“No.” His breath was hot but he managed to keep smoke from clouding the conversation.

“I’m not asking you, Coal. You need to do this for—”

“A puny, little human. They’re not much better than rats.”

Blaze laughed. “You’ve never been on a stag run. You’ve never even breathed the same air as a human. How do you even know that you wouldn’t like them?” He laughed some more. “I have a feeling that once you have a taste of one, you will fall flat on your face.”

Coal growled. He couldn’t help himself. “Humans are low on the food chain. I would never fall over anything to be with one and I don’t have to meet one to know that to be true. I’ve never had, nor will I ever have, any desire to go on a stag run.” No way! Twice a year, all of the males sought out human companionship. It was a rut fest. The males got more and more excited as the date neared. They talked endlessly about the females that they would bed. Once the stag run was over, they talked endlessly about the females that they had bedded. On and on. Waste of time. Coal had been quite happy with the dragon shifter females and had made his mind up about Scarlet, thank you very much.

A human… forget it. “You would force me to mate with something I consider to be more like food than an equal? No.”

“I need to know if royalty can breed royalty with a human. I need—”

“Ask Inferno, he loves humans. He would be more than willing to mate one and—”

“Our brother is still a pup. There is no way he can stand up against the kings, the best warriors our species has to offer, and actually win. Not without using fire. No way in hell! You on the other hand will cream them. You will be victorious. Our tribe needs you to bring a female home and to impregnate her as soon as possible. If she bears gold, I will follow suit and if not I’ll take a vampire female.” Blaze touched the gold design embedded in his skin. It was proof of his royal blood. Lesser dragons had silver markings. They were born that way.

Coal felt horror and dread at the thought of a human female. Humans were primitive beings. It was like asking a lion to mate with a gazelle. It wasn’t done. It wasn’t right.

“The fire tribe is still on top but that won’t be the case for much longer if the princes from the other tribes breed royals and we are unable to reciprocate. Do you understand the ramifications of that?”

All too well.

“I can’t,” he croaked. “You can’t ask this of me. Anything but this.”