“I still have the burn marks to prove just how deadly you can be,” Dradrick said. He lifted his glass with a smile. “I will fight by your side, when you become king, with pride.”
“Bah, you’re too old to be heading into battles with the young ones. You’ll stay and keep my fires blazing,” Dradrick’s mate said, her tone soft with affection.
“I think his imprint is still on the ground from when he fell out of the sky. Can we get a reenactment?” Nadim asked.
The table fell silent at his brother’s comment.
Nikai shook his head and wished the other male wasn’t such a raging asshole. It wasn’t his fault he’d been gifted the ability to shift first, nor his brother’s fault he couldn’t. It just was. Nadim excelled at things Nikai didn’t. Things like...well, he wasn’t sure. His brother must have some outstanding qualities.
“Nadim, that’s enough,” his mother cut in.
“I think I’ll go for a relaxing stroll, perhaps stretch my wings some. The air is a bit...thick.” Nadim stood up, giving his mother a slight bow as he walked out, heading toward the back of the castle.
“Hello, my friend. May I have a word with you?”
Nikai barely restrained from jumping at the booming voice that appeared a few feet from him. He didn’t underestimate the short male with the easy gait. The way he walked up to the head of the table without fear. He sat back, blinking a couple times as he tried to figure out who the intruder was and how he’d entered their realm without him being aware.
“Mkikoa, what are you doing here?” The King stood, dwarfing the smaller male’s.
The male his father called Mkikoa looked at the table, then back, sighing out a loud gust of air. “Please accept my apologies for the unannounced appearance, Nadir. I have some urgent business to discuss with you. In my haste, I didn’t realize the time difference. If you wish, I’ll await you on the outer lands.”
His father huffed, waving his left hand. “Don’t be absurd. I’m finished. My love, I will meet you for our afternoon flight.” King Nadir kissed his mate’s forehead.
Nikai stood, his chair moving backward without a sound. “Father, shall I come with you?”
“Nay, stay and eat. There will come a time that you’ll be forced to leave your mate and a meal.”
His mother cleared her throat, bringing their attention to her. He glanced back to where his father and the stranger once stood, finding them gone. A foreboding made him lose his appetite for food. Looking around the gathering, he was happy to see most of the clan were pretending to eat. “I’m done as well. Do you have need of me before I stretch my wings, mother?”
As the queen, she would remain until the first table was clear, then she’d excuse herself. He wondered why his brother had left so early, since the asshole liked to stay until he got a jab or two in. Nadim never did anything without a reason, often staying until the elders left and then he’d wander around until he found his next conquest. Silly females fell for his charm. The little shithead took their bodies with total disregard.
“Mother, where did Tanith run off to?” he asked.
He’d noticed his sister leaving earlier but hadn’t thought to ask where she was going. A glance at the other tables showed Belle was no longer with her parents. Trepidation had his dragon rising with the need to find her and ensure her safety. Two women, along with their mates, were the only ones left at the head table with his mother. Nikai didn’t care for most of the females who fawned around his mother, but the duo were his mother’s best friends. The males may not be battle dragons, but they were trustworthy.
“She is preparing for her upcoming wedding with her ladies.” His mother gave a little sniff, dabbing at her eyes with a small cloth.
Nikai grimaced. The last thing he wanted to do was sit around and listen to her fuss about the fact her baby girl was leaving their territory. Nope, there were places to fly and dragons to save or slay.
“If you don’t need me, I’ll be off.” He’d already taken several steps away from the table.
His mother waved her hand without saying a word. Assured he wasn’t needed he took his leave. Before exiting, he checked again to see if Belle was there. She looked as though she’d lost weight to him when he’d seen her walk in earlier. Goddess, she was so damn beautiful. Even in a room full of gorgeous female dragons, she stood out. The other females probably spent the morning prepping and primping to look their best. Belle, on the other hand, was flawlessly beautiful, without trying. She hated wasting time and selected clothes for comfort. He loved that it only took her moments to be effortlessly beautiful. And yet, she never failed to outshine the others.
Being unable to find her amongst her family table, his dragon grumbled. ‘Where is our female?’
Nikai didn’t know, but he aimed to find out. Shit, he couldn’t. He was to keep distance between them until he took the throne or ruin his chance of claiming her. The way it stood, if his father made a final decree as King, he couldn’t change it for a thousand years. Fuck!
And the first book in my Iron Wolves Next Generation is
Bad Wolf. Check It Out Here
Chapter One
Xian clung to the side of the rocky outcropping, keeping his focus on the beings below him. It had been a good twenty years since he’d seen the likes of the Shadow Demons, yet he remembered their stench and skill at killing any and all things within their paths. Not that he feared them. He’d seen and killed beings every bit as deadly if not more so since that fateful day.
His nails lengthened further, embedding into the rocks he clung to, ensuring he wouldn’t lose his hold while he waited for his crew to get into position. They’d been searching for a way to return home to Earth or the Fey Realm for the last seven thousand, two hundred, and sixty-nine days. Of course if you asked the others they’d say nineteen years eleven months, five days or so, give or take a few hours. But hey, who’s counting?
A small whistle inside his mind on the link he and his crew shared alerted him that they were ready.
Soon after they’d arrived in The Mist, they’d learned the hard way that other beings had the ability to delve into their minds, and those beings had powers far beyond theirs. Liv had taught them how to defend not only their minds but their crew as well.
He didn’t need to look to know that Jagger and Jaxon were a few feet above him, along with their sisters Willow and Piper. The four of them were never far from one another when a battle started. He assumed it had something to do with the fact they all shared the same womb or some shit. They were connected on a quad link deeper than twins, which he wouldn’t admit to anyone, but he was a little envious of. While Cannon and Harlow had moved farther to his East. The brother sister duo was so in sync with one another you’d think they were twins instead of a couple years apart with Harlow being the older of the two. With a slow blink of his eyes, he searched through the shrouded darkness, trying to make out the forms of Rebel and Romie, the oldest of their Crew besides Liv of course. While Rebel was a wolf shifter, Romie had been what they’d thought just a human. Luckily for them, she’d been more. They too had grown up as sisters, but in actuality were cousins whose mothers were twins. He was the odd one out, with no siblings in the crew. He’d had a connection with one female. Egypt.