Page 3 of The Heart of the Dragon

"You are the one who forced me here. All of this is on you."

Kitra winced at my accusation. Gaining her mother's power had made her even more powerful than the king had feared. The use of blood magic had been outlawed in all the realms for good reason. No one person should possess such volatile magic.

"Don't blame her, fucker. You were the one chasing us and trying to cause problems for us every step of the way. If you don't like the outcome, well, that's just too fucking bad."

A wild roar ripped from my mouth along with a trail of fire that singed the earth at Isaac's feet. If he wanted to become part of my latest dragon barbecue, I was more than ready to accommodate him. His arrogance had been a problem from the beginning, and if he was to be the new dragon king in this realm, I couldn’t stay here.

"Magnus, stop!" Kitra ran towards me before I could stop her, magic pouring from her fingertips.

Isaac's reaction was immediate and fierce, his body tensing as his dragon ripped through his skin at the same time as mine. The furious roar that erupted from him echoed through the air in deadly waves.

The anger between us thickened the air with smoke, ash, and the sound of roaring flames. The acrid scent of scorched earth filled our nostrils, a testament to the destructive power we both wielded. Our dragon forms, mine green, his black, towered over the landscape, casting ominous shadows across the ground.

As the tension mounted, it was clear that the stakes were too high. We could fight to the death, but our power and skills were nearly identical. A battle between us was more likely to end with us both going down in a blaze of destruction.

The thought of our shared blood being spilled sent a chill down my spine, despite the inferno raging around us. Our uncle, the bastard king, would revel in our demise, as the path to total domination of both realms would be cleared.

More smoke and fire erupted from my throat, which I barely managed to keep from hitting Kitra. I did, however, deflect her magic, but the dark kiss of it on my senses fed something deep and black slithering through my soul.

Years of magical manipulation at the King's hand had left a permanent mark and an unquenchable thirst for more. My dragonfire drank in that darkness as if it were some sort of life force. She must have realized what I was doing and stopped.

But it was too late. I had what I needed, and the dragon once again took what he wanted.

My mind.

I couldn't fight. Or stop anything.

My last thought before he took complete control was that maybe Isaac was right. If I couldn’t get my dragon under control, and this thirst for darkness satiated, then I represented too much danger.

There’d be no choice but to end this by ending me.

Chapter

Two

Rose

"Goodnight,Rose. Thanks for staying open for me. I really appreciate it," my customer said, clutching the small decorative bag I handed over containing his purchase.

"No problem at all. Let me know how that rash turns out," I replied with a warm smile, waving as I ushered him out. I closed the door of my shop behind my final customer, the bell above it tinkling softly. With a tired sigh, I turned the weathered "Open" sign to "Closed," officially ending another long day of potion-making and problem-solving.

The setting sun cast a golden glow through the windows, illuminating the shelves lined with colorful bottles and jars of herbs.

I was exhausted. The day had started out as a typical cold and rainy early winter Scottish day, which I assumed would lead to a slow sales day.

I'd been wrong.

It seemed like the entire town needed help in one way or another and had decided my potions would fix all of their problems. Not that I doubted my products. Each and every one would work exactly as advertised. I put everything I had into my creations, and between the science I’d studied in college and a smidge of magic from my parents, I had a damned good product line.

But there was only so much herbal remedies could do. Some things were better left to fate.

Especially when it came to affairs of the heart, I was afraid the women AND men I'd seen today might be out of luck. But if nothing else, they needed a dose of hope before they were ready to face their grief.

I briefly stared up at the storm darkened sky and wrapped my cardigan tighter around me. The days and nights were getting a lot colder, and it would soon be time for me to end my sales season and head back home to the coast.

I preferred to hunker down alone in my cozy cottage for the coldest part of the year. It was the ideal time to test out new products for the next busy season. Spring.

However, this wasn't the time to linger with my wandering thoughts. The pressing needs of others called, and I needed to get to the shelter, quickly.

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