Page 87 of His Greatest Treasure

“You have a hundred generations of pure blood in your veins!”

“I don’tcareabout my blood,” I cried.

My father suddenly lost his composure. He roared, “You are the golden dragon! The purity of ouruasalblood has given you this gift and it is your duty to use your power for the clan.”

“What use is my pure blood if I can’t be with my mate?”

“Thatcreatureis not yourmate!”

“He is!”

This time, my words burst out of me with the same flaming anger they had when I’d roared at the hag. I felt the fire simmering in my belly and then it scorched up my throat and into my mouth. I spat out flames with the words, and felt the intense heat on my face.

I was so surprised by it that I forgot to shout at my father again. I looked round at Blaze quickly, hoping he would say something. I didn’t even know what I wanted him to say.

He was standing next to my mother, looking small and delicate, and he had a little smile on his face. He didn’t look worried at all.

When he saw me looking, he said, “You’re incredible, Alfie. Your fire is so pretty.”

“I- I didn’t know dragons could breathe fire in their human form. I thought we had to shift first.”

Uncle George spoke quietly, as though he hadn’t decided that he really wanted to be heard.

“Only the golden dragon has the power to breathe flame in human form. You are special.”

My father turned his blue-white eyes upon Uncle George and I spoke. I just didn’t like the way he was looking at my clan. He was dangerous, and angry, and I spoke before I could think it through.

It worked, though. I drew my father’s attention again and he left Uncle George alone.

“I didn’t realise I was special. Why did nobody tell me?”

My father said, “Until you shifted, we could not be sure youwerespecial.”

I couldn’t pinpoint why, but that felt offensive, somehow. I thought parents were meant to think their children were special no matter what.

I didn’t get the chance to point that out, though, not that I probably would. I didn’t generally talk to my father for longer than I had to.

“Your brother, Alexander, was a golden dragon. We had high hopes for the disowned dragon, but he was weak and treacherous.”

I clamped my mouth shut. Morgan had done nothing more than fall in love with his trainer, as far as I could see. My father didn’t like his clan doing anything like that without his permission.

“Morgan tried his best. It’s not his fault he isn’t golden. I didn’t ask to be golden, either. I just want to be with Blaze, that’s all. And maybe I could learn how to build the defences up again. My dragon doesn’t like them being weak.”

Lord Somerville actually pulled his lip back as he spoke to me, more snarl than anything else.

“You will learn your place, Alphonse. And that creature has no place in my clan.”

Chapter 35

Blaze

Lord Somerville scared me. When his icy eyes turned on me, I felt the shock of his power, so cold and sharp. It made me hiss like I was being rained on.

I wouldn’t say it hurt, but it damaged me. His power was awful.

Instinctively, I shied away behind my mate and I was hidden from Lord Somerville’s view by Alfie’s body.

From there, where I felt safe, I glanced around at the other members of the clan. They were still standing there, waiting. Nobody was paying attention to them and they seemed to be unsure what to do. I’d thought clans of dragons all worked well together, working in harmony and each protectingthe others. That was why I’d entered the dragon’s territory in the first place. I’d thought dragon territories were strong and defended.

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