Free A Dark Tide (Book of One) by Jordan Baker Page B

standing here, and I am getting hungry." His lip curled menacingly baring his fangs.
    "I don't know what has gotten into them," Ariana said.
    "They are drakes," Storm said. "They are unclaimed and unbonded. You must claim them. Make them your vassals and promise to bond them if you wish for them to behave."
    "I don't want to bond anymore dragons," Ariana told him, clearly exasperated.
    "Yes, that is very disappointing," Storm said, thought it was obvious that he was thinking more about himself than the four drakes.
    "We have waited enough," Kiva said. "It is time to fight."
    "No one will be fighting here," Borrican growled.
    "We will fight," Crag growled, just as ferociously.
    "Then you will fight me," Borrican responded, stepping forward toward the four drakes.
    A loud roar emanated from the cavern and Vale stepped out from the shadows.
    "I will deal with these childish drakes," she said, her dragon eyes squinting menacingly as she lumbered past Ariana and Borrican.
    "Yes," hissed Kiva, excitedly. "We will fight Vale."
    "No, you will fight me," Borrican insisted.
    "Borrican," Ariana said, her voice echoing loudly in his thoughts, and by her tone, it was clear that he was to stay out of things.
    "Thank you, Borrican, but I will fight these hatchlings," Vale said, then she glared at the drakes. "Who would like to try first?"
    "I will fight you," Crag said, with a vicious looking grin.
    Borrican and Ariana moved out of the way and Borrican caught a thought from Ariana, softer than the last one, assuring him that everything would be fine with Vale, and that he should follower her into the cavern, while the dragons fought. He changed forms and fell in beside Ariana, glancing over his shoulder as the fighting began. Crag leapt at Vale, and with almost blinding speed, Vale charged right at him, catching him before he could strike and she snapped her jaws around his neck, then spun around and slammed him to the rocky ground. Reddish black dragon blood spattered the ground where Vale's fangs had punctured the leathery skin and armor on his neck. Vale released him and stared at him as he lay on the ground for a moment, coughing puffs of smoke.
    "A little excessive, perhaps," Storm rumbled as Crag rolled over and slunk away, beaten far more quickly and violently than he had imagined.
    "Who is next?" Vale asked, and it seemed that she was not in a particularly pleasant mood.
    Borrican followed Ariana into the cavern, no longer needing her reassurance, for it was obvious that Vale was not threatened at all. He was surprised that the other three drakes seemed no less eager to fight despite their friend having been beaten so easily, and he almost wished he could stay and watch Vale beat some sense into them.
    "I suppose it's a dragon thing," Borrican commented to Ariana. "And I should understand it, but I really don't."
    "It is fairly simple, Borrican. They want to mate," Ariana said. "Dragons call it bonding because of the bond that occurs, but it seems that those drakes are really no different than any other young males."
    "I suppose that's true," Borrican said. "I guess I was just raised differently."
    "You were raised at court, as a prince, to know your graces and manners," Ariana said. "Although, to my recollection you were never particularly good at such things. It seems the only difference between a young man and a young dragon is the claws and the scales."
    "That's nonsense, Ariana," Borrican said. "I never challenged you to a fight."
    "You teased me and acted like a fool most of the time," she told him. "If I had told you I would bed you if you lost a fight to me, do you think you wouldn't have handed me a cudgel and invite me to smack you with it?"
    "All right, you might have a point," Borrican admitted. "Still, a little gentle teasing is certainly preferable to smashing each other into the ground, don't you think? "
    Ariana shook her head at his ridiculous attempt at humor, though she smiled inwardly about how, no matter how