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“Gwenvael looked down at his body. Horrified, he sat up. “What is this? What’s happened to me?”
“Calm down. It’ll heal quick enough, I’m sure.”
“Heal? I’m hideous!”
“You’re alive.”
“Hideously alive!” He covered her face with his hands. “Don’t look at me! Look away!”
“Stop it!” She pulled at his hands. “Have you lost your mind?”
Gwenvael dropped back to the bed, turned his face toward the wall. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
“Gwenvael—”
“I’ll have to live alone, at the top of a castle somewhere. I’ll hide from the daylight and only come out at night.”
“Please stop this.”
“I’ll be alone but not for long because you’ll all want me more. You’ll lust for the beautiful warrior I once was and pity the hideous creature I’ve become. Most importantly, you’ll want to soothe my pain.” He looked at her again. “Don’t you want to soothe my pain? Right now? Without that dress on?”
“No. I do not.”
Dagmar tried to stand, and Gwenvael caught her hand, pulling her back down. “You can’t leave me. I’m tortured and brooding. You need to show me how much you adore me so I can learn to love myself again.”
“You’ve never stopped loving yourself.”
“Because I’m amazing.”
― What a Dragon Should Know
“Calm down. It’ll heal quick enough, I’m sure.”
“Heal? I’m hideous!”
“You’re alive.”
“Hideously alive!” He covered her face with his hands. “Don’t look at me! Look away!”
“Stop it!” She pulled at his hands. “Have you lost your mind?”
Gwenvael dropped back to the bed, turned his face toward the wall. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
“Gwenvael—”
“I’ll have to live alone, at the top of a castle somewhere. I’ll hide from the daylight and only come out at night.”
“Please stop this.”
“I’ll be alone but not for long because you’ll all want me more. You’ll lust for the beautiful warrior I once was and pity the hideous creature I’ve become. Most importantly, you’ll want to soothe my pain.” He looked at her again. “Don’t you want to soothe my pain? Right now? Without that dress on?”
“No. I do not.”
Dagmar tried to stand, and Gwenvael caught her hand, pulling her back down. “You can’t leave me. I’m tortured and brooding. You need to show me how much you adore me so I can learn to love myself again.”
“You’ve never stopped loving yourself.”
“Because I’m amazing.”
― What a Dragon Should Know
“Really, Fearghus. You need to stop asking me to let you kill our family.”
― Dragon Actually
― Dragon Actually
“Now. Now, Annwyl. No need to curtsy. A simple nod of your head and absolute worship will be more than enough.”
― Dragon Actually
― Dragon Actually
“Normally, I’d lie and connive and do whatever necessary to make you take me into the south.”
“But …”
More tears began to flow. “But that thing …”
“Thing? What thing?”
“That thing … in one’s head … that tells you when something would be wrong to do. It won’t let me do it.”
Feeling a sudden high level of annoyance, Gwenvael carefully asked, “Do you mean your … conscience?”
Her tears turned into hysterical sobs, and she went down on her side, her head dropping into his lap.
“Dagmar! Everyone has a conscience.”
“I don’t!”
“Of course you do.”
“I’m a politician, Gwenvael! Of course, I don’t have a conscience. At least I didn’t. Now I’m cursed with one. And it’s your fault!”
Somehow he knew that last bit would happen.”
― What a Dragon Should Know
“But …”
More tears began to flow. “But that thing …”
“Thing? What thing?”
“That thing … in one’s head … that tells you when something would be wrong to do. It won’t let me do it.”
Feeling a sudden high level of annoyance, Gwenvael carefully asked, “Do you mean your … conscience?”
Her tears turned into hysterical sobs, and she went down on her side, her head dropping into his lap.
“Dagmar! Everyone has a conscience.”
“I don’t!”
“Of course you do.”
“I’m a politician, Gwenvael! Of course, I don’t have a conscience. At least I didn’t. Now I’m cursed with one. And it’s your fault!”
Somehow he knew that last bit would happen.”
― What a Dragon Should Know
“He smiled at her. “Now, are you going to thank me properly?”
“I said ‘thank you.’ That’s considered in some cultures as thanking you properly.”
“I was hoping for a little more than that.”
She studied him for a long moment before she nodded.
“All right.” She scooted down a bit on the bed, pulled her gown up high on her thighs, and relaxed back into the mattress. “If you could make it quick before the food gets here, that would be great.”
Gwenvael felt a small twitch beneath his eye. He often got something similar right on his eyelid but only when he had to deal with his father. Apparently a new one had developed that belonged only to Lady Dagmar. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I hope you’re not expecting me to get on my knees because I don’t think the healer—”
“No!” Good gods, this woman! “That’s not what I meant, either.”
“That’s always what men mean when they ask to be thanked properly.”
“Your world frightens me. I want us to be clear on that.” He leaned over and grabbed her waist, lifting her until her back again rested on the propped-up pillows.
“I’m unclear as to what you want, then.”
“A kiss,” he said, pulling her dress back down to her ankles. “A simple kiss.”
― What a Dragon Should Know
“I said ‘thank you.’ That’s considered in some cultures as thanking you properly.”
“I was hoping for a little more than that.”
She studied him for a long moment before she nodded.
“All right.” She scooted down a bit on the bed, pulled her gown up high on her thighs, and relaxed back into the mattress. “If you could make it quick before the food gets here, that would be great.”
Gwenvael felt a small twitch beneath his eye. He often got something similar right on his eyelid but only when he had to deal with his father. Apparently a new one had developed that belonged only to Lady Dagmar. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I hope you’re not expecting me to get on my knees because I don’t think the healer—”
“No!” Good gods, this woman! “That’s not what I meant, either.”
“That’s always what men mean when they ask to be thanked properly.”
“Your world frightens me. I want us to be clear on that.” He leaned over and grabbed her waist, lifting her until her back again rested on the propped-up pillows.
“I’m unclear as to what you want, then.”
“A kiss,” he said, pulling her dress back down to her ankles. “A simple kiss.”
― What a Dragon Should Know
Queen Maas' Assassins
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— last activity Jul 23, 2026 10:25AM
A group dedicated to the queen that is the New York Times & USA Today best-selling author Sarah J. Maas. This is a place to discuss her works, includ ...more
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