Page 39 of Courting the Dragon Prince

“Come on!” Luther yelled.

As Onyx reached him, the torchlight extinguished in the snail’s slimy body.

Luther turned and stumbled through the pitch-black tunnel. He stretched out his arms as he ran, fingers grazing the stone walls and slimy snail mucus that coated the rock.

Onyx panted behind him as they barrelled forward through the darkness.

Dizzy and surrounded by stone, Luther fought against the fear rising inside him.

But then a spot of light emerged ahead.

“We’re almost there!” Luther shouted.

The light grew brighter and brighter. With a relieved cry, he lurched into the fading sunlight. He fell heavily to his knees, drawing air into his aching lungs.

Onyx dropped to the ground beside him, lowering his head to the ground as he gasped.

Laughter burst from Luther’s mouth. “We escaped!” He looked back to the cave entrance. “We fucking escaped!”

Onyx chuckled, a deep rumbling sound as he stared at the cave. “But it was a bloody close one.”

For a couple of minutes, they just knelt on the ground, catching their breath as their heartbeats returned to normal.

A clatter caused Luther to glance back.

“Shit!” Luther jumped to his feet. Snail eyes bobbing on top of tentacles pocked out of the cave entrance.

Without a thought, Luther backed away from Onyx. He tore at his clothes and boot, dropping them and the pack onto the ground. He closed his eyes, focusing on the dragon within.

With a groan, his neck stretched. Limbs lengthened and shifted. Wings sprouted from his back as his tail grew. Now in his dragon form, Luther opened his eyes.

The snail emerged from the tunnel, another close behind it. Fire boiled in Luther’s belly. His jaw opened wide. Flames burst forth.

The snails screamed as they sizzled and burned. He stepped forward. Lowering his head to the ground, Luther breathed fire into the tunnel, burning any fuckers who’d tried to follow them out.

The earth trembled beneath his feet. Luther’s eyes widened. He took a step back, wings stretching, preparing to take flight. Suddenly the rocky outcropping shook, and the tunnel and cave crumbled in on itself, burying the snails within.

Onyx stepped forward, hands outstretched before him, surveying the collapsed tunnel. “Well, I think we exterminated the snail infestation.”

Luther huffed. Smoke rose into the air in front of him.

ChapterEighteen

Onyx wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think I’ve ever fought anything so disgusting in my life.”

“That smell is seared into my nostrils.” Luther laughed. “I’ll never forget it.”

They walked along the dirt path through the wheat fields, heading in the direction of the village. The sun had set recently. An orangey-pink glow lit the sky just above the horizon.

It had been a long day. But they’d completed their couple’s quest.

“And I have to say you were pretty impressive. Just pounding them with rocks, one after another.” Luther mimed throwing rocks.

“You didn’t do too badly either,” Onyx said.

After all, Luther hadn’t panicked. Onyx knew many who would when faced with a surprise attack. But Luther had kept his head on straight. He’d done a lot better than Onyx would have expected of the prince.

“And you came up with the idea that got us out of there alive,” Onyx said.