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The men jerked up at the commanding boom of Rush’s voice. “Your Majesty,” they said in unison.
“Have the assholes stepped into Moonstone yet?” Rush inquired.
“N—no,” a man in dark blue stuttered. “Starnight is advancing as we speak, but they’re sneaking through the woods.”
“Mmm. And who are you?” Rush purred, eyeing him.
“Lord Erril.” He pointed to the man with the white feather. “This is my brother, Lord Narun. And my cousin, Lord Terog.”
Terog, with his brown speckled feather, gave a slight bow, his features tight. “We weren’t sure you would come.”
Rush narrowed his eyes at the pathetic man and his thin mustache. It was good to know how little he thought of his king. “Oh? And where is Lord Vikram? Is he not in charge of protecting this town?”
“He is,” Narun answered in a stiff voice. “He and his nephew, Dzmitry, never returned from visiting the palace.”
“That’s because I killed them for treason.” Rush lifted a brow, daring anyone to criticize him. “Who did Vikram leave in charge while he was gone?”
Erril’s eyes widened before he cleared his throat. “We were sorting that out.”
“Sorting it out?” Rush’s voice rose. “He must’ve leftsomeone—”
“He left me in charge,” a female voice interrupted. The men parted to reveal a middle-aged woman sitting on the edge of the fountain, an ivory satin gown hugging her buxom form. “They just don’t want to accept it.”
“I’mthe next in line after Dzmitry,” Terog snarled.
Rushtsked.However little he knew about this woman, he knew enough about the men that it made no difference. “Since Vikram and Dzmitry won’t be returning, the lady will continue to run the estate. Don’t bother petitioning the decision, or I’ll strip you of your titles.” He held up a hand to silence any potential outcries from the stunned group. “Now, what have you done to prepare for a potential attack? By the looks of it, you’ve done nothing except wait to get yourselves slaughtered.”
“We didn’t want to create a panic,” Terog said.
“And what do you think being blindsided with an attack will do?” Rush’s upper lip curled into a sneer. He didn’t have time for this. If anything happened to Astor, Aura would be left defenseless as she slept. And … for some reason, he wanted to be there if, or when, she woke.
Throwing a disdainful look at the men, he trudged toward the forest to take care of his territory while the fools stood around. The solution was simple—he would smoke the bastards out of the forest. Half of those trees were on Moonstone soil and if his own land caught fire, spreading into Starnight, he could hardly be blamed for a natural disaster. The soldiers would be forced from their hiding places while avoiding an act of war.
Rush called to his dragon—the beast stirred, then burst forth in a single breath. Scales broke through his skin, bones shifting and expanding, and his vision sharpened. Villagers cried out in surprise, but he ignored them and leapt into the air. The forest wasn’t far, only a few thunderous cracks of his wings. Just enough time for fire to course inside him. Smoke trailed from his nostrils as he dove for the edge of the forest. He opened his mouth, exposing sharp rows of teeth, and released a blistering stream of fire.
Rippling waves of heat followed the bright orange flames with precision. It slammed into the ground, leaving a shallow crater in its path. Rush turned his head so the fire traced the edge of the forest. It took mere moments before enough trees crackled, smoke billowing into the sky, that Rush was certain the entire forest would turn to ash.
Slamming his mouth shut, Rush swallowed the remaining flames. A bitter taste coated his tongue as he licked the sulfur from his scaled lips. He circled the area twice before landing at the edge of the blaze. Rush then called his dragon back inside himself, his bare human form absorbing the heat, relishing it. Fire snapped, cracked, and raged, but no screams came from any of the people. Were they far enough out that they had time to run? Rush narrowed his eyes, hoping to make out even the smallest hint that Starnight was deterred.
Pain pierced his shoulder and he clenched his teeth.
Rush spun around just as a second arrow whizzed past his ear.
Fuck.
Three men in blue Starnight uniforms, a silver star over their hearts, nocked another round of arrows. There was no time to figure out where they’d come from or if there were more. They’d shot at him.Him.A ruling sovereign. He would tear their spines from their flesh, rip them apart, then burn them to ash.
His dragon shifted and came out to play again before Rush could attempt to attack on his own. With no weapon, it was the sure way to defeat the enemy. The beast screeched, high and full of fury. And still, the soldiers rantowardhim. Arrows sailed at Rush, striking his scales with a sharp sting, but the damage was minimal. Unlike the arrow still lodged in his shoulder joint where his wing had sprung from his back.
Rush clamped his jaw down over the first man to enter his space, not caring who the fuck it was but wishing it could’ve been Pax. Hot blood gushed between his teeth, and he flung the body into the blazing fire. The scent of scorched flesh filled the air alongside the smoke, but it didn’t deter the others.
Dozens of Starnight soldiers raced toward him with axes, swords, and bows. Rush blasted another breath of fire at the enemy, only missing a few. A blonde woman lodged her battle axe into his front leg. Rush roared, pain exploding up his limb, but he didn’t hesitate to rip her head off and swallow it.
Turning, he slammed the rest of the attackers away with the swipe of his tail. Straight into the forest fire where screams rose above the crackling blaze.
He sucked in rapid breaths as his dragon’s vision sharpened. The beast shifted his hearing to focus on individual noises, one right after another, until he was certain no humans were left. Only burning woodland, trees toppling, the beat of bird wings as they escaped. He shook his head from side to side to rid himself of the piercing pain in his body.
Fuck.
