Page 51 of The Cursed Queen

"Lord Igneel; he's obviously unfit to rule our den if he's allowed the druids into our den. Plus, he's well past retiring. I plan to challenge him for the title of alpha."

It was a bold plan Baxus was creating. For a dragon shifter to challenge the leader, he would need to have a large enough following to show that there were those in our den who would follow him. In addition, the challenge itself would be to either make the other submit in defeat or end in death. Something told me that Baxus would prefer the latter.

"That's quite the plan," I said.

Baxus rubbed his hands together in eagerness. "It is, and when I win, they'll all have their heads mounted on my wall as proof of my power—Igneel, the druids, and the princess' mates. I'll rid our pack of all the plague that poisons are den. Then we can storm the Zeffari Kingdom ourselves and take back what is ours."

"Doing so would be a massacre. With our limited numbers, we're likely to lose most, if not all, our den."

"Their sacrifices will be for the greater good," Baxus said. "Our numbers will rise over time, especially when we finally eliminate the threat to our den."

"Is that why you're telling me this? Because you want me to fight under your leadership?" I asked.

"No." Baxus looked down at the courtyard. "I have bigger plans that only you can do."

"And what's that?"

"I want you to get close to the princess. Find out all you can about her and the druid boy. Earn their trust, then when the time is right, we'll set up a trap for them and assure they'll never see the light of day again."

"You cannot be serious," I barked in outrage. "What you're asking me to do is deceitful and dishonorable."

"What I'm asking you to do is help me protect our den. As long as they're here, we'll all wonder when they'll turn against us. Or their presence will lure the Zeffari Kingdom to our den. If they come for us here, we'll be unprepared and at their mercy."

It wasn't as if I didn't have the same concerns as Baxus. I also considered the risks involved in keeping the druids here with us. But I also considered myself an honorable warrior. I believed in a fair fight and not resorting to underhanded tactics to kill my enemies. Baxus' request went against everything I stood for.

"You know I'm right," Baxus continued. "And I know you want them gone as much as I do. And with the princess gone, you'll also be free to mate with whomever you wish to. You'll be free of the fated mate bond that connects you to her."

I turned my back to Baxus to give myself time to ponder his request. My mind drifted to the princess. Seraphina of the Zeffari Kingdom. If she died, the tether that binds me to her would be cut. That should've been what I wanted. My dragon's feral growl was directed at me, appalled that I would consider helping to take the life of our fated mate.

We should've been protecting her. Helping her. Warning her. Holding her. Claiming her.

But I couldn't. I couldn't have her, but I couldn't be part of a plan to kill her... could I? Not wanting to mate with her didn't mean I wanted her dead.

"I'll think about it," I finally said.

The grunt from behind informed me that Baxus wasn't satisfied with my answer. Oh well, he would have to get over it. I wasn't about to agree to something I wasn't sure I wanted to be a part of.

"Fine," he growled. "I'll give you forty-eight hours to decide. Either way, I hope you will back me up when the time comes for me to challenge our dragon lord."

I remained perfectly still even as I heard Baxus walk off. My mind was in an uphill battle with my dragon over what I should do about the princess. I didn't know much about her, other than her hybrid nature. She seemed to care about the den, but was that an act? Was it some kind of plan to lure us into believing she was one of us, only to capture us all? I looked back to the courtyard, noticing that Andriel and the druid were no longer sparring. The dragon rider was hunched over, hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath while Andriel patted his shoulders like they were friends.

My dragon reminded me that this was the same dragon rider who rescued us from our captivity. He and Andriel worked together to stop the druid who commanded me, then helped to fend off the other possessed dragons so Drayce and the others could return. Someone who risked his life for us couldn't be all bad, could he?

Groaning in frustration, I shook my head as if I could shake off the notion that there were good druids in this world. No, there was no such thing as good druids. I couldn't believe it, not after everything I endured while imprisoned. Those memories still haunted me long after my rescue. My mind may have been free, but the remnants of the magic that had once controlled me still lingered. I could almost feel the tightness against my temples. The darkness threatened to swallow my thoughts. The way my control over my body and magic gradually slipped away from me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I wrapped my arms around my middle as I tried centering myself.

I'm in control. I'm in control. I'm in control.

The words to myself over and over until my body relaxed itself. I hated this feeling, the fear of losing control of myself again. Fear of being forced to do unspeakable things against my will. Fear of attacking my brothers and sisters, and not beingable to stop myself. It made me feel weak, vulnerable, useless. I was stronger than that. I was a warrior, and I needed to act like it.

What about the princess?

I wished that saying I didn't want her was enough, but it wasn't. Not while my dragon was pushing me to her. Maybe I should watch her. Study her. Find out what would make my dragon desire her so much. It couldn't solely be because fate deemed it so. There had to be a reason fate picked her to be mine. Perhaps I should find out.

Sera

Flying was becoming easier for me the more I practiced. Surprisingly, my wings were strong enough to keep me airborne despite the lack of exercise I had with them. Ryu urged me not to push myself too hard. My wings were sturdy, but I couldn't overexert myself. Ryu remained in his dragon form the whole time, allowing me to land on his back to give me time to rest and recover before taking to the skies again. Every time I took to the skies, Ryu would have me fly a certain distance, andthen return to him. Two feet became four, four feet became six, and so on. Thankfully, the wind current wasn't strong enough for me to lose flight pattern, but I was getting tired. After my fifth lap, I returned to Ryu and plopped onto his back with a huff.

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