by KD Jones
BLAZE
Dragon Warrior Series
Book 4
KD Jones
Copyright 2018 KD Jones
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
BLURB
Blaze is a proud Drakonian warrior who wants nothing more than to serve his people and his king. The fact that the king is his father has not affected his determination. The biggest challenge he faces is the growing desire he has for the one female who is forbidden to him. He has a long journey ahead with plenty of obstacles in his way. When the survival of his people is at stake, he must make a choice that could cost him everything.
Get ready for the next installment of the Dragon Warrior Series.
Chapter 1
Planet Drakonia
“I don’t understand,” Blaze said to his mother.
They stood on the cliff ledge overlooking the great waters of Sandstrom. His mother asked him to help her to the overlook, since for the last few months she had not been able to walk. After carrying her for miles up the rocky cliff side, Blaze set her down on the stony surface. She was trying to tell him something, but none of it was making sense to him.
“My son, I mated my true mate, Raze, but he died before we could have any dragonlets. Distraught, I came here a few weeks after his death, intending to follow him to the next life. While sitting on this very spot, thinking about leaving this life and reuniting with Raze in the next, an old friend of your father’s joined me. He came to check on me, just as he promised Raze he would do if anything ever happened to him. He, too, was grieving the loss of Raze. He understood my pain, and he comforted me. And I offered the same to him.”
What was she saying? Her mind must be going. “Mother…”
“I was in heat but my grief covered the scent so neither of us noticed it. While consoling one another over Raze’s death, we shared sex. I wanted to feel alive at least once more. This male had always been attractive to me, but more importantly, he was kind and generous, and encouraged me that I could still live a happy and fulfilling life without Raze. We parted ways. It wasn’t until after he left that my scent changed and I realized I bred with him.”
“Wait, so you’re saying that…” Blaze couldn’t utter the words. He always assumed that his father had been Raze, the true mate his mother often spoke of. Now he was feeling a mix of emotions ranging from shock to anger. Had a male taken advantage of his grieving mother?
His mother looked at him somberly.
“Did he refuse to accept us when he found out you were carrying his dragonlet?” Blaze asked.
“He never found out about you.”
“But why? Were you embarrassed about me?”
“Of course not!” Lana caressed his cheek just like she always had, since he was a small child. “The male had responsibilities, and I didn’t want to burden him. He was honorable and would have tried to claim us, but I did not want him to give up his chance at finding his true lifemate. Also, I feared that you would be taken from me.”
“Our people would never separate a dragonlet from his mother.”
“Your birth father is special.”
“What’s so special about this dragon dung?”
“Please try to understand. He’s a good male, one who has not yet had any offspring. Once he learns of you, he will want to claim you for sure.”
“Well then, I’ll make sure he never knows.”
“Don’t do that. I’ve denied him his son all these years. None of it was his fault. Promise me, once I take my last flight, you will seek him out.”
“No.”
“Blaze, I’ve asked little of you. This is my last request. Do it to honor me, if nothing else.”
“He may not believe me.”
Lana pulled a wrapped item out of her pocket and placed it in his palm. “He gave me this and told me if I ever needed his help, I could contact him by presenting this to one of his guards at the castle.”
“One of his guards? Who is this male?”
“He is the good King Zocor.”
Disbelief filled him as he shook his head in denial. “You’re saying I’m the son of a king?”
“Yes. I knew he had no offspring and would have wanted to claim you. I would not have been accepted as his queen and the thought of being separated from you terrified me. I couldn’t bear the thought of having you taken from me even for the king.”
“We don’t even live in that region.” Blaze could not wrap his mind around this shocking news.
“Fear made me do desperate things. I moved us here to keep you hidden from him. I have felt such guilt for my selfishness.”
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Maybe the guilt and the building grief after losing my mate did the damage to my body and soul. I won’t live past today, and it’s time you meet your father.”
“I don’t want to meet him.”
“Blaze…” Lana coughed for nearly two minutes and emitted blood. “Promise me you will go to him and let him know I’m sorry for not telling him sooner. Restore my honor.”
Damn it! How could he deny his mother anything? She was so kind and generous, showing patience with his impetuous and bold behavior. Blaze knew he had not been an easy child to raise. He asked a million questions, always questioned authority, and went after every challenge presented to him no matter the danger. All she asked of him now was to let the male who fathered him know of his existence and of his mother’s regret for keeping that secret.
He opened the cloth-wrapped item in his hand and found a gold crescent ring on a gold chain. His mother never wore this but must have kept it hidden over the years. The crescent showed a green dragon — the official royal seal for King Zocor’s region. For the king to give this to a peasant female showed that the king held Lana in some esteem. He felt his mother’s eyes on him as he placed the ring on his finger. It fit him. He looked into her face and the relief he saw there was priceless.
“I promise to restore your honor, mother.”
“Thank you, my son. Now, help me to my feet so I can shift and take my final flight.”
Blaze helped her to her feet. He turned his back and lowered his emerald-green eyes to allow her the privacy needed to shift. It took much longer than a normal healthy shift should take. When he turned around, his mother’s beautiful dragon form sat perched on the ledge. She lowered her snout, and he petted her.
“Until we meet again, fly true and know I love you.”
With those words spoken, he watched as his mother’s dragon lifted into the air. Her wings batting slowly. She flew out to sea until her form was no longer visible. Lana would not return. She would fly until her dragon had no more strength and allow herself to fall to the sea. The weight of the ring on his finger was almost too heavy to bear. He had no idea what his father would be like and if he had not promised his mother that he would seek him out, Blaze would have walked away. But he had learned so many things from his mother, and keeping one’s promises was one of them.
Chapter 2
Castle Zocorin
Blaze had imagined all kinds of responses he might receive when he presented himself to the king, but none of them quite prepared him for meeting the male responsible for his existence.
“Come this way.” A male guard motioned toward a hallway leading to a receiving room.
He felt nervous but kept his shoulders pulled back and his head held up. The ring bearing the Zocorin crest felt tight on his finger. He caught a few of th
e warriors glancing at the ring but none of them said anything.
Someone opened two large double wooden doors into a large room. There was seating along the walls for people waiting for an audience with the king and his queen. Blaze walked straight down the center to the end, where two thrones sat upon a raised platform. The thrones were empty ― but not for long.
Doors to the right opened and guards came out, followed by an elderly man with greying hair and one of the most beautiful females Blaze had ever seen. She had long straight black hair that hung past her waist, dark brown eyes that appeared both warm and welcoming, and pale flawless skin. The king took her hand and helped her up the steps of the platform and waited for her to sit. She gave Blaze a beaming smile, and he felt like he had been punched in the stomach.
The king took his place and Blaze finally took his eyes off of the female. “Is this the boy?” the king asked his second in command.
The commander had been standing next to Blaze and poked him in the back, urging him to move forward. “Yes, my king. He bears a ring with the crescent.”
“Let me see that ring,” King Zocor demanded.
Blaze tried to remove the ring, but it was firmly on his finger. “Sorry, it won’t come off.”
The king waved him up to the platform. Blaze moved up the steps. The closer he got to the king, the more familiar his features became. His eyes were the same emerald green. The king stood up and, though he was shorter than Blaze, he had similarly broad shoulders. There was no denying they were related, but would the king acknowledge him?
He held out his hand with the ring and allowed the king to examine it. The king then turned his gaze onto Blaze. “You have your mother’s hair, dark and wavy. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Blaze gulped. He was not prepared for sympathy or kindness. “She wanted me to tell you she was sorry for not telling you about me.”
The king turned to his second in command. “Clear the room.”
In a matter of seconds, they had cleared the entire room except for Zocor, his queen Arena, and Blaze. The king placed a hand on his shoulder. “I can’t claim you officially. I have my queen and we are expecting a dragonlet in six months.”
Why had Blaze ever thought the king would accept him?
Arena came forward with a hand gently cupping her stomach. “That doesn’t mean you won’t be welcomed into the family. You should take your rightful place as the next in line.”
“Darling, we argued this point last night,” the king interrupted.
“I still think it’s wrong. It shouldn’t matter if your children come from a mated union. Your child is your child and should be treated the same, regardless.”
“Our people are old fashioned and hang on to tradition.”
Blaze was ready to leave. “I understand. I’ll go…”
“You will go nowhere!” Arena said, moving to stand before him.
He tried not to look at her, but she placed her hand on his cheek. He could feel the heat rise to his cheeks. This was the first time a female other than his mother had touched him. He shifted his feet.
Arena looked at him and whirled her hand from him. “We will welcome you publicly as a distant cousin. No one can deny your relationship because of your looks. Our child will have you in his or her life and Zocor will have all his children under his roof.”
“My queen, you have such a loving heart,” the king said, taking her into his arms with a kiss.
Blaze turned away, uncomfortable at their display of affection. He cleared his throat. “I don’t want to be a burden.”
The king pulled away and smiled at him. “Nonsense. You will train with the best warriors, learn everything you can and chose whether you would like to serve in the guard or if you would rather own a parcel of land to make of it what you will. It will be up to you, but I hope you will choose to serve your brother.”
It was all too strange. In a short time, he had gone from being a fatherless only child to having a father, a stepmother and a sibling. Blaze didn’t know what to do or say.
Arena took pity on him. “Come Zocor, let him get settled with the warriors. There’s plenty of time to figure out the future.”
Chapter 3
Present Day
That had been ten years earlier. Queen Arena had lost her child, and she went on to have two more pregnancies. The mages had recently warned her that the next pregnancy could mean her life. The king refused to attempt any more. However, the king also didn’t claim Blaze as his heir. Blaze knew it was because of Arena. The king didn’t want to upset Arena because she could not have any children.
Blaze no longer wanted to be the heir, anyway. He liked being a warrior. Give him a sword and an enemy to slay and it thrilled him. Also, the more missions he took, the less time he had to spend in the castle, near her.
Arena only seemed to grow more beautiful with age. She was 12 years older than him. He had heard rumors she must have a lover on the side because King Zocor was too old to satisfy her. Those who said such a thing in front of Blaze felt the pain from his fists or the bite of his sword.
He got to know his father little by little and was grateful to his mother for making him promise to meet him. Zocor was a wise and generous male. He helped those in need, defended the weak and was considered one of the best kings on Drakonia. Blaze was proud to be his son even if no one else knew the connection.
Blaze knew his father was nearing the end of his lifespan and worried what would happen next. Would Arena banish him from their kingdom? He couldn’t imagine her making such a petty decision.
Blaze wanted to make sure she was protected always. She was his queen. He had to take time away from the castle from time to time. Being near her could be overwhelming.
Today he flew further than usual away from the castle and the local villages, away from people and away from his responsibilities for a short time. His people were in high alert. All warriors had taken on extra shifts to keep their people protected.
An alien race had made its presence known a few days ago. They hovered in space above Drakonia. So far, every attempt to talk to them had failed. One king lost his life in an attempt to fly to their battlecruiser to make peace talks. The aliens had shot the king down. His people were in mourning over the loss. Blaze wanted a chance to teach these creatures about honor. The extra shifts and tension had taken a toll on all of them. Blaze volunteered to scout the coast and hopefully work out some of his tension.
Blaze flew high in the clouds above the tiny island below. His dragon roared in pleasure at the freedom of getting to use his wings. It felt like forever since he had done that.
Free! Free! His dragon called out as he let lose a roar of happiness.
As he circled around the island, preparing to return to the castle, a feminine roar called out for help. The sound was familiar, but he didn’t know if he’d heard it before. He felt so stunned his dragon lost his balance and fell a few feet.
Catching the wind, he headed toward the sound of the cry, where he found a female dragon perched on a tree top. Obviously, the limbs were not prepared to hold a full-sized dragon. The closer he came, the more familiar the dragon appeared. Arena.
He noticed she was hissing at something at the base of the tree. A male dragon was attempting to climb up after her ― and it wasn’t his father.
Fury filled him that another would dare attack his queen. Blaze roared and shot a blast of fire at the other dragon. He didn’t realize until too late that another dragon lurked nearby, until he heard Arena’s dragon roar. He was hit from behind as the other male dragon crashed into him, making them both fall to the ground.
As he rolled away from the other dragon, he shifted into his human form. The other two dragons also shifted. Shifting helped them heal, but if they were mortally wounded in their weaker form, even a shift wouldn’t save them.
“Who are you?” Blaze demanded as he searched for a weapon while keeping the two males circling him in his sights.
“Leave
now and we won’t kill you. Get in our way, and we will make you suffer before you die,” the taller male said.
This one looked familiar. Who was he?
“Leave him alone, Dyson!” Arena, now in her naked human form, called out from the tree.
King Dyson? Blaze looked up at Arena once and turned his gaze away after catching sight of her lovely bare backside. She was attempting to climb down.
“Stay where you are, my queen!” Blaze had to keep her safe. He turned to the two males. “What do you want?”
“She is a healthy blueblood female and yet has not produced an heir. It is clear that she was meant for someone more virile. I will take her as mine and she will bear me many sons,” Dyson said, looking up at Arena with lust and greed in his eyes.
“You couldn’t find your own female, so you would steal the queen of another?” Blaze caught sight of a sharp and jagged bone. He moved closer to it.
“She should have been mine but her father chose an older weaker male. It’s unacceptable. I will right this wrong!” Dyson growled.
The other warrior suddenly ran toward Blaze. He dodged him, crouching down while simultaneously reaching for the bone. He came up quickly and struck the male in the side. The male went down bleeding. There was no time to prepare for Dyson.
Dyson struck out his foot and hit Blaze in the back, knocking him forward. Blaze sneered in disgust as he turned to face the male. “You strike your enemy from behind like a coward. What am I saying? Of course you would. You also steal mated females from their true mates.”
“They’re not true mates so she is fair game!” Dyson growled as he threw a boulder at him.
“She is mated to King Zocor!” Blaze leapt forward and attempted to ram the bone into Dyson, but the male was wily and jumped back just in time to avoid it.
They circled each other, breathing heavily. Blaze had the upper hand because he had a weapon, but then Dyson suddenly somehow found a blade on the ground. Where the hell had that come from?
