Page 115 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

The queen chuckled. “That is quite interesting,” she said to her dragon, then turned to Lincoln. “If you ride Anaru, she will respect you.” She ran a smooth hand over the dragon’s scales. “She was my brother’s before he died. She’s not had a rider since.”

Lincoln shook his head. “I’m honored, Queen Cassia. Truly, I am. But I prefer to travel by water.”

The dragon roared again, louder, and bowed her head. Nola felt her heartbeat pick up speed. Anaru was such a magnificent creature, and she was submitting to a pirate.

“If you have the opportunity to ride a dragon right now, Captain,” Mazie said, who stood next to him. “You should! Go on, fly with her.”

He raked his sweaty hand through his tousled hair.

“A dragon chooses its rider, Lincoln. And as odd as this situation is, she has chosen you,” the queen said.

“I’ll pass, for now,” Lincoln said.

The white-haired woman laughed aloud as she climbed on top of her dragon. “Be courageous, pirate, or not even the sea can save you.” Dergis extended its wings and took off into the sky, with Anaru following behind.

---