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Aspen doesn't know how to behave in front of the shifter dragon king....

And the consequences are deadly.

But, Aspen, never one to fear much of anything, tells him to get lost. If she knew who he was, she might act differently. But to her, Sid is just a reminder of a past she’d rather forget.

Sid won’t leave Aspen alone, because she’s the one girl that might be able to help save him and the rest of the dragons.

He hadn’t planned on falling love…

The sea’s salty air reached
into the hideout and woke Obsidian. Not ready to get up, he stretched his wing,
feeling for Skye. Instead of finding her warmth, he met the grimy cave floor. A
shot of panic zipped from his horns to his tail.

She always woke him before
she got up. Opening his eyes, he searched for her. She sat near the entrance to
the cave, staring over the ocean, the early morning sunlight reflecting off her
sapphire scales.

She swiveled her neck and
narrowed her eyes. Tears flowed down her ice-blue snout and over her smooth
underbelly, forming a pool between her feet. She unfurled her great wings and
shook her head, splattering teardrops on the walls.

Skye never cried, at least
not in the hundred and sixty-two years they’d been together. Her occasional
tantrums caused entire forests to disappear and caves to collapse, but her
silver eyes always remained dry. Obsidian moved forward to comfort her, longing
to understand why she wept.

Stop, she shrieked in his mind.

Her sorrow became his.
Obsidian took three deep breaths and tried to identify her emotions. He wanted
the easy free flow of feelings they often shared, but he could barely keep his mind
straight with the turmoil.

As royal dragons, they could
feel the emotions of those around them, a gift Obsidian usually appreciated.
Except in situations like this. Now he wished for the gift of the canyon
dragons, who could probe minds.

 He forced her feelings away, focusing on peace
and quiet. When he pushed out all her sadness, he continued toward her,
convinced if he were near her, she would calm down.

Silvery blue flames erupted
from her jaw. Obsidian ducked to avoid being singed, his mental block
faltering, and a wave of desolation flooded his body. He shook, and his eyes
watered. He squeezed them shut, fighting again to regain control of his
emotions. He had to put a stop to this.

What’s wrong? he asked and crept closer.

Folding her wings, she moved
her body toward the front of the cave. Her head struck the ceiling, stripping
off the stalactites. Obsidian winced for her. The light disappeared as her body
filled the opening, and smoke engulfed the enclosed space.

Are you upset about last night? Obsidian asked. They’d
argued about the future, a future she thought was in jeopardy.

She didn’t answer. He took
advantage of the darkness and moved to her, running the side of his jaw along
her neck, something that always pleased her. She jerked, and he recoiled, her
rejection stinging.

Back off. I can’t be near you. Her voice, normally sweet in
his head, was now icy and cold.

Skye, he whispered, trying to understand.

I mean it, Obsidian. Leave me alone.

The distance she created was
unnerving. Curse the rules he had to follow. Once again he wished he had been
born into one of the different dragon races or at a different time. If that had
been the case, their future would be sure. But he’d been born a royal dragon, a
possible heir to the throne, and so far, his life was dictated for him.

We could run away. Find the mountains in South Africa where
the council could never find us. In a few years, the new king will be crowned,
and we’ll come back. Obsidian knew that as soon as the king was chosen, he was
off the hook.

She shook, her wings
rustling and her tail swishing. That
won’t work. Not now. Two days ago we could’ve done that, but not today. You
should go and present yourself to the council.

Becoming human is not urgent. I’ll wait. I can’t stand to see
you like this.

You can’t wait! she roared. 

Skye collapsed and heaved
with sobs. Obsidian draped his neck across her, hating the rules he was bound
to. Royal dragons had to go through the human experience before their five
hundredth birthday. He put it off because he treasured the time with Skye.
Plus, he hated his human form. They had to take it on occasionally in their
lessons, but he’d never gone out among the real humans.

You’re going to leave me. We’ll never be bonded, she whimpered.

Obsidian sighed. This was
absurd. I only have to be human for ten
years. Maybe less if I finish everything early. We’ll be bonded as soon as I’m
done. You know this.

She pulled out from
underneath him and spun around. Don’t
make promises you can’t keep, Your Majesty. She spat out the words and
leapt from the ledge of the cave, soaring over the sea. Her silver wings
shimmered in the sunlight, her body still heaving as she flew south.

Obsidian’s entire body tensed. He dug
his claws into the cave floor. He’d never been called Your Majesty. He was a
royal dragon, but he wasn’t the king. He closed his eyes and hurtled into the
biting wind, heading north.

Birds twittered. An airplane passed
high above, and the waves of the ocean crashed below. Obsidian turned inland, heading
for a quieter setting, drifting through the air and landing at the edge of a
lake.

The sharp scent of pine stung his
nostrils. He cracked his eyelids a sliver, searching for his reflection. When
he found it, his insides turned cold. His body, a glittering gold for four
centuries, was now a deep coal black.

Obsidian sat on the bank staring at
his new self, disgusted. In the sunlight he could still see some gold, but
mostly he was darker than the night sky. He hated what it meant for him. Skye
left because she understood that in spite of all the plans they made, the
inevitable had come to pass. They would never be together again.

Obsidian’s heart ached. His mate
would now be chosen for him, and Skye would never qualify. He sniffed and watched
the black smoke float above him. His smoke used to be gold. He was glad he
never sealed himself to her because then they both would’ve been killed as soon
as he turned black.

They’d had their silly little
fantasies of what life would be like after he fulfilled his duties. Once one of
his brothers was chosen, most likely Prometheus, he would have finally allowed
himself to be sealed to her. Their children raised by the sea. Now Skye would
never become his mate, because he had
been selected.

Dragons came in many colors—silver,
gold, red, blue, orange, yellow, brown, and purple. But only one dragon was black.

The king.