“Come on, Lucy,” I said as we walked through the forest. It was supposed to be a nice day today, and we’d decided to take a stroll and talk about things that didn’t involve me becoming Queen of the Southern Kingdom once our father died.

His health was deteriorating a little more with each passing day. I had never wanted to become Queen, but because I was the eldest, and our father, King Harold, never produced a male heir, the title was to fall on my head—literally—with a resounding thud of “hell no” if you asked me. I wanted Lucy to take the throne. She’d always been the more responsible one and had the ability to lead. Me, I only wanted to protect our kingdom and fight alongside our royal army.

“I’m coming,” Lucy said. “Slow down, Catherine. This isn’t a race! Why are you running, anyway?”

I glanced back and had to stifle a giggle. Lucy’s long black hair was a dishevelled mess, and she’d worn a pale blue dress that fell below her ankles, knowing we were going to be in the woods. When she saw me laughing, her sky-blue eyes darkened and narrowed into slits.

“What? You should’ve worn trousers. I told you where we were going.” I watched as she snagged her dress on yet another branch.

“Ladies do not wear trousers.” She was giving me the stink eye, and I couldn’t stop laughing. “It’s hot and I’m done walking. Let’s just stop and have our meal here so we can chat for a bit.”

“Good thing I’m not a lady then, huh?” I winked at her, causing her face to go tomato red. I decided to stop aggravating her even further and indulge her delicate sensibilities. The forest had never been her thing; she enjoyed making dresses for ladies within the kingdom. It wasn’t every day I could get my little sister to leave the castle. At twenty-two, she was all business—prim and proper—and almost no fun, but I loved her dearly.

“And therein lies your problem,” she countered. “When are you going to get your priorities straight? Daddy doesn’t have much time, and you need to be prepared.”

“All right, we can stop here.” I changed the subject, not wanting to have this conversation, then walked to the small clearing between the trees, and pulled my pack from my shoulder. “You’re so adorable when you get all huffy, Sis,” I teased her as I shook out the blanket for our picnic. “Here, have a seat. I know you must be tired.”

“Thank you, Catherine. Have you thought at all about what you will do once you’ve been crowned? Your life is about to change, and I’m worried about you.” She glanced up at me with a doe-eyed expression, and I shrugged, handing her the sandwiches we’d had prepared earlier that morning.

I sat beside her on the blanket, after pulling my long red hair away from my face into a ponytail, and then picked at an invisible thread on my white shirt. “I honestly thought we weren’t going to have this conversation today, Lucy. You know how I feel, and I want you to become Queen. I’m just not cut out for it. I’ll make an excellent General in your army, though.” I nudged Lucy with my elbow, attempting to get a smile out of her.

“You can’t slay dragons and monsters all of your life, Catherine. What about a husband and having children? Don’t you want to settle down at some point? You’re twenty-six now and, by most women’s standards, no spring chicken.” She took a bite of her sandwich to cover the grin she was sporting.

“Hey! I am not old, and I have no intention of settling down, or having royal little rugrats chasing after me. No. Thank. You.” I snatched my sandwich from the small bag, unwrapped it, and took a huge bite. “Why do you want to marry me off, anyway?” I enquired around a mouthful of food.

The withering expression on her face was priceless. “You’re just so—uncouth. You have no manners whatsoever. Stop talking with your mouth full, or you’re certain to never find a husband.”

I took an even bigger bite, and then opened my mouth to show her my food.

“Catherine!”

I chewed loudly, swallowed, and then smiled a toothy grin, effectively changing the subject of my becoming Queen and needing a man. Win-win.

I nearly choked when I heard the tell-tale sign of dragons nearby—roaring—and then smelled the burning of trees, seeing black smoke rising in the sky in the distance behind us; they were too close.

Lucy was no fighter. In fact, she’d never held a sword in her life. “Lucy, stop eating. Dragons! I need you to hide. Now.” Her face was one of shock; she was terrified. “Sis, I need you to move.” She didn’t. I grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet, and ran towards the nearest fallen tree, dragging her alongside me. “Stay here and hide, and, regardless of what you see or hear, do not move or say a word.”

Lucy nodded with abject horror in her eyes. She’d never seen this side of me before. “Please be careful, Catherine. I love you,” she whispered as tears rolled down her beautiful face.

“Love you, too. Remember what I said.” I gave her a quick hug and then sprinted towards the sound of the dragons. I knew I needed to keep them as far away from Lucy as possible. They would see her as just another of their concubines, and I would die before I allowed one of those shifters to lay a hand on my little sister. This—fighting—was what I was made for, and a dragon was going to die today.

I rushed through the forest, following the trail of burning trees; they were closer than I’d originally thought. Unsheathing my sword from my back, I turned, taking in my surroundings. I could hear rustling in the bushes, looking towards the sky, I saw there were no dragons flying above. I had no idea how many I might be facing, but I was ready.

“Ah, Princess Catherine, what a nice surprise.” A tall, dark-haired dragon shifter with dubious green eyes appeared from the nearby tree line.

I turned towards him with my sword in hand. “I can’t say the same. What are you doing on my land, shifter? You’re not welcome here.” I circled him as he came into view, careful not to give him my back.

“That’s not very hospitable of you. I could say I come in peace, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. The Northern Kingdom has given their offering—two women—their five-year payment in exchange for our protection. That isn’t such a bad deal”—He paused his monologue, pulling at his shirt sleeve, then looked at me with a menacing stare—“now, is it? If your kingdom would only comply with our demands, we could all live peacefully.”

“By sacrificing women to the Drakin Clan? We do not need, nor want your protection, dragon. If you want to keep your life and your head, I suggest you leave now.” I held my sword at the ready, waiting for anything. I knew this shifter had only come to cause havoc in the kingdom. Too bad he’d found me instead.

He nodded with an evil-looking smirk. “Have it your way, then.” Red-and-black wings sprung from his back, and his nails stretched into long thick talons; he’d partially shifted. Damn.

I stood very still, waiting and watching, calculating his movements. A loud roar escaped his mouth with bits of smoke and fire. I rolled my eyes; if he thought his little display of “dragon power” would frighten me, he was dead wrong. I could’ve filed my nails in the time it was taking him to make a move—if I actually ever filed my nails.

Finally, he rushed forth, taking to the air a few feet. I spun around just as he was about to rake his claws across my back, and then butted him in the face with the end of my sword. Blood sprayed from his nose, and his feet touched the ground—right where I wanted him. I took the opportunity to hook my left leg behind him in a sweeping motion to knock him off his feet.

He roared in frustration but didn’t hit the ground. Damn. The shifter pulled a short sword from his waist, that I hadn’t noticed earlier, and went for my gut. I backed up, bending forward slightly, to miss his strike. Taking a step back, I gripped my sword with both hands and spun in an arc—the clanging of steel against steel was music to my ears. I met his stare with a smile and struck again—he blocked, however, wasn’t quite fast enough. I swung, slicing the tip of his left wing.

Oh, he was pissed, and I continued to smile, meeting his deadly strikes one after another. He was getting sloppy now as blood dripped down the front of his black shirt. I was done messing around; it was time to take it to the next level. This guy was making it far too easy.

Or so I’d thought.

Thick talons dug into my shoulders, catching me off guard and lifting me from the ground; his green eyes flashed a glowing red. “You are weak! You’ll never become Queen!” the dragon ground out as he threw me across the small clearing. I crashed into a large tree, and it hurt like hell. My back took the brunt of it, and I’d lost my sword. Dammit! This was so not going as planned.

I picked myself up off the ground, wiping the blood from my chin with the back of my hand, and dusting the leaves from my trousers. “You have one of those right”—I grunted, popping my back—“I have no desire to become Queen, but I’m not weak. How’s the wing?” I grinned through the horrific pain in my back—most likely with blood covering my teeth; it felt like one might have been knocked loose—and turned to the side, thinking my sword must have fallen somewhere in the bushes. Where was the damn thing?

Shit. No time to dawdle—the shifter was standing in front of me before I could even blink, then he clutched my throat, cutting off my oxygen.

“Who’s losing a head today, Princess?” He sneered way too close to my face, and I could smell his breath. If I hadn’t been choking to death, I would have gagged at the smell of something rotten—or it could’ve been the arse of a pig. Who knew what those shitbags ate for breakfast?

I clawed at his hands, attempting to take in a bit of air, when he slammed me on the ground and straddled my waist. I could finally breathe. “You are,” I choked out, breathing hard.

He ran his talon-clad finger down my cheek and then brushed one of my long red curls away from my face. “Such a beauty. Pity for it to be wasted.” I crinkled my nose and turned my head. Dear God! His breath! Just a few meters away, I saw the glint of my sword reflecting from the sunlight. Perfect.

That was it; I’d had enough. I bucked beneath him, shifting him from my waist, and brought up my knee, crushing his manly bits. He rolled to the side, and I took the opportunity to push him off me. I jumped to my feet and sprinted towards my sword. Picking it up from the ground, I felt my energy surge.

The dragon had shifted back into his human form while rolling on the forest floor in pain. I stalked towards him, holding my sword at my side, and when I met his grimaced stare, I knelt beside him, my hazel eyes boring a hole into his soon-to-be dead face. “Ready to die, arsehole?” Standing, I kicked him onto his back, stabbing him in the heart without a second thought.

The bastard was going to kill me. When it came to Drakin dragon shifters, it was kill or be killed. If you were a woman, it was kill or be kidnapped. I was having neither of those.

I wiped the blood from my blade onto his black trousers and then leaned down to check his pulse. Yep, dead. Good. Now I needed to go and find Lucy. I knew she must be worried sick.

When I came upon the fallen tree where I’d left her, she was gone. My heart began thundering in my chest. I glanced around the tree-lined trail, eyes wide with fear. “Lucy, where are you?” I whisper-yelled.

I couldn’t hear anything over the beating of my heart. I couldn’t lose my sister. I had no idea where she was, or what had happened to her. “Lucy!” I called out louder this time, stepping away from the fallen tree to search for her.