Kai

“Not here, Dragon Prince.” The words from my advisors were spoken in Dracon, whispered harshly in my ear, cutting through my haze of rage.

I thrashed against them, a roar building in my chest. They shouldn’t have been stronger than me. They were older, and yet that did not matter when you were Draconian. In our kingdom, everyone was a warrior. Everyone knew how to fight. And they, along with my guards, were doing all in their power to hold me back from reaching Odele. My princess.

Mine.

The dragon in me reared its vicious head, demanding vengeance against the Black Blade. It demanded death against all those who blocked the pathway between me and her.

“The Emperor will have your head!” Ichiro hissed in my ear. “If you become the dragon, you will frighten the Thalassarins.”

It was only the mention of the Emperor of Draconi that tore me from my rage and made me think clearly. To my father, our image was everything. Our self-control was something to be commended. If he knew, and I had no doubt that he likely would within moments, he would be furious.

I winced at the thought as phantom pain splintered through my spine. The whispered memory of his beatings and disapproval ached something fierce. And all it took was a single moment of distraction, a split second of compliance, for my advisors and guards to pull me away from the market despite my protests.

“Her guards will bring her back,” Ichiro assured, though he sounded dubious. “And when they do, let us hope it is with her reputation intact.”

I wanted to snarl at him but swallowed the sound. My princess was in danger and he was worrying about her reputation? To the Great Dragon with her reputation. I cared about her. Her safety, her life. I wanted to go after her, but they were already pulling me away. We were swallowed whole by the chaos and I was shoved into a carriage that immediately made its way towards the palace.

I choked back the anger that was threatening to burst. But it lived inside me, a creature waiting for havoc and destruction. I was denied a chance to save Odele, and if my princess wasn’t brought back to me safely, I didn’t care who they were or what they meant to the emperor...

I would become the Dragon Prince and end them.