No, thank you.
Right then and there, I made a promise to myself. I would never marry Remington. Not even if it meant slitting my own throat. Preferably after killing him and his bastard of a father.
Red sparks flitted through the air as Remington raised his hand. He threw his cloak to the ground, his black wings unfurling from his back as a whip made entirely of red magic appeared in the Death Elf’s hands.
“Come here and fight me properly, beast,” he roared.
The animal huffed, shaking its head as it continued its descent. With every beat of its wings, the dragon commanded our attention. It was incredible. Two horns curled from its head, winding towards the sky as a row of spikes ran from the top of its head, disappearing from view.
It looked like death itself.
And Remington was a fool for challenging it. A complete and utter fool.
The dragon roared, and I gasped. The air, which had been warm before, turned scorching. Bright red flames erupted from the dragon’s mouth. They immolated the leaves around us, showering us in black and gray ash.
The dragon continued towards us, growing larger by the moment. It was the largest beast I had ever seen—easily the size of four horses put together. It made Kolvar’s tiger look like a mouse.
“Is that all you can do?” Remington cried out. He flicked the whip, which unfurled in the air. The length of the barbed red rope had to be at least fifty feet.
I watched, a silent scream in my throat, as the whip cut into the dragon’s flesh.
The beastroared. The sound was full of pain and agony, and I flinched.
Something inside of me broke at the sound of the dragon’s suffering. It was drawing so close now that I could make out its enormous claws.
“Your Highness,” Phrin’s wobbly voice reached my ears. “It’s going to land. What would you have us do?”
“Stand your ground,” Remington ordered. He flicked his wrists, his whip disappearing into thin air as his magic rushed back into him with awhoosh. “We will fight.”
With that declaration, Remington grabbed my arm, pulling me back as the dragon descended.
I struggled against his grip, but he was too strong. I could only watch as the dragon came plummeting towards the earth. With every beat of its wings, it drew nearer. The shadow had appeared massive, but this…
This beast was awe-inspiring.
There were fifty feet that separated us from it.
Forty.
Thirty.
Twenty.
Ten.
The ground itself quaked when the dragon finally made contact. It landed in the middle of the road, cutting Remington and me off from the other two males. A roar escaped the beast as its long tail extended behind it, knocking trees down in its path. From here, I could see the spikes extending from its head all the way to its very long, very large tail.
For a long moment, it seemed like time itself stilled.
The magnificent beast loomed over us, and I stared at it. Waves of heat came off of it as the sun glistened on its scales.
The animal was panting as small puffs of smoke came from its mouth with every exhale. Glistening red blood dripped from its side where Remington’s whip had slashed into it. Each drop of blood that fell on the ground sizzled as though it, too, was made of fire.
The dragon was beautiful.
To say that it was simply green would be a disservice to the color itself. It was like the forest had been picked up and bottled before being formed into scales. Some were light and others were dark, but together, the beast was incredible.
I continued to stare at it, unable to comprehend the size of this enormous animal. It was massive, but it seemed so… aware. Sentient. Even the way it moved its tail seemed planned. My gaze lifted from the animal’s scales to its head and I jolted.