The Cursed Queen (Dragon’s Curse #1)

Ladon

Disgusting. That was the only word I could use to describe what I was witnessing. From the balcony, I spotted Drayce and Andriel; talking and associating themselves with the druid knight like he wasn't our enemy. How could they befriend him, a druid? A dragon rider whose sole purpose was to use us for their own selfish endeavors. I didn't trust him. Him, or the hybrid princess that fate seemed to think was suited to be my ideal mate. Was fate playing a cruel joke on me? As if being a mindless slave to a malevolent druid knight wasn't bad enough, now I was fated to be with the druid's princess.

The princess, who was also Lord Igneel's long-lost daughter.

That was another revelation I couldn't wrap my head around. How could the dragon lord and Lady Calida have sired a half-druid, half-dragon offspring? Did one of them have druid blood in them? If so, it was something I never knew about, and I didn't think anyone else in the den knew either. There was something Lord Igneel wasn't telling us about the princess, something that could bring danger to us all. One thing I knew for sure; the druid knight and princess didn't belong here. The longer they stayed with us, the more likely the Zeffari Kingdom would discover our whereabouts and march here to hunt and kill us all. Our dragon lord had to have known that, right?

Of course not. I scoffed at the notion. If Lord Igneel knew their presence here could threaten our very existence, he wouldn't have allowed the two of them to remain here. Then again, how could I expect our dragon lord to turn away from his only daughter after being away for so long? All assumed Princess Daenerys had died as a baby, but here she was, the ruler of the kingdom that was turning us into slaves. What happened to the princess all that time?

I cursed my curiosity. The circumstances that led to Princess Daenerys, or Seraphina, becoming the Zeffari Kingdom's princess should not matter. It didn't change what we knew to be true. The princess was groomed to become our enemy, and now she was here. She wasn't to be trusted.

I raised my eyebrows in confusion at Andriel and the druid knight sparring in the courtyard. The druid pulled off his tunic and mimicked the greeting before beginning the match. A part of me wanted to walk away from this, but my feet remained glued to the floor. My eyes were highly trained on the events taking place.

The druid foolishly rushed forward to make the first attack, to which Andriel casually brushed to the side like it was nothing but an insect buzzing in his face. Andriel then knocked the wind out of the druid's sails with a swift thrust of his open palm, connecting with the center of his chest. The druid flew back a few feet before collapsing onto his back.

The air was thick with malice amusement, permeating from the wandering dragons who stopped what they were doing to spectate. I expected that to be the end, but even as the druid curled in on himself for a few moments, he collected himself back to his feet, ready to go again.

Either the druid was brave, or he had a death wish.

As if in answer, the druid ran for Andriel a second time. This time, Andriel moved to the side to avoid the druid's fist, then swept his leg over the druid's feet, sending him back to the ground in defeat. Surely now he would realize he was no match for someone like Andriel and admit defeat. But to my surprise, the druid didn't seem to have had enough. He stood back up on his own, even when Andriel offered a hand to him.

"What is he doing?" I asked myself as I watched.

I continued watching in begrudging fascination as the druid knight continued his torment. Repeatedly, he failed to land a hit andfell to the ground, only to rise back up and repeat the process. As much as I hated to admit it, I had some respect for his determination. No matter how many times he failed, no matter how many times he plummeted to the ground, the druid boy always pushed himself back up. Not once had he relented or admitted defeat. What was the purpose of this? Was he trying to prove something? Or was this his way of punishing himself?

"How repugnant." I turned to my left at the sound of Baxus, who appeared to stand beside me, his gaze on the sparring match below. His appearance made him seem not much older than someone like Andriel, who could pass for a human in his late thirties. Like all magical beings, we age much slower than non-magical beings. He had the build of a warrior with cropped red hair and eyes as dark as the void. It matched the darkness inside him.

"Agreed," I muttered, watching as the druid returned to the floor. His movement to get back up was slower, but he still rose to his feet.

"Despicable," Baxus spat out like he tasted something rotting. "To think our lord would let these... these... creatures stay with us. The dragon rider and the princess. What could that old fool be thinking?"

"The princess is one of us," I stated quickly, surprising myself at how quickly my mind reacted to the verbal attack on the hybrid princess. Why? I didn't want her. Like Baxus, I also felt like she didn't belong here. Hybrid or not, she wasn't one of us. So why defend her?

Baxus snorted. "That cunt is not one of us. She's a druid who turned her back on her dragon lineage. She doesn't deserve to have such a mighty beast be a part of her. The bitch can't even control her shift. Did you see the abomination she turned into? She's a freak, just like that other hybrid insect Drayce likes to fuck."

It took far more control than I liked to admit, quelling the fury my dragon was brewing through our mental bond. He didn't seem to like the crude remarks towards the princess. He didn't care that the one fated to us was a druid or a hybrid. To him, all that mattered was that she was ours, and right now, Baxus had insulted what belonged to us.

Clearing my throat, I said, "She didn't know she was a dragon shifter until recently. The queen has omitted the truth from the princess her whole life, and drugged her with dragonsbane to prevent her dragon from manifesting."

Baxus eyed me skeptically. "You're defending her? I thought after all you've endured, you'd want nothing to do with these bastards."

"I don't," I growled back, setting loose some of my dragon's anger. "I've already rejected my role as the princess's mate, and there's nothing I want more than for her and the druid boy to leave our den and never return. If I could never see another druid for the rest of my life, it would still be too soon, but I won't spread blame on the princess for not knowing her bloodline."

Baxus paused for a heartbeat before nodding with a conspiratorial expression he wore. "It's good that you feel strongly about wanting them out of here, because I have plans. Plans that would benefit us and the entire den."

Now it was my turn to be skeptical. "I'm listening."

"Lord Igneel; he's obviously unfit to rule our den if he's allowed the druids into our den. Plus, he's well past retiring. I plan to challenge him for the title of alpha."

It was a bold plan Baxus was creating. For a dragon shifter to challenge the leader, he would need to have a large enough following to show that there were those in our den who would follow him. In addition, the challenge itself would be to either make the other submit in defeat or end in death. Something told me that Baxus would prefer the latter.

"That's quite the plan," I said.

Baxus rubbed his hands together in eagerness. "It is, and when I win, they'll all have their heads mounted on my wall as proof of my power—Igneel, the druids, and the princess' mates. I'll rid our pack of all the plague that poisons are den. Then we can storm the Zeffari Kingdom ourselves and take back what is ours."

"Doing so would be a massacre. With our limited numbers, we're likely to lose most, if not all, our den."

"Their sacrifices will be for the greater good," Baxus said. "Our numbers will rise over time, especially when we finally eliminate the threat to our den."

"Is that why you're telling me this? Because you want me to fight under your leadership?" I asked.

"No." Baxus looked down at the courtyard. "I have bigger plans that only you can do."

"And what's that?"

"I want you to get close to the princess. Find out all you can about her and the druid boy. Earn their trust, then when the time is right, we'll set up a trap for them and assure they'll never see the light of day again."

"You cannot be serious," I barked in outrage. "What you're asking me to do is deceitful and dishonorable."

"What I'm asking you to do is help me protect our den. As long as they're here, we'll all wonder when they'll turn against us. Or their presence will lure the Zeffari Kingdom to our den. If they come for us here, we'll be unprepared and at their mercy."

It wasn't as if I didn't have the same concerns as Baxus. I also considered the risks involved in keeping the druids here with us. But I also considered myself an honorable warrior. I believed in a fair fight and not resorting to underhanded tactics to kill my enemies. Baxus' request went against everything I stood for.

"You know I'm right," Baxus continued. "And I know you want them gone as much as I do. And with the princess gone, you'll also be free to mate with whomever you wish to. You'll be free of the fated mate bond that connects you to her."

I turned my back to Baxus to give myself time to ponder his request. My mind drifted to the princess. Seraphina of the Zeffari Kingdom. If she died, the tether that binds me to her would be cut. That should've been what I wanted. My dragon's feral growl was directed at me, appalled that I would consider helping to take the life of our fated mate.

We should've been protecting her. Helping her. Warning her. Holding her. Claiming her.

But I couldn't. I couldn't have her, but I couldn't be part of a plan to kill her... could I? Not wanting to mate with her didn't mean I wanted her dead.

"I'll think about it," I finally said.

The grunt from behind informed me that Baxus wasn't satisfied with my answer. Oh well, he would have to get over it. I wasn't about to agree to something I wasn't sure I wanted to be a part of.

"Fine," he growled. "I'll give you forty-eight hours to decide. Either way, I hope you will back me up when the time comes for me to challenge our dragon lord."

I remained perfectly still even as I heard Baxus walk off. My mind was in an uphill battle with my dragon over what I should do about the princess. I didn't know much about her, other than her hybrid nature. She seemed to care about the den, but was that an act? Was it some kind of plan to lure us into believing she was one of us, only to capture us all? I looked back to the courtyard, noticing that Andriel and the druid were no longer sparring. The dragon rider was hunched over, hands on his knees, struggling to catch his breath while Andriel patted his shoulders like they were friends.

My dragon reminded me that this was the same dragon rider who rescued us from our captivity. He and Andriel worked together to stop the druid who commanded me, then helped to fend off the other possessed dragons so Drayce and the others could return. Someone who risked his life for us couldn't be all bad, could he?

Groaning in frustration, I shook my head as if I could shake off the notion that there were good druids in this world. No, there was no such thing as good druids. I couldn't believe it, not after everything I endured while imprisoned. Those memories still haunted me long after my rescue. My mind may have been free, but the remnants of the magic that had once controlled me still lingered. I could almost feel the tightness against my temples. The darkness threatened to swallow my thoughts. The way my control over my body and magic gradually slipped away from me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I wrapped my arms around my middle as I tried centering myself.

I'm in control. I'm in control. I'm in control.

The words to myself over and over until my body relaxed itself. I hated this feeling, the fear of losing control of myself again. Fear of being forced to do unspeakable things against my will. Fear of attacking my brothers and sisters, and not being able to stop myself. It made me feel weak, vulnerable, useless. I was stronger than that. I was a warrior, and I needed to act like it.

What about the princess?

I wished that saying I didn't want her was enough, but it wasn't. Not while my dragon was pushing me to her. Maybe I should watch her. Study her. Find out what would make my dragon desire her so much. It couldn't solely be because fate deemed it so. There had to be a reason fate picked her to be mine. Perhaps I should find out.