Page 69 of Marked Dragon

“No, I’m theking’sadvisor.” Errol winced. “Or I was. Pretty sure I can’t do that when I’m on the run.”

“What’s the difference?” Theron snapped, his nostrils flaring. “They’re one and the same.”

Everyone was focusing on the wrong thing. I took a step forward. “Can you humor us?” I waved my free hand between me and the others. “I have no inkling of what you’re referring to.”

“I’m with her.” Saphira placed her hands on her hips and stared him down. “Drake shouldn’t bedoinganything. He’s just the prince, not the king.”

Theron’s brows furrowed as he studied us. Then his jaw slackened. “You really don’t know?”

“I just learned about the existence of dragons, so…” Elliott quipped from behind me, where Thorn and I had positioned ourselves to keep the humans from Theron’s attention.

Thorn closed his eyes as if he’d already learned there was no stopping my brother.

That was probably true, but I’d at least try. I gave him a stern look over my shoulder.

“Hey, you may be my older sister, but you don’t get tomomme.” Elliott moved so he could see Theron. “There should be no surprise about my lack of knowledge. I just wanted to be upfront and clear.”

Eva groaned. “El, for goodness’ sake, I’m with Everly on this one.”

“I’d rather never have learned about dragons or been forced to come here,” Peter complained. He glared at Thorn in challenge, the very thing Thorn had told him not to do.

Hot rage boiled through our bond, and his dragon roared, hurting my ears. But that had been my stepdad’s point.

Babe, he wants you to blow up and give this man a reason to call Drake, I connected.I understood how Thorn felt, but Peter was intelligent. He knew exactly what he was doing.If you want to teach him a lesson later, fine. Just not now.

The heat cooled marginally, informing me I’d gotten through to him.

“And humans? Really? Harboring the prince and the runaway fiancée wasn’t enough?” Theron hung his head, but then his gaze jerked back up to me. “Wait. They’re your family?”

He didn’t have to say more. I understood the unasked question. “Yes. Thorn changed me, which is why Drake took Eva, my sister, to become his human breeder and wanted me as his…”

Thorn fisted his hand.

Yeah, I couldn’t force myself to saywife,so I could only imagine how he felt thinking I might say it.

“He’s a prick.” Tyson sneered, his body shaking with such rage. “He ruins everything he touches.”

“Son,” Brenton warned. Then he bit his bottom lip.

“Dad, we aren’t backthere.” Tyson spread out his arms and glanced at the sun, which had risen high in the sky, indicating it was close to noon. “Theron has his own grievances with Prince Drake, which I still want to hear.”

“So do I.” Errol rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you mind sharing?”

Theron pushed away from the barn and strolled past the edge of the group and onto the dirt driveway. He kicked at the ground, raising a small dust cloud, which the faint, cool breeze blew away from us toward the trees.

“The past few years, Drake has made an unofficial decree.” Theron placed his hands behind his back and stared into the trees. “I only learned of it this past year. He’s been eradicating the weak, and with every week, he’s been searching closer and closer to here.”

Eradicating.

The word hovered around us, making the air so heavy I couldn’t breathe.

Inhaling sharply, Brenton placed a hand on his son’s shoulder and asked, “What do you mean by ‘weak’ and ‘eradicating’?”

“The weak—as in any dragon who isn’t at their peak.” Theron straightened his shoulders. “The old, the weak, and especially the handful of dragons with some sort of disability…like my son. And you know what ‘eradicate’ means.”

I grew lightheaded, and Thorn’s shock ran through our bond, adding to my turbulent emotions.

“Are you saying Drake iskillingdragons?” Saphira clutched her chest. “His own people?”

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