Wolf Princess Sold to the Dragon King

For a few dangerous seconds, neither of them moved. In her defense, she was a bit distracted.

Sparks of electricity ripped through her everywhere they were touching, even through her clothes.

The tingling hadn’t even finished its victory lap when the man causing it decided standing was a privilege she’d lost.

One second she was vertical. The next, he scooped her up and was carrying her like she was a misbehaving toddler and had zero say in the matter.

For a split second, she didn’t fight him. Her brain screamed ’what the fuck are you doing’ while her body screamed ’surviving, bitch.’

She found her voice.

”This is unnecessary. I’m f-fine. But thank you for your concern.”

The stutter assassinated her argument mid-sentence, dumped it in a ditch, and left no witnesses.

Kael didn’t break stride. ”You jumped off a wall twice. You rode a demon. You steered it with an arrow while bleeding through bandages. Your walking privileges are revoked until further notice, Wolf Girl.”

”You called me Wolf Girl.”

”I did.”

”My name is Guinevere, Dragon Boy.”

He glanced down at her. ”I know what your name is.”

”How nice. You know my name, address, and you’ve met my family. What do I call the man who’s carrying me against my will? Sir or abductor?”

Something behind his eyes flickered and died. The silence lasted two steps.

The cockiness left his voice before he opened his mouth. ”My name is Kael Ashenvale.”

She knew his name was Kael already. The family name Ashenvale didn’t ring any bells.

”How long are you planning to carry me?”

”How long are you planning to do reckless shit?”

”Me? Never.”

He didn’t acknowledge that, but his arms tightened around her like he was afraid she would make a run for it. Fair, she probably would.

”You know. If you wanted to hold me, you could have just asked,” she said lightly.

He missed a step. Caught himself. Kept walking. She grinned.

”I’m not holding you. I’m transporting you,” he said flatly.

”To where?”

”To safety.”

”Where’s safety?”

”Wherever I am.”

Three portals cracked the sky open behind them back-to-back and stayed open. Purple light washed over everything.

Kael’s head snapped up.

”ARCHERS! Three formations, northwest.” His voice carried over the wall with the calm, absolute authority of an army commander. ”Hold the line at the stairwell. Anything that touches down inside the wall dies before it stands.”

”Yes, Sir!” the Lunaris army responded in unison.

He was the new Alpha. That was old news. But the ’yes sir’ she just heard there was loud, enthusiastic, and proud. That was more than Alpha. It was official. The pack had imprinted on this dragon. Her father was definitely going to want to keep him. Ideally, a Cassian replacement.

Arrows screamed overhead. Two formations broke apart mid-air. The third punched through.

Kael threw her over his left shoulder and drew his blade with his right.

The world flipped. Stone below. Sky above. His shoulder blade dug into her stomach and every inhale pressed her ribs against muscle that felt like iron wrapped in skin.

He swung. Something died. He pivoted. Good for fucking him.

She had armed a militia, robbed a prince, ridden a demon, and saved two men tonight. And now she was upside down over a goddamn dragon’s shoulder watching the ground move beneath her like the universe’s most humiliating victory lap. What the actual shit.

”I am currently upside down and defenseless because you won’t put me down. You’re fifty percent slower with me here. But sure, I’m sure there’s some creative vision to this I’m missing.”

She delivered tactical notes while inverted and actively bleeding. The optics were what they were.

He killed something mid-sentence. ”Three kills since you started talking. You’re good luck. Stay put and I’ll continue saving your life.”

”You wouldn’t need to save my life if you put me down so I could save my own damn life.”

”Counter-argument.” He swung. ”No.”

”You know I killed more of those things from the wall than half our archers combined, right?”

”Oh, there’s no doubt in my mind that you did.”

She blew hair out of her face for the ninth time. It came right back. Gravity was a bitch and her hair was its accomplice.

”Your heartbeat is very fast,” she observed.

”I’m fighting.”

”You weren’t fighting just now. Are you nervous?”

”I don’t get nervous.”

”Your pulse says different. I can feel it through your back.”

”Interesting theory.”

The blood rushing to her head was making everything slightly purple at the edges. She could see her own boots swinging above the ground.

”Okay. We’ll pretend you’re not nervous. Your back is vibrating though,” she commented.

”It’s not vibrating.”

”It’s doing something. Buzzing. Humming. Something between a purr and a— ”

”Do not finish that sentence.”

Without stopping, his blade moved once and two bodies fell.

”Was that a purr?” she asked.

”Dragons don’t purr.”

Whatever it was, it was rolling through his ribcage and into hers. She pressed her ear flat against his back to be sure. Yep.

”Yours does. I can feel it.”

”That was a muscle spasm.”

He pivoted, swung, and continued moving like the kill was a speed bump on a stroll.

She watched the body hit the ground upside down and from this angle it was somehow worse. Everything was worse upside down. Death, gravity, dignity. All worse.

”Kael?”

”If this is a comment about my heartbeat, my back, my purring, or my smile, I am not available.”

”It wasn’t, but on that topic, your heartbeat changed when I said your name.”

”No it didn’t,” he replied a little too quickly.

”Kael.”

His heart kicked against her cheek through his back. She felt it. He felt her feel it. They both knew.

Was she having fun making this dragon flustered? Yes, she was absolutely having fun making a dragon flustered in the middle of a life-or-death situation.

What the hell was wrong with her? Rhetorical question. Everything.

Another body hit the ground. She stared at it as they passed. It stared back. Well. Part of it did.

”Kael, blood is rushing to my head.”

”Better you than me.”

”I’m serious. I’m getting dizzy.”

”You jumped off a wall at full sprint and you’re getting dizzy NOW? Your body picks the strangest moments to have standards.”

”Flip me over.”

”No. You’ll run.”

”I won’t run.”

”You’ll run. You’ll see something that needs saving and I’ll be standing there holding air.”

She crossed her arms. It was difficult to do upside down, but she managed. ”You don’t know me.”

He let out a laugh that he wasn’t trying to hide whatsoever. Lovely that he was finding this amusing.

”You jump off things, stab things, save things, and argue with the person carrying you to safety. I know enough.”

”Then why am I over your shoulder like a drunk being carried out of a tavern?”

”Because drunk people also have poor judgment and great confidence. The parallels are striking,” he replied.

She would have responded, but the words dissolved in her throat.

Was she glowing gold?

Her hair was definitely doing the glowing thing. Under her clothes, from the little she could see, she was lit up like she’d swallowed a star. She pushed herself up against his back like he was a viewing platform.

Gold light was bleeding through the fabric of his shirt.

Her mouth opened. No words came out. That was new.