Page 2 of Three Scorched Kingdoms

“Something’s not right,” I say as the wind picks up, rustling through the trees. I turn toward it, reaching out with my dragon’s senses.

The scent of smoke—and beneath it, death—hits me, and I stiffen, scanning the horizon for different reasons now. “I fear I’ve been gone too long. We need to get to the castle.”

“Lead the way, Your Highness,” Mag says to me.

I make a face, but hand in hand with Paige, I start walking away from the cliffside. It doesn’t sit well with me for my friends to call me that, which is strange since I was born and raised to be king one day, ruling beside my mate. I knew this, and I accepted it—and more, I wanted it.

Unlike my brother.

Leo is a second-born prince through and through. If he’s been forced to take the crown in my absence, he is not going to be happy. He was more than satisfied to leave the throne for me and keep all the freedom and adventure for himself. His words,not mine. Then again, if there were a dragon king sitting on the Astronian throne, the future wouldn’t look so bleak for my people.

I think of the book Paige is carrying. The one that tells the story of my world and its people—and me. I wonder if the story has changed at all now that I’ve returned. It’s tempting to ask her to stop and show it to me. But if I’m going to save my world, I must join the fight, not read about it.

The farther we walk, the louder my dragon becomes in my head, urging me to unleash my wings and take to the skies, to reclaim them as his own. But if my kingdom is under attack, the last thing I want to do is to be spotted—or worse, alert the enemy to the location of the others. Mag and Blossom are formidable warriors, but we can’t handle an entire horde of orcs by ourselves. Not after the battle we just fought to get here.

Beside me, Paige is quiet. Through our bond, I can feel her emotions swirling with both relief and worry. The adrenaline has worn off, and the reality of what we’ve been through has started to settle in. The gnomes are silent, forgoing their usual chattiness as we march. Even Blossom and Mag are beginning to show signs of exhaustion. Constantine’s creatures were relentless.

We’re lucky to be alive.

I just hope I can say the same for my own family.

“Are you nervous?” Paige whispers to me as we near the edge of the trees.

“I’m relieved to be back,” I say, not sure how to put into words everything running through me just now. “To help them fight if needed.”

She squeezes my hand, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I get that. I don’t mean about the orcs. I meant about seeing your family.”

I glance back and note that Mag and Blossom have put some distance between us as they guard our rear. Bingo has disappeared, but I can scent him close by in the trees, scouting.

I glance at Paige again, unwilling to admit that nervous doesn’t begin to cover it. “I suppose how long I’ve been away will play a role, especially if Leo has ascended the throne in my absence.”

Saying the words aloud makes my gut twist. If it’s already done, there will be no way to undo it. And my future will have changed forever.

“No matter what, Aries, you have me.”

I lean over and kiss Paige’s temple. “That will always be enough,” I tell her.

“Besides,” she adds, “that would only happen if Leo’s found his mate, right?”

“True. And Leo never wanted the throne.” I snort before adding, “But he wouldn’t mind searching through all the potential mates in this kingdom to fulfill his duties.”

Paige chuckles.

“Sounds like he’s someone Mag might get along with,” Blossom calls out.

“Who doesn’t get along with me?” Mag asks.

Blossom groans, and I don’t have to turn around to know she’s likely rolling her eyes.

We ascend the final hill, and I come to an abrupt halt. Beside me, Paige gasps. The others come up behind us. One of the gnomes grabs my leg for support. I don’t look down to see who it is.

“Who did this?” Mag asks, quiet rage lacing his words.

I don’t answer, unable to look away from the village nestled in the valley below the castle. While my castle appears intact and unharmed, the entire village is scorched and crumbling.

“What happened?” Blossom asks.

“Orcs,” Paige answers grimly.

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