Page 65 of Fated to the Dragon Warlord

“Hot drink for sarkarnlings,” he says.

I don’t know whether to risk it or not. Darax straightens up and begins a circuit of the room. When he’s not looking, I stick out my tongue and lick my finger.

I get a brief hint of coffee and burning.

“What does it say?” he asks me.

Vindicated, I stand up and fold my arms. “It says ‘cockroach,’” I announce.

“Cock-ruch?” Darax queries.

“It’s an Earth insect. They’re pests. They tend to live in dirty, dark places, and they carry disease.”

Darax stills in his pacing. “What do they look like?”

“Brown…um…six legs, sort of spindly, big bodies, smaller heads. Antenna.” I put my fingers up on my head. “Not pretty. Some of them can fly.” I shudder. “Or so I’ve heard. We only got small ones where I lived in England.”

Darax stares at me.

“What?” I ask. “I mean I never got close enough to one to do a major inspection of what it looked like.”

“It’s not that,” Darax replies. “You’ve just described a Veseli.”

“The Veseli took my friends?”

Darax growls, and the sound reverberates around the room.

“The Veseli violated my sector,” he says. “They came for you, and they took your friends instead. My brother has escaped his cell because of what they did, and now I have to answer for it to the warlords.”

“Your brother isn’t dangerous though, is he?” I ask.

Darax doesn’t look at me. A muscle ticks in his jaw. He doesn’t need to answer. And he knows how I feel.

“Stay here,” he says. “I need to muster my warriors to search for your friends, and I need to speak with the warlords.”

He turns and leaves. The door slides shut behind him with a chime.

For a moment, I hesitate. I don’t want to go with Darax, but equally, I want to be involved in the search for my friends.

However, when I approach the door, it doesn’t open. I place my hand over the locking square, but nothing happens.

“You utter bastard,” I groan. “You locked it.”

“And now I have you all to myself,” a voice growls from behind me. “It’s time to get acquainted with my brother’s mate.”

DARAX

The fact my brother is loose is reason enough to confine my sweet mate to the female quarters. I know she’ll hate it, but she hates me already because she thinks I didn’t tell her the truth.

And maybe I didn’t. Kerra is my mate, my heartsfire, the reason I’m not going to go the same way as my brother, providing I keep her safe.

Why would I risk her at all?

So, I will deal with her anger when the time comes. She will understand. Once she is safe.

The control room is packed with warriors who scatter as I enter and fling myself into my seat. I’m handed a vid-screen detailing the damage and the initial investigation.

“Repairs are underway, Lord Darax.”

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