The queen was dying, and the hatching grounds barren. Less than a dozen eggs remained, and the few on the ground were larger than most. The eggs black or dark gray. The Nightbreeds. Large, ferocious and difficult for a young rider to control, they were all that was left for Brittany’s brother as we escorted him to the sacred ground.
The queen awaited us in her dragon form, stretched out across a massive throne made not from wood or metal but formed from the stones themselves with her own fiery breath. She looked beautiful, as always, the bright red dragon before us seemed to glow, her power pulsating with the heat of the rock beneath us. The magic flowing from her impossible to ignore or deny. Her orders to her sons were law, the magic flowing from her blood to ours impossible to disobey.
And I thanked whatever gods existed that my rider, Zach, had been drawn to fire and not to ice. That my mother, the queen, was my master, and not my father. The king was ice to her fire. And he believed dragons should rule over man, as they had thousands of years ago. Humans were nothing to him but breeding females or slaves.
Like me, his sons could neither refuse him, nor disobey him, the pull of his magic too strong.
But perhaps his life, too, faded.
What that would mean for all of us, I had no idea, but that was not why we were here. Not today.
Today was meant for Garrett to join our ranks as a rider, to discover if a dragon would choose him, find him worthy.
Where are the rest of the eggs, Mother? I should have kept my mouth shut, but the question burned inside me like a wildfire, impossible to control.
Stolen, my son. I have sent other riders to find them and bring them back.
Stolen? By whom?
The large red dragon tilted her head to look at me as Zach turned on his heel, facing our queen. “When? Who took them? We will leave at once.”
The queen shook her head. No. The king sent his ice dragons to take them, to find riders more to his bidding.
Zach looked as confused as I felt.
Why did they leave the Nightbreed eggs, Mother? They are the largest, the most powerful of our kind. I do not understand.
Brittany, who’d been holding both Zach’s and Garrett’s hands as they followed behind me, three humans under my protection, was the one who answered. I still forgot how lucky I was, that since we’d bonded completely, she could hear all dragons now, and their riders. She was truly mine. One of us. “Maybe whoever stole the eggs had a conscience. He couldn’t disobey the king, but he left the most dangerous dragons behind. Out of his father’s reach.”
The queen’s large head pivoted to inspect my mate and I felt Brittany’s nervous energy through our new bond, stretched my wing just enough to shield most of her body from the queen’s view.
Perhaps. The queen blinked, her ruby red lids sliding slowly over her giant eyes. Where is my new rider? Bring him forward.
Garrett, who’d spent the last two days coming to grips with his new reality, walked forward and knelt before the queen in the ancient ritual, as he’d been instructed to do by the others.”
“My name is Garrett Anderson. I am Dragonborn. I claim the rights of a rider.”
May one of my sons deem you worthy. Our queen inclined her terrifying head to the young human, who bravely held his ground. But then, he shared blood with my mate, and I knew her courage, her fearless nature, was one of the reasons I loved her.
Garrett bowed low to the queen and turned to the small stack of dragon eggs in the center of the cave floor. There were not many eggs. The brightly colored selection that had been scattered on the floor of the hatching chamber when Zach had come for me was gone.
Brittany was holding her breath, her fingers wrapped tightly over the top of my wing as I continued to shield her. I had never seen a Nightbreed born, and no idea what a new hatchling might do. I would not allow even a moment of carelessness to put my mate in danger.
Normally, a rider would kneel and touch an egg he felt drawn to. The ritual was part magic and part instinct, two souls drawn to each other, complimenting one another to form a perfect pairing. I remember awakening in the egg, feeling the light of Zach’s soul, the honor he possessed something I knew I would need to hold back my darker nature.
Garrett did not kneel, he stood, unmoving, staring at the largest egg in the center.
With a sound like wood breaking, the egg shattered as if it had exploded from the inside. In it’s place stood a dragon with obsidian scales and glacier blue eyes. He was large, for a hatchling, the top of the dragon’s head rising above Brittany’s knees.
Brittany laughed, the sound of joy jolting all of us from our shock at the violent birth. “He’s beautiful, brother.”
Still on his feet, Garrett looked down at the dragon, their gazes locked. Held. The war of wills begun. The bonding of two souls. The moment when a dragon opened its mouth for the first time and breathed fire…or ice.
Find out what happens next…
Books by Claire Conrad
Mark of the Dragon Series
Marked at Midnight
Marked by Starlight (Coming Soon)
Mates of Zatari
Claiming His Mate
Conquering His Mate
Other Books
Seduced in the Dungeon
Claimed by Candlelight
About the Author
WWW.ClaireConrad.com
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Claire Conrad is a full time writer and chocolate enthusiast who knows just enough about a handful of topics to dabble in many and master none. She loves a good red wine, traveling just about anywhere, coffee (as long as it's dark), romance and never met a sci-fi story she didn't love - including comically horrible "B" movies - much to her husband's chagrin. Claire writes sexy alpha males, aliens, shifters, undercover bad boys and anything else her muse thinks might be fun (or a little naughty). All of her books take a wee little ride on the wild side, so hold on tight. Things are about to get hot. ;)
Marked at Midnight--Mark of the Dragon, Book 1 Page 13