Page 50 of The Cursed Queen

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Drayce replied, without hesitation. "Shifters are born with enhanced strength, speed, and durability. Unlike you druids, who are nothing without your magic, we dragons don't need to shift to pose a threat. You'll be crushed like an insect in seconds."

"Come on, Drayce, that's not fair," I said, knowing there was truth to his words, but I didn't think Virgil was inherently weak.

"It's okay, Andriel," Virgil regarded me before continuing. "While it's true, I may not be as formidable as a dragon. That doesn't mean I don't have my uses. If I'm going to help rescue the rest of your kind, shouldn't I improve my fighting capabilities, too?"

"That is true." I nodded in satisfaction at his words. "Well then, let's see what you can do, Virgil."

Virgil seemed delighted at the chance to prove himself. He wasted no time pulling off his tunic and running off to the opposite side of where I stood. Seeming to remember the beginning, Virgil walked towards the center courtyard, waiting for me to do the same. I did, and the two of us interlocked our hands to each other's wrists before walking back. At that moment, I knew my responsibility wouldn't be on Sera alone. No, Virgil's progression was just as important to me as Sera's. I'd help him find his place in our den, at least until the matter with the Zeffari Kingdom was resolved.

"All right, Virgil. You make the first move."

Ladon

Disgusting. That was the only word I could use to describe what I was witnessing. From the balcony, I spotted Drayce and Andriel; talking and associating themselves with the druid knight like he wasn't our enemy. How could they befriend him, a druid? A dragon rider whose sole purpose was to use us for their own selfish endeavors. I didn't trust him. Him, or the hybrid princess that fate seemed to think was suited to be my ideal mate. Was fate playing a cruel joke on me? As if being a mindless slave to a malevolent druid knight wasn't bad enough, now I was fated to be with the druid's princess.

The princess, who was also Lord Igneel's long-lost daughter.

That was another revelation I couldn't wrap my head around. How could the dragon lord and Lady Calida have sired a half-druid, half-dragon offspring? Did one of them have druid blood in them? If so, it was something I never knew about, and I didn't think anyone else in the den knew either. There was something Lord Igneel wasn't telling us about the princess, something that could bring danger to us all. One thing I knew for sure; the druid knight and princess didn't belong here. The longer they stayed with us, the more likely the Zeffari Kingdom would discover our whereabouts and march here to hunt and kill us all. Our dragon lord had to have known that, right?

Of course not. I scoffed at the notion. If Lord Igneel knew their presence here could threaten our very existence, he wouldn't have allowed the two of them to remain here. Then again, how could I expect our dragon lord to turn away from his only daughter after being away for so long? All assumed Princess Daenerys had died as a baby, but here she was, the ruler of the kingdom that was turning us into slaves. What happened to the princess all that time?

I cursed my curiosity. The circumstances that led to Princess Daenerys, or Seraphina, becoming the Zeffari Kingdom's princess should not matter. It didn't change what we knew to be true. The princess was groomed to become our enemy, and now she was here. She wasn't to be trusted.

I raised my eyebrows in confusion at Andriel and the druid knight sparring in the courtyard. The druid pulled off his tunic and mimicked the greeting before beginning the match. A part of me wanted to walk away from this, but my feet remained glued to the floor. My eyes were highly trained on the events taking place.

The druid foolishly rushed forward to make the first attack, to which Andriel casually brushed to the side like it was nothing but an insect buzzing in his face. Andriel then knocked the wind out of the druid's sails with a swift thrust of his open palm, connecting with the center of his chest. The druid flew back a few feet before collapsing onto his back.

The air was thick with malice amusement, permeating from the wandering dragons who stopped what they were doing to spectate. I expected that to be the end, but even as the druid curled in on himself for a few moments, he collected himself back to his feet, ready to go again.

Either the druid was brave, or he had a death wish.

As if in answer, the druid ran for Andriel a second time. This time, Andriel moved to the side to avoid the druid's fist,then swept his leg over the druid's feet, sending him back to the ground in defeat. Surely now he would realize he was no match for someone like Andriel and admit defeat. But to my surprise, the druid didn't seem to have had enough. He stood back up on his own, even when Andriel offered a hand to him.

"What is he doing?" I asked myself as I watched.

I continued watching in begrudging fascination as the druid knight continued his torment. Repeatedly, he failed to land a hit andfell to the ground, only to rise back up and repeat the process. As much as I hated to admit it, I had some respect for his determination. No matter how many times he failed, no matter how many times he plummeted to the ground, the druid boy always pushed himself back up. Not once had he relented or admitted defeat. What was the purpose of this? Was he trying to prove something? Or was this his way of punishing himself?

"How repugnant." I turned to my left at the sound of Baxus, who appeared to stand beside me, his gaze on the sparring match below. His appearance made him seem not much older than someone like Andriel, who could pass for a human in his late thirties. Like all magical beings, we age much slower than non-magical beings. He had the build of a warrior with cropped red hair and eyes as dark as the void. It matched the darkness inside him.

"Agreed," I muttered, watching as the druid returned to the floor. His movement to get back up was slower, but he still rose to his feet.

"Despicable," Baxus spat out like he tasted something rotting. "To think our lord would let these... these... creatures stay with us. The dragon rider and the princess. What could that old fool be thinking?"

"The princess is one of us," I stated quickly, surprising myself at how quickly my mind reacted to the verbal attack on the hybrid princess. Why? I didn't want her. Like Baxus, I also feltlike she didn't belong here. Hybrid or not, she wasn't one of us. So why defend her?

Baxus snorted. "That cunt is not one of us. She's a druid who turned her back on her dragon lineage. She doesn't deserve to have such a mighty beast be a part of her. The bitch can't even control her shift. Did you see the abomination she turned into? She's a freak, just like that other hybrid insect Drayce likes to fuck."

It took far more control than I liked to admit, quelling the fury my dragon was brewing through our mental bond. He didn't seem to like the crude remarks towards the princess. He didn't care that the one fated to us was a druid or a hybrid. To him, all that mattered was that she was ours, and right now, Baxus had insulted what belonged to us.

Clearing my throat, I said, "She didn't know she was a dragon shifter until recently. The queen has omitted the truth from the princess her whole life, and drugged her with dragonsbane to prevent her dragon from manifesting."

Baxus eyed me skeptically. "You're defending her? I thought after all you've endured, you'd want nothing to do with these bastards."

"I don't," I growled back, setting loose some of my dragon's anger. "I've already rejected my role as the princess's mate, and there's nothing I want more than for her and the druid boy to leave our den and never return. If I could never see another druid for the rest of my life, it would still be too soon, but I won't spread blame on the princess for not knowing her bloodline."

Baxus paused for a heartbeat before nodding with a conspiratorial expression he wore. "It's good that you feel strongly about wanting them out of here, because I have plans. Plans that would benefit us and the entire den."

Now it was my turn to be skeptical. "I'm listening."

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