Page 71 of The Dragon King

But my hostility was evident as well.

Do you have a death wish?The powerful voice came into my mind.

Khazmuda issued a low growl.

“Do you?” I countered.

Macabre looked at Khazmuda for several hard seconds before he returned his attention to me.You come to my home without an invitation. You would be a fool to expect a warm reception.

“And you would be a fool to assume our previous discussion was over.”

It is over.

“It’s not over until you agree to help us.”

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes wide and focused.My decision will not change.

“Why?”

I already told you I wouldn’t risk the rest of my kin?—

“But Talon is right. You are at risk. Maybe not today, and maybe not in a hundred years. But one day, you will be. You can be proactive about it now and save the rest of your kind in the process.”

He stared for several seconds.No.

This was infuriating. So infuriating I wanted to scream. “How can this not bother you?”

I never said it didn’t bother me.

“But you continue your life of leisure.” I looked around at the female dragons who lounged in his cave, seeing him as the most desirable mate among the dragons, the alpha.

I don’t appreciate your judgment.

“And I don’t appreciate your indifference.”

You would do well to remember that you’re a stranger. A human who has come to my island without my consent. I will not share my deepest thoughts with someone I don’t know. What’s more, I don’t like your male companion—and I barely tolerate you.

“Queen Eldinar speaks highly of him.”

For reasons I still don’t understand.

“Because he saved their entire race and, by extension, your race—and the afterlife.”

Even if they perished, our island would have remained a secret. And dragons have no afterlife.

“Wow, you really are selfish. All you think about is yourself…”

I was just explaining?—

“You don’t even care about the elves. The very people who saved you. I’ve only met two dragons, and they are both brave and selfless and kind. I guess it was stupid of me to assume all dragons are that way. Because they clearly aren’t.”

He didn’t even try to refute my claims.Please leave my cave now.

“I’ll petition each dragon individually. Some of them must care.”

You can try. But I’ve informed them of the disrespect your companion showed me, so they’ve all closed their minds to you—as well as to Khazmuda and Inferno.

I’d assumed only a human could be a dictator, but it looked like any race was capable of corruption. “Inferno was one of the free dragons who remained in this world and came to this island for a new start, but you shunned him as an outsider instead of opening your lands and your hearts. After the compassion Queen Eldinar showed you, I don’t understand why you’re incapable of showing it to others.”

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