Later that night, I tell Zabriel what Stesha said about why he thinks he and his dragon will win the Dragon Games.
Zabriel sits up in bed so fast that he takes all the bedclothes with him. “Content, am I?” he declares angrily. “I’m mated and crowned, and so the dragonmaster thinks I’m going soft? I’ve never been more motivated to win, and neither has Scourge. We’re competing to prove ourselves, our leadership, and our bloodline.”
I gather the blankets back over me. “I know you’ll make me proud no matter what.”
Snorting and huffing, Zabriel lays back down and hugs me and his baby to his chest. “What has Stesha got to prove? What mate does he have to impress? What child in whose belly does he honor by winning? I have the bite of motivation and all he has is smoke without dragonfire.”
“You and Scourge will leave them all behind.”
Privately, I’m thinking about the hard gleam in Stesha’s eyes, and the angry, frustrated one in Kane’s. If Stesha has something to prove, and Kane has something to prove, and my mate does as well, these Dragon Games are going to turn into a ferocious battleground. Never mind about all the dragons. Maledin doesn’t feel big enough for the three Alphas.








