The reputation of a dragon lord

He was very gallant and she could give him that, after that bold declaration to his men. He surprisingly did nothing.

Just allowed Fiona the opportunity to escape the confines of his lecherous men without creating a scene.

Fiona could feel his eyes on her rump as she scurried away from his line of sight. After that encounter they both became more aware of each other.

Torque couldn't help but paste on his brightest smile when around her. Fiona was startlingly beautiful with those mesmerizing dark blue eyes.

Her hair was as black as moonless midnight in the Zanbar Mountains. He couldn't blame his men for having eyes and being struck by her effortless beauty.

She had long eyelashes that highlighted her deep blue eyes that reminded him of the waters of a sunlit lake in Zanbar.

He hadn't been to Zanbar in ages but her coloring reminded him of the people that chose to call Zanbar home.

Torque was one of the select few that were privileged to be allowed to step foot into Zanbar territory.

Anyone else with the misfortune to be caught trespassing on Zanbar territory would be lucky if they managed to cross the border without an arrow in their back.

Torque would send word to them asking if anyone from their territory was missing a daughter that perhaps had been afflicted with amnesia and couldn't remember her homeland.

Just listening to Tiamat's soldiers recount how their master fished her out of the sea was very fascinating.

Everything about her was different from her mannerisms to the way she talked, yet even with her differences she still held her head high like a princess.

Fiona knew the moment the stranger noticed her. She first saw him from the watchtower where she silently followed behind Tiamat.

The elite guards had spotted Torque's army approaching from a distance and had wanted their master's decision as to how to deal with the approaching intruders.

Since then she had managed to stay out of their way.

As the old friends went into seclusion to discuss their affairs but now seated at the table it was hard to evade his stares.

Something about his gaze so unlike Tiamat's unsettled her and everytime their eyes met she immediately looked away.

Her reticence seemed to amuse him even more and it seemed like just knowing that she was uncomfortable and squirmed in her chair made him enjoy doing it even more.

Everyone was seated at the main table and waiting for Tiamat to appear so they could start their meal.

Torque was their first honorary guest at Thornwyck since the new master arrived and everyone was doing their best to not mess up and get on Tiamat's wrong side.

She couldn't wait for Tiamat to arrive so that Torque would be forced to look elsewhere. Fiona feigned concentration on her plate of food to stop feeling so intimidated by him.

However, looking elsewhere couldn't stop the hair on the back of her neck from standing and the red flush of her face that made her wonder if food on her face was perhaps the reason he stared so hard.

She brushed away the imaginary flakes of food hoping that would shift away the weight of his regard and that hopeful he would soon find something else to stare at.

Fiona reminded herself that she was an independent young woman and she would be damned if she let a man prevent her from enjoying her own meal.

She happily picked up a chicken leg and bit into it. The roasted chicken was delicious and the juice from it made her use her cloth napkin to wipe her mouth.

He would soon get tired of the novelty of seeing a new woman at Tiamat's side; after all she was not an exquisite beauty, only a plain maiden as she knew herself to be.

"Torque Campbell. The Duke of Argyll, such an infamous guest!" whispered a servant girl to her friend as they made the rounds refilling the cups on the table.

"Posh guests like these should be expected because our new master is renowned and revered amongst these parts for saving the dragon king's life," said another maid.

Another one chimed in conspiratorially, "that's not what I heard, the Black Flame is said to have killed ten thousands of men to claim Thornwyck and that man sitting right there might look like a glorified dandy but has also slain his thousands as well but doesn't stand a chance of surpassing the master."

As the maids gossiped their hands were busy serving drinks and food just as fast as their tongues wagged.

Fiona's uneasiness was momentarily forgotten as she listened to the comparisons between the two dragon lords.

So Tiamat's guest was not just another pompous jerk, the Duke of Argyll had earned a glorious reputation for himself on the battlefield.

Her eyes gleamed with renewed interest but she hesitated to glance his way for fear he would catch her staring.

"Still I wonder how those two became friends," mused the first maid.

"The Duke may be highborn but there's no shortage of rumors that reached us about him," added the second maid gleefully.

The first maid couldn't retain her curiosity and asked, "don't keep it to yourself, what are the rumors about?"

"It's been said the Duke's father gambled away his son's inheritance and it was just by chance that the Duke ran into Tiamat and employed him into his service. Together they laid siege to the rightful lords and murderously butchered anyone who dared to get in their way until they had increased the Duke's holdings by the tenfolds."

"So they are worse than thieves."

"Butchers without a conscience."

Another maid swooned, "let's not forget to add rich and handsome to boot. Any woman would be lucky to end up the bride of such virile men."

"Shhh…Keep your voices down lest someone overhear us. The master would not take too kindly to the both of you disparaging their reputations with such unfounded gossip. I daresay you should know better than to mention such despicable rumors in his presence."

Fiona was pretty sure that if she heard everything that was being said, so did Torque for that matter but somehow he chose to remain silent instead of scolding the maids.

This notion intrigued her even further and she dared to steal a glance thinking his attention would have been diverted by the pretty maids.

She was wrong. The Duke in question's eyes met hers as he watched her with interest.

Fiona should have lowered her gaze in a demure fashion and slowly looked away, but she found that she could not.

She felt like a helpless rabbit ensnared by his mesmerizing gaze. Just as she was deciding what to do next a shadow fell across the table.

All thoughts of Torque were immediately dispelled from her mind as she took in the impressive arrival of Tiamat.

Gone were the simple black garments he normally wore, replaced by jewelry and fine clothing that took her breath away.

Tiamat was so close she could smell mint on him, it felt like time stopped as her mouth suddenly felt dry and her face overheated, but not just because of Tiamat's new look.