The Dragon's Consort

Chapter 23

ZURDEN

Yesterday had been a wreck. Slayers attacked, countless of them, and they could've killed him and brothers. They were lucky to have survived with so few injuries. They may be some of the strongest males, but that was an ungodly amount of slayers.

Then of course, there was Sarros, who managed to shift seconds after the battle ended, and shifted rather spectacularly at that. That overwhelming beast of dragon was both awestriking and terrifying. A true queen.

He had actually found his long lost fiancée without even realizing it, had spent months with her. It was the strangest thing. He could only thank the gods for this twist of fate

Sarros had been Zara all this time.

Zara... No wonder he rarely saw her face; she had kept it hidden for the most part. It also explained those baggy clothes, the hair, even that attitude. It was the attitude of a queen who demanded respect.

The sharp scent of female pheromones caught in his nose, and looked over to see rustling inside Zara's tent. She had just been given her own, a queen shouldn't have to share a tent. She gently pushed open the flaps and stepped out, stretching in the light of the morning sun.

He almost choked on air when he saw her. Her shirt hugged every dip and curve of her gloriously feminine figure. The sleeves were gone, revealing slender, scaled shoulders and arms that glistened inky black in the light. Her hair was tied back, a small braid woven through the billowing strands. It only further enhanced the soft edges of her face.

Armos had mentioned that she previously bound her breasts as a way to hide them, but he was shocked nonetheless. He assumed she was mostly flat underneath those baggy clothes, he couldn't feasibly assume that such perfection could be hidden beneath.

He could only wonder how she'd ever tricked any of them, especially when was she the pinnacle of femineity. If he was asked what a female looked like, she is exactly what he'd imagine, and yet was even more stunning.

His dragon stirred, waking yet again. Its claws raked through his mind. It growled at him. Begged him to do something, anything.

... Take!... Claim!... Make yours...

Zurden growled back. 'No. You will wait.'

... Want now...

'Get over yourself. It is her choice, not yours.' he hissed at it.

... Taking too long... Choose now...

He sighed, 'I will speak to her.'

Frustrated but content, it finally slunk back into the dark recluses of his mind. It was too tired to fight as hard as it normally would. The thing was horrendous, absolutely monstrous. The only reason he hadn't killed Cadmus yesterday was because they were brothers. Without that, the beast would've torn him apart.

He watched as Zara made her way over to Illy, who was skinning the bear they'd caught at sun rise. He was hard at work, but stopped when he saw his queen approach.

"Do you need any help?" she asked him.

Illy shook his head, "sorry Zara, but I'm almost done anyways."

It was a lie, they all knew it. He had only started a few minutes ago, and as practiced as he was, it would take him until dinner to finish. She gave him a look but moved on, swallowing whatever retort she wanted to spew.

A knot held tight in his heart. He understood why Illy lied, that his dragon would be howling at him not to let their queen do any labor. All of their dragons would be. That order was tied into their very souls.