Page 1 of Crown of Slumber

Dragons made much bettercompany than fae nobles.

The familiar smell of sulfur and pine and earth filled my nostrils as I strode down the path to the nesting grounds.

It smelled of home.

A small smile lit my face, in spite of the exhausting ordeal I would face today. For this moment, I could relish the respite from court affairs.

I was the eldest daughter and next in line for the throne of the Summer Court. Father would be stepping down soon. In truth, he was quite healthy; but I knew Mother was anxious to retire with him. He was reluctant, but he knew it was best for the kingdom.

I couldn’t blame my mother for wanting to step back. I wanted the same thing, after all. To live in the forest with my clan of dragons was my fantasy.

I didn’t mind court politics. But solidifying my position as queen with a union with another fae court sickened me. I had to pretend to be flattered by the suitors who only saw me as a pretty ornament attached to their arm when in reality, I wanted to retch.

News of Father’s abdication had spread quickly. Already, suitors from other kingdoms had come to seek my hand.

Not for me, of course. But for our dragons. Every kingdom wanted them.

My fingers curled into tight fists at the thought. Every king and queen would use our dragons as weapons, would enslave them, would butcher them for gold.

I would never allow it. Never.

As queen, I could protect them. Better than my father ever could.

Heat swirled around me as I drew closer to the nesting grounds, a warm and comforting presence. I never minded the sweltering temperature. In the Summer Court, the sun blazed for sixteen hours every day. Add the dragonfire, and it made our court seem like a furnace.

But I longed for it. My pale, rosy, and freckled skin craved the heat as if it had been siphoned from me at birth. My sister, Gigi, often joked about it; that the witches cursed me with fair skin in a kingdom forever punished by an overbearing sun.

A row of hydrangea bushes marked the entrance to the grounds. I stopped to smell them, allowing another smile to spread across my lips.

The dragon clan loved the smell of hydrangeas. It kept them at ease. Especially the younglings.

My fingers brushed against the soft blue petals as I entered the grove. Large pine trees speared toward the sky, providing a cocoon of shade. As soon as I reached the cover of trees, my skin pebbled from the absence of the heat. The dragons liked their privacy, and the younglings, who were often skittish during their early years, preferred the isolation from our people.

Except for me. They were all comfortable around me.

I was their guardian, after all.

A low, gentle thrumming noise filled the air, making the ground rumble. Some would call it a growl, but I knew better; it was a purr.

I grinned widely. “It’s nice to see you, too, Mal.”

A black dragon with midnight scales inched forward. He stood taller than our grandest carriage, with sharp silver talons and fiery golden eyes. A long, white scar ran down one eye, making it look milkier than the other. A battle scar, courtesy of the Midnight Court.

All the fae courts sought after our dragons. But the Court of Midnight had been the most ruthless in their pursuit. Mal had fearlessly defended our kingdom against the threat ten years ago, but the price had been steep. We’d almost lost him that day.

Mal rumbled a low sound and drew closer to me, his hot breathwarming my body. He pressed his long snout into my arm, and I scratched underneath his chin.

“I missed you, too.” I leaned my forehead against his, and he purred again.

Mal was fearsome, but he certainly wasn’t the biggest of our dragons. He was a Darkener, which was our rarest species. The biggest and most fearsome was Kade, our green Bloodmare; she was as large as our castle. But, due to her size, she was often in hibernation. It took a great deal of energy for her to emerge from the nesting grounds. We often let her be.

What I loved about Mal was that he was big enough to intimidate but small enough to cuddle. A laugh escaped me as he nuzzled further into my shoulder, proving exactly that. My arms wrapped around his scaly neck as I drew him close.

His low whine rumbled in my ear, and I sighed, understanding his intention. I wasn’t sure how, but I could easily communicate with the dragons. Even if I didn’t know exactly what they were saying, I could read their intonations, deciphering meaning from certain sounds and inflections.

Gigi, my sister, often called me a witch for it. “Aurelia is a dragon witch!” she would shout, while I, in turn, would ruffle up my already unruly strawberry blond hair and cackle wickedly while chasing her around the castle.

“I’m sorry, friend,” I lamented, withdrawing to run my hand down Mal’s snout once more. “We can’t go riding today. There are more suitors to see.” I wrinkled my nose.

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