The Demon Prince's Dragon Queen

by Mina Carter

  He heard the grim determination under the amusement in her voice and realized she was fully prepared to take on a chapel full of demons, without her powers and with just the blades in her hands, to save her queen. A champion through and through.

  “Nope. Just follow my lead.” He flashed her a tight smile and started to push his way to the front.

  “Father!” he called out when Lakai turned to see what the commotion was as demons bitched and whined when Rat shoved his way through them. “I must congratulate you on your choice of a bride. She is indeed exquisite.”

  Baby turned with a gasp, hope in her golden eyes, but when she would have run toward him, Lakai stopped her with a hard hand on her arm. His expression was tight as he looked at Rat.

  “Well, thank you. I must admit, I am surprised to see you here.” Lakai smiled, revealing a flash of white teeth, but Rat wasn’t fooled. His dad wasn’t pleased to see him at all. “Especially as you are the loser in this little affair of the heart. As you can see, the lady chose me. But… to the winner the spoils and all that.”

  “Oh, of course…” Rat bowed before his father, trying to ignore the pleading in Baby’s eyes. “And how could I have expected anything else once you expressed an interest? A prince I might be, but I am no king of demons.”

  He straightened up, trying to keep the bile at his fawning words down, and smiled at Baby. Tears of disbelief glittered in her expressive eyes. Hold on, sweetheart, he mentally urged her, just trust me a little longer.

  “Quite right, quite right,” Lakai said in pleasure, buying Rat’s brown-nosing lock, stock and barrel. He really was pumped up with his own importance. “Well, now you’re here, you can stand as my best man.”

  Over his dead body.

  Rat nodded. “It would be my pleasure. But, an indulgence for a moment, if you wouldn’t mind. It’s a dragon custom to kiss the bride for luck before the ceremony.”

  “Errr… Really?” Lakai frowned.

  “Indeed,” Baby said quickly, nodding. “It’s an old tradition. The bride is kissed by the men of the groom’s party before making her final decision for the groom. It’s said to bring good luck.”

  “Hmmm… if you say so. You may proceed,” Lakai motioned Rat forward with a bored wave of his hand. “But no funny stuff. She’s mine.”

  Rat hid his grin with a nod and bit down on the inside of his cheek savagely as he stepped forward. His mouth filled with the coppery-metallic tang of blood as he leaned down and kissed Baby.

  She melted in him and then started as he parted her lips with a single, hard sweep of his tongue and plundered her mouth. Her eyes flew open as she tasted blood. His blood.

  Demon blood.

  “Hey! No tongues!”

  Lakai grabbed Rat by the shoulders and hauled him back, but the damage had been done. Baby smiled, obviously realizing what Rat had done as the air around her prickled and heated with power. Dragon flame swept along her skin, burning the black gown away and leaving her clad in a gown of gleaming golden dragon scale.

  “W-what have you done?” Lakai took a step backward, his gaze darting between the two of them nervously.

  Rat grinned, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “Given the lady a choice, Dad… what did you think I was going to do? She has demon blood as well now…”

  “No! You can’t do this!” Lakai swore, fury in his eyes. “You’ll regret this! I’ll get my own back, just you wait and see! Sleep with one eye open, son.” And with that, he disappeared in a puff of fire and brimstone.

  Silence reigned for a moment and then Rat found his arms full of curvy dragon-woman as Baby threw herself at him with a small squeak.

  “Rat! Bythescales! I never thought I’d see you again,” she sobbed as she wrapped herself around his neck. “He said he’d kill you if I didn’t marry him. I didn’t want to. You have to believe me.”

  “I do, I do,” he murmured back, kissing her wherever he could. Top of her head, her temple, cheek, then finally he reached her lips and claimed them gently. “I’m sorry about the kiss before,” he whispered against her lips. “It was gruesome but the only way to break the lock on your powers.”

  She pulled back to look at him and smiled. “It was fine. Dragon, remember? What’s a little blood between friends?”

  “Well…” He resisted the urge to fidget under her scrutiny and pull the mask of his pixie half over to hide his rune-covered skin and horns. At least his skin was normal, not some outlandish color. “I was kind of hoping you’d want to be a little more than friends. Maybe… we could make it official?”

  She grinned. “What… you mean like online official or something? Do you even have social media accounts?”

  He shrugged. “No… but I could move a toothbrush into your place. If you wanted, of course?”

  Her squeal of delight and the near-throttling grip around his neck was his answer. Rat grinned, burying his face into the fiery fall of her hair. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

  “YESYESYES!”

  She pulled back to kiss him again and between the insistent press of her lips on his and him claiming her mouth in a torrid kiss, hell expelled them all with a loud “pop.”

  His arms tightened around Baby as they re-emerged in the alleyway near Twenty-Seventh and Third, where they went right back to kissing.

  “You’re both fucking mad,” Chase muttered, stalking away. With a whoosh, and a gust of air through the alley that sent loose cans rattling, she was gone, leaving them alone.

  “I am mad,” Rat whispered against Baby’s lips, breaking the kiss long enough to scoop her into his arms. “Mad about you. I love you, Baby. Now and forever. Demon-born and dragon-bonded. I am yours, always.”

  She smiled and stroked his jaw. “And I am yours, Rat. I have been since the moment I saw you. I love you, my handsome demon prince.”

  And with that, the exiled demon prince carried his dragon queen out of the dirty alley to start their lives together.

  * * *

  Six months later…

  * * *

  “You sure you’re okay, love?”

  Standing on one side of the door they were about to burst through, Baby smiled as she caught Rat’s eye. They’d done more missions than she could count together, but every single time, her handsome demon wanted to haul her out of there and wrap her in cotton wool, just in case she got hurt.

  Her. A dragon queen. Get hurt.

  It would be laughable if it wasn’t so cute.

  “I’m good.” She smiled, her heart warmed by the obvious love and concern in his pale eyes. “Now, are you going to kick this door down so we can get this fairy princess back, or am I?”

  He smiled, a quick flash of teeth. “Who am I to argue with a woman who knows what she wants? Just leave a few for the rest of us this time, eh? Makes me feel all manly when I get to fight in front of you.”

  “As long as you let me admire all those muscles when we get back home.”

  “Deal. As long as you’re naked.”

  “Fuck’s sake,” Baron’s deep voice rumbled through their earpieces. “This is an open channel, you know? We can all hear you.”

  She grinned as she took position in front of the door. It was solid steel, and there were more fae assholes on the other side than she’d ever seen in one place. All to hold one tiny fairy princess powerless and alone. Her dragon snarled deep inside.

  Not on her watch. Never on her watch.

  Lifting her foot, she slammed it into the door and sent it barreling inwards to crush a couple of fae warriors before she and Rat followed it, all “guns” blazing.

  She’d been born a queen, but she’d found her calling at the side of her handsome demon prince. Forever.

  Thank you for taking a chance on The Demon Prince’s Dragon Queen. I hope you enjoyed it!

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  About the Author

  Mina Carter is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of romance in many genres. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and a bossy cat.

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