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“Three hours ago, your Majesty. Would you prefer to meet her in the throne room?”
It’s been years since a dragon from the Mountain clan came down to the valley. I wonder what has drawn the Lady of the reclusive clan out of the safety of their home? Then another thought hits me.
“She’s in her human form?”
Arvun nods. This mystery is just getting deeper. The mountain clan prefer not to shift from their true dragon form. My predecessor outlawed our dragon forms for many years to keep us under his control. When I took his throne by right of Challenge and lifted the ban, many dragons shifted and retreated to the mountains where they could live in their natural state at all times. We leave them in peace, and they keep to themselves.
Until now.
After nearly two-hundred-fifty years of seclusion, what has driven the Mountain clan to send Tatha down to the valley? I’ve never met the Mountain clan Lord’s daughter. Curiosity and anticipation tingle across my scale-hard skin.
“I’ll see her in the solarium. Thank you, Arvun.”
She bows, stopping at the bottom step as I climb toward the glass doors to the great hall of my castle. Arvun calls up after me, “Shall I have refreshments sent, my Lord?”
I’m not sure if Tatha has ever worn her human form, and I’m sure being here is … unsettling. Presenting her with unfamiliar human food might be too much for her.
“No. That is all.”
The soft crunch of gravel under Arvun’s shoes fades as she walks away to attend to her many other duties. Good help is hard to find, but I’ve been lucky.
My long strides take me down hall after hall, passing the occasional staff member or guard. A flash of red hair here, burnt orange there, sky blue, sapphire … the colors of the dragons bleeding into their human forms to create a rainbow of people.
At the next turn, the double doors to the solarium come into view. They are wide open to the glass room beyond, the tropical plants within bursting with color year round. A small woman stands in the center of the room, her back to me.
My pace slows as I watch her delicate fingers caress the petals of a plumeria I brought back from earth. The brilliant pink blooms stand vibrant against her pale skin and purple nails. Amethyst purple hair cascades down just past her shoulders in soft waves and curls. It looks soft, like spun sugar.
But as I draw closer, I catch the shimmer of brilliant gold tips to her purple nails, and there’s an occasional gold streak of hair running through her purple locks.
A duo-chrome dragon. So rare. The mystery of Tatha deepens.
The heavy, musty, floral scent of the solarium wafts out of the room, and I take a deep breath.
My feet stop, as if cemented to the floor. Every muscle goes rigid. My dragon fire roars through my veins, and my shadows peel from my skin, reaching out—-to her.
Her scent lingers here where she must have passed by hours ago, and it climbs down my nose. The urge to shift rips at me from the inside, like my dragon will claw me apart if I don’t let it free. It wants me to force her shift. It wants me to sink my talons into her dragon’s hide. My dragon NEEDS me to sink my teeth into her flesh in a claiming bite.
As her scent—fire, and cinnamon, and earth—covers my tongue and coats my throat, my beast roars within me.
MATE!
2
TATHA
I don’t want to be here. My skin itches. I feel compressed. As a dragon, I’m fairly small, and that has bled into my petite human form. This is only the second time I’ve ever held my human form in all my one-hundred-eighteen years of life. Everything feels both too small and too large. I know I’m blinking too much, but the absence of my second lid feels wrong. Sounds seem muted, and I can’t taste the air with this flat, human tongue.
I hate it.
The pink petals of the flower before me brush over my skin like silk. My eyes catch on the gold tips of my nails. I love my colors, but being the only duo-chrome dragon in the Mountain clan has brought me … undue attention. That, along with my position as Lady of the clan, keeps me under the eye of my people, when I’d much rather disappear into my cozy nest with a good story.
I drop my hand, sighing. I’ve been wandering this sunlit room for over three hours. At first, the beautiful solarium transfixed me, and I was sure if I could get my hands on a stack of books, I could curl up on the plush sofa and be content here for days. But I don’t have any books, and the novelty of the room has worn off.
Turning, intending to find someone to bring me a drink, or a book, or allow me to go to another room, I freeze. There stands the Dragon King. I blink several times. My eyes feel dry even in this humid room. He’s tall, dark, and handsome if ever the description were made for someone. A tie holds back half of his black locs, showing off the sharp plains of his face. His black eyes watch me, the fiery-red centers burning with an intensity I don’t understand. The silver of age dusts his beard, and though his hands are in his pockets and his posture is relaxed, there’s a tension rolling off him. I swallow around the sudden dryness in my throat.
Realizing I’ve been staring, I quickly bend at the waist, bowing my head. “Your Majesty. I’m sorry for arriving with no notice or invitation. The matter is urgent, and I?—”
“It’s fine, Lady of the Mountain clan. I am honored by your presence.”
