Velkaris circled once, then dropped back onto the training field.
No dragons on the horizon. No royal escort.
Bellatrix slid off his back with all the grace of a collapsing marionette.
"You," she snapped, pointing a trembling finger at Serena. "Wolfless menace. You and your overgrown flying abomination are a disgrace to this kingdom."
Velkaris huffed, deeply offended.
Bellatrix glared up at him. "And don't look at me like that."
That was when Gavriel arrived at the field having witnessed precisely none of the buildup.
"…What," he said slowly, eyes flicking between Bellatrix, Velkaris, and Serena.
Bellatrix rounded on him instantly. "Skeletor Silver-Whore kidnapped me with a dragon. You will be arrested within the hour. You better start running now."
Velkaris rumbled. With impeccable timing, he gently but firmly picked Bellatrix up by the back of her cloak.
"I DID NOT AGREE TO STOP CALLING HER NAMES." Bellatrix flailed. "PUT ME DOWN."
"Tell him to put me down!" Bellatrix screamed at Serena
"SKELETOR. TELL HIM."
Velkaris launched into the air, not bothering to put Bellatrix on his back, holding onto her only by her cloak.
He made a slow, lazy circle over the field, as if reconsidering his life choices, while Bellatrix's yells could be heard from the ground.
He landed with a satisfied thump.
"FINE," Bellatrix screeched, ripping her cloak from Velkaris's mouth. Like he wasn't a literal dragon. "PSYCHOS. Satanic sociopath!"
She turned on her heel and marched toward the castle, muttering viciously under her breath about dragons, skeletal whores, ginger demons, and the complete moral collapse of Drakenfell.
Gavriel turned slowly toward Serena with a mischievous grin. "You menace. Someone tries to kill you, and you take them on a dragon ride to negotiate?"
Serena looked back at him, expression utterly innocent.
Mostly.
He laughed and scooped up a nearby folded training mat, tossing it lightly at her shoulder. "I leave you alone for one afternoon."
Velkaris rumbled in deep, smug satisfaction.
Gavriel sniffed the air suddenly and squinted at Serena.
"Why do you smell like an ashtray?"
Serena blinked. "Oh right, we found a dragon egg this morning in a volcano."
"You found a what in a what?" Gavriel asked.
✦✦✦
Serena and Gavriel strolled back up toward the castle, their conversation easy that made the walk feel shorter than it was.
Then Serena halted mid-step.
"Oh no! Shoot. I was supposed to meet Elara," she gasped, spinning on her heel. "You'll have to excuse me!"
She bolted off at alpha speed, flustered.
Gavriel stared after her for far too long.
"...Hells," he muttered to himself, scrubbing a hand over his face. "I'm in trouble."
✦✦✦
Across the castle, the double doors to King Tiberon's study slammed open so hard one of them rebounded off the stone.
Bellatrix stormed in, eyes wild.
Dex was seated, mid-briefing with King Tiberon, both of them calmly reviewing maps and reports.
That peace shattered immediately.
"YOU!" Bellatrix shrieked, storming toward Dex like a banshee with an axe to grind. "Get your SKELETOR WHORE on a leash and your oversized gold-scaled menace under control before I burn this entire goddamned castle to the ground"
King Tiberon didn't even look up from his report.
"I was curious about your emotional state," he said mildly. "Did you happen to go on a little dragon ride today?"
"She kidnapped me! Treason!"
"You tried to poison her," Tiberon said. "And kill her with flowers."
"I did no such thing! SHE IS BRAINWASHING YOU ALL!"
Bellatrix whirled on Dex. "At least sleep with Agnes before you decide who you want."
Dex looked at his mother with utter disdain. "I won't be touching Agnes. Ever."
"There's nothing to decide. Serena will always be my choice. Always."
Bellatrix laughed, sharp and mocking. "How romantic."
"I marked her yesterday."
Bellatrix's face cycled through shock, fury, disbelief, and cold rage in three seconds flat.
"You. Did. Not."
"I did."
"After ONE DAY?" Her voice climbed. "Agnes has been here for MONTHS."
"Who he marks is his choice," Tiberon said, finally setting down his report.
Bellatrix stared at him, then back at Dex. "You're not alarmed by how fast he's moving? With a woman we barely know? With a questionable past?"
"He loves her," Tiberon said evenly. "And even without fate or the dragon bond, she'd be my top choice."
Bellatrix's voice turned sharp. "Listen to me. I am your mother. You will reject that girl, remove your mark, and we will move forward without her. Am I clear?"
"No. The paperwork was filed days ago. She already has our house name." He paused, watching comprehension dawn.
"You... what?"
"By law, she's my wife," Dex said. "Which means any harm to her is treason. Punishable by death."
"You essentially married her," she whispered. "Without a ceremony. Without—"
"Without your permission. Yes."
Her gaze snapped to Tiberon. "And you allowed this?"
"I signed the documents myself," Tiberon said calmly. "That comes with being crowned, Bellatrix."
Bellatrix went pale. "Crowned?"
"Yes, in three days," Dex said.
"The crowning would traditionally be yours to plan," Tiberon added, "but given your feelings, I've handled the arrangements."
Bellatrix's eyes narrowed, voice dropping to something deadly. "If you crown her, Viremont will retaliate. You will start a war over a slave girl."
Dex's expression didn't change.
"Let them. They'll see what happens when they threaten my wife. This conversation is over."
He stood, nodding once to his father, and left.
Tiberon picked up his report again, utterly unbothered.
"This isn't over," she hissed.
Tiberon looked up, his gaze steady and unyielding.
"Touch her, and you'll hang for treason alongside anyone foolish enough to help you," he said quietly, "I suggest you start getting used to the idea of a daughter-in-law."
She turned on her heel and swept from the room, door slamming behind her.
✦✦✦
Serena was with Hale and Elara in their quarters when Dex appeared in the doorway.
"Can I steal you for a moment?"
Something in his tone made her pause.
"Is everything okay?"
"We need to talk."