Chapter 3
1577 Words
CHAPTER THREE
That is, until the bowl of soup was plopped down in front of me. Luca and I sat at the small dining table reserved for private eating in a nook nestled close to the warm kitchen. Sun streamed in through the elegant bay windows behind me as I stared at the steaming bowl Maira had set before me.
She beamed brighter than the sun as she took a step back and wiped her hands on a white apron she’d swiped from the kitchen. “There you go. Nothing makes a mother stronger than my soup.”
I picked up my spoon and dug around the floating contents. There was a mix of browns, reds, and off-whites, none of which I recognized. I couldn’t even tell if I was spooning meat or vegetables. The broth was the color of mud water and a strange odor that reminded me of cough medicine wafted up from the bowl.
Luca sat nearby with his chin resting on one hand and a sly twinkle in his eyes. “It looks delicious, Maira. What’s in it?”
Maira swatted his arm with her wooden spoon. “It’s rude to go asking anyone for their special recipes.” She turned to me with a sweet smile as Luca rubbed his arm. “You go ahead and eat the whole bowl. It’ll help both of you.”
I winced and my hand unbidden went to my stomach. “I… I don’t know if you heard, but I can’t give birth to the child with the curse on me.”
“Of course, I know that, but that’s no reason why you can’t keep the babe healthy until you deliver,” she scolded me as she used her spoon to scoot the bowl closer to me. “Now eat up.”
With Luca’s dancing eyes on me I scooped up a spoonful and lifted the utensil to my lips. The steam floated in front of my eyes before I shut them and shoved the spoon into my mouth.
A mixture of sweetness and spiciness filled my mouth, and I found myself eagerly swallowing the soup. The heat warmed my stomach and soothed my tense muscles. In a word, I oozed.
I slumped back in my chair and a goofy grin spread across my face. “Wow.”
Maira puffed out her chest and gave a nod at the surprised look on Luca’s face. “See? Your mother did the same thing. Just goes to show that you don’t read a manuscript by its cover.”
Luca smiled as he picked up his spoon and reached across the table. “So it would seem-ouch!”
Maira had given his hand a healthy whack with her spoon, and she now wagged the weapon at him. “Don’t you dare! It’s only for the expectant mother!” She crossed her arms over her chest and shot him an evil glare out of the corner of her eyes. “Besides that, you dragon men have an acute sense of taste. You might guess my secret ingredient.”
He flashed her a wicked grin. “My father did tell me about the time he sneaked a bite of your famous bird-in-the-nest pie.”
She leaned toward him and narrowed her eyes. “And that secret better have gone to the grave with him.”
Luca held up his hands in front of himself. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Maira glared at him a moment longer before she returned her attention to me. I had wolfed down a few more spoonfuls, and her expression brightened. “Eat every drop and then I’ll give it to the kitchen staff. They’ll know what to do with the bowl.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Incinerate it?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Of course not. They’ll give it to the dogs.”
Luca cupped his cheek in one palm and leaned against his bent arm. “Those lucky dogs.”
I nearly spit out the spoonful of soup in my mouth, and now the two of us glared at him. He leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. “I make no apologies.”
Maira shook her head. “Just like his father…”
I finished my meal and pushed the bowl away from me. The food had filled me with a soothing warmth, and my muscles felt rejuvenated, so much so that I almost sprang from my chair as Luca stood.
Maira picked up the bowl between both hands and smiled at me. “Now we’ll have you take this once a day for a couple of weeks and see how you’re doing.”
My good humor faltered a little as I set my hand over my stomach. Maira lay her hand over mine and shook her head. “Don’t go thinking that’ll stop you. You have the son of the dragon king inside of you, after all.” She leaned toward me and gave me a wink. “And if he’s half as rambunctious as his father then he might figure out a way of getting you out of this mess himself.”
Luca slipped an arm around me and smiled at his old nursemaid. “Thank you for the soup, and for the lifted spirits.”
Maira’s smile stretched into a broad grin, and she nodded. “You’re always welcome, little one, now off with you two! Shoo!”
She shooed us out of the small dining room, and we strolled through the various apartments, with me admiring every unfamiliar thing and Luca admiring me. He didn’t once take his eyes off me as we reached the piano. I had so admired it on our first trip through the rooms.
I stopped us and looked up at him. “Can you play?”
He grinned. “A little, but I haven’t played for a long time.”
I snorted and stretched out my hand toward the instrument. “Then let me hear you, maestro.”
Luca slipped onto the wooden, cushioned bench and opened the lid that covered the keys. He stretched his fingers before setting them on the ivories. That was the last I saw of his fingers as they flew across the keyboard. A haunting melody arose from them and drifted about me. I shivered from both the eeriness and the perfect performance.
Luca stared ahead without a single glance at the keys, and there was a pensive look on his face. “My father’s favorite. He was always fond of the mysterious places in the world and was often away from the castle.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “So, who was in charge?”
“Sfetnic and my mother shared the duties, as was customary,” he admitted as he drew into a crescendo. “That was the custom of past times.”
I blinked at him. “A lot of you dragon kings wander off searching for treasure?”
He nodded. “It’s a trait many of my ancestors shared. The theory goes that treasure calls to our blood.”
I snorted. “So, I guess it’s true that dragons love their hoard.”
He finished the haunting song and swept into a soft lullaby. I found myself rocking to the sweet, low tune. “Your mother’s favorite?”
Luca stared down at the keys as he nodded, and I detected a hint of melancholy in his voice. “Yes.”
I plopped myself on the bench by his side and swung my legs a little. “What was she like?”
He lifted his gaze to the ceiling and a bittersweet smile slipped onto his lips. “A beautiful woman with golden-brown hair and a smile that made the sun jealous.” He swept his eyes over the room and sighed. “She had a life that filled these rooms, and such determination.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Even in the end.”
My heart fell, and I set a hand on his shoulder. “What happened?”
“Illness,” he revealed as he stopped playing and the tune slowly drifted away. “The doctors could do nothing for her. My father was devastated. He was never the same after that and passed away a few years later.” He turned a bittersweet smile on me. “That’s the fate of all the dragon kings.”
I blinked at him. “What is?”
He set his hand on my chest over where my heart beat. “We are bound to our queens as they are bound to us. Our death is yours, but your death is… a slow one for us.”
My eyes widened. “You… you guys just die slowly, don’t you?”
He nodded. “Yes. Our bodies are stronger and withstand the wounding of the severed heart, but not for long. Five years, at the most.”
I winced. “I’m sorry.”
Luca cupped my cheek in his palm and shook his head. “Don’t be. We never are.”
I leaned into his touch and smiled up at him. “Was your father this much of a flatterer?”
He grinned. “So my mother told me. Now then,” He stood and offered me his hand. “Shall we take a stroll?”
I laughed and accepted his hand. “Let’s.”
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