Dragonmark Read Online Free PDF Page A

enemies. Enemies who were quickly cutting a swathe through the Kattalakis dragons and the brenin’s people.
    Awed and impressed, Emanon watched Edilyn fearlessly protect the very assholes who’d been so cruel to her. Why? He couldn’t imagine. Personally, he’d let them all burn. The only ones he’d ever protected were his brothers and sister.
    No one else was worth a single drop of his blood.
    That had always been his firm stance and his oath.
    Until he saw the killing blow aimed at Edilyn’s back. A blow she couldn’t see at all, as she was focused on others. In that one quick, vital heartbeat he made a decision he’d sworn would never be his.
    Lunging to save a human’s life, he transformed into his true dragon form.
    Edilyn froze as a huge, massive dragon circled her. With a giant, spiny head, he formed a wall of yellow-orange scales that rippled and shimmered in the daylight. Terrified, she thought he was attacking her at first.
    Yet rather than attack, he let loose a stream of fire at those who’d snuck into her village. With a ferocious hiss, he whipped his tail and lowered his black-tinged wing toward her. Climb aboard, my lady Edilyn.
    Her jaw fell as she recognized the deep voice that no longer held the cadence of an ancient man. “Emanon?”
    His yellow serpentine eyes gentled as he gave her a bashful grin. Illarion, my lady. And it would be my honor to serve you.
    The moment his true name was spoken through telepathy, their enemies ran for the gates in full retreat.
    But Illarion wasn’t having it. As soon as Edilyn was secured on his back, he ran them down and made sure they never threatened her people again.
    Edilyn held tightly to his scales as she felt his muscles rippling beneath her legs and thighs. A saddle and reins appeared magically for her, along with a harness that secured her in a way that guaranteed nothing would separate her from her mount. It felt as if she were fused into place.
    Fear and respect for the dragon’s immense power mingled inside her as she watched him effortlessly reduce their enemies to ashes. She held her breath in awe, trembling and praying that he never turned that anger loose on her.
    You have no need to fear me, Edilyn.
    She wasn’t so sure about that. And while she’d always scoffed at the stories of the Ancient Drakos’s powers and dismissed them as fantasy, she now wondered how many of those tales were actually factual.
    Dear heaven, he was exactly as they’d said. His powers greater than any dragon she’d seen or heard of.
    Once he’d dispensed of their enemies with virtually no effort on his part, he returned to the archery field and allowed her to dismount from his back. The bodies of the wounded and killed surrounded them. The entire area was still in chaos as people sought to find their loved ones or to render aid.
    Though she had often resented how they’d treated her over the years, Edilyn felt no joy at seeing her people like this. How could anyone take pleasure in another’s pain? Seek harm when they didn’t have to? She’d never understand cruelty for the sake of it.
    What was wrong with people?
    There in front of her, Illarion shifted from his dragon form into that of a man. Only this time, he wasn’t old or hunched over.
    He was glorious.
    With a gasp, she looked up into a pair of silvery blue eyes that radiated intelligence and heat. Never had she seen eyes that color. And they were set in a face of utter male perfection. Firm, sculpted jaw, high cheeks, and an aquiline nose. Best of all were lips that neither mocked nor sneered at her. His long, dark auburn hair fell free and held a number of small braids laced with feathers.
    â€œWere you injured in the fighting?” she asked.
    Never by a human.
    A shiver ran up her spine at the realization that his voice didn’t come from his lips. Rather, he spoke to her through her thoughts. No wonder he’d kept