The Requiem Mountains are my home, but I’ve always felt a pull to explore beyond these dull orange cave walls, always buzzing with slaves. Hael keeps them busy.
Now, as I make my way up to the Royal Chambers where the Royal Dragons live and where dinner is about to be served, I can’t help but yearn to explore the forest.
I’ve always been an outdoor person.
I don’t spend much time indoors, but I’m usually not allowed to go exploring at night. Lochness and Hael say it’s too dangerous. My mother, Madeline, warns me about men who lurk in those forests.
Maybe if I could transform into a Dragon, I’d be safer.
That’s what everyone keeps telling me. I hear it all the time, especially from Lex, who’s still trying to figure out how to transform into his own Dragon.
Half-bloods can only transform if their blood is mostly Dragon genes and magic. So it’s a toss-up whether you get the ability or not.
The path is getting steeper, and I know I’m nearing the top of the mountain.
I glance down at my outfit: black leather pants and a black midriff top.
It helps me stay cool, as the mountain can get stuffy. Plus, it’s easier to move around in. I’ve never been a fan of dresses.
I round the last bend. The cave corridors are wider up here. I pause before entering the dining room.
I flip my straight black hair over my shoulders and take a deep breath before facing my family and Althor.
I stride into the room with grace.
A massive wooden table is laid out with a feast of food and wine. My parents are seated at the table, at the head—Althor on one end, and Lex at the other.
“Hello, darling.” Althor sees me and nods, a smile on his face as I enter.
I’ve never liked the Dragon Lord of the Horde of Fortune. He visits the Requiem Horde often to maintain our alliance. But there’s a darkness about him, a cold look in his eyes.
There’s something about him I just don’t trust.
I nod, moving to sit next to Lex.
He’s a smaller version of Hael. They both have emerald-green hair and eyes.
I also have emerald-green eyes. Slaves and Dragons alike say they’re so intense they often intimidate those who dare to meet our gaze.
Which suits me just fine, because I don’t really like looking at people anyway.
Althor is different from any Dragon I’ve ever met. He has light blue eyes and long amber hair. He’s rugged, stocky, built for battle. But he’s not as tall as my two fathers.
“So, you decided to actually join us for once, Luvenia?” Madeline asks, looking both pleased and upset at the same time.
I just ignore her, and I hear Hael growl.
“Show some respect, Luvenia,” Hael scolds me, while Nessy just glares in his usual threatening way.
I can’t help but judge what Madeline is wearing. That damn collar and leash. Over her warrior’s outfit—similar to mine, except her top is a bra with dangling feathers.
I just don’t get why you’d pair a strong outfit with degrading accessories.
“The only word she understands is ‘brat’ because that’s what she is,” Lex teases, and I pinch his wrist with my sharp nails.
“Ouch!” He swats my hand away, and I smirk, turning my gaze to Althor.
I want to know what he wants from me.
“When will Blue and Bluer get here?” Lex asks Althor. “They’re keeping us from eating—”
Just as my brother speaks, two shadows stretch into the firelit room from the entrance. I glance up and slowly blink, annoyed that Thaddeus and Sylvan have arrived.
I scowl at their leather pants, a popular choice for male Dragons who often transform between forms and need something easy to carry.
“Welcome!” Madeline instantly grins as the two young Dragons enter the room.
Thaddeus and Sylvan smirk confidently and make their way over to sit by their uncle. They don’t dare to sit next to me. I avoid their gazes and presence and look to my fathers instead.
As expected, they both look annoyed.
I’ve always thought they could see what I could, the shallow minds of Thad and Sylvan.
Young Dragon minds, barely developed, while their confidence and arrogance are sky-high.
“We can all eat now,” Hael growls through clenched teeth, glaring at Althor. “Ask Luvenia what you want. If my daughter doesn’t want to help you, you’ll have to find someone else.”
He meets my green eyes, and I feel the stares of his nephews on me too.
I’m already uncomfortable.
This is the closest they’ve ever been to me in the same room.
“I need a favor, dear,” Althor says as politely as he can. “You can crack the toughest minds, can’t you?”
“Yes,” I answer, although the one mind I can’t crack is Althor’s. Not because he has a strong mental block, but because of something else.
His mind is fuzzy and unreadable. Magic seeps from his head like poison.
“I have a prisoner I’ve brought with me. I need you to tell me what he’s thinking. I can’t crack his mind. Neither can your father, Lochness.”
At Althor’s words, I turn to my father, shocked.
“You couldn’t read someone’s mind?” I ask Lochness, who has a knowing look in his eye, but he shakes his head anyway.
“I couldn’t,” Lochness shrugs, but he does it suspiciously. “Maybe you can, sweetie.”
He’s up to something. He always is.
“What’s in it for me?” I question Althor, doing my best to disregard the two high-profile Dragons flanking him. They’re both cocking their heads, obviously exchanging thoughts about me.
I don’t bother to tap into their minds, though. I don’t want to know what they’re thinking.
“I just need a small favor. Maybe in return, Thad and Sylvan could take you for a flight. Half-bloods who can’t transform are always itching to fly.”
Althor’s condescension is palpable.
“Not interested,” I retort, my gaze now fixed on Thad who looks utterly taken aback as he slumps back in his chair, his eyes wide with shock at my rejection.
Sylvan just narrows his amber eyes and keeps his chin propped on his folded hands.
“And I’m not hungry either.” I rise to my feet abruptly, and the room’s tension escalates.
“Luvenia.” Madeline’s eyes narrow at me. “You need to eat something! You barely eat.”
“Likewise.” The sarcastic retort comes from Sylvan, who is now oozing attitude. I just shoot him my fiercest glare and then turn to his equally irritating twin.
“What are you gawking at?” I aim this at Thaddeus. His eyes have darkened, and he looks furious now.
“I’m looking at a horse that needs breaking.” He declares this boldly—way too boldly.
I shoot Hael a glare, urging him to intervene.
“Don’t talk to my sister like she’s an animal.” Lex comes to my defense, but only because I know he sees Thad and Sylvan as his competition.
“Manners, boys.” Surprisingly, Lochness is the one to intervene. He beats Hael to it.
He blinks slowly, humorously, at Thaddeus and Sylvan. “Didn’t you know? Disrespect is reserved for the bedroom.”
“Of course you had to amuse yourself and say something like that,” Madeline snaps at her Nessy. He growls back at her before continuing to glare at me.
I can’t let anyone see me cry.
I turn away from the room and walk out, fed up with Dragons and their treatment of women.
It’s something I try not to dwell on too much. But all I can feel is a deep-seated resentment for how submissive my mother is... and how content she is to be led around like a pet.
I then erect a fiery mental barrier that no one can penetrate.
I dash to my room, muttering curses under my breath the whole way as I replay Thad and Sylvan’s words in my mind.
My room is at the very peak of the mountain. It used to be Hael’s old room before I was born, but they redecorated it for me.
My parents also knew it would prevent me from sneaking into the forest without their knowledge. After all, to them and everyone else, I can’t fly, and I can’t transform.
But that’s always been my secret.
I reach my room in less than a minute.
I slam my bedroom door, strip off my clothes, and toss them on my bed.
I sprint to the ledge, and as I do, I feel my blood and body dissolving, transforming into pure magic.
I become my magic.
It reassembles until black scales, sharp claws, lethal fangs, and a sleek body emerge.
I become my Dragon.
And I soar into the night sky.
