My back bristled at his tone and his condescending words. "I'll have you know that I am what you would consider a scholar. In my world, women are considered equal to men," I pointed out to him. "Truly, my Queen?" the Draygana asked me. I smiled down at her. "Yes. In fact, women are allowed to be whatever they wish to be." The Draygon hissed at me angrily as if my words were a personal insult to him. "You are telling us lies. Silence your tongue, chindralla. You will give the Draygana false hope. They cannot be anything than what they are," the Draygon snarled at me, stepping forward threateningly. Treddian stepped between us in a flash and growled in warning. I truly understood his unspoken words this time. Tread lightly. You're insulting my Queen, and I will not stand for it.Several other growls from around the room made me smile despite the dire situation; I knew they had my back. However, my pleasure was short-lived as I learned that he had allies as well. "Forgive my intru
There was a light knock on my door the next morning that woke me. I groaned and rolled over almost hissing as the sound came again and again.As I cracked one eye open, it startled me to see that the planet was shining in with its light violet hue. The orange sun was nowhere in sight, and I grumbled at the idea of raising before it. There was no way I should be subjected to being woke up so early, it was extremely not right. New law! I thought to myself as I snuggled into Torh's pillow and breathed in his scent, willing myself back into the erotic dream about him. "L-lady Mara?" Tohr whispered into my ear. No, not Tohr. Someone had opened my door and was trying to continue this whole stupid waking thing. I groaned and glared towards the door.One of the young girls from last night was standing hesitantly, shifting from foot to foot in the doorway. I rubbed my hands down my face and took a deep breath, trying to bury my irritation at her intrusion. "Yes?" I cleared my throat. "Yes,"
I jerked away from him and tried to find a place in the circle where I would be safe. But in that fraction of a second, I was suddenly surrounded by Draygonians. Dark ones by the pillars and behind me were the Golden Draygons. Every single Golden Draygon that I had pissed off since I had gotten here was there. A short step away was another Draygon looking just as pleased that I was in this predicament. "Isobel," I breathed as she stepped into view. The smile on her face was nothing short of cruel. "Hello, your Majesty," she sneered mockingly. "What is going on?" I demanded. "We are taking back what is rightfully ours," the giant Draygonian stated ominously. His deep rumbling voice would have been pleasant to listen to, especially with the strange accent so differently from Tohr's. It sort of reminded me of a Scottish accent with a few centuries of differences mixed in with it. He was as large as a Scottish Highlander, that was for sure. "And what exactly do you believe belongs
"With all due respect," I began as I backed away from him. "I think I'll just go back to the castle. Tohr can explain himself to me personally. Or my brother Erik, his Champion can tell me exactly what is going on." The crackle in the air went from causing mere goosebumps to visible electricity. Sólas' eyes shifted from a slight grey to the molten flow of boiling silver, then was slowly taken over by the elongation of his iris'. I knew even before his hands shifted to the claws that he was seconds away from changing. "That, princess, was never an option," he hissed. I clenched my teeth and had to forcefully root myself to the ground before I shied away from him. "I don't believe that I was asking your permission," I growled back. That's when I did something so stupid that even as I did it, I was screaming to myself to not do it. I turned my back to the evil Draygon and began to walk away. A roar echoed through the clearing. In the space of a heartbeat, I was jerked off the ground
My embarrassment seemed to be fun to him. I forcefully shoved it down and looked him in the eyes, not wanting to give into him in any way. "I want to leave," I said to him slowly as if he didn't understand words. "Leave?" he asked with an amused chuckle. "This is your home, Princess. You are with your own people!""You are not my people!" I shouted at him; my nerves fried. Calm down, Mara!!! My brain screamed at me. Remember the flying through the sky thing?"Of course, we are! How do you explain being able to transport through the sacred circles? Only Draygons can survive them. So, you have to be a descendant of the princess." I cocked an eyebrow at him. "How many of these circles are there?" "Every clan has one. It was built by the first of our kind once they understood the magick," one of the girls behind him spoke up. Sólas turned on her and growled. She immediately stepped back in line and bowed her head, whimpering.His behavior towards the other woman reminded me of the wo
He was crazy… homicidal. And I had allowed myself to be alone with him. How could I have been so stupid? However, his rant didn't end there. "Several days ago, that sniveling coward you call a King came to me and asked," he spat the word out as if it turned his stomach, "for a truce between our two clans. Apparently, he found love and wished to mate with her. But he didn't want to raise his family in a world with the constant threat of all-out war." My heart warmed despite my fear. Tohr loved me? I thought giddily. He wanted peace to keep me and any children we may have safe. -Oh, Tohr-. I thought to him, even though I knew he wouldn't hear my thoughts. -Oh, Tohr my sweet Draygon king. I love you, too. I will find a way back to you. -For a moment, I could have sworn that I felt the touch of Tohr's mind brush against mine. But, as quickly as it was there, it was gone. "Yes, princess, he loves you," Sólas spat out in disgust. "I knew the moment I heard it that the time was right to
Even if I somehow managed to survive for a while through this cruel and inhumane torment, there would be nothing left of me worth surviving. A survival instinct immediately took over, and I knew that I couldn't continue to shrink away from the beast that Sólas was.Death was inevitable, and I refused to go down without a fight. Gripping my wound hard and allowing the pain to keep me focused. I forced myself onto my feet, ignoring the wet fabric that stuck to my leg."No, thank you," I responded almost politely. His cocky attitude stalled."No, thank you," Sólas repeated as if he didn't understand the meaning of the individual words themselves."Yes, I refuse to mate with you or bear your spawn," I clarified. "You are refusing me?" he parroted in disbelief. "I'm sorry. Am I not making it clear enough to you?" I asked, giving him a pretentious smile. My attitude was not lost on him, but he seemed shocked that I would dare to be anything other than humbled or terrified in his presenc
Sólas stood straight, showing off my blood that was already drying on his blue-tinged scales. "Good," he purred and strode out the door without a backward glance. I scooted away until my back was against the wall trying to make myself as small and uninteresting as I could. I curled up into a ball and laid my head on my knees, hiding my face. It was a childish move, the whole "if I can't see you then you can't see me," move, but it was where my mindset was at now. I couldn't move, didn't want to move. I knew deep down that if I moved, Sólas was going to come back and attack me once more. Without even realizing it, my body was shivering in tune with the swirling of my mind. -Mara. - Whispered a voice through the storm in my mind.I shoved it aside, knowing that it wasn't possibly Tohr. I had been hoping he would answer me for days now, there was no way he would do so right now. -Mara, open your mind to me, my little fyre. I am here. Open yourself to your mate. - The voice whispered