Chapter 1
ELAINA POV
Darrowfield had always been a peaceful village. Nestled between rolling hills and ancient forests, it was the kind of place where children ran barefoot through the fields, and the scent of freshly baked bread lingered in the air. The dragon shifters who ruled our lands were distant but ever-present. We rarely saw them, but we lived in both awe and slight fear of them. It was said that they could shift between human form and their massive, terrifying dragon shapes at will, protecting us from threats we could only imagine. Some villagers believed they ruled out of benevolence; others whispered that they simply wanted control over our lands.
I didn’t care much for either opinion. My life revolved around my family—my younger brother and my parents. Life wasn’t always easy, but it was ours, and that was enough. Until the night, everything changed.
It started with a sound, something I couldn’t place at first. A low, guttural growl that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I was sitting by the fire at home, my brother playing with his wooden sword beside me, when the first scream pierced the air.
I rushed to the window and froze. The village was under attack. But it wasn’t an army or bandits. Dark creatures—larger than any man, with glowing red eyes and hulking bodies shrouded in shadow—were tearing through the village. They ripped through the streets with terrifying ease, toppling buildings and setting fires that blazed high into the night sky. The stench of burning wood and terror filled the air.
“Get to the cellar!” I shouted at my brother, pushing him toward the door. My heart pounded as I grabbed my sword from the wall, the one my father had passed down to me. I’d never fought in a real battle before, but tonight would be different. Tonight, I would fight to protect the people I loved.
I shoved my brother into the cellar just as my parents burst through the door, their faces pale and panicked. “Elaina, what’s happening?” my father gasped, his eyes wide as he took in the chaos outside.
“I don’t know,” I replied, gripping the sword tightly. “But we need to keep them out. Stay in the cellar.”
A crash sounded from outside, and my heart clenched in fear. I ran to the window and saw one of the creatures tearing through our neighbour’s house. People were fleeing in every direction, but many were cut down before they had the chance to run.
“Elaina, please,” my mother began, but I was already out the door.
The village was in complete chaos. Fires raged, casting the night in an eerie orange glow while screams echoed in every direction. Families clung to one another, desperately trying to escape, but the creatures were relentless. I could feel my chest tighten at the sight of the destruction, but there was no time to process the fear. I had to act. I had to protect them.
One of the creatures loomed ahead of me, its hulking form standing at least twice my height. It turned, its red eyes locking onto me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. The creature snarled, the sound low and menacing, as it began lumbering toward me.
With a cry, I rushed forward, swinging my sword at its chest. The blade connected, but it was like a striking stone. The creature barely reacted, swiping at me with a massive, clawed hand. I ducked just in time, but its claws grazed my arm, slicing through my sleeve and drawing blood.
The pain shot through me, but I gritted my teeth and swung again, this time aiming for its head. The creature snarled, dodging with unnatural speed for something so large. Before I could react, it lashed out, grabbing me by the throat and lifting me off the ground as if I weighed nothing.
I gasped, struggling to breathe as its grip tightened around my neck. My sword slipped from my hand, falling to the ground with a dull thud. Panic surged through me as I thrashed against its hold, but it was no use. The creature’s red eyes bore into mine, and I knew at that moment I was going to die.
But then, through the smoke and chaos, a roar echoed across the village. It wasn’t human, and it wasn’t a sound the creatures were making. It was something else—something powerful.
A shadow passed overhead, and suddenly, the creature holding me screeched in pain. Its grip loosened, and I fell to the ground, gasping for air. I looked up just in time to see a massive figure land between me and the creature—a dragon. Its dark scales shimmered in the firelight, and its wings stretched out, casting a shadow over the ground.
Before I could fully process what I was witnessing, the dragon began to shift. Its massive, fearsome form shrank and contorted, morphing seamlessly into the shape of a man. Tall and commanding, his dark hair fell to his shoulders, and his eyes—glowing like molten gold—seemed to pierce through the chaos around us. He stood before me, completely bare, his muscular body rippling with strength. My breath hitched at the sight, and despite the terror of the moment, I couldn’t stop the instinctive reaction—the heat pooling in my stomach, the way my mouth went dry.
With a swift, practised motion, he slapped a metal band on his forearm. In an instant, silver armour cascaded over his body like liquid metal. It moulded perfectly to his form, hugging every powerful curve and sinew as if it were an extension of his skin. The armour gleamed in the firelight, casting an otherworldly glow around him. He radiated an aura of raw, uncontainable power—the kind of authority that was almost intoxicating.
This wasn’t just any warrior. He was a dragon shifter, one of the legendary rulers we had only ever heard whispers of in our village.
In an instant, he struck, his sword moving faster than my eyes could track. The creature that had nearly killed me let out a final screech before crumbling to the ground, lifeless.
The dragon shifter turned toward me, his gaze sweeping over me with an intensity that sent my pulse racing. His voice, low and smooth yet imbued with unmistakable authority, cut through the chaos. “Are you hurt?” he asked.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his. They were mesmerizing, shifting from hues of blue and silver to fiery shades of red and gold, like molten metal in constant motion. It was hypnotic as if his very presence held a power that reached far beyond his words. I was too stunned to answer right away, captivated by the way his eyes seemed to reflect both danger and mystery.
I coughed, still catching my breath. “I’m fine,” I managed to say, though my throat burned from the creature’s grip.
His eyes flicked down to the blood staining my sleeve. “You fought well,” he said, his voice quieter now.
Before I could respond, another creature lunged at us from the shadows. The dragon shifter spun, his sword flashing in the firelight, and in one swift motion, he cut the creature down. It fell to the ground beside the other, leaving the space around us eerily quiet for a moment.
He turned back to me, offering his hand. “Come. You’re not safe here.”
Just as his hand closed around mine, a sound split the night—a deafening crack followed by a flash of blinding light. The ground shuddered beneath us. A wall of heat slammed into my body, stealing the air from my lungs. I barely had time to cry out before the explosion hit. Fire and force tore through the village square. He moved, fast as a shadow, trying to shield me—but something struck my side, hard. The world spun. The last thing I saw was his eyes—glowing like molten gold—locked on mine before everything went dark.
