Chapter 41: You Want Us To Share Her?
Morgana didn’t remember how she got back to the stables.
One moment she was running through the palace corridors, her dress barely laced, her face wet with tears she didn’t remember shedding.
The next, she was standing in the small room above the stable, her back pressed against the closed door, her entire body shaking.
What just happened?
Her mind replayed it in flashes, Kaelen’s cold hands on her skin, his fingers inside her, the way her body had betrayed her, the way she’d shattered in his arms.
And then...
His eyes were Glowing.
She’d seen it. She knew she’d seen it.
But it didn’t make sense.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Morgana sank to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees, and tried to breathe.
In. Out. In. Out.
But her chest was too tight, her lungs refusing to cooperate.
Heat prickled beneath her skin....her magic, rising in response to her panic.
No. Not now. Control it.
She clenched her fists, forcing the fire down, compressing it into that small, tight space inside her chest.
It fought her.
Harder than it ever had before.
As if it wanted to break free.
Morgana pressed her forehead to her knees and bit back a sob.
What is happening to me?
***
She must have fallen asleep at some point, because when she opened her eyes, pale morning light was streaming through the small window.
Her body ached.
Not from the work in the stables.
From him.
From the way he’d touched her, the way he’d made her body respond, the way she’d fallen apart in his hands like she was made of nothing but need and heat and shame.
Morgana pushed herself to her feet, wincing.
She needed to work.
Needed to move.
Needed to do something other than think about last night.
She dressed quickly, braided her hair with trembling fingers, and made her way down to the stables.
Garrick was already there, mucking out one of the stalls.
He looked up when she entered, and his expression shifted immediately.
"Gods, girl," he said, setting down his pitchfork. "You look like death."
Morgana tried to smile. "I’m fine."
"You’re not." He crossed to her, his sharp eyes studying her face. "What happened?"
"Nothing. I just...I didn’t sleep well."
"That’s a lie."
She looked away. "I’m fine, Garrick. Really."
He was silent for a long moment.
Then he sighed. "You’re no good to me like this. Take the day off."
Her eyes widened. "What? No, I can work...."
"I said, take the day off." His tone was firm but not unkind. "Get some rest. Eat something. And for gods’ sake, stop looking like you’re about to collapse."
"Garrick..."
"That’s an order, Morgana."
She wanted to argue.
But she was too exhausted.
Too broken.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Garrick nodded and returned to his work.
Morgana turned and walked back to her small room, her legs heavy, her mind numb.
She tried to sleep.
She lay on her narrow cot, staring at the ceiling, willing her body to relax, her mind to quiet.
But it wouldn’t.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him.
Kaelen’s pale eyes, burning with hunger.
Draeven’s golden gaze, intense and consuming.
Thorne’s dark stare, knowing and unreadable.
All three of them, circling her, watching her, wanting her.
And the worst part, the part that made her stomach twist with shame...
Was that she wanted them too.
Her body ached for their touch. Craved it. Even as her mind screamed that it was wrong, that they were kings, that she was nothing.....
Her body didn’t care.
Morgana pressed her hands to her face, trying to breathe.
What is wrong with me?
Heat prickled beneath her skin again...her magic, restless and wild.
She shoved it down.
But it was getting harder.
As if the more she suppressed it, the more it wanted to burn.
***
Draeven’s Pov
"You what?"
Draeven’s voice echoed through the council chamber, sharp and furious.
Kaelen leaned against the table, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "You heard me."
"You lost control."
"Yes."
"Your eyes glowed."
"Yes."
Draeven slammed his fist on the table. "That hasn’t happened in over a century!"
"I’m aware," Kaelen said, his tone clipped.
Thorne stood by the window, his back to them, silent.
Draeven turned on him. "And you...you caught her with the ancient ones. Dragons that haven’t let anyone near them in decades. And she touched one."
"Yes," Thorne said quietly.
"And you didn’t think to tell me immediately?"
"I told you as soon as I understood what it meant."
"And what does it mean?" Draeven demanded.
Thorne turned to face them, his dark eyes grave. "It means she’s not what we thought."
"We don’t know what she is," Kaelen said.
"Don’t we?" Thorne’s gaze swept over both of them. "The ancient ones recognized her. My dragon stirred when she was near. And you..." He looked at Kaelen. "You almost bonded her."
Kaelen’s jaw tightened. "I stopped myself."
"Barely."
"I stopped."
"Because you were terrified," Thorne said bluntly. "Because for the first time in your life, you felt something you couldn’t control."
Kaelen said nothing.
Draeven ran a hand through his hair, pacing. "This is insane."
"Is it?" Thorne asked. "Or is it exactly what the prophecy predicted?"
"We don’t know that she’s..."
"The Mother of Dragons," Thorne finished. "Born of fire. Hidden in shadow. The one whose blood calls to ours."
He stepped closer, his voice dropping. "She calmed the ancient ones. She made Kaelen lose control. And you..." He looked at Draeven. "You’ve been obsessed with her since the moment you saw her."
Draeven’s fists clenched. "That doesn’t mean..."
"It means something," Thorne said firmly. "And we need to find out what."
Silence fell over the room.
Finally, Kaelen spoke, his voice quiet. "So what do we do?"
Thorne’s gaze was steady. "We test her. Together."
"We already agreed to that," Draeven said.
"No." Thorne shook his head. "We agreed to test her separately. To see if she responds to each of us individually." He paused. "But I think we need to test her together. All three of us. At the same time."
Kaelen’s eyebrow rose. "You want us to share her."