Lyrandir, the voice called.
Shut the fuck up!I hissed in my head.
But the damage was done. My cock went limp. Never one to waste an opportunity, I used it.
“We are not lovers, and your submission won't appease me.” I cracked my neck and stepped back. “Get me the name of the ship and its captain, Aras.” I grabbed the front of his red velvet coat and twisted it. “I will have Ensarena's Eye or I will have your cock. And not in the way you want to give it to me.” I shoved him away and strode out of the room.
As I left, I heard Aras's breath catch. I had scared him. Good. And yet, I ached for him. I didn't want to frighten Captain Aras. I wanted to see him brave, strong, and in my bed. But a king couldn't let such longings rule him. I had to make it clear to Aras that he would pay dearly if he failed to bring me the prize he promised. Now, he would stop at nothing to get Ensarena's Eye.
And I would stop at nothing to make him mine.
Chapter Two
A few hours later, I found myself pacing the length of my chambers, giving my body something to do other than go to Aras. I couldn't understand what kind of hold that man had over me. I'd never been so fascinated by a partner before. I kept replaying our conversation in my head, and every time I reached the part where I coldly told him we were not lovers, I cringed. It was true. We weren't lovers. We'd been together once, right before he left to fetch me the Eye. A single night does not make two men into lovers.
But the way my chest clenched when I watched his ship leave the harbor told another story.
Yes, I'd gone to see him off. See him, not let him see me. The morning after our one time together, I woke to an empty bed and a terrible ache in my chest. I needed to see Aras one last time. I went to one of my favorite restaurants, a place perched over the water, jutting into the harbor. It wasn't at the docks but off in a nicer area of Renris, further out in the bay.
From my private balcony, at a table for one, I broke my fast with an incredible view of the Tiger's Claw as it passed by, heading out to the open sea. Upon the deck stood Aras, looking as if he were posing for me. I could still see him there, at the helm, his stare on open water and his shoulders squared. He looked back once, right as the ship crossed my view, and I felt,well, terrible. I don't know how else to describe it. I wanted to leap from the balcony and fly to him. I had a vision of snatching Aras from the deck in my dragon form and taking him somewhere no one would find us.
But that damn voice was still fresh in my mind, churning through my thoughts and tossing away the ones that didn't suit it. Abducting the captain who was meant to bring it to me did not suit the Eye's purposes. So it kept me in my seat. Just as it kept me from going to Aras now that he had returned in failure.
The Eye needed the Captain to secure it.
I stopped suddenly, feeling something I hadn't felt in ages. Not only was it unfamiliar, it was also an emotion that didn't originate from me. Fear. And if it wasn't mine . . .
“You're afraid,” I whispered.
Of course, I'm afraid!the Eye snapped inside my mind.I'm in the hands of pirates. They are only concerned with making a profit. So, if Aras does not reach me in time, I will be sold to the highest bidder. And I doubt there will be a single Dragon King invited to the auction.
The Eye's fear comforted me. It made her less foreign, more like a person. And I also enjoyed her anxiety. She deserved to feel it after heaping so much on me.
Before I could reply, the castle shuddered. Instinctively, I flung my arms out to retain my balance. A second of confusion passed before I ran for the door.
One of my Dragon knights opened it before I reached it. “Your Majesty, I think we're under attack.”
I pushed past the arrogant bastard and raced down the corridor. A roar echoed. A dragon! A fucking dragon was attacking my home? He'd soon be a dead dragon.
I put on speed, heading for the keep's main entrance. At last, I reached the castle door and found it open. The frame formed a painting of the courtyard, where the rest of my Dragon knights were transforming. I burst outside, ready to shift with them, but then something large flew over our heads. No, not flew. Swam.
“Vaxarion!” I snarled, tracking his path.
It was the Sea Dragon King who had recently visited. He said he was on a tour of the land kingdoms that bordered his ocean kingdom. But why would he attack me on the heels of his diplomatic visit?
Then I spotted something through the tunnel of water that King Vaxarion swam through. Yes, tunnel of water. The damn Sea Dragons shouldn't be able to fly, but they'd found a way around their lack of wings. With their advanced control of Water Magic, they could summon rivers in the sky and swim through them. The water blurred details, but the vibrant swath of purple hair shone through. It wasn't a common color and yet, I'd recently met a man with purple hair. And it was King Vaxarion who had introduced us.
It had to be the same Neraky the Sea King had brought into my castle to fuck. He was a stunning specimen who I halfheartedly flirted with. There were several men I tried to fuck while Aras was gone, but I never got past the kissing. As soon as our lips met, I'd feel a strange revulsion. So, I wasn't upset when that Neraky left my castle early the next morning, preventing any further interaction between us. King Vaxarion, however, hadawakened the entire castle with an echoing roar full of fury and determination. He had left shortly afterward, so I never had the chance to ask him why he'd been so upset.
Now, I had my answer.
It wasn't merely the fact that King Vaxarion had returned for the Neraky. It was the way the Sea King clutched the man, cradling him to his chest like a treasure. That alone told me how important the Neraky was to King Vaxarion. I narrowed my eyes after them.
“Should we give chase, Your Majesty?” one of the knights asked.
I took a deep, thorough breath, refreshing my memory of the Neraky's scent, then snarled, “Yes, of course, you should chase the motherfucker who just attacked us! Go!”
With the return of Karadas, the Dragon God, all Dragons, both Land and Sea, got their Water Magic back. Most of the Land Dragons didn't know we originally had Water Magic. We didn't know about Sea Dragons or that we even had a god. The Sea Dragons had been in stasis, a sort of deep sleep brought on by being cut off from the source of their only magic, but Land Dragons had more Fire in them than Water and remained awake. Granted, the lack of Water threw us out of balance and made us volatile, but at least we didn't get knocked out for thousands of years.
