Page 39 of The Dragon Queen

Just a slight twist of Draven’s lips, that’s all it took to make clear last night wasn’t just a fever dream.

“Then you will no doubt be aware of what comes of these things. The wild queen?—”

Cynane,Glimmer thought, glaring at the man.

“Cynane.” Rex corrected himself unconsciously. “She has taken to nesting in the hatching sands. We could conceal the fact that we have several wild dragons for some time, but when we have wild dragonlings as well?”

I didn’t need Glimmer or Darkspire to read his mind. The gleam in Rex’s eyes made clear what he would like to do. Re-purpose these young dragonlings as potential bondmates for yet more riders, adding to the corps number, potentially replacing those lost to Harlston.

All these baby dragons surrounded by humans that wanted to use them as warriors, as weapons. I swallowed hard, trying to moisten my suddenly dry throat. Perhaps it was for them that I spoke.

“I’ll talk to Cynane,” I said in quite a different tone than I usually used. Not a suggestion, I was informing Draven and the general what I would do. “Find out what she intends to do. She came here to fulfil the dictates of the treaty forged by Queen Inara, one she took an instrumental role in creating.”

“Queen talking to queen?” Rex had sucked in a breath to protest, but Draven cut him off. “That sounds like a wise plan. Let me know what Cynane has to say.”

“Got our orders?”Ged asked me as I walked over to Cloudy. He caught my stricken expression and took a step towards me, stopping himself before he got too close.

“Orders?” That came out in a half hysterical snort. “I told the general I’d go visit Cynane in the hatching sands to stop him from eyeing her off, measuring her for potential eggs he could steal and bond to future riders.”

“Taking two queens to meet with another one?” Soren winked at Glimmer. “Sounds like we know what the next step is. Your Highnesses.”

As he swept my dragon a deep bow, Wraith extended a foreleg, allowing Glimmer to claw her way upwards with ease.

Deferential, she told me.I think I like this one of your mates the best.

You say that whenever any one of them does something you like.

It is the way of queens, she told me sagely.When they please us, then we reward their good behaviour.

I watched her lean down and rub her head against Wraith’s neck, the big purple dragon making a rumbly sound of pleasure.

“Ready, my queen?”

I answered Soren by taking position on his saddle, but when he slid in behind me, it didn’t feel like we were queen and her rider. I couldn’t help but see him, naked in more ways than one, staring down into my eyes, forcing me to stay in the moment as pleasure tore us apart.

“Ready,” I replied, as if that were true.

Chapter 20

This was a mistake.

As soon as we stepped onto the hatching sands, I saw it. Glimmer, helpless and limp in my arms, coughing up poison and Zafira, her head hanging over Queen Raina like an executioner’s axe. My feet stumbled, then slowed, forcing my men to stop. In the end, that was serendipitous, because we were not the only ones here. Out of the gloomy darkness came several dragons. Not Cynane, not even Hadrian, their throaty rattles made clear the mistake we had made. This was not a tame dragon coerced to breed for the sake of the empire.

These dragons were wild.

“They’re protecting their queen,” Brom said, throwing his arms out as he stepped in front of me, as if that would be enough to keep me safe.

“A queen that’s nesting.” Flynn’s hand went to his sword, as did Soren’s and Ged’s.

“Don’t do that,” I hissed, shooting them an alarmed look, but forced to then stare at the incoming dragons. They moved so fast, with such snakelike grace, it was both horrifying and beautiful at the same time. “A sword won’t help us right now…!”

But Glimmer would.

Her name came out in a strangled squeak, one I choked off as the dragons lunged closer, only to stop in their tracks. It didn’t stop my men from throwing themselves forward, and that’s when I understood what was happening.

Males protect, Glimmer told me as I heard some muffled roars, I assume from her mates.

And females?I asked in a faintly hysterical tone.

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