Page 53 of Dragon King's Cursed Mate

For the first time in a while, it seemed as though the darkness subsided a little.

Dain watched Seraphina disappear into the shadows of her tent, the faint scent of her lingering on the night air. The weight of the new amulet pressed solidly against his chest — a quiet reminder that he wasn’t entirely lost to the darkness yet.

Early the next morning, he’d just stepped out of his tent when Ronan approached him, his face grim. “We received a message. One of Malakar’s enforcers is seeking to defect. He’s asking for a meeting — near the ancient tree.”

Seraphina heard Ronan. “It’s a trap.” Her voice was steady and certain.

Ronan nodded. “We all thought the same. But the risk of a possible ally within Malakar’s ranks couldn’t be ignored.”

Dain looked at Ronan and back to Seraphina. “Get everyone together. Let me grab breakfast, and I’ll meet you at the entrance in ten minutes.”

Seraphina pressed her lips together and walked away. He knew she was upset for not heeding her warning.

The flight was short. When they reached the clearing near the ancient, gnarled tree, the figure of the enforcer stood waiting alone.

Dain shifted and walked toward the man standing casually near the tree.

That’s when the shadows shifted. Dragon shifters moved in from the trees and attacked.

Seraphina had been right. This was an ambush.

Dain instantly shifted, launching into the air. His eight brothers, who’d hung back in the trees, joined him. The sound of dragon wings in the air was deafening. Their roaring and snarling echoed throughout the forest.

Fury exploded inside of him. The enforcer tried to shift, but Dain didn’t give him a chance. His stormy blue and silver scales streaked through the air like a falling star and attacked the man who’d been used for bait. Dain raked the man with icy claws, literally shredding him. The enforcer didn’t even have time to cry out before he fell to the ground in a bloody heap.

Darkness overtook him and the red haze pulsated in his mind. Dain turned around to Malakar’s nearest soldier. He shot the dragon with several lightning bolts and ripped one of his wings off his body.

He could faintly hear the rest of the battle between his brothers and the rest of the soldiers, but it didn’t register in his mind. Dain could only feel the monstrous hunger inside of him driving him to destroy the enemy.

Dain attacked another soldier. His icy tail cracked on the dragon’s back, snapping it. He encased him in ice and watched him fall to the forest floor with satisfaction.

The hunger rose again, but then a white-hot pain burned in his chest. The amulet glowed, and Dain hung in the air for a minute stunned. He growled loudly as the darkness recoiled and started to recede.

Dain’s vision cleared as the red haze evaporated. His heart pounded in his chest and he struggled to breathe. He looked around at the bloody ground below, littered with the bodies of the soldiers, who’d shifted back to men when they died.

He landed and leaned against the tree. The amulet was once again warm, but not the blazing hot it had been.

Valon landed next to him. “You good? I felt the darkness overtake you.”

“I’m good,” Dain said. “Let’s go home.”

21

Seraphina

Seraphina knelt in the temple with her hands pressed to the altar remnants. She’d been watching the battle and saw Dain’s rage unleashed on the enemy. Of course, he would have had to destroy the enemy, but not with such violence.

She’d also seen that the amulet had started to glow, and Dain had come to his senses. It helped him find himself.

Sighing heavily, she sat up straight but didn’t turn around when she heard the heavy footsteps come in behind her.

“Valon.”

“Oracle.” His voice was harsh.

“I know why you’re here.”

He growled. “Do you? Because I’ve got half a mind to drag you out of here myself and take you someplace where you’d never be found.” His voice was full of anger, but there was a tinge of fear beneath it.

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