Don’t Piss Off the Dragons
Don’t Piss Off the Dragons
Dayson and I didn’t speak on our way back, but the feel of his muscular chest warming my back made it hard to ignore his presence.
I was raised to believe that no woman should let a man touch her unless they were engaged or married.
Having them carry me around while injured made sense in my brain since it served a purpose.
This was testing my ability even to think straight.
Dayson was a handsome man in looks and personality, making me even more aware that many queens in the past have taken lovers from their guardians.
With everything that had been going on since I’d marked these men, it hadn’t crossed my mind they might be vying for my hand.
It would explain the kiss from Jade earlier that morning and why they all wanted to spend alone time with me.
None of them seemed bothered when I spent time with them alone—well, Cole had issues with Jade, but I didn’t think that was related to this.
Even Tinus and Bast seemed to take issue with Jade being my guardian.
Vasin dipped suddenly, causing Dayson to tighten his hold on my waist as his other hand landed on my thigh.
“You did that on purpose.”
“Cass, I can help you with some things, but romance is not one of them.”
“Oh, but let me guess. You’ll just provide moments for the men around me to create them on their own?”
“I told you I liked Dayson. I think he would be a very wise choice as a life partner. Cole and Abbott have also shown interest, as have you in small ways.”
“No, I have not. It would be wrong to lead a man on if you have no intention of it going anywhere.”
“So you don’t like either of them as more than just a friend?”
“Vasin, I don’t even know how to be a good friend, so how could I be a lover?”
“Does that mean you like them?”
“How do you expect me to answer that when I don’t know? There are far too many things to worry about. Trying to involve lovers into the equation is just silly.”
“Ah, you said lovers as in more than one. This is good. What about the crown prince?”
“What about him? There is no way he is truly going to be okay giving up the crown. Well, I should say his parents wouldn’t be okay with that.
Any woman who has Gavin for a husband will be lucky.
He is sweet and sensitive. I’m amazed at how well he is adjusting to living with us.
If I’m being honest, I thought he would be begging me to send him back. ”
“Prince Gavin might not want to rule a kingdom, but he has been trained to see the world through a ruler’s eyes. He knows what you are trying to do is the best course of action and is supporting you. If Queen Mary says no, I think he will be the first person to say he will change her mind.”
“Why so interested in my love life all of a sudden?”
“You are ready. Before, you didn’t even know yourself but look at you now… a true queen is sitting upon my back. It is time for you to find those people to hold close and support you in your quest to save the kingdom.”
“Aren’t I already doing that?”
“No.”
“You’re going to have to give me more than that, Vasin. I don’t get what you’re trying to tell me.”
“Once this battle is over and you learn what a normal life will be like, things will change. Who do you want to make sure stays at your side? I know you, Cass, and you won’t dare to let yourself dream that far into the future, but that is exactly what you should do.
What if you died or one of these men you care about does?
Do you want them never to know how you feel? ”
“I don’t have an answer for you…”
“That is fine, but at least now you are thinking about it.”
“It’s very hard not to when I have a man plastered against my back, holding me.”
“Yes, we will need to work on your shyness regarding physical touch. Not all touch is sexual. Often, it can simply be to give affection or comfort, much like Cole and Abbott have been showing you. Don’t fear what your body needs.
A human without any physical contact is starved.
You, Cass, have been wandering in the desert lost and alone without that.
It will take time to rebuild what you’ve missed out on.
Promise me you won’t run from it just because you hear your mother in your head telling you it’s wrong. ”
“I will do my best and try to be more open, but I can’t promise I’ll be able to do it.”
“I can accept that.”
Vasin and I fell into a comfortable silence as we leisurely continued back, enjoying the fresh air and the sights of the mountains below.
None of us were in a hurry to return to the hideout and the responsibility waiting for us.
Out of nowhere, a blast of panicked emotion slammed into me from one of the dragons I’d met earlier.
Thankfully, I was strapped in, and Dayson was holding me because I froze.
If Vasin had made any sudden movement, I wouldn’t have managed to stay on.
“Cassarah, what’s wrong?” Dayson shouted as he shook me gently.
“We have to go back,” I yelled, waving my arms and calling out to Ifra.
“Vasin, what’s wrong? Can you tell what’s going on?”
“They are under attack from rouge dragons. They have not spotted the riders as of yet. Right now, they are just going after the bonded dragons for being in their lands.”
“We weren’t in the Unclaimed Lands, right?”
“These dragons do not care about borders, only about keeping humans and enslaved dragons from taking more from them.”
“Can we make it in time to help them?”
“I told them to head in our direction, leading them farther away from the riders. Once we are close enough, I can handle them, but if things get too bad, I might need to leave you behind. I won’t risk you again.”
“Hold on tight,” I warned Dayson as Vasin sharply turned us around. “The rogue dragons are attacking ours and hunting for their riders.”
“What can two dragons with double riders do against them that six other dragons can’t?” Dayson asked, both arms now wrapped around me.
Shooting off like an arrow with a powerful heave of his wings, Vasin called out to the other dragons, letting them know we were coming.
“Vasin is more dominant than all other dragons. If he tells them to back off, they will. It just means we need to go back and get the riders I left behind to safety. I thought they would be okay, but it seems I misjudged the possessive nature of rogue dragons and their land.”
“You still made the right call. They needed to learn to take you seriously.”
“Let’s hope I can keep them alive to act on their newfound knowledge,” I grumbled and leaned closer to Vasin’s neck as the wind buffeted against my face.
At the speed we were flying, it didn’t take long for us to spot the ten rouge dragons pursuing the six of ours, and if we didn’t see them, we could easily hear the roaring and hissing as they battled.
Fire burst from their mouths, and talons flashed in the sunlight as they battled and kept trying to move in our direction.
Vasin darted upward so we flew over the mess of fighting teeth and claws, only for him to plunge into the middle of it, letting out his battle cry.
Vasin’s thunderous roar reverberated off the mountains around us, making it even louder, to the point I almost wanted to cover my ears.
The rogue dragons scattered to avoid Vasin’s attack as he slapped his wings into their faces and swiped a taloned claw, forcing them to release their victims. They snarled, backing off enough to regroup and charge right for us.
“Vasin,” I screamed in his head, trying not to show Dayson how terrified I was.
Ignoring me completely, he aimed right for them in a game of chicken, but then, at the last second, he thrust his wings out front, bringing himself to a sudden stop.
He snapped them open wide, creating a wall of flesh and wing as he once again let out a mighty roar.
Only this time, I could feel something different, an energy backing up his actions that felt similar to when I used my Birthright.
Holy shit, my Birthright.
Instantly, I materialized my weapon and sent off a warning shot to the leading purple dragon, nicking its muzzle and causing it to jerk back at the contact.
Aiming again, I sent off arrow after arrow, causing them all to dart out of the way to keep from getting hit.
This caused so much chaos they stopped attacking and hovered in the air, growling at us.
“Leave them be, and we will leave your lands. Continue to attack, and I will be forced into action,” I called out as loudly as I could.
My voice rang out loud and clear with the same power behind it that Vasin had used.
The rogue dragons snorted and let out small puffs of fire in their irritation, but after a moment, they turned and left with a swish of their tails, reminding me of a pissed-off cat.
We didn’t move from that spot as we watched the rogue dragons leave, not feeling confident they wouldn’t change their minds and turn on us again.
“Can we get back to the riders safely?”
“We have no choice. We need to remove them, or you will have broken your word to a dragon.”
“Let me guess… that’s not a good thing to do.”
“It is something that not even I can protect you from, Cass.”
“Don’t you think that’s something I should have known about?”
“I didn’t know you could command all dragons. That power you put behind your words made it a binding agreement as much as it was a dominant move.”
“Why didn’t it work when you did it?”
“You gave them an ultimatum to leave or die after proving you could kill them from a safe distance. I was no longer the bigger threat.”
“Does that help or hinder us?”
“Seeing as they left, and we can get to the men, I don’t see this as a negative.”
The six dragons fell in line after us as we headed to pick up the dragon riders I’d left behind not more than a few hours ago.
Still flying at top speeds, we got there quickly, and all the riders came running out from under the tent Tinus and Bast had made.
Vasin touched down, but I didn’t bother getting off.
“We need to go now. I bought us some time, but there is a horde of angry rouge dragons that will kill you if they find you here,” I ordered, cutting them off from whatever curses they were going to yell at me.
Thankfully, they didn’t hesitate, and all mounted up as we launched back into the air.
I decided it was best for everyone to return to the hideout.
According to the information I got from Gavin, coming in from this direction, we wouldn’t be spotted by any Norden scouts.
Our flight back was mercifully uneventful as we arrived at the hideout and took turns landing and settling our dragons for the night.
The sun was setting, but we had enough light to see by before it drifted behind the mountains.
Once I was back on the ground and Dayson helped me remove the harness from Vasin, I noticed Cole and Abbott waiting near the tunnel’s entrance. Before I could protest, Dayson swung me up on his back, and I either needed to hold on or fall to the ground in a heap.
“What was that?” I groused as I clung to his back like a monkey.
“You were going to try and walk again if I didn’t stop you. That leg won’t heal any faster if you keep abusing it,” Dayson explained as he marched past the two waiting.
As we entered the cavern, everyone was sitting down for dinner, and my stomach complained at the delicious-smelling meal.
Peeking over my shoulder, I checked to see if Abbott and Cole were following since they hadn’t barraged me with hundreds of questions.
They were there, but instead of talking to me, they were quizzing Payson and Zan, which I could live with.
Dayson headed straight to the table that seemed to have become our table since it was the only one without people sitting at it.
“Don’t you think we should deal with the dragon riders first?” I asked as I was set down. “I’m sure they have questions about what just happened.”
Dayson scowled at me as he pointed to a chair beside the table. “Sit.”
I gaped at him like a fish, but he only crossed his arms, making his muscles bulge.
“How do you think it will look after playing a savage power game with them just to turn around and go all soft? They can wait until you are ready to talk to them, not the other way around,” Dayson pointed out, making it very hard to disagree with him.
“Fine, but can you tell them I want to talk to them after I have dinner?”
Dayson grinned and winked at me. “Now that’s more like it, Queen Cassarah. You let those assholes cool their heels until you are good and ready to deal with them.”
I couldn’t help but blush under his praise as he left to do as I asked.