A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

Give him hell, I told her, pulling more power.

No problem.

She flew higher, waited until he moved to block her, and then swooped down at a breakneck pace, something Arleth had advised us not to do, saying it was too dangerous. We could hit a current wrong and dump the wind from our wings. My dragon didn’t care. She was an aggressive flier, never happy unless she was pushing the limits.

She did so now, curving to the side as she dove past Nyfain, scraping along the underside of his stomach with the claws at the ends of her wings. And then she was pumping her wings for all that she was worth, gaining speed quickly, closing the translucent parts of her eyelids, which allowed her to see through the rushing wind.

A huge roar rose behind us, and then the chase was on. We could hear Nyfain’s great wings beat at the sky, pushing for speed. Pushing to catch us.

Get crazy, I thought, inwardly grinning, wishing I could look back and see him.

My dragon couldn’t waste any time, though. She felt his proximity. She felt his swell of strength and power as he bore down on her.

Fuck, he’s intimating, she thought with glee as she slanted her wings and tore down in a loop, another thing Arleth absolutely hated. I’ve never felt anything like it. It’s terrifying even though he’s on our side.

Not when he’s trying to dominate, he’s not.

He always wants to dominate.

She pulled up fast, gaining altitude, catching him just as he turned in the air. Since he was so much bigger than us, he needed more space and time to react. Speed was our advantage.

Go, go, go! I urged her.

She didn’t need to be told. She was already putting on a burst of speed and power, flying toward the Royal Wood at a breakneck pace. It wasn’t long before he was on us again, too damn big and fast and powerful.

Let’s see him do this, my dragon thought.

No, no! I thought desperately, knowing what she intended to do. Arleth hadn’t just expressed her disapproval of this maneuver—she’d forbidden it.

My dragon never listened.

She pulled up and fluttered her wings in the air, stalling, losing the wind. Gravity grabbed us, sucking us down to the ground. A shock of fear went through Nyfain, and he moved to intercept, intending to catch us as we fell. I had every belief he’d be able to. My dragon knew he’d try. He was too gallant for his own good. She only cared about winning.

She fell, slowly at first and then faster. Nearing him, she suddenly tilted, angled, and then put on a burst of strength to pull out of the fall. She zoomed past him, roaring, looking back at him and slapping down her tail. The spikes at the end raked across his back, not at all the sweet caress he’d given her earlier.

Manic glee stole over me as shock and surprise drifted through the bond—followed by pumping excitement and rage. She’d just issued a challenge to the alpha dragon.

Oh shit, oh fuck, oh no, I thought, giddy, wishing I could be the one in charge of her body. I’d been in charge plenty, though. It was her turn to frolic with our big golden dragon.

She was racing again, not really knowing how to fight in the air. We were still learning the basics.

His roar froze our heart for one moment, and then adrenaline pumped through our veins.

Come at me, fucker! she thought-hollered, banking in the air and catching him hard on our tail.

She moved up and out, slapping him with her tail again before angling into a quick downward spiral and then lying low over the trees. She was using all her tricks for this one. Hopefully Arleth wasn’t watching. And since she probably was, hopefully the lecture wouldn’t be too bad.

Ready to shift? my dragon thought as she waited for Nyfain to turn and come back for us. It was only a matter of time before he caught us, but the fun was in the chase. The tops of the trees tickled our belly. Dragons rose from the villages in the distance, hearing the roars and probably wanting to check it out. Some of them would get to see their future king in the air for the first time, having been too young to remember before the curse. What an amazing sight. It would stick with them forever, like it had stuck with me.

His wings thundered through the air. Sharp pain lanced our tail. His teeth.

Fuck, he’s on us already. Now! She yanked her tail away, found the first break in the trees, and dipped in, tilting her wings just right to dramatically slow us.

I took over, shifting when her body was a safe distance from the ground. My legs buckled and I rolled, catching myself and then popping back up. Soon I was running in the safety of the tree cover, looking up at that golden belly as it passed over.