The dragon stared down with glinting silver eyes, glowing nostrils framing the fire within. With each methodical beat of its wings, Amelia’s blonde tresses were alternately tugged and blown back in the wash of hot air.
Fear consumed her, stole her breath, and froze every thought. She briefly considered running, but knew she would never escape the creature’s wrath.
Shakily, Amelia climbed to her feet, her blue eyes wide as she waited for her inevitable fate. The dragon’s jaws opened, flames spilling to engulf the girl below before she could even utter a scream.
Chapter II
The forest she loved—destroyed. The unknown dragon whose fury knew no bounds. The flames as inescapable as the recurring nightmare.
Rising quietly from silken sheets so as to not wake her love, Amelia grabbed her discarded robe, slipping it around her bare shoulders. Grasping the satin belt held in thick loops, Amelia secured the garment around her, pulling her blonde locks outside of the material before cinching it around her slender waist. Grateful the glass doors slid in near silence, she stepped onto the balcony.
Ancient stone cold against her bare feet, Amelia welcomed the chill as she walked to the terrace’s edge. Cracks and chips dotted the gray wall, worn from centuries of use by the dragon shifters who called the ancient keep, hidden in the ice-tipped mountains of Kalleen, their home. The sun glowed with the promise of a new day behind the distant horizon, traces of color distorting the dark sheet blanketing the land. A cold breeze blew, only a few degrees above freezing, yet she welcomed it, lifting her chin to the sky. The icy touch soothed her heated flesh, the frigid air barely containing the fire within.
Tonight, she thought, grateful for the momentary solitude. She’ll be crowned, and everything will be as it should.
The castle and surrounding grounds, usually a quiet oasis, had been transformed to a bustling labyrinth, with people coming from near and far for the new dragon queen’s coronation. As a younger sibling of the destined sovereign, protocol demanded Amelia support her sister’s preparations, and greet various high-ranking visitors. Both tasks Amelia detested.
Only as she crawled into her lover’s arms had she found any sense of normalcy since the first dignitaries had arrived. Having spent centuries struggling to find her place as the former dragon queen’s youngest child, the spare princess had never known contentment until she met Stephen, whose persistence and patience had pierced her strong walls to find a place in both her bed and heart.
And so she embraced the morning breeze, this one in particular, grateful her sister’s crowning would be complete tonight, and she would again be free to return to quiet pastimes.
The sliding door alerted her to another’s presence. Amelia did not turn, but kept her gaze on the snow-tipped mountains. When a hand touched her left shoulder, she relaxed, leaning until her back pressed against her lover’s chest.
“You were restless last night,” Stephen observed. “You always are, when you don’t get to fly.”
Though most of her kind preferred to embrace their fiery form with the light of the sun, Amelia favored the quiet, cool night. Each evening at sunset she would escape to the balcony, shedding her simple garments to take flight. She used to fly alone, but for many moons now, Stephen had flown with her. They enjoyed the quiet heights, the rushing wind muting all thoughts as they danced through clear skies, or whimsical clouds.
But these past few days she had returned from various duties so exhausted she could not enjoy the freedom her heart craved.
Turning from the mountains at last, Amelia wrapped her arms around Stephen’s neck and pulled him close for a kiss. Pressing her cheek to the side of his neck, she snuggled against his warmth. “One more day, right? Then all of this will be over.”
“Would seem so. None have challenged her right to the throne thus far.”
“I didn’t expect anyone to,” Amelia answered, before pulling back enough to meet his golden eyes. “Unless you were considering doing so yourself?” She gave a teasing smile.
“Challenge your sister?” He issued a gruff laugh. “Have you seen her when she’s angry? She’d feed me my own wings for breakfast.”
“True. I’m relieved others seem to be aware of this fact as well. Though I have no doubt she would defeat any challenger, having to defend her right to the throne would place her in a rather foul mood.”
“So I’m not the only one who’s noticed she’s had an especially short temper this week?”
“It’s only because of the visitors. I’m guessing we’re not the only ones who have been denied our daily flights.”
Stephen nodded toward the icy peaks, now bathed in streaks of light. “Do you think we have time?”
Amelia sighed. “I would love nothing more. Alas, I promised to give a castle tour to the son of Lord Richardson and his new wife. He would find it insulting if one of lower rank did so in my place.”
“Ah, yes. Must keep the nobles happy.”
“Only until the coronation, thank goodness.”
Stephen nodded. “One more day.”
Amelia drew a deep breath, inviting the cold air to push back the flames. “One more day.”
Amelia Hutchins, Claiming the Dragon King
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