Page 13 of Brutal Dragon King

They bow their masked heads in unison, and I send Ryu a mind link to order him to put the human down. The quakingof the ground must have shocked her, because she’s quiet now, unmoving as Ryu sets her on her feet.

To affirm my authority, I clap my wings in front of her, watching as her hair tie is shot out of her bun, and long, wavy hair cascades down her back. The rain drenches her hair, soaking her brown robe and melding it to her body.

My dragon is instantly taken by the shape of her from behind, and it retreats almost as if it’s shying away. In human form now, I frown, irritated by the human’s scent that appears more potent now that it’s mixed with the freshness of the light rain.

“Turn,” I command, and when the human remains unmoving, Ryu grips her shoulders and spins her around as if the command was for him. Satisfied, I keep my chin lifted authoritatively as I cross my arms. Her wet hair clings to her face, and she lifts her eyes to mine through the thick, long lashes dripping from the rainfall.

Shocked, I unfold my arms, then cross them again when I remember that I’m standing before my soldiers. The split second of weakness isn’t noticed, but I’m still left stunned and speechless, glaring at the human in disbelief.

It cannot be…

I do not doubt she is the same human woman who bumped into me in the village yesterday. The same woman, who, to my internal chagrin, hadn’t left my mind since our brief encounter.

Since I'd been in disguise, she hadn’t seen me before, but her eyes appear momentarily bewildered.

What kind of sick, twisted fate is this? How is this possible?

Her doe eyes innocently stare at me, dumbfounded, as her bottom lip trembles. That’s when I notice how plump and ripe those lips are, pigmented in the softest shade of pink, highlighted by the moisture of the rainfall that soaks her face.

It’s as if my dragon internally licks its lips, purring like it’s found its next meal.

The momentary daze has me ogling her through the gentle rainfall, catching the glint of green specks in her hazel eyes. Her round, creamy face is almost hypnotizing, and I find myself fixated on her beauty.

A beauty I could not care about when it’s on a human. I never thought humans were beautiful and should never be considered that way. They’re just measly peasants, unworthy of such appreciation and admiration as I suddenly feel.

Why had this particular human left a lasting impression on me? Our brief encounter didn’t last long enough to justify what I felt. Or what I’m feeling right now, my dragon and I feeling drawn to her rather drawn to the unexpected beauty I see in her round eyes. There’s something there that I can’t put a finger on, and I don’t like it.

I despise it and mentally chastise myself for feeling taken by the human. Clearing my throat, I suspect that she has no idea who I am. After all, I’ve never graced the village people with my face, since they’ve never been worthy of beholding my power.

“I am your king,” I announce, pride swelling my chest when my men take heed and lower their heads.

But the human doesn’t bow. Instead, her eyes narrow, and she lifts her chin slightly with an air of defiance.

“You…” she grates, her plump jaw clenching. The umbrage of her tone snaps me out of my daze entirely, andI’m left to face an insolent human who reminds me of just how seemingly unfit she appears.

She’s stout and short, her comical appearance in that brown attire looking nothing short of peasantry.

She’s just a human, and I am the dragon king of The Spine, ruling over the part of the village that she belongs to, which is nothing more than a labor camp.

I unfold my arms, but not from astonishment this time. Her piercing glare is shocking, and I will not stand for it. Clenching my fists, my anger roars as a chesty growl as I take a dominant step forward.

“I am your king,” I repeat, my voice dark and menacing with threat as I growl. “Bow before me.”

The peasant does the unthinkable when she keeps her head firmly in the air, her eyes narrowing into thin slits almost reminiscent of the reptilian eyes I see through in dragon form.

“Bow before you?” She dares to scoff.

“I am yourking!” I bellow, anger fueling the fiery breath that creates a cloud of fog in front of my face when it mingles with the soft rainfall. When the mist clears, the human woman glowers at me, challenging me with her silence.

Ryu lifts his visor, staring at me in shock. He knows that I would never let anyone speak to me with such disrespect, and I haven’t even placed my hand on the sword sheathed on my left hip.

The thought hasn’t even crossed my mind. When it does, and I ponder it for a moment, I realize that my inner dragon won’t allow me to kill her. She deserves that penalty for her reluctance to bow before her king. But I can’t bring myself toentertain the idea of her decapitated head rolling down the hill. I won’t find such satisfaction in the scene.

“You keep saying that,” she dares to spit with vicious venom laced on her tongue, her eyes glowering with contempt. “Do you really need me to bow?” She quirks up a brow. “Do you need the validation? Are you not sure of your power, hmm?”

Her little hum at the end is what sends me over the rails.

How can she speak to me this way?

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