Bound by a Dragon (The Dragon Archives, #1)

by Linda K. Hopkins

shook her head in amusement – a mere door wouldn’t stop a dragon! “Come,” Anna yelled, tugging on Keira’s arm, but Keira shrugged her off and stared at the monstrous beast flying above the village. The dragon had taken up residence in the mountains some six weeks back, but it had yet to kidnap and devour a single innocent maiden. But people had long memories, and the stories about the last dragon that had lived in the area were not easily forgotten. For many years it had peacefully inhabited its mountain lair, until one day it had suddenly turned

alight and snatched the village girls. “Come on, Keira.” Anna’s words broke through Keira’s thoughts, reminding her that her parents shared the same fears as the other villagers. “Mother’ll be furious if we don’t return to the house now.” “Stop pulling me. I’m coming!” said Keira. She glanced at the sky once more, admiring the way the scales of the dragon caught the late afternoon light and threw a thousand rainbows against the sky. The creature was heading away from the village, but before Keira turned away, it twisted its long neck and looked at her. Keira pulled her arm out of Anna’s as she met the dragon’s golden gaze, then watched as

bodice from her skin in an effort to find some relief. It was market day in the village, an event that occurred every Wednesday and Saturday, come rain or shine, and Keira was minding the table that held her father’s carved wooden tableware. It was a task she shared with her mother, but as her mother had gone home to have her morning meal, Keira was at the table alone. She glanced around the marketplace and wondered, not for the first time, what her younger sister was up to. She saw no sign of her, but that was hardly surprising. Just that morning she’d suggested that Anna should help out more at the stall, but their mother was adamant in her refusal. “Anna is too