Page 108 of Dragon Me Through Space

There was only one more obstacle and three competitors in front of me.

I was definitely winded now, but I had to finish strong. The next obstacle required you to jump over a log, then crawl under the next log, and repeat that five times.

Taking a deep breath, I headed to the obstacle and pulled myself over the first log. While crawling under the next one, someone stomped on the bottom half of my leg, right on my calf muscle. I screamed in pain and heard several growls in the distance.

“You’ll never survive to the ceremony,” a female growled at me. “We’ll ensure you don’t sully our race with your non-Dragonkin genes.”

Pulling myself up to the next log, I tested my leg, but the muscle hurt so much that I couldn’t put full weight on it.

“Your High King negotiated the agreement. Are you telling me that you think the High King made a mistake?” I challenged her. She was a gorgeous woman, tall, curvy, and incredibly fit with abs showing through her tight tank top.

“The only use you have to us is dead,” she growled and launched herself at me, trying to use her claws to scratch my face and likely my eyes.

Ducking under her claws, I punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her, and shoved her to the side. Her claws cut through my sleeves, leaving long gashes on my forearm.

Jumping over the log next to me, I continued on my way, trying to focus on finishing the race in the top five. She tried to attack me again, but I dodged her attacks as I limped and hopped my way over and under the logs.

Finally, the finish line was ahead and I ignored the pain as much as I could as I limp-ran my way to it.

The spectators cheered as we finished and I was proud to finish in third place. The woman who had attacked me finished in fifth and started to move towards me, but a group of people came over with water bottles for us all and she stopped.

A man approached me where I sat on the ground. “Can I examine your leg, Princess?”

“Will you be examining everyone who was injured?” I asked, wanting to be sure they weren’t playing favorites since I was a princess.

“Yes, all participants will be provided care,” he answered immediately.

I nodded. “Go ahead.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

After the medic gave me a check-up and provided some medicine, I was ushered over to the participants’ seating area.

An announcer listed the top thirty finishers who would move onto the next round. Unfortunately, that meant the woman who had attacked me would be in the next round as well, so I would have to keep an eye out for her.

Scout zipped over to me, chirped and dropped an earpiece into my hand. Before I could argue about it, she returned to Wayne, who motioned at my ear like I didn’t know what he’d just had Scout deliver.

Reluctantly, I put the earpiece in and waited.

“How badly are you injured?” Wayne asked softly.

“Bruised,” I answered as quietly as I could. I wasn’t certain if I could be disqualified for the earpiece, but I didn’t want to risk it.

“Zeke wants to murder her,” he whispered back and I did not miss the growl in his voice.

“I’m fine.”

“Be careful in this next round, it’s going to be even more dangerous.”

“Take the earpiece back. I don’t want to get disqualified.”

He sighed. “Fine.”

Scout returned and took the earpiece from me.

Looking up at the royals’ boxes, I saw Zeke glaring daggers in the area I was in, but not at me. Wayne was doing something on his tablet, which was unsurprising. Gage was staring at me. Preston was looking out over everything with the most neutral expression I’d seen on his face yet. A neutral expression that matched his parents’ beside him.

Preston noticed me looking and gave me a sly wink.