Page 2 of Dragon Blood

He had partnership contracts to review. Whether or not he was prepared to set himself up for a fresh round of torturous heartbreak, there were still swathes of designated conservation lands that needed more stringent protections.

This portfolio had taken months of painstaking work to fill out. He had to see it through. The conservationists depended on him to ensure that there were no gaps that tycoons could use to worm their way onto their lands for development or resource mining, no matter how hard they leaned on the government to change the laws in their favor.

Someone had to fight for them.

Whether or not Kai went to this wedding full of strangers, he had to ensure this vulnerable organization had everything they needed to protect themselves.

There was no way he was going to allow exploitation of a precious band of wilderness that was home to too many species endangered and at risk.

Removing his shirt, he dropped it onto the back of the sofa before stepping into the first position of his martial routine.

Hands together, he closed his eyes, standing motionless for several minutes as he centered himself.

The room darkened around him, buffering him from the world, lending comfort to his aching heart.

Hands flowing outward and around, foot sweeping, smooth and controlled.

Kai imagined running through lush jungle like the one that he worked to protect. Remembering the wilderness surrounding his father’s territory.

His powerful, silent paws grasping root-covered rocks to climb gullies and gorges, muscles bunching, striated white and black fur glimmering under the brilliant moonlight.

Soon, he lost himself in the darkness and the motion, calming the memories, shadows growing around him.

With the last motions, he swept the shadows away with fluid hands and opened his eyes, releasing the last vestiges of strain from his body.

There was work to do.

Chapter 2

AstredArakkilbankedonan air current, keen eyes scanning the glittering azure seas far below her for their destination—a small island belonging to a long-time friend and ally of her people.

Weddings make my scales itch.

Not being an Aeleftherian practice, she’d never understood the need for that level of commitment.

It wasn’t so much that she hated weddings, per se, it was the restrictions that propriety demanded at official social functions—especially political ones. The expectation that she be on her best behavior, when she’d rather be on her ship, sailing at the whim of her heart and her crew.

This wedding doubled as a gathering on neutral ground for the union between her close friend, former Aeleftherian Guardian Commander Kymri Steelscale and Jori Mountainside, the new king of the dragon mountain of Katoa Koro.

A puff of cloud floated across her path, and brought relief from the sun’s intensity. Angling up into it, she closed her eyes, revelling in the sensation of the cool moisture coating the baked scales that covered her dragon body. Properly misting her wings with a swift roll, she slid below the cloud to resume her search.

There!

A speck appeared, breaking the wavering haze of the distant horizon. Mikrí Oasis, GPSA Agent Carson Perenga’s home island.

Astred drew a deep breath, scrubbing away her anxiety as she dipped her nose for a closer look. After a few minutes, she spotted other approaching dark specks in the sky, and white spots on the ocean’s surface.

Looks like everyone’s arriving right on time.

With a huff, she banked, circling back toward the red sails of her beloved eighteenth century pirate ship, carrying her mother Regina, the dragon Queen of Aeleftheria Nisi.

This is such a bad idea.

Despite everything, she couldn’t ignore the pleasure of knowing her mother had finally set foot aboard her precious ship.

After all this time. For a political wedding far outside the protective boundaries of Aeleftherian territory and her fleet of guardians, no less.

It would have been nice if she’d come aboard, just once, just for me.

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