Page 10 of Court of Rivals (Their Dragon Rider #1)

H arper

After the king’s orders, servants were called in. More instructions were given. And the king had his people bring in a fine ale for all of us to share, then fancy little foods had been passed around on trays by servants. The king seemed pleased with my presence.

His sons? Not so much.

At last, the king had yawned and told us he had a party to get ready for. He’d instructed his sons to take care of me, then sent us on our way, which was both a relief, and a stress. The last thing I want to do is be alone with the three angry men.

But I had to pretend otherwise. I needed to put on a brave face, no matter what was hiding underneath.

Now, the three princes are storming down the hall in front of me, each of them radiating a pissed off energy that’s so strong it’s palpable. I don’t quite understand their anger. All this because they want to be Ebron’s rider? Or is it because I’m a woman? Or a commoner?

I guess maybe the combination of all three is what’s gotten under their skin. Men are such delicate flowers when it comes to their egos.

Prince Gareth grabs a servant as he walks by. “Is her room where I instructed?”

“It is, my lord,” the servant says, bobbing her head.

“Good,” he says, and the way he says it makes me think I’m not going to like where I’m staying.

But if he’s hoping to make me uncomfortable enough to leave, he’s going to be sorely disappointed.

Most people couldn’t endure a night in my cottage, what with my brothers and dad farting and snoring all night long.

I’ve smelled things no one should ever have to smell.

I’ve endured things some fancy prince could never even imagine.

They lead me to a door at random, and Prince Gareth flings it open. “Put your stuff down.”

I whistle low.

“What?” Prince Alaric asks, looking at me in confusion, and unfortunately for me, my stomach does a little flip. He’s pretty damn handsome, even though he seems to be a jerk.

Focus, Harper.

“It’s nice,” I say, trying not to express just how impressed I am with my accommodations, even though I’m pretty sure I already failed.

The room is massive. Big balcony doors flung open to the perfect weather.

A huge bed that looks more comfortable than anything I’ve ever laid on.

A beautiful fireplace. A vanity with a mirror.

A big wooden wardrobe. It’s… perfect. Way too nice for me, but I drop my bag on the bed, then turn around to find the three of them watching me really closely.

“Now what?” I ask, a little nervous.

“Now we see what you’re made of,” Prince Gareth says, and his voice holds a threat I don’t understand. Aren’t we on the same team? Sort of. “We’ll all fly our dragons. You can show us what you know.”

Shit. I kind of just want to rest. It’s been a rough few days. And besides that, Ebron and I haven’t had any official training yet. We’re bound to embarrass ourselves, which I bet is exactly what these three are hoping for.

But I know I can’t back down from a fight.

“Lead the way.”

As we start walking again, Prince Alaric speaks to me, his words stiff and uncomfortable, like the man himself. Hasn’t this guy ever spoken to another human before? “Call your dragon to you.”

I give him a funny look. “He’s not close enough to hear.”

“In your mind,” he says, and now he’s the one looking at me funny.

“How do you do that?”

He stops and turns to face me. “You don’t even know how to talk to your dragon in your mind?” He sounds horrified.

Both the other men look at me in shock. Three wickedly handsome men with their mouths hanging open like they’re catching flies. Real attractive.

I shift my weight from one foot to the other. “I literally met a dragon for the first time a few days ago.”

Prince Gareth rolls his eyes and continues walking, which is oh so helpful. I’m starting to suspect this guy is the type who is always in a bad mood… and probably attracts the ladies with his dark-good-looks and brooding attitude. That’s not my type though. Never has been.

Prince Lucien gives me a look filled with pity. I’ve realized that this prince is good at seeming nice, while looking down on me. “Think of your dragon. Picture him in your mind. Then, send a thought to him.”

“Okay, I’ll ask him if he wants to go riding.”

“Ask?” Prince Gareth repeats, spinning to face me.

“Yes,” I tell him, wondering what I’d done wrong now.

“We don’t ask. We tell our dragons what we’re doing,” he says angrily.

“And how does that work out for you?” I ask, my tone sarcastic.

“They usually listen to us,” Prince Alaric offers softly.

Prince Gareth and Prince Lucien continue walking, more like storming away. Fists clenched. Backs straight.

Screw them.

I close my eyes and try communicating with Ebron. I guess we’re going to be flying with these jackasses and showing them that we can handle being here. If you want.

My dragon’s voice comes low and strong. Very good. These females are overwhelmed by me, but I can’t pick my mates properly if I don’t know who is strongest. Who is the fastest.

I open my eyes and Prince Alaric is staring at me. For a moment, his expression is pure fascination before the look disappears, and his face is blank once more.

“My dragon’s been told,” I say.

He nods, and we continue walking. Following the others at a bit of a distance.

“So,” I begin. “How long have you been training to be a dragon rider?”

His words are factual and cold. “I, like all the other dragon riders here, have been training since I was a small child. Since I was old enough to walk. Dragons and dragon riding are our lives here, because we know the Hollowborn are a danger that only we can stop.”

“And how did your dragon choose you?”

“All dragon riders are taken to the Island of Dragons. The place dragons return to in order to lay their eggs and hatch their offspring. We stay there and try to get a dragon to choose us as their rider. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we fail. No matter how much training a rider has, nothing guarantees them that they’ll get a dragon. ”

“Interesting.” I hesitate, but decide to press on. “I guess that makes the way Ebron and I found each other even more unusual.”

“Yes, it does,” his words are clipped.

We come back out into the practice yard. Ebron is in the center. Waiting. Female dragons are circling overhead. I don’t wait. I hurry over to Ebron, stand on his wings, and he lifts me up and puts me on his large back.

Prince Lucien calls up at me. “We have a way of doing things. Just follow along and you’ll be fine.”

“Sounds good,” I tell him, but can’t stop the sarcasm that laces my words.

We launch up into the sky, and then begin to circle as the smaller females land in the practice yard, and the men climb onto their backs. I notice, for the first time, that all the female dragons have essentially saddles on their backs. Saddles seem like a good idea.

“We’re going to have to get you a saddle,” I tell Ebron.

His voice is nonchalant. If that’s what it takes to fight the Hollowborn.

Soon, all the female dragons are in the air around us, with their riders on their backs.

There are perhaps twelve men in the sky with me, and all of them seem cool and confident.

I get the feeling they have something planned, but I don’t have time to think when Ebron takes off.

He picks a direction and starts flying as fast as he can, and the females fall in line behind him.

All of them seem to be trying to go the fastest, but it’s the three princes who are right on our heels.

Prince Gareth’s dragon is right behind us.

She’s a large silver dragon with scales that seem to sparkle in the light of the sun.

Prince Lucien’s dragon is next. She’s nearly as large as Prince Gareth’s dragon, but she’s golden.

The same exact shade as his hair. Prince Alaric’s dragon is gorgeous.

As pure white as fallen snow, with wide wings that seem far too big for her.

There’s a desperate energy to the female dragons.

I get an overwhelming sense of arousal. Of attraction, and I glance back at the three princes, my heart racing for other reasons than just the flight.

The strange awareness of my body is unsettling, so I’m glad when Ebron suddenly shoots straight up into the sky.

I have to hold on tight to his scales to keep from falling, but the feeling is like nothing else on this earth.

“Woot! Woot!” I shout into the sky.

Then, Ebron dives down past the females, nearly hitting several on his descent.

I’m cheering excitedly as we nearly hit the ocean beneath us, then pull up at the last minute.

The female dragons behind us are trying to follow our pattern.

But still, somehow, the three princes’ dragons are staying the closest to us.

We move, ducking, diving, as Ebron, I suspect, tests all the females.

Every time I catch a glimpse of the other riders, they look pissed as hell, but I ignore them.

This is what Ebron wants to do, so this is what we’ll do.

If it’s so easy for them to control their dragons, I’m sure they can stop the females from following us.

Suddenly, Ebron jerks wildly, and I nearly go tumbling off his back.

I have to cling to his scales and climb up his side to get back in place.

Once I do, I notice the cause of my trouble.

Prince Gareth is knocking his dragon into Ebron.

Prince Lucien’s dragon hits us from the other side, but this time I’m ready.

I cling more tightly to his scales, wondering what the hell they’re doing.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I shout, unsure whether or not they can actually hear me.

My dragon answers, cool and calm. They’re challenging us. They want to see if we’re tough enough to handle being their peer. We will show them that we have a warrior’s heart.