Page 37 of The Lost Princess

There were hands on the side of my face, real and tangible, just like I wished my mother’s hands had been; holding me and reassuring me. I grabbed onto the wrists on either side of my face, relieved they were actually there. Scales slid against mine, warm and real.

“Nasi. Are you ok?”

I blinked up at her face. A young female.Unmated. My inner draken reared itself, then immediately shifted focus as we caught fear and distress radiating from her.

Protect the female!

I shot to my feet, ignoring aching muscles and immediately spinning in a circle to scan for threats. I held the female close to my chest to protect her.

“Hey! HEY! Calm down!”

They were nonsense sounds: irritated sounds. The scent of fear dissipated, replaced with annoyance. I loosened my hold on her and frowned. My neck twinged with a dull ache, and I brushed the half-healed wound with the tips of my fingers. The edges were rough, but it twinged enough to let me know it was deep, and purposeful. A mating mark?

Confusion jolted my body, and then I remembered who I was. Where I was. I glanced down at Kaida, who watched me carefully.

Mate. Not mate.

What was happening?

“You gonna go all barbarian dragon man on me again?” she asked, raising one eyebrow in challenge.

The words took a moment to make sense in my head. Once they did, I blushed and released her.

“Sorry. I was … remembering something. The event made me lose my mind. I am still unsure how I ended up here, but a few more things make sense,” I admitted cautiously. It was embarrassing to have so many gaps in my mind. I felt incomplete—less than. Kaida could certainly do better in finding a mate than me.

My neck throbbed once, and I winced.

Kaida tsked at me. “If you would just bite me you could heal it. I trust you won’t completely lose your mind.”

I gave her a serious look, the morning sun flashing off the gold of my scales. “I wouldn’t.”

I turned and started walking back toward the base of the mountain.

“Hey!” Kaida objected, having to do a little jog to keep up with my large strides. “I wanted to try again. I won’t fall this time. I promise.”

I halted, my back stiff. “No,” I said, even though the word felt sticky in my mouth. “Not today.”

I didn’t glance back at her because I didn’t want to see the disappointment on her face and to know that I’d displeased her because of the weakness of my mind. A small hand landed on the small of my back, startling me.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” she asked. “About what you saw?”

I shook my head, and led us both back to the cave. Kaida didn’t say anything else to me the rest of the day, and I couldn’t help but feel as though I’d failed some kind of test.

ChapterThirteen

KAIDA

Nasi had seen something horrible. He wouldn’t admit it, but I recognized the signs just the same. Sometimes soldiers would come to court to report what they’d seen on neighboring battlefields. It hurt them even when they weren’t the ones fighting, somehow. It was important to keep abreast of the Demon Wars over the mountains, in case they ever happened to reach us. The outsiders that braved the range were paid very handsomely.

Demon Wars.

What a ridiculous name. Demons weren’t real. It was just as likely an embellished name for Aldur and Cantradian forces fighting each other for control.

Then again, a few weeks ago I would have said the same about drakens.

Nonetheless, Nasi acted similarly to those soldiers. The shaking, the gaps in memory, and how they frequently paused and stared at nothing. My father dismissed it as weakness in those men, but Selena had whispered something else.

Trauma.

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