Dragonkin by Crymsyn Hart Read Free Book Online

took pity on them. They allowed the dragon to become a man. He could still shift to dragon form. They couple bore three children. Two were completely human. The third was able to shift. Over the years, the descendents of those three children have mated with humans or dragons, resulting in the line that lives within this mountain. Some can’t shift. After a few generations, the genes go dormant. If our young are hatched, they may change at puberty. The same if they were born. Castigan was my elder brother. His egg was laid and then stolen. He never knew he could shift. He never knew he was dragonkin.”
    Kestrel took in everything he had said. She saw the sadness in his eyes. “What about you? You said that you had lost your wife. What happened?” She got up from his lap. Part of her didn’t want to leave him, but she had to get away to process all of what she had heard. He was too irresistible to stay close to. She walked away and examined the large room. It seemed to go on forever. Any small sound reverberated in the cavern. The essence of magic was all around her. The sheer power prickled along her skin.
    “I lost my wife before we could consummate our mating. She was human. She was out collecting flowers, and raiders came upon her. They ravaged her. Hurt her bad enough we couldn’t save her. I wasn’t able to get here soon enough. A traitor informed the marauders where and who she was. If not, they would have left her alone. Losing her broke my heart. She’s resting here along with the other members of our family. This is our crypt.”
    A ball of fire illuminated his finger. He threw it up in the air. The fire hit several torches and ignited the room. She was able to see the massive cave they were in. All around her were sleeping dragons. Her gaze swept the whole of them. Seeing their unmoving forms told her they were dead. Kestrel saw a glint of gold and the familiar curve of a claw.
    Cas. Kestrel rushed over, weaving through the remains. His head rested on his feet. Reaching out, she trailed her fingers along his snout. He was still warm. She half expected him to open his eyes and swat at her the way he used to. I’m sorry about everything. The past centuries have been hell without you. Why didn’t you let me leave with you? She fell to her knees before the dragon and covered her head with her hands. The tears wouldn’t stop. The moments before his death replayed in her mind. If only they had made another decision. If only they had flown in a different direction.
    “Father brought him here after he felt him die. The shock must have been so much he didn’t notice the bond Cas had formed with you. Or didn’t expect it. The spellcasters had already taken you away. We keep him here so the raiders won’t steal his remains. The magic of this place keeps their outer shells whole, but over the years their insides become hollow.”
    Kestrel looked up at Andrik. Her hurt was reflected in his face. “After he died, I went a little crazy. I don’t remember much of it. I wasn’t supposed to live. The others hid me away because they didn’t know what to do with me. I’ve never fully come to terms with it either.”
    Andrik laid a hand on her shoulder. “If my father had known the true extent of the bond you had with Cas, you would’ve been brought here. We would’ve taken you in and shown you how to harness the power of the dragon. Besides him giving you his power, he gave you his fire. I’ve never heard of that before, except from ancient myths about the drakin.”
    “What am I supposed to do now?” Her heart slammed against her chest. She gasped for air. The room was pressing down around her. Her head spun. Ancient myths had nothing to do with her. “I have to get out of here. Can we go somewhere else, please?”
    “Of course.”
    He led her through the maze of dragon corpses. Kestrel stole one last look at the dragon that used to be her rock. He didn’t move. He would never move again.
     

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