Page 8 of Court of Rivals (Their Dragon Rider #1)

H arper

Everyone is staring at us. I mean, I’d stare at us too, but surely they’ve seen dragons before. Hell, we just flew through a couple dozen of them, so why is everyone acting like I have a fish on my head?

Maybe it’s because Ebron is so big. That’s got to be it.

My gaze moves back to the man I’d addressed my words to.

I get the feeling he’s the leader here. Maybe because he’s taller than the other men, a lot taller.

There are only two men that stand close to his height, but other than them, he dwarfs the others.

He’s wearing all expensive-looking black leather, nearly the same shade as his shoulder-length black hair.

And rather than looking frightened, like the others, there’s something sharp and cunning about his expression.

I try again, clearing my throat, and meeting the man’s deep blue eyes once more. “I’m Harper Nightborne, and I’ve come to train as a dragon rider.”

Introduce me too. Ebron, God of the Sky, King of All He Sees.

My stomach flips nervously. “And this is Ebron, God of the Sky, King of All He Sees.”

In my mind, Ebron makes a pleased sound. And mater of all females. Gods are there a lot of females here… more than I imagined.

“I’m not going to say that.” I mumble to him, then I consider his words. “Is that why you brought me here? All the ladies?”

I get the sense that he’s amused.

“Did you say he ?” one man asks, stepping forward.

This man has neatly-trimmed brown hair, brown eyes so dark that they’re almost black, and the same strong jaw and cheekbones as the other man. Something about their impossibly beautiful faces makes me think they might be brothers, but who could possibly know for sure?

“Yes, he ,” I tell them, trying to sound brave and certain, and not at all like the frightened little kid I feel like I am inside. “Ebron is a male dragon.”

All the men who surround me begin to murmur amongst themselves, and I don’t blame them. I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around the fact that not only do male dragons exist, one chose me as his rider.

“And you’re a girl dragon rider?” the brown-haired man asks, his gaze sweeping over me.

“She’s a woman, Prince Alaric, that’s obvious to every man in the room,” another person says.

This man has shoulder-length blond hair and impossibly green eyes. His lips are curved into a smile as he squeezes the other man’s shoulder, radiating amusement, but I sense something deeper. Confusion. Or perhaps interest in me and my dragon.

“There are no female dragon riders,” the man with black hair says coldly, eyeing Ebron. “If your dragon seeks a rider, we will surely find someone worthy of such a beast.”

To my shock, Ebron rears back, and I have to grip on tightly to his scales to keep from falling. He throws back his head and roars angrily, then thrashes. I will have no other rider. You will be my rider. He settles back down, and I see the men have scattered in fear.

My voice comes out a little shaky. “He says he will have no other rider but me.”

The one named Prince Alaric steps forward. “This is a discussion for our father, King Stormvale.”

Oh, fuck, am I going to meet the king? I hadn’t even considered that.

“Our father isn’t needed for this,” the black-haired man says, anger lacing each word.

“Prince Gareth, with all due respect, this is exactly the situation the king should be involved in.” The brown-haired man, the one I now know is Prince Alaric, moves closer to us while Ebron watches him warily. “If you come with me, I’ll take you to him.”

Before I can react, Ebron snatches him in his claw and presses him to earth. People gasp and cry out. Swords are drawn, or held at attention, all eyes on us.

“What are you doing?” I ask Ebron.

Let it be known that if there is any trickery, if my rider should be harmed, I will burn this place to the ground and not a single female dragon will stop me.

I clear my throat. “He wants it to be known that if anything happens to me that he will burn this place to the ground, and that your female dragons won’t stop him. He seems to know this for certain.”

Prince Alaric sounds strangely calm for a man in his position. “Understood.”

Ebron releases him and settles back. As I go to climb off his back, Ebron lifts his wing for me to climb on and then lowers me to the ground.

Everyone seems to be staring in shock, and I don’t entirely know why because they seem more shocked by what just happened than they were after they met one of the few male dragons just moments ago.

I nervously walk toward this Prince Alaric, noticing just how massive he is, both in height and the sheer size of his muscles.

Other than Arther and Tesson, I was taller than every man in my village, so I kind of can’t help but stare.

If these three princes are this big, I wonder how big the king is.

Prince Alaric eyes me cautiously, his pale brown eyes seeming to assess me.

“Right this way… Lady Nightborne.”

I wince. “Actually, I’m not a lady.”

“You’re not even nobility?" Comes snapping out of the black-haired man’s mouth, Prince Gareth. And there’s something judgmental and not at all friendly about his tone.

“No,” I answer curtly.

His mouth draws into a thin line. “You can’t possibly be allowed to ride a dragon. You’re a woman, and a commoner.”

“Thanks for pointing those things out. I have to regularly look down to find my breasts to make certain I’m a woman and not a man. I needed the reminder.”

He glares at me.

I glare back.

“I don’t like you.”

His mouth draws into a line. “The feeling is mutual.”

The blond man steps between us with a smile. “I’m Prince Lucien, by the way.” To my surprise, he reaches out and takes my hand, we shake. His hand is warm and calloused. “Anything you need, anything at all, just ask me.”

“Stop hitting on her,” Prince Gareth mutters. “Although as a commoner, she’s pretty much a sure-thing.”

A sure-thing? What kind of offensive shit is this?

Anger rises inside of me, and I step closer to Prince Gareth. “Are one of those female dragons in the sky yours?”

He looks suspicious. “Yes, why?”

I lean closer, lowering my voice to a whisper. “Mine is bigger than yours.” Then, I spin on my heel and look at Prince Alaric. “Please, lead the way.”

There’s a flicker of a smile on Prince Alaric’s face before it vanishes, then he turns around and starts walking. I adjust my bag on my back and straighten my spine. It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay. I’m just going to meet the king, that’s all. It’s perfectly normal.

Deep breaths.