Chapter Thirteen
Esther
When Esther was taken to see Dominique, her friend rushed over and threw her arms around her. The simplicity of the act had tears blurring her vision and she clung to Dominique. It had been rough but now that they were back, everything was going to work out. She’d be able to tell her friend what had happened and Dominique would tell Virdi and everything would be fine. They’d take down Dunn and reinstate Bryant into the Emperor’s Guard…
But they wouldn’t, because he was married. To her. And they were going to stay married. Esther sucked in a deep breath as she pulled away from Dominique. Married. With no plans for the future. Would Shane still fund her dig after what happened? Especially since she was going to stand by her husband.
“Thank God you’re okay.” Dominique’s expression hardened. “I’ll make sure that that traitor never—”
“If you’re talking about Bryant, he isn’t a traitor,” Esther interrupted.
Dominique narrowed her eyes.
“Look, I know what it looks like, but he’s being set up by Robert Dunn. I know because he said as much while he was trying to kill me. Dunn was trying to kill me, in case that wasn’t clear.”
Esther ran a hand through her messy hair. She pulled a leaf from it and looked Dominique in the eye. She told her everything, starting with the night that she and Bryant got drunk together. By the time she was done, Dominque’s jaw had dropped. Thunder started fussing and she retrieved him, then sat on the couch beside Esther with a glazed expression.
“So, Bryant isn’t a traitor,” Esther finished.
“That is… Okay. So, he’s not a traitor. I’ll make sure that Virdi hears your side of the story. But everything else? What were you thinking? You’re the most stable person I know and you went and married someone you didn’t know while you were drunk, and then slept with him after he locked you up? You don’t even know him.”
Esther had expected that. “You slept with Virdi when you barely knew him.”
“That’s different.”
“Really? Because as I recall, he lied to you, essentially kidnapped you, tried to steal from you—”
Dominique glared. “It was different. I didn’t jump into bed with him thinking that I was going to have a forever happily-ever-after. I didn’t let him convince me that he loved me when—”
“You still slept with him for weak reasons. Don’t start calling me stupid when you don’t know how I feel. Even while I was freaking out about being married to him, I didn’t really want to annul our marriage. That was just the whole logical mess that I always let get in my way. But I love him. I love him.” Esther stroked Thunder’s downy hair. “Just like you love Virdi.”
“Virdi and I are mates. But Bryant already had a mate, he can’t have another one.”
“And according to tradition in Virdi’s clan, you can’t be his mate because he wasn’t a virgin when you got together,” Esther snarled back. She knew that it would be hard for people to wrap their minds around this, but she was fast getting tired of Dominique’s refusal to see what was happening here. It was bizarre, yes, but it was true. “This whole thing that since he loved someone else it means that he can’t love me is hogwash and you know it. He loves me and I love him.”
Dominique’s brow creased. She shook her head but didn’t argue further. That was good. Esther wasn’t certain how much she could continue holding onto her temper if she didn’t accept the truth for what it was. A thick silence fell between the two of them, and Esther picked another leaf from her hair.
“Where is Bryant now?”
“I imagine he’s going to be held in a cell for the time being.”
“What? But he didn’t kill anybody!”
“It’s not just about that. Kayla and Shane have already given their testimony and he locked you up. He doesn’t have the authority to do that, and from where I’m sitting he did that so that his marriage to you would remain secret.”
Esther jumped to her feet and paced around the room. Her chest felt tight and hot, her teeth clenched so hard that she could almost hear her molars grinding. She wasn’t certain what to say about this now. She could keep arguing but that might not be the best after all. Perhaps it was best to just leave it as it was and allow emotions to calm before attempting to continue the conversation.
“And what about Robert Dunn? He’s already killed people and tried to kill Bryant and me.”
Dominique stood. “Take Thunder. I’ll go talk with Virdi. I’m not as versed in dragon law as I’d like.”
Esther accepted the baby and Dominique left the room. Once she was alone, the anger making it difficult to breathe started to leak away. The warmth of the baby in her arms had a calming effect. His dark eyes peered from thick lashes, and his little puckered mouth looked very much like Virdi’s stubborn way of holding himself. The baby kicked and waved a hand in the air, gurgling.
By the time Dominique returned, Esther was sitting on the couch, rocking the baby gently as he gurgled and babbled.
“We’ve sent people to arrest Robert Dunn,” Dominique said. “And I convinced Virdi to allow you to argue on behalf of Bryant.”
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t tell Virdi that you married him. But you have to know that even if Bryant is pardoned from the kidnapping charges, he still broke his vows as part of the Emperor’s Guard by marrying you. He is going to have to face the consequences of those actions.”
Esther sighed. “If we had annulled the marriage the morning after, would it be as serious?”
“I don’t know.”
The door opened. Both of them turned to see Kayla stride in. She ran to Esther and threw her arms around her.
“You’re safe!”
Esther readjusted Thunder so she could half-hug Kayla back. “And so are you. I’m glad.”
The other woman pulled back and a scowl crossed her face. “You could have let me know that he hadn’t eaten you. I thought that the worst had happened. I was certain that I would never see you again, and then you’re here holding babies and being perfectly fine?”
There was a brief pause as Esther considered what her options were. Eventually, she just shook her head and handed the baby back to Dominique. From what she had seen, Shane was very protective of Kayla already. If she could be on their side, then maybe there was a chance that she could ease Shane’s anger towards Bryant.
“You have to know that Bryant had already decided to release you and Shane before you escaped. He didn’t think it through and he regrets going that far. I know it was a terrifying situation, but it was terrifying for him, too. He was just trying to protect himself and little Thunder here.”
Kayla’s expression darkened. “Oh, really? Are you sure that’s what he was going to do and he wasn’t just feeding you a line?”
A glance at Dominique’s face showed that she felt the same. Esther felt that tightness start again and sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. Okay. They had reason to be suspicious. They didn’t see the regret in Bryant’s green eyes when he told her that. “I’m sure.”
“And you’re not saying that just because you love him?”
“No.” Esther shook her head firmly. “Look, I know it’s strange and sudden and you, Kayla, don’t know me, but I’m a good judge of character. Aren’t I, Dominique?”
Dominique nodded. “Yes. You are. Usually at least. But feelings can cloud the mind and—”
“This isn’t about feelings.”
Kayla held up her hands. “It kind of is. I mean, I’ve fallen for pretty guys who tell me what I want to hear often enough to know that no matter how smart you actually are, it’s not hard to be deceived. So, tell me this. Did he tell you that he was going to release us before or after you had sex?”
“After.”
Kayla’s eyes went so wide that it was comical. Her jaw dropped and it seemed like she was having difficulty breathing. “What? You had sex with him?”
Esther closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“I guess he ate you after all. At least, he better have,” Kayla muttered. “You had sex with him. While we were still prisoners in that castle of his. I know he’s hot and all but he’s not really that hot. What were you thinking, I—”
“If you’re just going to stand there and slut-shame me for having sex with my husband–yes, he’s my husband–when you don’t even know who I am or what our circumstances are, then you can leave. Okay? When I ran after him that day I didn’t realize the woman he was with was his sister-in-law. His late wife’s sister. Bryant and I...” It was complicated to explain but her feelings weren’t. Unfortunately, it wasn’t like she could just make the other two women feel what she felt.
“I’m sorry.” Kayla lowered her head. “I didn’t mean to imply anything. And I know we just met, but I already think of you as a friend and I care about you.”
Esther didn’t really want to accept that, but given the situation, it seemed like the best idea. She sat down again and nodded. In truth, it was mostly worry that was making her so angry, rather than her friends acting this way. If their situations were reversed, she would be the first to be yelling at them for being so stupid. Logically, it made no sense. But she knew how she felt.
“He was going to let you go,” she said again. “He panicked but he’s a good man. And the whole situation happened because of that other dragon, the one that you used the bear spray on. He’s the real villain here.”
Kayla nodded seriously, and then a sly smile spread across her face. “So… Did he eat you?”
A hot blush rose in Esther’s face and she turned away, trying to avoid Kayla’s glance. Honestly! The girl needed to make up her mind as to whether she hated Bryant or not. Even so, those were intimate details about her sex life that she certainly wasn’t going to share, not with her, not with Dominique. Sex was something special, and her intimacy with Bryant was special. It wasn’t something to share with everybody.
“Come on,” Kayla wheedled. “He’s hot, we all know that, but is he good?”
“That’s between him and me,” Esther said quickly. Her face was still hot and flushed. “What about you and Shane? Anything there?”
Kayla looked away. “Okay. Okay, I get it. We won’t talk about your sex life. So, are you hungry? I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
Esther’s stomach growled. “I haven’t eaten since we left the city. Dominique?”
“I’m hungry, too. I’ll have something sent up.” She stood, cradling Thunder still. She headed for the door, then hesitated. She turned back to Esther with a determined expression. “I understand what you’re saying. What you’re feeling. But you have to remember that regardless of Robert Dunn or intentions, Bryant still broke his vows and kidnapped two people. There will be consequences, and I don’t want you to feel like it’s your fault.”
Esther opened her mouth but closed it again. She nodded reluctantly, understanding what Dominique was saying. Bryant had done stupid things. But whatever happened from here, they would face it together. And it would be okay.