Page 39 of Harbinger

The heir to House Vortimer had challenged me.

Worse than even that, he’d threatened me.

He’d even used one of his other unique abilities—a fucking lightning strike—to decimate a turret of my castle. Considering that one of my trials as a teenager had been to build myown home from scratch with my abilities while in full dragon form, which had taken weeks upon weeks to achieve and had required mustering perfect control over my gifts, destroying said creation had been a real bitch move on that bastard’s part.

House Titanus was the strongest of the dragon bloodlines within the Dracoryn Realm, possessing unmatched ruthlessness and raw, destructive power. “From Ash, We Rise” was our motto.

We ruled over all else, but that fact also invited constant challenges.

And that was what Draven was doing now.

What he was making the mistake of doing.

All without the blessing of his mother, too.

I caught a glimpse of his blue and silver scales a moment before he employed his Thunderstep in an attempt to blast through my flames with a burst of teleportation.

As I’d predicted, a howl tore from his throat as he failed, and then I heard the thunderous rumble of one in full dragon form rolling on the ground trying to put the fire out that had attacked his body. He’d succeed, but not without sustaining damage.

While he was reeling, I flicked my tail right through the flames, not suffering any damage myself because they belonged to me, and I caught his belly and sent him careening into his home—an ice mountain that was mostly just ash and leaking water now thanks to my retaliatory efforts.

He screamed as he careened into it, and I watched over the flames as he tore right through what little was left of it and spun out into the sky, struggling to regain his balance.

He had to shift out of his dragon form to manage it and get control, and then he was teleporting back before my circle of flames.

I shifted back too—it was dishonorable to attack a dragon in full dragon form, while they were in a pre-shifted state.

And then I thrust my hands forward and my circle of flames became two streams that I directed right at him, the furious fire cutting a path across the black, charred ground headed straight for him.

“I yield!” he screamed, just before they hit.

Having supreme control over my fire abilities, I was able to hold steady at his cry, just before they made contact.

He lowered himself to one knee immediately to emphasize his determination to surrender.

“You win, V!” he called over. “I’m sorry.”

I called my flames back and groaned in rapture as I reabsorbed them into my being.

Before I could take stock of my victory and revel in my superior performance, I caught sight of dragons in flight approaching, recognizing my father’s markings in amongst half a dozen others. I could feel the negative energy radiating off all of those concerned.

I knew it didn’t bode well.

I’d lived it before.

I stilled.

Before.

This had already happened.

I looked out at Draven and he suddenly dematerialized.

So did the incoming dragon horde headed straight for me.

All that remained was the charred ground, the sight of Draven’s destroyed home, then the rest of the ice mountains flanking the area.

I frowned as they took on a vibrant-blue sheen that was unnatural compared to their usual appearance.

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