Page 3 of The Dragon King's Awakening

Focus, Sullivan.

He wheels away from me, but I've got his measure now.Every dodge, every evasive maneuver, tells me exactly how far gone he is.The ancient dignity's still there in how he moves, but there's no strategy to it anymore, just pure animal reaction.His wings catch the light as he turns, and for a split-second, I glimpse the dragon he must have been before captivity twisted him: majestic, powerful, every movement precise as a blade.

I surge forward, almost getting close enough to grab those gleaming wings, but he rolls at the last second, bringing his massive tail around in an arc that would've crushed my skull if I hadn't anticipated it.Damn.Even weakened, he's got fighting instincts bred into his bones.

He drops into a steep dive.I follow, gathering speed.The Court wants him alive and preferably unharmed, which means this needs to end in submission, not injury.And there's really only one reliable way to subdue a feral dragon.Better to do it up here; the last thing those artists below need is a front-row seat to dragon dominance.It's not exactly quiet or gentle.

The gold dragon vanishes into a bank of clouds, his energy signature momentarily lost in the thick mist.Damn it.Two weeks of pursuit, and I lose him now?But then I catch a flash of brilliant gold near the shoreline.He's perched atop what looks like a collapsed building, wings drooping with exhaustion.

My heart sinks at the sight of the ruined structure.The Court's going to love that expense report.But as I spiral down for a closer look, I realize the destruction isn't fresh.Vines thread through weathered boards, and—well, hello there.A family of mice has turned an old sofa into prime real estate, completely unfazed by the ancient dragon using their backyard as a rest stop.

He spots me just as I'm about to land.He launches himself at me, but his movements are slower now, the toll of centuries in captivity evident in his labored wingbeats.We crash onto the cabin's remains, and I finally manage to get a solid grip on him.His scales burn hot beneath my claws as we grapple across the rotting boards.

I try to steer us away from the mouse nest—no need to add homeless rodents to today's chaos—but that moment of consideration costs me.He twists free, powerful haunches coiling, and then he's airborne again.I launch after him, cursing my soft heart for small creatures.Though I swear those mice are watching us with the jaded expression of creatures who've seen weirder things destroy their home.The fact that they're even coexisting on an island overrun by dragons is enough of a testament to their mettle.

I catch him quickly, talons holding him as we spiral upward, my attempts to mount him still thwarted by those thrashing wings and twisting tail.

He manages to push back briefly, tail catching me across the chest, anddamn, but he's still strong.We grapple mid-air, climbing higher and higher as I try to find the right angle to penetrate him.But he's not making it easy, all thrashing power and primal fury.Every time I get close, those powerful haunches shift just enough to deny me entry.The bastard might be feral, but some part of him remembers how to avoid submission.

A particularly violent twist nearly dislodges my grip entirely.His jaws snap inches from my throat, golden eyes blazing with challenge.For a heartbeat, I think he might actually break free.But I didn't spend the years since my ascension hunting ferals by letting them get the upper hand.I lock my hind legs around his haunches, using his own momentum to spin us into position.

We break through a layer of clouds, his scales gleaming like he's made of actual gold.My cock throbs with need now—partly from the natural dominance response, partly because he's magnificent, even in his feral state.For a moment, I almost forget I'm trying to subdue him.

Then those wicked talons rake across my flank, reminding me that this is still very much a fight.

Come on, Your Ancientness.Let me fuck some sense back into you.

But he's not interested in being mounted by anyone.Another failed attempt to penetrate him sends us tumbling through the air, wings tangled, both our cocks fully extended now as the dominance drive takes over.And we're running out of sky.

We're falling now, spinning through open air in a tangle of wings and tails.The Sound rushes up to meet us, andshit—the last thing I need is a waterlogged ancient dragon.Cold water and dragon fire don't mix well, and he's unstable enough already.

I spot a promising bluff off to the south.If I can just angle our descent...But he's fighting me every wingbeat of the way, still trying to assert dominance even as we plummet.His cock rubs against mine as we grapple, and the friction isn't helping my concentration.At all.

Then I see her—the glassblower from earlier, perched on the very bluff I'm aiming for.Because of course she is.No time to change course now; we’re coming in hot, literally, and all I can do is try to avoid crushing her as we land.

If you can even call it a landing.

The sudden impact rattles my teeth, but he’s up and at me almost instantly.He lashes out, but his sluggish swipes betray his flagging energy.I finally get the upper hand, leaping at him and pinning him to the ground just as he spins to try to launch into the air again.He hits belly-first, and I don't waste the opportunity, finally—finally—getting the angle right.My cock slides home in one powerful thrust, and his answering roar probably registers on seismic equipment.But he's pinned now, caught between my teeth at his neck and my cock buried deep in his ass, and that's all that matters.

Time to remind this ancient what submission feels like.

Chapter3

Rachel

Dragons.It's a pair of dragons in a bloody mid-air battle, hurtling toward the island.

I track their dizzying descent, concerned they might crash into the water if they don't regain control soon.The Sound's currents are strong and unforgiving; if they end up in those icy depths, they might not resurface.

The dragons continue to plummet, wings beating frantically, but unable to halt their freefall.From this distance, they still look like birds, save for their brilliant scales.And the fact that they're too large, too sleek, too stunningly beautiful.

I gasp and scramble to my feet, heart pounding.They're headed straight for the overlook.Straight forme.

I lurch backward off the big rock, raising my arms instinctively as the massive reptilian forms fill my field of vision in a blur of red and gold.

At the last possible second, their wings snap out, arresting their plunge mere feet from where I stand.The downdraft from their wingbeats flattens the tall grasses and blackberry brambles, the unexpected gale nearly bowling me over.

I stagger, eyes squeezed shut against the maelstrom of leaves and dirt swirling around me.When I dare crack them open again, the two dragons are crouched amid the crushed foliage, chests heaving and eyes blazing as they square off against each other.

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