Page 94 of A Court of Darkness and Dragons

We waited nearly an hour before the sky above us stirred with the beat of massive wings. Hein descended, his talons hooked around the hulking body of a sea cow. The creature looked as if it could have fed a small village for weeks, but dangling from Hein’s feet it seemed merely… adequate.

He landed with a thunderous thud, placing his catch in the center of the stone clearing. The scent of salt and blood filled the air as Hein stepped back, wings folding tight against his massive body.

For a moment, the smaller dragons hesitated. Their bodies trembled, claws scraping nervously at the stone. Then hunger overcame fear. One by one they approached, first at a crawl, then in a rush, serrated teeth sinking into the flesh.

The sound was immediate and brutal—a wet tearing, bone cracking under jaws built to rend. They swarmed the carcass in a frenzy, their wings half-spread to shield scraps from the others, their low growls vibrating through around us.

I turned away, pressing a hand to my stomach. The sound of rending flesh, the smell of copper and salt—it was too much.

Beside me, Jax leaned toward Ferrula, voice pitched low. “Have you ever eaten raw fish?”

Ferrula shrugged, her scar catching the light as she tilted her head. “A time or two. It’s not bad if you throw some salt on it. Some of my countrymen soak it in brine.”

Jax was quiet for a moment, his dark eyes softening in a way I rarely saw. Then, with an inhale, he said, “When we get back… we’ll end our courtship.”

Ferrula looked up at him, her lips parting in surprise. Then she smiled—small, private, but more tender than any I had seen her give. “Yes. You are mine.”

“I am yours,” Jax answered firmly.

Ferrula’s green eyes glinted. “Do you want a Grenthian wedding? You know Dirian customs include several days of sex, but those festivities are intimate. They don’t involve others.”

“All I need is you,” Jax said without hesitation.

Ferrula turned to Naia, mischief dancing on her mouth. “And what of your mother, Naia? Jax is your brother in every way that matters. Will she be satisfied without a ceremony?”

Naia sighed, but her smile was wistful. “She did make Jax something special. It was originally for my brother, but she altered it for Jax. Honestly, Ferrula—she’ll love you so much it won’t matter. Mom adores him. All she wants is his happiness.”

Ferrula turned back to Jax, her voice soft now, reverent. “She raised you. Took you in. We will have the ceremony she sees fit.”

“God, I love you,” Jax breathed, pulling her into a kiss.

Ferrula smirked when they broke apart. “I will enjoy the cunnilingus later.”

“Yeah, you will,” Jax said with a grin, hugging her against his chest.

Zander leaned close to me then, his Dark Fire eyes gleaming with mischief. “Several days of sex,” he murmured. “Perhaps we should include that Dirian custom in our ceremony.”

My jaw dropped, heat flooding my face. Before I could sputter out a reply, Ferrula cut in smoothly, her mouth twitching. “You will make a fine king, Zander. It is wise to be accepting of other cultures. I will give you a Dirian mating itinerary.”

Zander inclined his head, deadly serious. “Thank you, Ferrula.”

We waited as the air filled with the brutal symphony of feeding. The sea cow—gods, it had been massive, nearly the size of a cottage—was reduced to a ruin of torn flesh and splintered bone in less than half an hour. I stared at what remained—ribs cracked open, vertebrae gnawed clean, and scraps of hide trampled beneath clawed feet.

The smaller dragons, their bellies round and slick with blood, drifted back toward the larger dragons. They went in clusters, instinct pulling them toward colors that mirrored their own. Greens clustered beneath Narvea’s looming shadow. Blues edged closer to Koddos, their low hums vibrating in unison. A handful of orange Swordtails tucked themselves awkwardly beneath Temil’s wing.

But not all of them followed.

The golden one—Siergen’s son—padded back to my side, his eyes still soft and too young for a creature his size. A strip of flesh hung between his teeth, and when he dropped it at my feet, my heart clenched. He leaned against me like a child presenting a gift, as if desperate for approval.

I touched his warm scales, forcing a smile through the ache in my chest. “I can’t believe how quickly they got through that. Or how Hein managed to transport something that big.”

Kaelith’s voice rumbled through my thoughts, unimpressed. I would not choose a mate who was an inadequate hunter.

A laugh burst from me, breathless and shaky. “Kaelith, that sea cow was almost as big as Hein.”

It had no teeth or wings, she countered flatly.

I shook my head, smearing blood from the golden dragon’s muzzle with the edge of my sleeve. There was no point in arguing.