Dragonborn (The Jade Lee Romantic Fantasies, Book 1) by Lee Jade

Author:Lee, Jade [Lee, Jade]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: ePublishing Works!
Published: 2013-02-03T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Dag Racho was an exacting taskmaster. He spent hours with her, training her in history, deportment, statecraft, dragon care, and etiquette—everything and anything that would make her fit to stand by his side. That was his plan, of course, and the reason he had not simply killed her outright: he needed a female dragonmate. He spoke of their union frequently, of their future children, and of the dragon babies he would have under his control. Eventually, he claimed, he would lead an army of dragons to conquer the neighboring countries, which would finally make Ragona safe. That is what he said, and she could tell he believed it. Meanwhile, she struggled to hide her revulsion. More war? More soldiers? More dragons pouring destruction down on their neighbors? How could that possibly make anyone more safe?

Perhaps Kiril had the right of it. Perhaps all dragons had to be destroyed so that everyone would live in peace. And yet, that thought would not sit well either. Her egg was not evil; she was sure of that. And the Copper was definitely more than an achingly sad pet dog. Dragons were something apart from anything she had thought before. Something important. She just didn't know what.

How she longed for someone to discuss this with. She wished for a person who had seen more than she had read, who knew the court inside and out, and could give her new insight. And if he had large hands and a kind heart, if he risked everything to protect her, then all the better. In short, she ached for Kiril, the man she had ordered killed.

She still thought he was a liar and a cad—perhaps. If she allowed herself to believe he'd been true to her, guilt would overwhelm her. Had she really ordered his death in a fit of wounded petulance? What if Kiril's lies had been exactly what Sabina said: the only way to survive in Ragona? It made sense. If her last days were anything to judge by, Dag Racho did have absolute control over everything. He had brought her to witness the death of many prisoners. Indeed, it was a regular court event and the Copper's only source of food: men, women and children, eaten alive with only Racho's word to say that they deserved it. He called them criminals, conspirators, and traitors, and no one dared gainsay him.

What if Kiril had been forced into his lies to her? What if his deception, his time with her, had all been prescribed by Dag Racho? Then he would have been as much a victim as the people eaten before her very eyes. And perhaps those other moments—the times when they laughed together or touched one another—perhaps those had been the only real thing allowed between them. And she had ordered him killed.

As she turned her eyes away from the latest execution, Natiya vowed to never let emotion overcome her again. She would never again allow anyone—most especially Dag Racho—to manipulate her with such deadly consequences.

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