Page 23 of Dragon Unbound (Dragon Kings 3)
Chapter Nine
To say Tamlyn was shocked by Cullen’s story was an understatement. She had imagined all sorts of reasons for why the humans and dragons didn’t mingle, but she’d never expected to hear anything so tragic. So many things made sense now.
What confused her was the terror among her kind for the dragons. If they had always been kept isolated, where did the fear originate from? Because it had to start from somewhere. It wasn’t just those in Stonemore who were scared of dragons. It was all humans on Zora. Her kind either feared them or hated them.
Or both.
“I’m saddened and appalled by your story,” she told him.
He shot her a dejected smile. “As am I. Our honor kept us from protecting our way of life and the dragons.”
“You’ve returned to the dragons now.”
“No’ as you think. We’re only visiting.”
Her face went slack. “I don’t understand. You said you must hide on Earth. Why wouldn’t you live here now that you’ve found your dragons once more?”
“Every color dragon was a clan. Each clan had a King. When we sent the dragons from Earth, they no longer had Kings to lead them. They had to sort things out for themselves until the twins found them. They’ve lived for many thousands of years without clans.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You said Brandr and Eurwen rule here.”
“That’s right.”
“And they’re Con and Rhi’s twins.”
Cullen grinned. “You’re wondering how they’ve been here, but we were no’.”
“I am,” she said with a nod.
“It’s a verra long, convoluted story, but the condensed version is that the twins were taken from Rhi’s womb early in her pregnancy after she was injured.”
Tamlyn eyed him. “That isn’t possible.”
“It is if a goddess does it. Death, the same goddess who created this realm, made the decision to save Rhi and the twins. However, the twins refused to return to Rhi’s womb. Death had no choice but to keep the children safe until they were born. I believe they knew their destiny was on Zora, and that would never have happened if they had been born on Earth.”
Tamlyn rubbed her forehead. “Shite. That’s a lot to take in.”
“For countless centuries, Eurwen and Brandr made sure we couldna find the dragons. When Death finally told Con and Rhi about the twins, they desperately tried to see their children. It was Eurwen who eventually allowed it. She is now mated to a Dragon King, Vaughn.”
Tamlyn bit her lip, confused with all the storylines and names. “So, Con is King of Dragon Kings, and Rhi is a Light Fae. That means Brandr and Eurwen aren’t full-blooded dragons.”
Cullen nodded in agreement. “They’re half-dragon and half-Fae.”
“You live alongside the Fae?”
“Somewhat. There are Light and Dark Fae. They came to Earth after a civil war destroyed their realm. All Fae are beautiful creatures and irresistible to humans. The Dark sustain themselves by feeding on mortals’ souls while having sex. The only decent thing about that is that the humans experience untold ecstasy and doona know they’re dying. The Light restrain themselves and engage in only one sexual experience with a human, though that one time makes it impossible for the mortals to find fulfillment with humans again.”
“How do you know the difference between Light and Dark Fae?”
“The Light have silver eyes and black hair. The Dark have red eyes and silver in their black hair. The more evil they do, the more silver they have.”
Tamlyn shivered at the image his words invoked. “Does that mean Brandr and Eurwen aren’t a Dragon King or Dragon Queen? You haven’t mentioned Queens.”
“Brandr is a King, and Eurwen is a Queen. They can shift from dragon to human. That’s what sets them apart. Male dragons are bigger than females. It makes them physically stronger, which is what prevented the magic on Earth from choosing a female to lead a clan.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” she agreed. Tamlyn turned and walked to the wall seat she had found Cullen lying on and sat. “I’d like to say that things could be different here on Zora, but with so many of my kind hating anything to do with magic, I can’t see that happening since dragons are magic.”
Cullen shook his head sadly. “It willna. Dragon Kings and Queens are used to dealing with humans, with many of my brethren taking them as mates. But the dragons here despise humans too much.”
“We’ve not given them a reason to trust us. The same could be said for them. But we aren’t the same ones who caused the problems on your realm. Neither are the dragons the same ones who left Earth.”
His pale brown eyes held hers. “You may no’ have been run out of your home, but the priests were going to take your life. How do you feel about them?”
“You know how I feel,” she bit out.
“If you have children or grandchildren, would you pass on your story?”
She drew in a sharp breath. “Absolutely. I’d want them to know what kind of evil there is.”
“What of the priests? The ones who harmed you would be long dead. Would you have your descendants carry your hatred?”
“My plight is different.”
Cullen shook his head. “It isna. To the dragons, humans are selfish, greedy beings who care for nothing but themselves.”
“Not all of us.”
“If there were no barrier between dragon land and mortals, would your kind spread over the realm?”
Tamlyn lowered her gaze as her shoulders slumped. “Without a doubt.”
“If the dragons so wanted, they could fly over every human city and annihilate them all. There would be nothing left but ash. Yet, they doona.”
She slid her gaze to him. “Because they’re ordered not to?”
“Partly. They want to be left alone, but it hasna happened.”
“It has,” she said, affronted that he would claim otherwise.
He briefly lowered his eyes to the ground. “Do you know Orgate?”
“I’ve heard of the city.”
