Page 1 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

Chapter

One

MALIK

The day the veil fell over my kingdom, I said goodbye to many things. The earthy matcha tea of the Stone Kingdom, and the lively dragon fights I used to attend outside the Crimson City. The wide, dry, high deserts of the neutral territories just outside the Air Kingdom's walls.

My hopes of ever locating my one True Mate.

And yet here she is.

The sounds of the festival I left behind recede into the distance. The wards went off just as my mother, Queen Dahab, was taking the stage. She'll be looking for me soon; my guards and I intended to investigate the alarm and then return without anyone even realizing we were gone. That was when we assumed the warning had been sounded by mistake, though. In all the years since we disappeared the Water Dragon Kingdom from the map, no one has discovered us.

We'd become complacent. That cannot happen again.

Even as an icy chill runs through my veins, I cannot help but be glad, though. My mate. The one woman created for me by the Gods...

She's somehow found me. No magic barrier or encloakment could keep her away. Her arrival is a miracle.

She is a miracle.

I gaze upon her now, blind to everything else around me.

She's a beauty. Pale, with flowing black and purple hair. That's rare, here in my kingdom, but I don't care. Our daughters and sons will have glowing skin the color of bronze, and they'll rule the Water Dragon Kingdom with wisdom and grace.

I swallow hard, my pulse quickening. My flesh heats.

I have not been wanting for female companionship these past ten years, but I have rarely indulged. My status makes liaisons complicated, especially in a community as small and tight-knit as ours.

No more.

I'm suddenly ravenous for my mate's touch. Arousal so sharp it threatens to cut me overwhelms my senses, and my dragon uncoils, deep in my bones. I need to peel the fabric of her dress from her body. Explore her every curve with my hands, lips and tongue. Drink the wet lushness between her thighs and kiss the taste of satisfaction from her ripe, red mouth.

My cock hardens, just imagining it, and it's all I can do not to run to her now and sweep her up in my arms.

It's all I can do not to strike dead the two men who stand by her side.

My vision flashes red, and storm clouds gather above our heads

There's something distantly familiar about the two men, but I can't focus on the specifics. Not with my mate so near after all this time.

One of the men--the pale, burly one with the wild hair--dares to put a hand on her arm. Rage crashes through me. A clap of thunder rends the sky.

"Unhand her," I seethe.

"But sir--"

The voice that pierces my haze does not belong to my mate or to either of the intruders. All at once, the rest of the world seeps back in. My guards are moving toward the trespassers, weapons ready. The river swells behind us with the force of the magic our combined company brings to bear.

I should be leading my soldiers in attacking the intruders. No one outside our kingdom knows we exist. No one can reach us. And yet these people did.

It may be destiny; it may be the Gods.

Or it may be something much, much darker.

Duty calls me to round them up for interrogation and execution, but with my mate among their ranks, how can I? The oaths I have sworn grate in the back of my throat. The safety of our kingdom is my priority. We have sacrificed so much to ensure the veil remains intact. We must protect our people--no matter the cost.

But then I look at my mate. And I am lost.

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