Chapter Two
Dragon Guard Fighter Preview
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Chapter Two
These Simple Tricks Will GRAB His Attention
Her Royal Highness, Princess Alyxandria Anastasia of Zaratena—or simply, Alyx to her family and friends—rolled over as her brain told her that it was morning and time to wake up. Usually, she would bury her face in her pillow again, groaning about having to get up for another boring, day in her life.
But then she remembered her life was much different now, prompting her to bolt upright.
“Ow.” Her world spun around, and she fell back down on her pillow. Too much wine last night. But as she massaged her throbbing temple, she couldn’t help but smile. She had stayed up all night with her new BFFs—Queen Sybil and Lady Vera—drinking wine and gossiping, just like normal girlfriends do.
Okay, so, they were actually planning a fundraiser, and Alyx had been doing most of the drinking, but still, it was a far cry from what her life had been like before they came here, exiled on an island in the middle of a lake surrounded by a magical spell that hid them from the rest of the world.
It had been boring as fuck.
But after her cousin, King Aleksei of the Northern Isles, had sent his Dragon Guards to find and rescue them, she was no longer trapped. She had left the island and joined the outside world.
And what a world it was.
To think, she had only been in the Northern Isles, but she was learning so much about the real world, and she couldn’t wait to see more of it.
Once the room stopped spinning, she hauled herself out of bed, stretched her arms over her head, then downed the bottle of water she kept by her bedside just for this occasion before heading to the bathroom.
After a quick shower, she picked out another new outfit—courtesy of Queen Sybil—of maxi dress, a light tan jacket, and flat sandals, then put on some makeup and brushed her dark hair into glossy waves around her shoulders.
God, how she loved everything about this place—not just their guest apartment in Helgeskar Palace, but everything outside their old, crumbling castle on Hemmlig Island. Though they didn’t lack the basics and always had plenty of food to eat, their living conditions weren’t exactly luxurious.
Out here, though, she could take as many hot baths and showers as she wanted, had all the pretty clothes she could ask for, and not to mention, a marvelous device called a smartphone that could do almost anything. With a touch of her finger, she could find any information she wanted, bring up a picture of every place on earth, and get the answer to any question that popped up in her head. Celebrity gossip, the latest fashion trends, trending music—she consumed every type of media she could get through the Internet and soaked up all the information like a sponge.
Yes, the outside world was bigger and better than she imagined.
After taking a quick picture in the mirror of her outfit with said smartphone and sending it to Queen Sybil with a quick thank you—heart emoji—smile emoji message, she headed out to the dining room where the rest of her immediate family were already finishing up their breakfast.
“Good morning, kitten,” her father, His Royal Highness, the Grand Duke Aleksandr of Zaratena—or Prince Sasha, as he was known to most people—greeted. “You look lovely today. Did you sleep well?”
“Look at you,” Prince Mikhail, her brother, said wryly. “Up already at the crack of”—he glanced down at his watch—“ten o’clock.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, then crossed over to give her father and mother a kiss on their cheeks. “Ha ha, Mik, we can’t all be overachievers like you.” And just for fun, she gave him a kiss on top of his head, too, before plonking down on the seat next to him.
“You’re in a good mood,” her mother, Princess Iyavana, noted. “Planning the fundraiser went well then?”
Mikhail made a drinking gesture with his hand. “More like went down well.”
“Ugh, Mik, I’m twenty-four. I’m allowed to drink and have fun you know.” She reached for the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. “And yes, Mama, we finished the planning. We’re having a fair next month.”
“You mean they will be having a fair next month,” Mikhail interjected. “Father, will we not be returning to Hemmlig soon?”
“Ugh.” Alyx took a sip of her coffee and put her cup down. “I’m not looking forward to going back to that place.”
“You could be more grateful, Alyx,” Mikhail chided. “You know why we had to live there.”
Alyx sank back into her seat and pressed her lips together tight. Though she may not like it, Mikhail was right. Her father had escaped the rebels who had toppled Zaratena’s government and killed most of his family. “I’m sorry, Papa. I am grateful.” Because if he hadn’t remained at Hemmlig, she and Mikhail would not have been born at all.
“Now, now, children,” their mother began. “We do not have to talk of such things now. Your father has reunited with his family, and we are all together.”
“That is all that matters,” Papa added. “Now, Mikhail—”
The chirp from her phone indicating a message had come in interrupted him. Mikhail shot her a dirty look. While she embraced the outside world and technology, the rest of her family hadn’t quite caught up yet.
Her mother massaged her temple. “You know I don’t like those things at the table, Alyx.”
“Sorry.” Placing the phone on vibrate, she checked the screen to see who it was. The corner of her mouth tugged up.
Mama sent her a knowing look. “From the look on your face, I can guess who that is.”
“Ah, is it that dashing young man from the picnic?” Papa asked.
“Yes, but it’s not what you think.”
Mikhail just rolled his eyes. “Don’t get too attached, Alyx.”
“Ugh, are you guys even listening to me? I told you, it’s not what you think.” Tapping on the message icon, she opened his message.
Got a couple hours free now. Wanna go for a walk?
She and Magnus had been texting ever since that disastrous day of the picnic when she caused him to lose that fight. However, because he hardly had any time off, they had only hung out once, going for a walk in the woods on the palace grounds.
Does a bear shit in the woods? Hell yeah, she typed back. She liked Magnus—not in that way, but he was funny and one of the few people around here who treated her like a normal person. So far, everyone who was not part of her family at Helgeskar was staff, and so they kept a respectful distance. It made her feel just as lonely as she did back in Hemmlig.
<laughing emoji> All right. Meet me at the training grounds in ten.
Her heart skipped a beat as warmth crept up her neck Training grounds? That’s where Magnus and the other Dragon Guard hopefuls spent their days training. Which meant that—
“Everything all right, kitten?” Papa asked. “You look flushed.”
Mama placed a hand over her forehead. “No fever, but your father’s right.”
“It’s, um, fine.” She stood up. “I need to go. Bye, see you later.”
“We have dinner here tonight with your Great Aunt Natalia,” Papa reminded her. “Don’t be late.”
Her father’s aunt, Princess Natalia Dashokov, had also survived the insurrection, but had been whisked away to Russia. She was the one person who’d believed her nephew didn’t perish when the rebels attacked the palace, so she’d entreated with King Aleksei to send his Dragon Guard to find them. If she hadn’t, then they would have stayed on Hemmlig forever, and so Alyx adored Auntie Natalia for that.
“I won’t.” She waved at them as she bounded out the door. Stopping in the hallway, she bit at her lip as she figured out what to tell Magnus. Staring down at the screen, she began to type.
How about we meet at the gardens instead? I’ll swing by the kitchens and grab a couple of fresh croissants?
Sure. Meet you by the east entrance.
Alyx let out a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall. God, she was being silly. But going to the training grounds meant she might see the other trainees—one in particular.
A strange shiver crawled down her spine as she recalled the first time she’d looked up into those dark eyes, and her mouth turned dry as sand.
Ranulf. That’s what Magnus had called him.
It had been two weeks since she saw him, but the memory of him never failed to make her body react. When she closed her eyes, the image of him seemed burned into the back of her eyelids. That large, hulking presence, the shaved head and the tattoos had already been intimidating enough, but when he’d entered the tent and turned those onyx eyes on her, it was as if the ground underneath her shifted.
And, damn it, her stupid brain had stopped working right then and there, like she had short-circuited from the sheer attractiveness of the man and her speech and motor functions decided to cease working. She cringed, recalling how she’d babbled and run away.
Oh God, kill me now.
Just thinking about it made her feel embarrassed all over again. He probably thought she was some kind of idiot. Not that he likely even thought of her after all this time. Like she did with him.
Maybe it was better to go back to Hemmlig and live the life of a nun because she was pretty sure she would burst into flames from pure mortification if she ever saw him again.
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she straightened her shoulders, determined to forget that embarrassing memory. As she promised Magnus, she stopped by the kitchens from some fresh croissants and headed toward the gardens. By the time she arrived, he was already there.
“Hey,” he whistled and waved at her, his handsome face lighting up. “Good morning, Princess.”
“Hey, Magnus.” Oh, why couldn’t she be attracted to Magnus instead? Not only was he tall and good-looking, but he was also funny, friendly, and approachable. “Here you go.” She handed him the croissants wrapped in a napkin, keeping one for herself.
“Thanks.” He devoured one croissant in one bite. “Hmmm …”
“So, no more training today?”
He flinched, then swallowed the pastry in his mouth. “Weapons Master Stein decided he’d had enough of our incompetence this morning.”
“Ah.” She chuckled, recalling all of Magnus’s stories about the guy running the Dragon Guard training pool. Weapons Master? Sounded more like torturer. “So, you’ve failed his impossibly high standards again, huh?”
He smiled sheepishly. “It’s an important job, being a Dragon Guard, so he needs to make sure only the best of the best get in.” Motioning toward the gardens, he said, “C’mon, it’s a nice day. Why don’t we go for that walk?”
“Sure.”
They strolled under the archway that led into the palace gardens, making their way down the rows of green hedges. It was still early spring, so the flowers hadn’t bloomed yet, but Alyx imagined this place would look amazing once they did.
“So, how have you been keeping busy?” he asked as he finished off the last of the croissants. “Did you have a chance to watch those movies I recommended?”
“I haven’t started yet, but I will. I was busy helping the queen and Lady Vera plan the next fundraiser for the Children’s Trust last night.” She told him all about their ideas they came up with, including the May Day theme. “And we’re going to have games and prizes and lots of good food.”
“Sounds like a lot of fun,” he said. “And the children will surely enjoy it.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “Not that I would ever get to see it.”
“You won’t? Why not?”
“It’s going to be next month, and we’ll probably be going home soon,” she replied glumly.
“S-soon?” He stopped in his tracks. “When? What day? Are you coming back?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I’d like to come back to visit, and I imagine my parents will, too, especially since we have family here.”
“What about your brother?”
“Him?” She snorted. “We’d have to drag him back here for a visit. Mikhail never wanted to leave our home in the first place. He’ll be thrilled to go back.”
Magnus’s face paled under his tanned skin. “Uh … oh.”
“Are you okay?” She narrowed her gaze at him. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s n-nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.” She stepped in front of him and placed her hands on her hips. “Tell me, Magnus. What’s the matter?”
“I said it’s not—”
“Magnus!”
“Mikhail-is-my-mate.”
“Excuse me?”
He blew out a breath. “I said … your brother is my mate.”
What. The. Ever-living. Fuck. “Mikhail?”
“Do you have another brother?”
Her jaw practically unhinged. “B-but … he’s not a shifter.”
“So? My dragon knew it.” He tapped a finger over his heart. “I knew it. When I saw him catch you that day. Why do you think I got distracted and lost the fight?”
How was she supposed to reply to that? Being human, she didn’t know much about mates. In fact, the only couples she personally knew that were mates were all shifters. No one had told her a shifter and a human could be mates.
“Is it so impossible that he and I could be mates? That I could be with someone like him?”
“No … it’s just that you guys … are such opposites.” It boggled her mind to think of her boring and stuffy brother with someone like Magnus, who was outgoing and funny.
“It doesn’t matter. The gods have deemed him to be the other half of my soul.” His shoulders sank. “And now he’s leaving me.”
“You have to tell him,” she blurted out. “If you’re mates, then you have to be together.” And, well, maybe a small, selfish part of her wanted Mikhail to stay and be with Magnus, and then she could find a way to remain here too.
“But how?”
“I don’t know, but …” Then another thought occurred to her.
“What’s wrong?” He cocked his head at her. “Is there something else I need to know about your brother?”
Only that he’s probably going to lose his virginity before me. “Uh, nothing,” she blurted out quickly. At least she was pretty sure Mikhail was a virgin because he’d never even tried to leave Hemmlig and no one else came—no pun intended—there. But enough about her brother’s soon-to-be sex life. “I’m happy for you, Magnus.”
“Really?” He had that hopeful puppy look on his face, and it was adorable.
Mikhail was a lucky guy, and he didn’t even know it yet. “Of course I’m happy.” She slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “So how are you going to tell him?”
“He doesn’t even know I exist,” he said glumly. “And soon you’ll be leaving and … I might never get the chance.” He kicked a stray rock on the path with his boot, sending it skidding across the flagstone.
“Why haven’t you approached him?” she asked. “You’re not exactly the shy type. And by the way, why didn’t you tell me anything all this time? I could have helped you, you know.”
“I didn’t want you to think I was being friendly because I wanted to get close to your brother,” he pointed out. “I like you, Alyx. As a friend, which I don’t have a lot of around here. I left home to join the Dragon Navy a year ago, and then this training pool opened up … there hasn’t been time for making friends. And I like chatting with you.”
“Aww, me too. But all this time … you’ve been pining for Mikhail?”
He nodded. “If I had any chance at all with him, I wouldn’t waste it. I’d seize any opportunity to try and be with him.”
“You’re too sweet. Come on.” She looped her arm through his and tugged him along. “Don’t lose hope. We haven’t left yet. Maybe you can find a way to bump into him or something.” A movement in the distance caught her eye. Looking ahead, she saw a group of people under one of the oak trees at the edge of the garden. “Oh, there’s Annika and the kids.”
“That’s the female dragon, right? She came to the training grounds a couple of weeks ago. Stein said she was joining us.” He let out a whistle. “I saw her fight … man, she was good.”
Annika Stormbreaker was a female dragon who had come to Hemmlig when she was a child. Her father’s previous protector, Torsten, who was a former Dragon Guard, had raised her as his own, and she took over watching over them when he died. She also adopted several children and brought them to live with them on the island.
“Is that Niklas of House Aumont?” He nodded at the figure struggling up the hill toward the tree, carrying what appeared to be four picnic baskets.
“Yeah, that’s Niklas all right.” Niklas was one of the Dragon Guard who had found them on Hemmlig and turned out to be Annika’s mate. The two of them were so in love and had just bonded a few days ago, so … “Oh my.”
“What is it?”
“I think this is it. I mean, he’s going to propose to her, I bet.” She covered her hands with her mouth, excited at the thought. Annika, after all, was more than just their protector. She was part of the family—the sister she never had—and her happiness was Alyx’s happiness. “Oh, it’s so romantic, I want to see.” She dragged Magnus along toward the oak tree. “C’mon, I don’t want to miss this.”
Releases Sept 22, 2021
I’m already loving it! Can’t wait for the book to come out.
Can’t wait to read it all.