Page 55 of Blood of Dragons
“Talon—”
“What is her name?”
Tears poured down her cheeks.
“Tell me her name.”
“Lena.” Her hand moved over her stomach as her bottom lip quivered.
“I know it’s hard to leave me, but you must.”
“No.” Her hand cupped her mouth as she started to sob. “Why is this happening? We made love last night without a care in the world, and now…everything is gone.” She sobbed and heaved, her hand still on her stomach.
It killed me to watch this, to know I couldn’t stop it, that I couldn’t protect her from the truth. I didn’t know exactly what we faced, but the assault would probably claim my life, and she and Lena would be on their own. “Vivian.”
She continued to break down right before my eyes.
I grabbed her forearm and squeezed it for her attention.
She looked at me again.
“I’m sorry.” Our lives were being ripped asunder. Her only concern had been to birth our children, but now she had to survive a war, most likely as a widow.
“Come with us.” Now her hand grabbed mine. “Let’s take the ship and go.”
For a fleeting moment, I was tempted, tempted to abandon everyone else I loved for a single person. To sail away and leave them to their fate because one man wasn’t enough to make a difference in a war. To start over in a new place with my wife and child, to settle in a little cottage in the woods and be perfectly content with almost nothing but love. “I—I can’t.”
Her tears started to well up again.
“I can’t abandon my family.” I couldn’t let my father fight this war alone. I couldn’t turn my back on my brother. “I’m sorry.”
She didn’t argue with me, knowing I was too noble to choose the easy way out, even for her.
“Grab your things. My mother and Rosella will go with you.”
“Talon—”
“I don’t know how much time we have, baby. Until your ship has left the harbor, I won’t be able to think of anything else.”
“Until we’re gone from your life forever…”
I would probably die—and we both knew it. “It’s not forever.” Somehow my impending death was easier to swallow than letting her receive a mere scratch. Death could take me, and I wouldn’t fight it, not when I knew that she was out of harm’s way, that she would keep my memory alive by telling our daughter who her father was, why I had to leave them both. “Let’s get your things.”
With Vivian’s hand in mine and her bag over my shoulder, I walked her to the stables and prepared a horse for her to ride.
“Prince Talon, His Majesty requests your presence imminently.” The soldier appeared from behind me.
I worked the saddle onto the horse because the stableboy was busy preparing all the other horses for battle. “I’ll be there when I can.”
There was a pause before he spoke again. “He said now.”
I turned around to look at him.
Vivian immediately shrank back from my wrath. So did the soldier.
“I will come when I’m able. My wife needs me right now.” I turned back to the saddle and properly secured it before I attached the bag to the side. It contained a couple changes ofclothes and linens, but it also had food and water to last for her journey.
He made the mistake of grabbing me by the shoulder. “Prince Talon, I’m sorry?—”