THE DRAGON KING'S FORBIDDEN BRIDE

The sky bled fire. Aria Vale pressed her back against the cold stone wall of the village temple and counted the screams. One for every house burning in Emberfell. One for every child who wouldn’t see morning. Above her, the shadow of a dragon blotted out the moon. Not the wild beasts that sometimes circled the mountains. This was bigger. Older. His scales were black as obsidian, and when he exhaled, the entire valley smelled like ash and iron. "King Kael Drayven," Elder Mara whispered, clutching Aria's wrist until her nails drew blood. "He's come for the tithe." Aria knew the stories. Every village within a hundred miles paid it. Gold. Livestock. And every ten years, a bride. But Emberfell had no gold left. The harvest failed. The livestock was slaughtered last winter. Which meant he would take something else. The great doors of the temple shuddered as heat licked the edges. The dragon landed in the square outside, and the ground shook. Aria could feel it in her teeth. "Someone has to go talk to him," Elder Mara said, eyes wet. "Or he burns us all." "I'll go." The words left Aria's mouth before she could stop them. "Aria, no." "I'm a healer," Aria said, straightening her spine. Her hands were steady even though her heart was hammering. "If anyone can make him see reason, it's me. You have children to protect." She didn't wait for permission. She pushed the doors open. The heat hit her like a wall. Smoke and cinders swirled in the air. And in the center of the square stood him. King Kael Drayven. He was in human form. For now. Tall. Broad shoulders wrapped in black armor etched with gold. Dark hair fell to his jaw, and his eyes... his eyes were molten gold. Dragon eyes. They looked at her like she was already ash. Behind him, his soldiers held torches to the thatched roofs. One word from him and Emberfell would be gone. "You're the one they sent?" His voice was low, rough, like gravel over fire. "You don't look like much of a tithe." Aria lifted her chin. Her knees wanted to shake. She didn't let them. "I'm not a tithe," she said. "I'm an offer." One dark brow lifted. "My village has nothing left to give you," Aria continued, stepping forward even though every instinct screamed to run. "No gold. No food. But I do. Me. One year of my life. Marry me. Sign a contract. And in return, you spare Emberfell. Forever." The soldiers laughed. Kael didn't. He just watched her. Those gold eyes dragged over her face, her worn dress, the healing herbs still stained on her fingers. "A human," he said finally. "Offering herself to a Dragon King." "Yes." "Do you know what that means?" He took a step closer. He smelled like smoke and something colder. Winter. Power. "It means I own you. Your body. Your time. Your obedience. For one year. No questions." Aria swallowed. "I know." "And if you break the contract?" "Then you can do whatever you want to me." She forced the words out. "But you leave my people alone." Silence. The fire crackled. Somewhere a child cried and was shushed. Kael tilted his head. "Why?" "Because someone has to," Aria said simply. "And I'm good at fixing broken things. Maybe I can fix you too." That got a reaction. A flash of something dangerous in his eyes. "You think you can fix a monster, little healer?" "I think you're not a monster yet." Kael stared at her for a long, terrible moment. Then he snapped his fingers. A servant stepped forward with parchment and a black quill. "Terms," Kael said. "One year. You live in my castle. You are my wife in name and in bed when I demand it. You do not leave. You do not lie. You do not try to run." He paused. "And rule one: No falling in love. With me." Aria's chest tightened, but she nodded. "Deal." "Sign." Her hand trembled as she took the quill. The ink was cold. When her name, Aria Vale, touched the parchment, the letters flared gold and then sank in. A brand of heat bloomed on her wrist — a thin, looping symbol she didn't recognize. The contract. Kael signed beneath her with a s***h that looked more like a claw mark. "It's done," he said. "Emberfell is spared." He turned, and with one wave of his hand, the torches lowered. The burning stopped. "Get her things," he told a soldier. "We leave now." "Now?" Aria blinked. "But my—" "You signed," Kael cut her off, already walking toward a massive black carriage drawn by creatures with scaled wings. "One year starts tonight." Aria looked back once. At Elder Mara crying with relief. At the children peeking from doorways. At the home she might never see again. Then she climbed into the carriage with the Dragon King. The doors shut. The wings beat. And as they lifted into the sky, Kael leaned back and said, voice barely above a whisper, "Let's see how long you last, wife." Aria gripped the seat and didn't answer. Because in the dark, she could've sworn she saw his claws. [END OF CHAPTER 1]