HEIR OF THE DRAGON

CHAPTER 4

Roseanne didn't want to move. As long as she lay in bed with Lalisa's body draped on top of hers, she didn't have to worry about what she'd done or what horrible fate might now await her. She could just be an omega with her alpha, warm and safe and cared for.

But she didn't have that luxury. At any moment, someone could burst into her chambers and bring what was left of her life crashing down. That might have been a fitting punishment for her wickedness but Roseanne wasn't ready to accept it just yet and so she looked up at Lalisa, brushing her fingers across the soft skin of her lover's cheek.

Gods, she's so beautiful. "What do we do now?"

Lalisa gazed back at Roseanne, the light of a nearby lantern dancing in her eyes. "Now you make a choice. I can leave here while you clean yourself up, tell whatever lie you want to the servants, and try to pretend that none of this ever happened. Tomorrow, you'll marry the king like the good, obedient omega your father always wanted you to be. Or..." she paused for an instant, and when she spoke again, there was a delightful smile on her lips. "You can leave with me and whatever comes next, we'll face it together."

The old Roseanne, the frightened girl who desperately wanted to be pure and virtuous, would've clutched at the first choice. If she washed herself quickly and hid the sheets, she could claim that she and Lalisa had simply lost track of time while talking. The maids might gossip but even if rumors reached the king's ears, he wouldn't want to believe them. Horseback riding could explain why she wasn't a maiden and if Lalisa had sired a child on her, she could pretend it belonged to Henry. Despite all she had done tonight, the lie might hold.

But that Roseanne, the one who was prepared to live a lie, was gone. There were no more ways for her to deny the truth. The thought of sharing the king's bed, any man's bed, held no appeal. Lalisa was all she wanted in this world and if Roseanne pushed her away now, she'd lose her forever. It might be hard for her to live with what she was about to do but the other road would surely kill her soul.

Her choice made, she leaned in close and kissed Lalisa softly. "How do we get out of the castle?"

The warm smile that spread across Lalisa's face was enough to tell Roseanne she'd made the right decision, that one expression worth whatever it might cost her in the future. "Do you remember that hidden passage we found in your chambers? The one behind the dresser?" She nodded and Lalisa continued, "There's lots of those in the castle and most of them connect together. They give us a way out of the Red Keep and from there we go to the Dragonpit. Syrax will do the rest."

Roseanne had never found the courage to join Lalisa when she went flying before but it was too late to be afraid. "All right then. Just let me get ready."

"Quickly," Lalisa urged and Roseanne was grateful that, for once, the princess grasped the peril her decisions had placed her in.

Lalisa pulled back on her small clothes and dress while Roseanne hastily wiped the residue of their coupling off of her sex. She should have been disgusted, the alpha's seed mixed in with her maiden's blood, yet she couldn't find any such feeling in her. It was proof of what she'd shared with Lalisa, a memory she would always treasure.

Once she was somewhat cleaner, Roseanne turned to the problem of clothes. Simplicity was in order and so she settled on a plain blue riding dress covered by a matching cloak. It might be a bit hot in the late spring weather, but it had a hood, as did the maroon one she picked out for Lalisa. Beyond that, she limited herself to a few treasured possessions: a necklace she had received on her 15th name day, a songbird pin left to her by her mother, and a small bag of gold dragons in case they needed to buy supplies.