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“My king, may I speak freely?” Gotan was a fire dragon. He was the head of House Ash, one of the wealthiest houses that made up the Thunder. He also was the thorn that wouldn’t die on Alessandro’s side. Over 500 years old, with silver hair that brushed the floor when he relaxed, Gotan never missed an opportunity to question Alessandro’s decisions.

Alessandro inclined his head towards the man. “You may, but I warn you, Gotan, my patience at the moment is fragile.”

The dragon scowled. “We grieve not only over the loss of Elaine, but of the prospect of our future. She is the only woman that you have truly considered as the Dragon Queen in the past century. We are not whole without a queen. Our balance is so disturbed our women are having a hard time having children. This is a punishment from our ancestors that we have warned you of time and time again. Youmustfind a mate, my King. Without our children, we have no future, so why would we fight for it?”

Alessandro could hear a dull ringing in his ear. He could feel his power pour out of his concealment field, his claws elongated, horns protruded from his head. “You all agreed this was a justified reason to put your families of current relevance in danger?”

“We all can phase out, my lord. If it took the loss of Draconis the place to get you to think seriously about the needs of your people, we would give up a thousand Draconis’.” Gotan dropped to his knees, and he pressed his forehead to the tile. “No dragons would have suffered.”

Alessandro sneered down at the man. The temperature of the room plummeted and he could see his breath mist. “Draconis is not just a place. Since its founding, have you all forgotten why we have a dragon haven in the land of mortals? Why we, the leaders of this Thunder, spend the bulk of our time here instead of returning to our ancestral home? If they burned this place down and saw no dragons, they would hunt us down. We would lose the peace that comes with having one of the world’s only intact histories of its people. And do not think they couldn’t do it, find Dragon City. The technology of this time and age makes it near impossible for it to remain hidden. The only reason we have so far is because we have given them no reason to look for it.” Hecould feel their instant remorse and it helped calm him down a bit.

“I understand your frustration with my lack of a mate. But if you think I’ll just allow anyone to sit by my side for the rest of my life just so you can have babies, you’re wrong. Picking the Dragon Queen is a job I take seriously. I kept this from the rest of the Thunder save for Elaine’s family, but that has proven to be a miscalculation.”

The water dragon tensed from her position, but she didn’t speak out.

“Elaine was of sound mind when she found the flute. She made the conscious decision to not only touch the cursed object, but to bring it back here and play the forbidden melody. She made the choice to take on the full burn of the curse and take us all down with her if she couldn’t have the Dragon Queen seat.”

Gotan was now sitting up, looking horrified at the woman who refused to move a muscle. Besides her, the two dragons of the remaining houses sat up and shared Gotan’s expression. “Mezine, you didn’t say!”

Alessandro regained full control of the beast and he felt everything neutralizing around him.

“I do not say this to besmirch her name. Elaine was a promising candidate, perhaps the most promising, but she didn’t stir my beast and she fell short of what I expect from my queen. I ask that you all give me your patience and believe me when I say I hear your concerns. I will give you a Dragon Queen and when I do, I hope you’ll give me your full support knowing it is not a decision I will make without considering every aspect of that person and their role in our future.”

Alessandro motioned for them to stand. “I expect none of you to breathe a word of Elaine to the rest of the Thunder. Let her die with honor. In the end, she regretted the betrayal, and I forgave her. Until time heals the mental wounds of those who drew blood from their fellow dragons, let us keep it between ourselves and the archives. Am I understood?” He wanted to make sure they knew this last bit was an order and not a request.

“Yes, your majesty!” All four heads of families chorused.

“As for your punishment, you four will return to Dragon City and fall under the command of our Earth General. She has a plan to protect Dragon City if the worse comes to worst. Leave your chosen heirs here. It’s time to test them in times of peril. I do hope they do better than you have today.”

He could see his heads of families were ashamed of their decision, and he dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

Stone stepped forward from the shadows, his face pale. “Is what you said about Elaine true?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean she died in a lot of pain?”

Alessandro studied the young man. He briefly recalled Elaine had been his age. They’d grown up in the same clutch even though they’d never hung out in public. Could Alessandro have missed something between the two dragons when he wasn’t paying attention?

Elaine had been an oversight of the highest esteem. But Alessandro was hyperaware of every aspect of Stone’s life. He’d considered the dragon a little brother. There was no way he’d missed him falling in love. Right?

“When I first saw her cursed form, she was full of pain, but in her dying moments, she was at peace. She even laughed a little. Was she a friend?”

Stone shrugged. “Sometimes it feels like I don’t really have friends. I’m disconnected.”

“That’s the burden of dragons blessed in more than one element, Stone. Don’t worry, you’ll find a piece that grounds you.”

Stone scoffed, “Like you?”

Alessandro’s laugh was from the belly, a rare treat that removed some tension from the heir’s shoulders. “The second I became the Dragon King, you all became my anchors. Right now I’m looking for a piece that makes me feel like I can fly, even with all of this weight.” He cocked his head. “Come on, let’s get some dinner. I think you’re on the verge of another growth spurt.”

“I told you five years ago, I think I’m done growing!” Stone called after his master as they walked out of the audience chamber.

Chapter 14

Rowan wasn’t sure how she felt about this recent development. Growing up without her tail, horns and wings out for the world to see hadn’t prepared her for the day Chloe’s charms stopped working and exposed them to the world.

The stares that had followed her during lunch had made her feel exposed. After years of living in the shadows, it was taking longer than she’d imagined to feel comfortable.