight-fitting top made her feel good. Adora only hoped her odd clothing wouldn’t offend the prince. He was royalty after all.

More importantly, what would Jared think of the form fitting outfit? He’d given her the costly leather in the first place, way back when she’d stubbornly refused to leave her home in the woods. That such a gruff man would think of her comfort and safety still touched her deep inside. He’d surprised her with the gift, and the precious dragon scales that rightly should’ve been for his use as Kelzy’s partner. Adora felt bad the outfit she’d spent so much time and effort to make was half destroyed now, but the leather top and matching leggings had undoubtedly saved her life when the skiths attacked. Only the specially treated leather and the few precious dragon scales had stood between her and their poisonous venom. She’d felt special wearing those clothes, because the leather and the scales had been a gift from the complex man who waited even now outside her door.

Would he be shocked by her appearance? Would he think her beautiful?

It had been so long since Adora had cared what a man thought of her looks.

The very idea of it made her heart speed and her palms sweat like a young, untried girl.

You’re beautiful, Adora. You were always a pretty child but you’ve grown into a gorgeous woman, no matter what you’re wearing.

“So now you’re a mind reader?” Adora raised one eyebrow, turning toward the dragon hovering in her doorway.

We females always tend to worry about how we look to an attractive male.

“Kelzy! The prince is young enough to be my son.”

Is not. Besides, who said I was talking about the prince? It’s Jared I had in mind. And so did you.

Adora plucked up her courage and strode into the main room, finding the men at the edge of the dragon’s wallow. Jared had installed a soft couch and chairs for human visitors’ comfort. Being the one in charge of the Lair, Jared probably entertained knights who had to speak to him in privacy about one thing or another, she reasoned. Kelzy had told her all about Jared, and she knew the crafty dragon was doing all she could to promote a match between her and the slightly older knight.

For her part, Adora thought Jared was an amazing man, but wasn’t quite sure she could handle any man in her life. Though if she had to choose just one, it would probably be Jared. Still, she knew he’d been hurt badly by the death of his wife and child. It was Jared who always backed off when they seemed to be getting close and she respected his right to do so. She wouldn’t force herself on any man, even if they did live together at this point because of their close—but separate—ties to Kelzy. Kelzy wanted them both living with her and it was usually unwise not to give a dragoness what she wanted.

Adora squared her shoulders and strode with a confidence she didn’t feel to where the men sat. Both had goblets of mulled wine in their hands and were talking easily. Her soft footsteps went unheard as Kelzy moved her great body in the sands, so both men started when she appeared before them. With a lithe grace, she curtsied deeply to the prince in the formal manner.

“Your majesty,” she spoke demurely, “I humbly thank you for your healing skill.”

The prince surprised her, standing to take her hand in his. He raised her easily to stand beside him.

“Then you feel better?”

“Much better, your majesty.”

The prince sighed theatrically. “If you insist on calling me ‘your majesty’

then I’ll have to call you ‘milady’ and we’ll waste all our time on extra words that mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. It’s all so tiresome.” He sniffed with regal disdain, making Jared laugh out loud. “Please, call me Nico and I’ll call you Adora, all right? After all, we’re kin.”

She gasped. “You can’t know that for certain.”

“Oh, I think it’s safe to say that you have the blood of Draneth the Wise in your veins somewhere. Our magics would not have meshed in such an agreeable way had you not.”

Adora swayed on her feet and Nico’s strong arm steadied her, guiding her to sit on the couch. Settling her there, he pressed a full goblet into her trembling hand.