“I only mean to help. Maybe, Kairen…”
A growl suddenly resonated through the hall. Cassandra looked up by reflex as the sky was suddenly covered by a dark shadow. Around her, several people gasped or shrieked. The Black Dragon landed right behind its master, next to Cassandra, and growled furiously at Phetra as if it was echoing its master’s anger.
“Try me again,” threatened Kairen.
But this time Phetra stayed silent. Her proud attitude from earlier had disappeared as soon as she had fixed her eyes on the Black Dragon. The Princess gulped and stopped boasting, her head and shoulders dropped down as the dragon continued to growl at her.
Shareen snickered.
“That’s my son!” exclaimed the Emperor, visibly proud. “Kairen, why didn’t you summon him earlier?”
“I didn’t have a reason to…” Kairen hissed, still glaring at Phetra.
Shareen and the Emperor were the only ones happy with the Black Dragon’s arrival. Everyone else seemed uneasy or scared and for good reason. Its size was far more imposing than the other beasts, as were its claws and fangs. The other dragons became agitated seeing their peer. Cassandra wondered if they naturally feared it.
“How impressive… She really isn’t scared at all.”
Cassandra suddenly realized one of the Princesses was talking about her. She felt several eyes on her and looked down hard, feeling anxious. Indeed, the large dragon was standing with its head right next to her, its huge body so close that she could feel the heat. Its presence wasn’t scary for Cassandra. She was more frightened by the human beings in the room than the beast who had its red eyes on her - eyes filled with the same curiosity as before.
“That’s an interesting one you have there, Kairen,” said the Fifth Prince. “To be able to stay so close to your beast and not be scared at all.”
Cassandra again felt several stares on her, wishing she could hide, when a low growl suddenly got her attention. Curling himself up around her, Krai, the Black Dragon, gently pushed her with its head and rubbed its warm scales against her arm. How could she ignore the beast? She dared a glance towards Kairen but he was ignoring her, his eyes focused on his siblings. For once, she wished her master would spare a glance her way, giving her some clue as to what she was supposed to do.
Krai nudged her arm again and, with a discreet movement, she gently caressed its scales. He growled, a very deep sound that was an obvious display of satisfaction. Cassandra blushed slightly, surprised to have a dragon almost purring from her touch!
“Look at this! The woman is obviously a sorceress! To charm an Imperial dragon like so! Let’s just behead her now and put an end to this…”
“Silence...”
Before the Second Prince could finish his sentence, Kairen’s words cut him off.
“Or would you like to try and take her from my dragon?”
Hearing this, Krai growled threateningly. Several women cried in fear and the whole place dissolved into chaos with the other dragons growling back and the servants trying to calm everyone down. Still, they all avoided the black beast. Krai was getting agitated, standing guard over Cassandra, and growling at the Second Prince.
The Black Dragon was so large that it didn’t even realize it was shoving Cassandra around. Forced to the ground, she suddenly feared it would stomp on her like a mere ant under its claws. The scales over her were moving so frantically, she couldn’t tell what was going on.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed her out of the chaos, pulling her from under the dragon. It took her a second to realize Kairen had brought her to safety, holding her against his chest. Behind them, the Black Dragon was still growling and stomping around, but she barely noticed it now. All she could hear was her own heart, beating too fast in her ears.
.
Chapter2
Cassandra slowly opened her eyes.
Where was she? It took her a few seconds to recognize the room and remember the prior events. The Prince’s chambers! It was still dark though. What happened at the banquet? She could only remember up to the point where the dragon was going wild.
She realized she was laying in a real bed and feeling… warm. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so content or slept in real sheets.
However, she couldn’t move an inch. Something hot was pressed against her body and Cassandra gasped - it was a man’s arm! Moreover, she recognized the scaled braces! She froze, almost unable to breathe. She wasn’t just in the Prince’s bed, he was in it too!
“...How are you feeling?” the deep voice next to her ear surprised her.
How did he even know she had woken up? He was holding her from behind, his strong body right against her skin. As Cassandra attempted to move she realized someone had bandaged her injured wrist and it smelled of herbal medicine, too.
“My Lord, what happened?” she inquired in a whisper.
“You collapsed at the banquet.”
