Page 25 of Dragon Blood

If this isn’t the result of her absence, then what—or who caused this? Someone from the wedding party?

A shiver rippled through Astred.

Kymri and Marli had accepted the former enemy male dragons readily enough; her two oldest and closest friends, outside of the Crimson Claw’s crew.

Astred’s gaze slid to Kolina, watching the proceedings from the opposite side of Regina’s sick bed, arms crossed, expression grim.

Kolina and Elora were her mother’s closest friends. As close as one could have, when a sovereign.

Otherwise, Regina was surrounded by council appointed servants.

Astred rubbed at the tension in her throat, suddenly longing for the freedom of her ship.

Thoughts of ascension to the throne, ruling at the hands of the aged council, always brought sensations of suffocation that usually had her headed to the port earlier than expected.

She couldn’t do that now, not with her mother in danger.

If Regina was in danger, so was Aeleftheria.

I can’t run away.

Not anymore.

Kaipacedhisnewguest room, his travel bag resting atop the foot of the high four-poster bed. The room was large and comfortable, but his inner tiger prowled within its walls.

Danger.

Entrapment.

Travel bag in hand, he’d followed the attendant down a spiral staircase that reminded him of the servants’ steps in medieval castles, along a covered footbridge, to another section of the complex. Different from the sweeping architecture he’d known as a youth in the Eastern Air Dragon court. Onward, through a variety of torch lit, rough stone corridors, which opened to a grand central hall bearing many family crests, and up a sweeping staircase with the Aeleftherian seal etched into a marble slab set into the wall. He recognized it as the duplicate of the pendant adorning Regina’s hair at the wedding.

A dragon entwined with a flame.

The image poked at the ancient dragon soul within him, making his skin prickle.

I don’t belong here.

‘Yes, you do,’his dragon growled.

The attendant led him to a thick wooden door, intricately carved with Aeleftherian flora, set into the thick stone walls. Pushing it open, she gestured for him to enter and silently pulled the door closed behind him.

As much as he wanted to leave this place that he’d given up wanting to see at the age of fourteen, here he was, fighting his deep-seated curiosity. His need to know something of his heritage—his mother’s heritage.

A culture that rejected his like.

Not just a male, but an anomaly. A hybrid male.

Most children of mixed shifter heritage were born as one or the other of their parents’ genetics.

Rarely both.

Did they know? Had Kolina told them what he was? Had she ever spoken of him tothem?

He’d never known what Astred had thought of his duality. They’d never spoken of it, but her rejection of his proposal had been enough.

Kai huffed.

Of course, she would never have accepted him as he was. As heir to the Aeleftherian throne, no queen could have a live-in consort, let alone one such as himself.

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