Dragon King: A Dark Kings Novella (1001 Dark Nights) by Donna Grant Read Free Book Online Page A

fury. Grace took a step back when she saw the wrath on Arian’s face.
    He got to his feet and attacked the man again while Grace watched. They were locked together with more bubbles hitting Arian at very close range.
    Grace couldn’t tell who was winning as the two of them fell together and rolled. For long moments she waited to hear or see something. When nothing happened, Grace walked out of the cave and looked down to find them.
    She spotted the black and silver haired man lying face down, unmoving. Arian was on his side with his back to her. And he wasn’t moving either.
    “Arian,” she whispered, worried for him.
    Grace briefly thought of getting her laptop and running far away. There was something strange going on at this mountain, and it would be better if she wasn’t involved.
    But she couldn’t leave Arian. He was hurt, and she didn’t like how much that upset her. With a sigh, she made her way down to him.
    When she reached him, Grace knelt beside him and looked over his body. There were burns everywhere. She bit her lip and gently turned him onto his back. There was no ignoring the fact he was completely naked. His entire torso was littered with wounds. Yet he was still breathing.
    She blew out a relieved breath and found herself shaking with a mixture of happiness and concern. Now, she had to get him up and back inside the cave. Since he was so much taller than her, not to mention he outweighed her with all those muscles, she wasn’t sure how she was going to accomplish that feat.
    Grace glanced at the other guy and picked up a rock to bash him on the head. She got to her feet and cautiously walked to him.
    She pushed him with her foot, but he didn’t move. Grace gave him a harder push, turning him onto his back. She dropped the rock as she gagged at seeing a gaping wound in his chest where his heart had been.
    Whoever the man was, he wasn’t going to be bothering Arian anymore.
    Grace hurried back to Arian. His eyelids cracked open as she leaned over him. Grace gave him a nod. “We’re going to get you back in the cave.”
    “Scared,” he murmured brokenly.
    At first Grace thought he was saying he was afraid. Then she realized he was speaking of her. There he was on the side of a mountain injured terribly, and he was worried about her.
    Grace could only stare at him, wondering if men like him really existed. Most people would be concerned about themselves, but not Arian. His thought was of her.
    Then it hit her. She had seen him as a dragon. Was she afraid? Yes, in many ways. But how could she be scared now as Arian lay wounded?
    She licked her lips and met his gaze. “Yes. But my father didn’t raise me to leave someone who is hurt. So, I’m going to get you back into that mountain. Then I’m leaving.”
    The last part had been more for herself than him. She really should leave, but how could she after all she just witnessed? Remaining meant her life was in danger, as was obvious by the battle she had seen.
    Then there were Arian’s wounds. Someone would need to help him. It was the least she could do since he let her stay and write in his mountain.
    Dragons .
    Yep, the man she was looking down at was a dragon. Why wasn’t she more scared? Most people would’ve been running for their lives. But there was something about Arian that calmed her. She trusted him.
    Arian gave a slight nod in response to her words.
    Grace winced as she looked down at him. “This is going to hurt.”
    At that, Arian rolled back to his side slowly and began to sit up. She was there to lend a hand and keep him steady. He was tall and muscular, and Grace wasn’t sure how she was going to get him on his feet, much less up the slope to the cave. But she was going to try.
    Once he was on his feet, he only put a small fraction of his weight on her. Grace draped his arm over her shoulder and wrapped an arm around him.
    The climb up to the cave was as strenuous as she imagined it would be. Both of them were soon covered