What Fire Dragons Treasure - Cristina Rayne Page 0,22
did indeed have several bruises on her arms, impressions of Garrett’s fingers where he had violently and cruelly grabbed her with the intent to cause pain during bouts of his usual temper over the past month. Although she knew it was seriously messed up for her to feel it, shame burned her cheeks.
“No, he shouldn’t,” Amber said quietly, “but—if Matty can stay here, if King Dagon will at least grant him permanent asylum, then that’s more than enough for me. The king can tell the president the true story and that we both left after my injuries were treated. I’ll head north as though I’m still trying to run with Matty and do my best to disappear.” Live on the streets if I have to…
Given that her car, money, and all her documents of identity where now likely in the senator’s hands, that would probably happen.
The princess sighed. “You really must have a low opinion of people if you think we would let you do any of that just to save our own skins.”
“But…!”
“If there’s anything my brother-in-law hates, it’s corrupt assholes like the senator trying to force his hand,” Princess Briana said. “A child in harm’s way? Even more so. I will consider this meeting your official petition for asylum. You and Matty will, of course, be welcome to stay in the kingdom while the king decides the most appropriate way forward that is best for everyone. Raphek has already been granted leave by the king to host you in his home as your patron for as long as you both need.”
Amber turned to Raphek sharply. “Oh! But, but I—I couldn’t possibly inconvenience you any more than we already—”
“If I thought hosting you were any sort of inconvenience, I would not have offered to do it,” Raphek replied bluntly, his expression serious and unblinking.
“The Draknos are not like Terrans,” Princess Briana said, her expression so kind and motherly despite her apparent youth that it made Amber’s eyes suddenly tighten with the threat of tears. “They have bottomless wells of patience that can seem quite unfathomable to a society that seems to have next to none.”
Raphek snorted. “Hardly bottomless. You Terrans just can’t sit still.”
A sudden knock at the door had Amber stiffening and Raphek jumping to his feet.
“Food is here,” he announced, offering Amber a boyish smile that made her cheeks heat up in reaction as he headed for the door.
“All Draknos have noses better than a bloodhound,” Princess Briana said, shaking her head with a small smile of amusement. “Remember that.”
Amber stared at his retreating back without comment, discomfited at her reaction to him, and then looked over at Matty sitting quietly beside her, his eyes on Raphek, too. She wondered what he was thinking. She hoped to God that his emotions weren’t as tumultuous as hers were at the moment.
“Is it really okay for us to stay here, Your Highness?” she couldn’t help asking again.
“Please, there’s no need to address me so formally outside of Court or whenever I’m being official,” the princess said as they both watched a handful of men and women carry in several covered dishes of food in what looked like containers made of a reddish clay. “Just ‘Briana’ is fine, and yes, it’s really okay. Raphek’s a pretty serious, unassuming soul. You couldn’t ask for a better patron to help you get back on your feet, whether that turns out to be here within Elysia South or somewhere else in the world. For now, all you need to worry about is trying a few of our Elysian dishes, taking care of your son, and healing. You let Dagon and I worry about Henry Johnson.”
Amber’s heart once again clenched painfully with guilt. “You shouldn’t have to,” she said miserably.
Briana placed a comforting hand onto her shoulder. “And neither should you. Now, come. Let’s get this little man fed, and while we eat, you can give us a little bit more of your backstory, as much as you feel comfortable sharing. We need as much ammunition against Senator Johnson and his son as you can give us. Plus, I’m sure you have a million questions about life in our cities.”
“At least,” Amber agreed, offering the other woman a shaky smile.
Especially about her new patron, because unlike the princess, she wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to live completely at the mercy of another man, no matter how kind and “unassuming” he seemed at the moment.
After all, she had been fooled once before