Chapter Eight – Worth More than Gold
Quinn wanted to see him.
Asa frowned as he made his way through the palace. He had just had a meeting with the king about the wingless dragons. His group of bikers was improving dramatically, and he was considering putting his second in charge of his own group. The wingless were a group that had been ignored for too long. Even if the other clans mocked Cendas for having a raiding party dedicated to them, their success rates were consistently climbing upwards. But that couldn’t be what Quinn was wanting to discuss. What else could be it? It wasn’t time for tax settlement . . .
Willow.
The dragon stopped. His eyes widened as he realized what he had done. The previous day, he and Willow had spent the entire day in the hot springs together, making love and talking. She was a demanding woman and knew exactly what she wanted him to do. But he had broken protocol.
With a curse under his breath, Asa continued. He’d messed up. Big time. Since he had captured her, he was meant to have to talk with a specialist before any sort of sexual relationship developed. It was law that humans needed to prove their desire to sleep with a dragon under special circumstances. He hadn’t done any of it.
That must be what this was all about. Asa could have kicked himself. What sort of bonehead was he to let himself get caught up in the heat of the moment? It wasn’t that he was regretting being with Willow – she was so sensuous. Just the memory of the way she grinned at him had him stiffening. But he needed to have gone through the proper channels first. Now there was going to be hell to pay. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was taken away and he was banned from every having human captives again.
His fires were flickering low by the time he got to Quinn’s study. His mistake would cost him, but he would accept whatever the king and Shante decided to do. Willow would be able to tell them that she wanted it as well and eventually, they might be brought back together. In the meantime, it was best just to toe the line and not cause waves.
The king nodded to him when he entered the study, a large room with a side desk, plenty of bookshelves and a space for a computer and printer. Asa bowed to the king, then glanced around. They were the only two there.
“Is Lady Shante going to be joining us?”
Quinn arched a heavy brow. “Shante?”
“Yes. This is about Willow, isn’t it?”
The king leaned on his desk, resting his elbows on the thick slab of wood. “Well . . . yes. It is about the human. But this case will not include Shante. Why? Did something happen between the two of you that she ought to know about?”
This wasn’t about them sleeping together. A rush of relief washed over him, but it was quickly overpowered by a churning in his gut. If this wasn’t about their night of passion that they had together, then what was it? What else would Quinn be calling him about in regard to Willow? Asa took a seat, a heavy frown on his face.
“What is this about?” he demanded.
Quinn pressed a buzzer on his phone. “Send in the fairy.”
The fairy? Asa’s eyes widened. Willow had told him that Sherwood had been the one to get her out of the city when she attempted to escape. He had been debating about bringing that to Quinn’s attention, but there were no laws against human captives escaping their masters to find their way home. In fact, if a human did manage to get home, it was against the law for the dragon to take them again. Why Sherwood had such an interest in Willow was another question, though.
Sherwood entered the study moments later. He bowed first to Quinn and then to Asa, then stood with his hands clasped behind his back and his gaze on the floor. The fairy had been a permanent fixture in Cendas since before Asa was born. He had grown up listening to Sherwood’s songs, and his father had told him stories about the things Sherwood would do when he was a boy. A being so ancient was difficult to conceptualize.
Maybe it was his extreme age that made it so Asa didn’t trust him. In any case, his flames rose a little higher. “Sherwood. Is this about how you got Willow captured by The Spear?”
“My lord, it wasn’t my intention. I was merely trying to help a miserable girl be reunited with her family.”
Quinn looked at them. “What?”
Asa shrugged. “He helped Willow attempt an escape a few days ago, which ended with her being taken by the Spear. I told you about that.”
“You should have told me about why it was necessary, too.” Quinn frowned at him. “Sherwood, you have been forbidden from interfering in Dragon business. I don’t want to lock you in the dungeons the way my father did.”
Sherwood bowed towards him. “Forgive me. The tears of an angel always overtake my good sense. The girl was drowning in sorrow – a blind man could see that – and I just wanted to help her smile. I understand why my actions would be construed poorly. However, I would like to make up for it. As you know, Lord Asa, the kings have set aside a small payment to me for my services for three generations. I have squirreled the gold away and have a treasure trove now. I wish to purchase the human from you.”
Asa’s jaw dropped. “What? Are you insane?”
The fairy placed a hand on his shoulder. “My lord, please listen.”
Asa wanted to tell him no and that was the end of it, but instead, he nodded.
Sherwood smiled. His grip tightened. “I will give you my entire fortune for her. Her tears have taken hold of me and I just wish to see her happy. She had a great destiny – a destiny she cannot fulfill here. Why not give her her freedom? Think of how happy she will be in the bosom of her family again. Think of how her parents must weep for her.”
“They didn’t, though.” Asa pulled away and shook his head. “I arranged for a ransom and her parents refused even when offered a payment plan. She wouldn’t be happy with them. They don’t care about her.”
Sherwood looked shocked. He swallowed and forced a smile. “My lord, there has to be—”
“No.” Asa shook his head. “No. I am not going to sell and trade her. I promised her that I would care for her and I intend to keep that promise. Willow will stay with me as long as she wants to. If she changes her mind and wants to leave, then I will grant her freedom to her. You don’t have to be concerned with her tears, Sherwood. She’s not crying anymore.”
The fairy stared at him for a long moment before bowing. “It gladdens me to hear. Thank you, my lord. My king. I am most grateful for your audience.”
He swept out of the room without another word. Quinn watched him go with a frown, but when Asa stepped towards the door, the king cleared his throat, stopping him. The king cocked his head to one side and rose a brow as he looked at him. There was a knowing smile on his face that made Asa blush and duck his head.
Quinn chuckled. “All the treasure trove of a fairy turned down. Hmmm. I wonder why that is.”
“My king, with all respect—”
“And then you expected Shante to be here.” Quinn stood and rounded the desk. “Let me guess. You and the human had a little . . . connection? Some spark that roared to a flame and you didn’t go through the proper channels of approval before bedding her?”
Asa’s blush deepened. “My lord, I—”
“Asa. Come on. Drop the ‘my lord.’ You and I are talking as friends right now. So tell me. Did you sleep with her?”
“Yes,” Asa reluctantly admitted. “I let my feelings carry me away. I fought for her. And then when I attempted the ransom and her parents flatly refused . . . I just wanted to protect her from them and from anybody else who might hurt her.”
Quinn laughed softly. “You care about her.”
Asa nodded. “Yeah. I do. But I know I shouldn’t have slept with her. Not without her going to the specialist and making sure that everything was in order.”
The king hummed under his breath, then shrugged. “Well, the incident will have to be investigated. Who made the first move? You or her?”
“Her.”
Quinn slapped him on the back. “Then I’m sure it’ll be fine. You’ll both have to go to post-sex counseling and, like I said, it’ll be investigated by an impartial third party. But given that it’s you? I’m sure everything will work out. I’ve been wondering when you’d settle down, bro. I’m glad you found yourself a woman. Now get out of here. I’ll arrange for Shante to come to your place to talk with the two of you soon.”
Asa nodded. He bowed to his king and left, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Maybe it wasn’t quite what he had expected, but at least he knew he could say it out loud. He cared about her. A smile still spread across his face as he headed home to Willow.