Page 3 of Dragon King's Cursed Mate

“You can avoid death if you agree to serve me. You shall have all the riches you want if you agree to be my advisor and protect my reign.”

“No. You are not the true king—merely a pretender, and your reign will soon come to an end. Everyone’s fates are decided by the fates and the stars upon birth. There is no escape.”

King Malakar snarled. “I shall enjoy watching your head roll and will personally put it on a spike for all to see.”

Seraphina merely smiled at him. Once again, the flicker of fear exploded in his eyes, and he growled at her before storming away.

Soon, the guards came for her. They treated her with respect and deference, not touching her. They led her to the platform outside of the ruined temple King Malakar had destroyed when he attacked the kingdom. He’d never bothered replacing it.

Seraphina blinked several times as the bright sunshine temporarily blinded her. In spite of her visions, her heart thundered in her chest. She knew that all it would take was one small change in the ripple of the wind and she would die today. Although she wasn’t afraid to pass onto the next realm, she didn’t want to. She had too many things to accomplish—like watching Malakar fall.

The executioner stood off to one side, his face covered by a black leather mask. He was dressed entirely in black so that no one would be able to determine his identity.

“Forgive me, Oracle,” he whispered as she walked by.

She nodded stiffly to him. “There is nothing to forgive. You must carry out your duties as required by the king.”

King Malakar stood in front of the crowd of people that gathered. He was surrounded by several of his court members who’d grown rich from the evil king’s rule. His arms were crossed over his chest and he wore a huge smirk.

“You can always change your mind and accept my offer, Oracle. You only have to call out for mercy.” The king’s voice was mocking, yet at the same time, held some hope that she would agree to serve him.

Seraphina stood tall and surveyed the crowd that had gathered. Several of the people had folded their hands together as though praying. She could see the fear on their faces and smell it in the air.

Varik Morgrave, the spokesman for the king and second in command, stood in front of her and narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re foolish for choosing death.”

“Death is a better option than serving evil. My soul is intact. Is yours?” Her voice was very calm, not betraying her nervousness.

His fists clenched into tight white-knuckled knots. “I’ll be glad to see you die.”

Varik turned around to face the crowd. “Oracle Seraphina Nightbane has been found guilty of treason against our great King Malakar. For her crime, she has been sentenced to death by beheading.” He looked at Seraphina and snarled, “Kneel before the chopping block and place your head on it.”

Seraphina smiled as she obeyed the command, although her heart was racing and her gut was tied into several knots. She hid her clenched fists in the fabric of her tunic. Although she had faith in her visions, only a fool didn’t feel fear.

I won’t give them the satisfaction of knowing I’m afraid. If there has been a shift in the stars, I’ll die with dignity.

She scanned the crowd, searching for the man she’d seen in her visions, waiting for the axe to fall.

2

Dain

Dain growled and lightning shot into the air, illustrating his frustration, as he looked around at his trusted group of friends and warriors who were members of his royal court before Dain had been betrayed by his uncle.

They sat in the remains of the temple that still stood in the Ruins of Arkhadia where they’d set up camp for themselves and all of their followers—most of whom were refugees from Wyrmhaven. They had escaped the barbarous rule of Malakar.

The ruins were a crumbling skeleton of what once had been a major stronghold in the kingdom of Arkhadia. It had been a center of power and knowledge, ruled by the mighty King Zane Shadowfang. The realm had been known for its tactile brilliance and mastery over earth, wind, fire, and water, especially fire and storm magic. A great line of warrior kings had led the land until King Zane was betrayed and Arkhadia had fallen, long before Dain’s birth. The legend was that the king was sleeping, waiting for his time to return.

The forest had overtaken much of the ruins. Jagged spires reached high into the sky. The walls were covered in ivyand thorn-laced vines. Sentries watched for the enemies in the remnants of towers. Hidden chambers and underground tunnels provided a safe place for the people to bed down at night in tents. During the day, the people worked in the open courtyard surrounded by the fractured stone walls, growing food, processing the animals hunted, cooking, and other chores necessary to survive.

Kael Blackfire, a fire dragon shifter, Dain’s second in command and enforcer, sat next to him. “At least the scouts won’t be returning to Malakar to tell him where we are. It’s hard to relocate everyone, especially the children and elderly.”

“Thanks to Valon’s ability to see them coming in his visions,” Lucian Stormborn said, slapping Valon on the back.

Dain nodded to Valon, who was a golden dragon shifter who could see glimpses of the future. He’d seen the scouts and their small army lurking in the woods surrounding the ruins and alerted Dain.

“We managed to swoop in and take them by surprise. The attack was so swift that the enemy didn’t have much of a chance to fight back,” Lucian said. “We only suffered a couple of minor injuries.”

“What’s next?” Valon asked.

---