Page 34 of Dragon King's Cursed Mate

Dain flew toward him and the boy raised his hands in a fruitless attempt to shield himself from the attack. He screamed, but Dain couldn’t hear him over his blood throbbing in his grain. Just as he inhaled deeply, ready to shroud the boy in ice, another voice penetrated his mind.

Dain, stop.

The command sliced through the fog. Dain looked around, confused.

Dain, we do not kill the innocents. Stop. The boy is an innocent.

He looked at the boy again, who was sobbing and muttering prayers. The red haze and intense need to destroy everyone faded away.

Horror washed over Dain as he realized what he’d nearly done. He staggered back, shifted into his human form, and leaned against a tree for support.

Valon landed next to him and shifted. “Dain, are you with me?”

Dain nodded, his throat tight. “I almost…”

“But you didn’t,” Valon interrupted. “The enemy dragon shifters have been destroyed. Let’s take the most important supplies back to camp and destroy the rest.”

Like the last time, the guards and drivers ran off into the forest. The dragon shifters found the wagons loaded with food and other necessities. Xander melted the weapons and other supplies with several streams of hot magma. Then, they all grabbed a wagon of supplies and flew back to the ruins.

Dain immediately set his wagon down in the courtyard and retreated to his tent without saying a word. He saw the dragonfly talisman sitting on his desk. Dain groaned. He’d taken it off to bathe and forgot to put it on again.

He slipped it over his head and immediately felt the warmth radiating from it. “I won’t make that mistake again.”

It took him a long time before he could fall asleep. He was terrified of what he’d almost done. Had he killed that innocent boy, he’d been no better than Malakar.

Eventually, the exhaustion took over and he fell into a deep sleep.

Kael and Valon looked at Dain speculatively when he joined them for breakfast the next morning.

“I was worried about you, Brother,” Valon said. “I could feel the darkness and rage inside of you. You would have killed everyone if I hadn’t broken through.”

Dain’s stomach cramped and he grimaced. “I know,” he said, in an almost whisper. “I forgot to wear the talisman Seraphina made for me.”

Kael hesitated a moment before speaking. “What if it’s not Malakar? What if it’s the curse?”

“If it is, there’s no way to reverse it,” Dain growled, the frustration evident in his voice. He slammed his fist into the table. “Once it takes hold, it will only grow.”

Valon and Kael exchange glances.

“What if we send Seraphina to another area, far from here, where she’d be safe from Malakar. Maybe creating some distance between the two of you would help slow the curse until an answer can be found.”

Dain knew that it was a good idea, but he couldn’t bear being away from her.

“We need her close. She predicted that I would regain my throne. Seraphina has uncovered other important information as well. We don’t have time to wait if she has an important vision that could mean the difference between life and death.”

Kael made a low rumbling sound in the back of his throat but didn’t say anything. Valon simply looked off into the distance with a vacant look in his mind.

“This isn’t her fault,” Dain said, fearing that his two friends would begin to resent Seraphina. “She risked her life when she loudly proclaimed her prophecy. It’s the gods and fates that made her my fated mate.”

Kael nodded. “I’m going to check around the perimeter for signs of intruders.”

Valon patted Dain on the back and left without a word.

Dain couldn’t blame either one of them. Not only were they worried about him, but they had just as much to lose as he did if he failed.

He was about to go to the temple when Jasmine approached. “We have a problem. Grace has been spying for Malakar.”

Rubbing his face, he growled. “Send her to me.”

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