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that led to my exile here.
    “The history of my
people spans across millennia, and I couldn’t possibly explain every nuance of
our society in such a short time. I suppose the most important thing you need
to know is that there are two races of dragons in my world, the firedrakes and
the stone dragons. For the most part, our two peoples have lived together in
relative harmony along with the non-shifters, but underneath that cooperation, the
stone dragons have always resented the fact that our ruling monarchs have
always been firedrakes and only from the royal House of the Red Flame.”
    Briana sighed. “That
sounds like the prologue to every attempted coup in history.”
    Taron grimaced. “Yes.
Living here in this world over the last couple of centuries has taught me that
lesson all too well, and that is, indeed, exactly what occurred. The highest
ranking noble house among the stone dragons, the House of Blue Stone, convinced
their people that they were strong enough, cunning enough, to take out the
firedrake king and secure the throne. For the most part, they were correct.”
    “Wait! Don’t tell me you are their king!” Briana exclaimed.
    Her entire body was
suddenly rocked by vibrations and gusts of hot dragon breath as Taron abruptly
burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. It was a very valid conclusion to come to, but
the look of incredulity on your face was priceless,” he said, mirth making his
eyes shimmer more brightly. “Do I not seem a king?”
    His presence was
certainly intimidating enough for a man used to wielding absolute power over
his people, but he was a dragon after all. Her subconscious could have
just as easily been reacting to the fact that the mother of all apex predators
had been staring her down.
    “Considering that you’re
the first dragon-shifter I’ve ever met, I wouldn’t know one of your society’s
kings from the regular folk,” she said with a huff. “I just couldn’t help but
think ‘of course he is.’ That the first dragon I meet is a dragon king just
seems so absurdly cliché.”
    “Then you’ll be happy to
know that I am, in fact, not the king. I’m merely the second-born son of
His Majesty, King Lyven of the House of the Red flame. My true name is Astaron
of the House of the Red Flame. The name ‘Taron’ was the closest I found to it
in this world. At the very least, I didn’t want to completely lose that small part
of myself after having my home taken from me.”
    Briana looked at him
sadly. “I can understand that. Should I call you Astaron, then?”
    He shook his head.
“Taron is fine. I’ve grown so accustomed to it over the centuries that I think
of it as a true part of my name now, a nickname.”
    She nodded. “So, you’re
a prince? I’m not sure that bodes better for us given that you’re still a
member of the royal house. Royals are always a magnet for trouble.”
    Taron sighed, and she
was taken aback at how deeply weary it sounded. “I can’t argue with that.”
    The urge to comfort him
rose up strong within her, and for a moment, Briana wished that he was in a
form that she could easily show him some physical comfort, an empathetic
squeeze on the shoulder or hand. Although she never in a million years would
have done it, an image of her hugging his very nude body in comfort after he
shifted back into a man rose unbidden in her mind. She was so startled by it,
that she couldn’t completely control the blush that briefly heated her cheeks.
    What the hell was wrong with her?
    If Taron noticed the
extra color in her cheeks, he didn’t let on with either expression or tone as
he picked up the thread of his story again, “The head of the House of Blue
Stone, Jathar, is the mastermind of the rebellion. He patiently waited for the
time when either the king or the heir to the throne, my older brother Dagon,
entered a period of Soul Sleep. Think of it like a bear entering hibernation.
Only, instead of for the survival of a brutal winter, the Soul Sleep is