“Please let me go,” I whispered. “I promise I won’t come back up here.”
The dragon stepped over toward the rail, snagged my jacket, and handed it over to me. “Here. I don’t care about that stupid rule. Put that on, you’re shivering. And stop looking at my feet. It’s annoying.”
Reluctantly, I grabbed my jacket and slid my arms into it, daring to face a dragon this close for the first time in my life.
The dragon shifter in front of me was ... him. The Dragon Prince. Dear God, I'm going to be locked in the dungeon.
My mouth opened in awe at seeing him this close. His scent was delicious, like a fresh bakery, and his body.
God, I can’t look.
Well, maybe just a peek.
The curls of ebony hair on top of his head fell onto his wide forehead, and his heavy brow was pulled inward as if he was concentrating. His bright green eyes were vibrant, and raking me of my innocent. Everything about him screamed male. His broad shoulders, the way his brows slanted so harshly, and his full mouth were hard, yet lush.
I stepped back from him. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I shouldn’t be here. I will never come back.”
He took the step with me, his arm reached out toward me, but all I could think about was my stepmother and the punishment I would get for sneaking out.
His coiled forearm tightened, and his muscles flexed in his broad chest. Everything about him was driving me into a lust-filled frenzy. With all the courage I could muster, I turned and ran from him.
I didn’t look back to see if he followed.
Why would the Dragon Prince follow a human girl who wore out-of-date clothing, and broke his family's law of not using the bridge?
Only to find she lived in her stepmother's attic and was bossed around like a little Cinder Girl.
But the better question was why he didn't turn me in, and why his green eyes looked so ... interested.
Chapter Two
Dorron
In all my years as a dragon shifter, which the last time I counted was thirty-two, I’d never encountered a woman who looked so scared of me. Some gawked. Some swooned. But never feared me.
This little fairy looked like I’d threatened to end her life.
Though, the blonde wasn’t where she was supposed to be by any means.
The bridge was off-limits to humans, and she was definitely that, a human. She was small, portable, and something about the look in her baby-blue eyes intrigued me. Which was a new one. The number of dragons and humans that flung themselves at a Dragon Prince was embarrassing.
Then she ran away as if I would blow fire on her and burn her to death.
Like I would ever ...
“Dorron.”
My mother’s shrill voice came from behind me. I turned to see her standing at the entrance to the bridge, the moonlight brightening her ageless face, and the elegant dress she wore for the occasion.
The Dragon Reign.
It was the day dragon shifters were accepted into society, and no longer looked at as beasts. However, we all knew there was a beast inside of all of us.
Especially my mother.
She stepped out onto the bridge, the trail of her dress dragged against the cobblestone floor, and her stark white hair shimmered in the moonlight. “Where on Earth have you been, Son? You disappeared after dinner, and your father and I need to speak to you. Why are you lollygagging on the bridge?”
Of course, they did. It was a twice-a-day occurrence at our house. It jumped from their attempt to arrange a marriage for me, to the responsibilities of becoming King when I did marry.