Dragonmark Read Online Free Page A

helm. Emanon wasn’t sure if she wanted to appear as a drunken sprite, a tousled flower …
    Or a drunken bull that had rolled around a field for a bit.
    And that forced a rare grin from him. If he could appreciate anything in life, it was that degree of defiance in the face of those who wished you ill.
    â€œDid he come with you?”
    Emanon narrowed his gaze at the man nearest him as he heard the brenin’s gruff voice questioning Tarius Kattalakis. A rare Katagari Drakos, Tarius was the current leader of this group who’d come here to pick mates from the humans. It was a spring ritual they’d been practicing for decades now, and it left Emanon sickened.
    Every year, the Drakos came, watched the humans, and opposed the Greek gods’ decree for their people by selecting a mate when they all knew that only the Fates themselves were supposed to assign them their life partners. It was this kind of hubris that had caused their race to be first cursed.
    Yet the Katagaria Drakos, because their progenitor Illarion was a son of Ares and had been biologically bonded against his will to the Arcadian prince who was a grandson of the goddess Nyx, thought themselves above it.
    Dumbasses.
    Illarion would never intervene on their behalf to save them from the wrath of the gods. Honestly, he had no greater love for their hybrid species than he did for humanity. If the truth were known, he’d tried his best to get his brother to leave them all to die after their creation. The only reason any Were-Hunter had ever survived was the benevolence of Maxis Drago. He was the one they should be currying favor to.
    Not Illarion.
    He was the one dragon who would gladly hand-feed them to their enemies, and laugh while they bled out at his feet. The son of Ares cared nothing for these creatures. Nothing for their races or their wars. He felt no obligation to them whatsoever.
    And he never would.
    Burn in Tartarus, you bastards.…
    Their treatment of Edilyn was exactly why Illarion had no love of humanity. The whole problem with human beings was that they were so seldom humane. And those whose genetics had been combined with animals were even worse. Instead of being made better, they’d sunk to an all-new level of viciousness.
    Emanon ground his teeth as he started to leave so that he wouldn’t have to stomach another moment of their vile presence, and yet his gaze went back to Edilyn.
    She rubbed at the bottle on a string she wore around her neck, and smiled a smile that enchanted him in a way nothing ever had. Damn. It left him breathless.
    Worse? It quickened his blood and fired a need inside him to taste those lips. For the first time in his exceptionally long life, he actually desired a taste of human flesh for something other than a quick, bloody meal.
    He hungered for her.
    What the Hades?
    And still the men in front of him continued to speak. “Nay, he’s not here. But fear not. We are more than able to protect your village and people.”
    â€œDid he not receive the offer to marry my daughter?”
    Tarius sighed. “It’s not that. They claim he’s sterile.”
    â€œI heard he’s insane,” Bracis added. “As the first of our kind, he couldn’t handle the transition from beast to man. While he physically survived, he broke mentally.”
    â€œIt’s a shame.” The brenin let out a tired sigh. “Our enemies grow bolder and stronger. We lost half our best warriors in the last battle.”
    â€œWell, we’re here now and we’ll take care of you.” Tarius turned his head back toward the contestants. “Who is that tacky brunette who keeps winning?”
    â€œEdilyn?”
    â€œAye. She’s here every year.” Scoffing, Tarius passed a smirk to Bracis. “She’s a stout one, isn’t she?”
    The brenin shook his head. “I think she’s hoping one of you will take her since no man among mine will have