Page 14 of The Diamond Dragon Prince
“What do we do? How do we do that?” the alpha asked.
“We’re villagers, not soldiers,” someone else in the crowd said.
As valiant and well-meaning as Leo was, he didn’t have any military experience. He glanced to me with a look that bordered on desperation, breathing fast.
“You’ll all need weapons to begin with,” I said, trying to think things through. “And every entry point into the city will need to be barricaded and defended.”
“I know how to build barricades,” another alpha said, raising his hand.
“We have a few weapons in the village hall,” a female alpha said. “They won’t be enough for everyone.”
“Pitchforks will work in a pinch,” Leo said. “The most important thing is to block the army from entering and to keep those who are vulnerable protected in the center of the city. From what I was able to observe, there are more of you than there are of them, even if they seem more powerful at first glance.”
“We’ll fight to protect what is ours,” the alpha said.
His words were met with shouts of determination. That determination shifted to action as the villagers organized themselves into teams and as those teams moved out to spread the word and set about mounting defenses.
“I think we can do this,” Leo said, panting and pink-faced as the two of us went with the group heading to the village hall to distribute weapons. “We can defend this village from my father’s cruelty, and from here, we can keep the rest of the kingdom safe.”
“We can,” I said, blooming with pride in my mate.
There was more going on with him than met the eye,though. Leo worked as tirelessly as everyone else finding and distributing the weapons. The villagers were in awe of him, despite him being an omega, and followed his orders without question. Leo rose to the challenge, as a true leader did, and helped the different armed groups take up positions along the perimeter of the village.
“It would be better if the village had walls,” he said as he moved on to help one of the groups that was piling broken boards and debris on top of an old wagon that had been rolled into the space where the main road leading out of the village opened. “But we can defend the place regardless.”
He stopped as soon as he’d finished speaking and nearly doubled over. He rested his hands on his knees and breathed quickly, then forced out a longer breath.
I knew what was wrong. I could smell the heat wafting from him without even standing close to him. Our lovemaking the night before had done exactly what I should have been able to predict it would, given that we were fated mates, and sent him into heat.
“Leo,” I said in a warning voice, striding closer to him. “You might not be able to stay for this fight.”
Leo growled and straightened. “I have to stay. I cannot abandon these people just as they are about to be attacked.”
“You are a prince of this realm,” one of the alphas who had been helping to build the barricade overheard us and said. “It is not right that you should risk yourself on our behalf.”
“I have to stand up for you,” Leo said, distress painting his face as he stood. “Someone has to stand up for you.”
“I heard there was a sorceress trying to overthrow King Freslik,” a lovely young omega woman said as she bravelyhelped a man who looked like her sire pile debris on the wagon. “She might be the one to save us.”
“No,” Leo said, shaking his head and pacing in agitation. “I have never known a sorceress to fight for the side of what is right.”
Leo had to puff out his breaths to steady himself as the wave hit him. The seat of his trousers had turned slightly damp. Some of the other alphas were taking notice as well, though they were good men who were fighting to contain their reactions.
“I heard that there is someone else, another king, possibly a dragon, that has vowed to overthrow King Freslik,” a beta who had rushed onto the scene with a bucket containing drinking water to relieve the workers said. “Though I shouldn’t say such things in front of you, Prince Leo, since he might want to overthrow you, too.”
“There’s no such thing as dragons,” another villager scolded the beta.
“I think there might be,” someone else said. “I’ve been hearing more and more about dragons of late. I think they might be possible.”
“There are no dragons here,” the alpha who was in charge said. “Just a village that needs to defend itself from an army. Look!”
He pointed out toward the hill. We all turned.
Sure enough, the mercenary soldiers had just rounded the top of the hill and were marching straight for the village.
“Hurry!” Leo shouted, turning back to his people, though he was dripping in sweat and reeking of ripe fruit. “Man your positions. Take up whatever arms you can. Keep the most vulnerable away from the edges of the village.”
Everyone moved at once, following Leo’s lead. I wishedmy mate could have seen how bold and powerful he seemed to those around him. He was a natural leader.
