How to Kill a Dragon (Heir of Dragons Book 1)

you think?” Deflated, the Fae archer let her bow rest at her side.
This girl had just tried to kill him, had poured everything she had into her ambush, but as he studied her from up-close he couldn't help but be intrigued by her. She was as fiery off the battlefield as she was on it, always up for an argument and never willing to give up an inch of ground. And, if he was being honest, he found her fair, even features to be somewhat striking. Despite the grime of battle, the charm of her smoldering eyes and full lips was not lost on him. She's pretty cute, he thought to himself—and quickly added, for a Fae, that is.
“So,” demanded his captive, setting down her bow and crossing her arms, “what do you want? What have you come here for?”
“Me?” asked Kaleb. He knocked a few ashes from his long, raven hair and glanced around the clearing. “I just like it here. I come here now and then to clear my head. It's a pretty spot.” He chuckled. “Or, at least, it was. Look at what you made me do.”
Minx rolled her eyes. “You expect me to believe that? So, you just casually broke the treaty so that you could come here and relax? I don't believe it.”
“OK,” conceded the dragon shifter. “You tell me what I was doing out here, then.”
The Fae huntress hesitated, then launched into a verbal attack. “Well, clearly you're here with the intention of starting a new war between our kind. That's obviously it. There's no good reason for a dragon to venture this far into Fae territory.” She eyed her bow again, still itching to get back to the fight. “If only Mau had listened to me, we would have been successful.” Then, with a start, she turned and began looking all around her, scanning the forest. “Oh, Mau... What happened to Mau?”
Kaleb couldn't help but be amused by the girl. She was a handful—loud and combative at every turn—but there was a certain ruggedness and charm to her that he'd never seen in a Fae before. “A war? Come on, that's not my style. Those old laws are outdated, you know, and us dragons weren't made to be penned in. I wasn't hurting anyone out here. I was just minding my own business till you showed up.” Noticing that she was no longer listening to him, but instead canvassing the woods worriedly, he asked, “What's the matter? Who's Mau?”
Minx looked back at him. “She's my partner—my Faelyr,” she said gravely. “I... I don't know where she's gone.”
“Oh?” Kaleb glanced about the treeline for a beat, seeking movement amidst the dying flames and finding none.
But he did find something else.
He picked up on an unexpected scent, distinct from that of burning earth and wood, and immediately stiffened. Ignoring Minx for the time being, he focused all of his attention on this odd scent. After a few moments, he felt sure he knew what it was. It's the scent of another dragon in the area.
For reasons he couldn't altogether pin down however, the scent was strange. It was the scent of his kind, but it differed in some indescribable way. It was unlike anything he'd ever known, and picking it up on the breeze left him agitated. “This friend of yours,” he asked, “is a Faelyr, huh?”
Minx nodded. “Yes. What did you do to her?”
“Me?” Now it was Kaleb's turn to roll his eyes. “I didn't do anything to her.” He took another whiff of the air. Whatever that is... it's not a Faelyr. It's a dragon, I'm sure of it. But there's something off about it... something I can't put a name to...
Whatever it was, it gave him a bad feeling.

Chapter 5
“What's the matter?” asked Minx.
Kaleb had suddenly gone silent, and his expression had hardened as he'd taken to studying the woods. He shook his head, his long hair sweeping across the shoulder plates of his armor. He was tall, and beneath the black armor he wore, which was flecked with slivers of glistening red, she could tell he boasted a fair bit of muscle. His face was youthful, uncommonly handsome, with a strong jaw, well-formed nose and singularly piercing eyes. Though he walked in the form of a man now, his expression and carriage could shift at a moment's notice to express the same awe-inspiring might the roaring dragon had only minutes ago invoked.
“It's nothing. It's just, I smelled something odd... Another dragon.” He frowned. “It's a dragon's scent, but it's strange, somehow.”
The absolute last thing Minx needed at that moment was another dragon. She already had more than she could handle with this cocky young shifter. Though she still feared for her own safety, she was more concerned just then with Mau. Where did you go, Mau? Why can't you hear my thoughts?
The ensuing silence was deafening.
“So, this friend of yours. Mau, was it? Where'd she get off to?” asked the dragon shifter.
Aside from their clash in battle, Minx had only been acquainted with this young dragon shifter a short while, but already she detested the casual, familiar way he spoke to her. Who does he think he is? Does he even know who he's talking to? I'm a Royal Fae—the Dragon Hunter. She motioned to the surrounding forest and explained begrudgingly. “I sent her on ahead before you spotted me. She was supposed to lead the charge and distract you while I launched an attack.”
Kaleb laughed, arching a brow. “That's awfully sneaky of you. Why don't you whistle for her or something? I haven't seen her. She can't be far.”
“There's no need,” replied Minx. “She can hear my thoughts. We communicate through telepathy.”
“So, call out to her that way, then,” offered the dragon.
Minx frowned, lowering her gaze. “I tried. She's... not responding.”
Kaleb sighed. “Well, maybe we could take a look around, scout the area,” he offered.
“Huh?” Minx regarded him with unveiled disgust. “Why are you