Page 15 of Cursed with the Dragon Prince

Drakon waits, standing beside me. And side by side, we look upon the Nearbright Sea. Despite standing in the same place as the night before, the sun casts everything in a different light.

A breeze wafts over my skin, kissing my scales, and I breathe through the strange sensations, my brain spinning to keep pace. I tap my clawed fingertips against the flesh of my other forearm, listening to theclinkof talon on scale, finding reassurance in the pressure of my own touch.

I’m changed. This body is still me.

Like the other dragon fae, the scales don’t cover my skin. Instead, they form long lines following the lengths of my limbs. I’m colored with hues of bold purple and softer pink.

I check my palms, running my fingertips against the places where the Maledictum’s thorns pierced me, but while there are nearly invisible scars, I’m healed.

My new flesh is tougher than my human skin. And I discover my feet are naturally protected, scaled and callused. My body protects me in ways it couldn’t before.

“What happened?” I ask, glancing at Drakon from the corner of my eye.

“For a time, you’ve become dragon fae,” he answers. “You’ll be able to shift and fly.”

To become a dragon, tofly.It sounds breathtaking that my body could now carry such power within. Except… “What do you mean, for a time?”

“It depends on your decision.”

“I don’t understand.”

He swallows, still not much for talking.

“What do I have to decide?” I ask.

He nods, encouraging himself to speak. Then he points to the countless balconies. Like the great hall, there is far more space than there are dragon fae. “The clan used to be larger, before my grandfather clawed Wisp’s throne and started the curse.”

“I saw the throne,” I reply, remembering where the gold turned red. “Does your grandfather lead the clan?”

“He was our final king. He died after damaging the throne.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Drakon shakes his head. “He wasn’t a good leader. Kaliyah is our elder, but she is not connected to Wisp, not in the way a monarch would be.”

“And the curse?” I prompt when he grows silent again.

“Barrenness,” he answers. “Wisp has turned her back on us. Ever since that day, we have borne no children. I was a faeling when the curse began, and a century later, I’m still the youngest of our clan.”

Their cause strikes me, rubbing salt in a wound that I don’t know how to heal. “What is my role in this?”

He turns to me, his eyes wide with hope. “Only a human can end the curse. A human who forsakes their former life, claims their dragon fae body, and becomes our monarch. So either you walk away, become human again, and we’ve spent our last chance to be redeemed or… you become our queen.”

I swallow. It’s a lot to take in. “Last chance?” I ask. “There were others?”

“You’re the third human Wisp has blessed. We only have three chances.”

“What happened to the others?”

He doesn’t answer, not quickly. And I don’t press him. I’ve already learned more than I can comprehend.

Every point he’s made is affirmed by my internal knowledge—Wisp’sknowledge. Our connection isn’t so clear she can communicate why she did such a thing, but I know he’s not deceptive.

Drakon never elaborates on what happened to the others. “I’ve given my oath to keep you safe,” he says instead. “And I will be true to my word.”

I’m reassured enough, at least for the moment, and I put my questioning aside. I need to be, to observe how my fate has shifted. It’s enough to make my head spin. My body is stronger than ever, and I’m with a clan that values me,needsme. I have a male’s oath of safety in the trials that are to come.

Maybe this is the opportunity I’ve been praying for.

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