Page 83 of The Dragon Warlord

“In order to murder me, he has to leave his new pet alone for a good hour.” He picks up our swords and hands mine to me, sheathing his, and then together we walk through the portal.

14

Tristan

Over the next two days, things settle down. The ice dragon is in bad shape, but with the dragon lord’s coaxing and manipulations, he was convinced to shift to his human manifestation. The beast in him remains at the helm. He’s been collared. He hasn’t spoken yet and is being closely monitored as he sleeps in a magically induced coma to heal. I’m called to the dragon lord’s throne room in the middle of practice. I’ve been hanging onto River so tightly that I forced myself to ask him to remain on the field while I attend the dragon lord’s summons alone. It’s physically painful and my insides ache immediately. The more I resist touching him, the more the bond fights back.

The same is happening for River, but I still think we should try. Discover the new ways we have to ride the wave of our bond.

If it gets unbearable, come straight to me. I mean it, Omega.

Yes, Alpha.

We already existed within our own little circle. With the added level of privacy between us, we’re nearly one person.

I’m surprised that the dragon lord is alone. He usually has at least one of his husbands with him. I bend the knee and bow my head. He sits above me on his throne. “Greetings, my lord.” I’m overly polite as I have been, avoiding him if I can. There is only so much of that he’ll allow, but I’m not in the mood for speaking with him.

“I see that I am not forgiven, pet. You may rise.”

Standing I meet his stare head-on. His throne is four steps up, on a dais so even standing, he remains above me. “Not forgiven? I didn’t realize I was allowed to have misgivings about you, Alpha.”

“The only way I could possibly control your feelings is to break you and even then, all I could elicit would be fear. Could be fun for a week or so but breaking you would be forever, and I require a functional dragon Warlord.”

Har, har. “I believe I’m due for punishment, Alpha.”

“Thank you for reminding me.” As if he’d ever forget. “I’ve added ten lashes for leaving without dismissal.”

I raise a brow. “More for that than allowing my omega to be abducted by his sister?”

“Yes, I give you lashes depending on how much you’ve pissed me off. I’m considering another forty just because I feel like it.”

Right. Time to rein it in a bit. “Have I been called from training so that you might beg my forgiveness, Alpha?” I release a charming smile, convinced to relinquish my bad mood over the threat of an additional forty lashes. Snarkiness feels good in the moment but is never worth the lashes. I fucking hate that whip.

“Is that a possibility?” He sits tall with the knuckles of his right hand curled under his chin. There isn’t a flippant muscle awake in his face. He might actually want my forgiveness.

“Forgiveness usually follows an apology.” I’m not holding my breath on that one.

“I see, but I’m not sorry and I’d like to be forgiven anyway.”

Of course, he does. It’s such a brat thing to do. “If I say yes, may I get back to my army?” He’s the one who wants me to hold long-arse practices. I can’t do that if I’m not there. “Don’t you have a new omega to harass?”

“Aha! I knew it. It bothers you that my interest is elsewhere.”

I sigh. There’s no use lying about it. I have no true privacy from the dragon lord. “A little. The bond is fucking with my head as per usual.”

“I haven’t bitten him, nor do I plan on biting him, Tristan.”

He so rarely calls me Tristan and his admission loosens a knot in my chest. “You’re hard on me, Alpha.”

“Don’t ever expect any less. He’s a different kind of dragon than you are and will require different handling. Besides, he may be a shell of himself, but he’s a pure alpha. He’ll take an omega when he’s well again and I think he’ll be happy in The Tower.”

I have been here five years and have never stopped to think about what kind of dragon I am. I didn’t think to look into it because I assumed that us shifter dragons were just called shifter dragons. I focused my studies on defensive and healing spells. Most of my time is spent with my army. I have little time for anything else these days.

“And while he is a rare dragon, maybe the last of his kind, your kind of dragon is just as rare even if I happen to know that at least four still exist.”

Asking for the answer, it comes to me because of course I’mthatkind of dragon. “I am a war dragon.”

“Yes.”