CHAPTER ONE
TYNAN
Darkness came quickly with hundreds of dragons blocking the setting sun and hiding the clouds in the sky. Warriors from hostile clans landed in the clearing around us, coloring the field in dark blue flying suits and white leather. Two warring clans had put aside their differences to strike us when we were at our lowest point, just hours after an attack on Darragh. Among the numerous faces, there was one that was painfully familiar. Erin. Our childhood friend, who chose to serve his masters instead of helping the people from his own clan. By leading the enemy here, he ensured that more blood would be spilled. I tracked every move he made, barely able to suppress the burning rage that filled my chest.
I knew why they came. They wanted Alina back in the capital, or possibly force her into marriage right here while there were only two clans present. I stepped in front of her and placed my hand on the hilt of my sword. There was no way I would let anyone touch her, or even come near. If they wanted her, they wouldhave to go through me, and I would make sure to take as many of them to the very bottom of the darkest void.
The sound of steel being released pierced the silence, thick as molasses. The black clan warriors had unsheathed their blades, ready for another fight.
“Ty!” Alina whispered.
Her hand braced against my upper arm, her soft voice weak and unsteady. My gaze roamed over the men dressed in white and blue, and a raw, violent determination entered my soul. I was ready.
Alina
Hundreds of dragons landed in the clearing, so many of them that I stopped counting. There was no way the black clan could fight two clans at the same time. I looked around. Only several dozen warriors survived the first attack, and most of them had spread out, looking for survivors and aiding others. There was no way we could face all of them. I clenched Tynan’s arm and then forced myself to let go. He could not worry about me right now.
The enemy dragons swiftly changed into their human form, and soon the entire area was packed with men in blue and white leathers. I scrutinized their faces, poorly lit by the light of the torches. Many of them I knew from the capital. Young and eager to distinguish themselves with an easy win. They did not know, they could not know, the horror this land had just witnessed. All the pain and suffering that rolled through Darragh like a merciless, ravaging storm. At this moment, I hated all of them with their fresh faces and neat suits. They watched Tynan withoverconfident and smug smirks on their faces, too indifferent about the lives of other dragonborns. The mass of white, black, and blue leathers, merged together like raging flood waters. Among them was Erin. Same light hair, same open, friendly face. Except, he made a point not to look at Tynan, deliberately facing the other way.
“Traitor!” someone shouted and many Darragh warriors spit on the ground.
Tynan remained still, his eyes scanned the rows then focused on someone. His upper lip lifted in disgust. I followed his gaze, and my blood chilled in my veins.
The man who leisurely walked toward us was someone I had spent much time with in the capital. His long, blond hair was tied in the back, and his exquisitely made, snow white armor displayed inclusions of silver and gold.
Lord Rutherford.
The clan leader I was supposed to marry was here. He found us. He came to take me back.
“Greetings, milady,” he said in a soft, pleasant voice.
The tone of his voice, his manners could have belonged to a courtier, to a noble starting a pleasant conversation in the palace, not someone who came surrounded by his armored warriors.
His eyes took in my face, my ripped leather suit and then moved to the field where multiple ribbons of smoke winded upward, painting the sky.
“What do you want?” Tynan asked.
“I’m here to take my bride back to the capital,” Rutherford calmly stated.
The way he spoke showed that he had no doubt of his success. He did not come to bargain, he came to force his will on others, and he was sure it would all be an easy victory.
I took Tynan’s hand and his fingers immediately intertwined with mine. There was no way I would ever leave him. Not now, not ever.
“The fuck you are.” Tynan snarled and the look on his face turned menacing, feral.
I did not need a bond between us to know that Tynan was going to sacrifice everything in order to protect me. He just drew a line, showing the others that he was not going to yield before the other lord, or the council.
“You may think that I came to ask your opinion or your permission.” Lord Rutherford looked somewhere behind us, and another person stepped through the crowd.
Lord Halsey. His massive, out of shape body, tightly packed into his blue uniform, looked grotesquely misshapen. It was almost laughable compared to the other clan warriors.
Were they prepared to use force if I refused to comply?
I glanced around, seeing determination on the faces of the remaining defenders. There was no way I would allow more blood to be spilled, but accepting either man was impossible. I could never do it, even for the greater good. If those were my only two choices, I would rather slash my throat with my own dagger than let any one of them touch me.
My breathing became raw, my legs were shaking, but I was no longer able to stay silent. I would not allow others to decide my future, and deny me my true destiny.
“How about my decision? I’m not going anywhere.” I let go of Tynan’s hand and took a step forward, standing beside him.
