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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. You must find 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.

” He could 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.

Her mother and her sisters didn’t share these extra physical traits, but they’d helped her figure out how to keep them healthy and glowing, even if they weren’t always out for the world to see.

She turned as she examined the rainbow hues threaded onto her wings, falling more and more in love with her body the longer and harder she looked. Fuck the world if they thought of her as less than just because of their presence.

“Is this part of a nightly routine?”

Rowan’s eyes snapped to scan her surroundings, only to catch sight of his astral body in the corner of her bedroom.

The only difference from his physical presence was a faint glow outlining his body.

“I thought you were busy.” She had, of course, taken him at his word that they wouldn’t be seeing each other and felt more than comfortable in confronting her new truth. “Wait, the cabin let you in?”

Alessandro smirked at her and she could practically hear him purring, “Honey, I’m the Dragon King.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Wasn’t it you who begged me to come?” He moved to her papasan chair and relaxed into its form.

“Does it really count when you’re so ghostly?” She pouted as she slid into a red robe hanging on the corner of the mirror. “I wanted to have sex.”

Alessandro used his elbows to prop himself up. “Is sex all I bring out of you, little elf?”

Rowan shrugged. “I mean, I am also a succubus.”

He gave a low chuckle, then motioned towards the plant he’d left the day before. Small buds had emerged from the stalks, but not much else was different in terms of progress. “I see you’ve attempted to figure out how to make it bloom.”

The elf groaned, “We had one at Spellcasters, but this one might be defective. I’ve tried every chakra point and I’m getting no action.”

“Innuendo?” He asked dryly, “I thought you were above those.”

She slid her gaze over his form. Her hunger had been growing since he uttered his first word. It was growing too quickly for her to be comfortable with.

Before he’d blasted into her life, she’d only required feedings every three months. She couldn’t be sure if the new hunger was because of her heavy magic usage, or because she’d become addicted to the high of his otherwise neglected celestial energy.

Her eyes slid over the bulging erection just underneath the fabric of his pants. It was frustrating. She wanted to smell the usual sweet proof that his lust was stirring. The physical presentation did little to nullify her as she recalled how it felt in real life.

Alessandro’s low growl raised her attention to his eyes, but it didn’t help her situation as the sound only reminded her of the sweet noises he’d made while he slammed into her.

She couldn’t tell what color his eyes were, but they were glowing as they locked onto the plant. Clearly, he would not be changing his mind on an impromptu visit.

His voice was strained when he spoke. “This plant gauges how efficient you are when you channel your magic, not how strong it is. I noticed the damage to your hands after you intervened with the wolves. It’s worrisome if you’ve never actually channeled through the proper methods.

Your gates could be close to collapsing and you’ve never even realized. ”

Forcing herself to change focus from her cravings to the plant, she felt the frustration the damn thing had incited in her flare back to life.

Most of her training had been untraditional. She had not only kept her true power levels a secret, but also half of her genetic makeup. Other than how to feed off sexual energy, neither her mother nor godmother had given her the tools she needed to use her succubus’ side to filter magic.