Mated to Dragons novel

---- I dressed hurriedly and stumbled out of the room. All the new slaves had been called to the throne room. We walked silently down the halls in a row with Debora leading the way. The big doors opened to reveal a room slightly smaller than the ballroom. My mouth dropped open when I tilted my head back and stared up at the ceiling . It was covered in paintings of big men with wings that were brightly colored. Wings that looked almost like Nate's.

A gasp fell from my lips when I bumped into someone. The girl turned to glare at me, she even flashed some fangs. I instantly stumbled backward , away from her. "Line up!" The girls moved to one side of the room, and I quickly followed. I copied their stance with their heads lowered and their hands clasped behind their backs. "Congratulations , slaves," King Lucas said, his deep voice echoing around the room.

"You are here because you have been sold, or given to me to pay off a debt, or you're here on your own free will. Your loyalty to your king has been tested, and you all have succeeded. Today you will be rewarded with the brand of my kingdom." He paused. "This mark enables you to leave royal land. You will be able to enjoy your days off with your family, or just to go to the market.

My ---- brand on your skin is a sign of your acceptance in my castle." My stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly. I risked a glance up and caught Lucas's eyes. Color flooded my cheeks. It wasn't my fault I missed dinner. "You will enter the chamber one by one," King Lucas continued. "As soon as you enter, you state your full name and rank and your breed. Once this is finished you will go to the dining room. There a special lunch has been made for you.

You will get the rest of the day to recover but I expect you to be ready and, on your post, tomorrow. Let's begin." One by one the girls entered the room. They stayed inside for only a few minutes before exiting it.I watched them with curiosity and dread. When they walked out of the room, they looked paler than usual, but they were smiling. One girl walked out crying. I was starting to feel sick and a little faint. And then finally it was my turn.

Sucking in a deep breath I entered the chamber on shaky legs. Lucas stood with his back towards the door when I entered. There was another man in the room with him ---- that I had seen around the castle. "Close the door," Lucas ordered. I pushed the door closed and glanced around. My eyes locked on the iron heating in the fire. "Are you going to mark me with that?" I breathed. He turned around to face me. "You are part of this castle." "T never asked to be," I told him.

"You can just let me go." "And where will you go?" Tilting his head to the side, he took a step closer to me. Iremained silent because I didn't have an answer to his question. "Like I said before, this is to make sure that you are protected." "7m not an animal!" "Don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be, Angel," Lucas growled. He took another step towards me. Spinning around, I opened the door and tried to make arun for it. Lucas easily caught me. With an arm wrapped around my waist, he spun around and slammed the door shut.