Free Lord Dragon's Conquest by Sharon Ashwood

flicking the air.
    Keltie danced, never staying in one place for more than a second. She could tell it frustrated the queen, just as her insults did. “Tell me, do you use a lot of moisturizer on all those scales?”
    The queen’s head snaked again, snapping the air where Keltie had been a moment before.
    She could hear the males fighting, the roars getting louder as another, and then another, took to dragon form. Keltie didn’t dare look. A moment’s lapse could mean her life. All she could do was hold Larkan close in her heart.
    Another snap, another miss. If Keltie stayed close to the dragon’s body, she would be harder to catch. And the longer she could make Nadiana chase her, the more she could wear the queen down. She couldn’t beat a dragon with strength, but she might with sheer, dogged persistence.
    Nadiana crouched, twisting her head around in an attempt to chomp Keltie in half. It was an awkward angle, but it would have worked if Keltie hadn’t scrabbled up her tail, finding the one spot between the dragon’s shoulders that it couldn’t quite reach. Nadiana reared up, clearly trying to dump Keltie to the ground, but Keltie grabbed the feathery coat on the dragon’s back with her free hand. Nadiana fell forward again, and Keltie pulled herself up to gain a better seat. She’d ridden horses and elephants and even a camel once. A dragon was just one more beast.
    Nadiana stretched her pale green wings. The surge of muscle and tendon nearly threw Keltie off, but she lay down on the queen’s bony spine and clung for dear life. That worked fine until Nadiana tried to roll. Keltie jumped off just in time, scrambling clear of the dragon’s body—only to find herself trapped between the queen and the first row of stone seats.
    Nadiana hissed, a burst of smoke and flame scorching the air.
    “I thought you said flaming your opponent was poor sportsmanship!” Keltie dove between the dragon’s legs and ran, taking a swipe at the long spiked tail on the way through. Nadiana squealed, thrashing her wounded tail like a whip. It caught Keltie in the ribs and sent her tumbling across the ground. She lost the ax, skidding to a halt. Stunned, Keltie tried to suck in air, but she’d been winded. The most she could manage was a sickly wheeze.
    She wasn’t going to last long at this rate. If she was going to beat Nadiana, she had to do better, and she would. She was too stubborn to give up. Determination was the only way she ever got anywhere, whether it was in Switzer’s seminars or against her army of brothers. Why would fighting a dragon be any different?
    Of course, getting up would be an excellent start, but at that moment moving was out of the question.
    Two of the other dragons bellowed at each other like enraged bulls. Keltie caught a glimpse of the Flameborn, and none of them was human anymore. They were a tangle of wings and tails and teeth. She managed to get one hand under her and push herself up just in time to see Nadiana stalking her way, haunches in the air like a prowling cat. The queen pounced.
    There was a snap of leather and a whoosh of wind. Jaws closed around Keltie, snatching her out of reach of the queen. The dragon beat the air, and with a lurch of her stomach Keltie swooped into the air. Nadiana roared in protest, but it was too late.
    Terror blanked Keltie’s mind to white nothingness. She couldn’t tell whether or not she screamed. The dragon’s grip was gentle, but almost unbearably hot. Keltie squirmed to escape the razor teeth and dragon spit, but that only made her rescuer clutch harder.
    They flew up and up, Keltie seeing snatches of motion around her. In a blur of color, the bronze spread his wings and chased the viridian queen into the air. The pair spiraled toward the dark, cavernous ceiling and out of sight. Instantly, the other dragons turned and took to the air, two at a time. Torn clothing scattered the ground. The festival was officially underway, and dragons fountained