“Yes, that’s true, but the previous Crown Princes before you have had their coronation weeks after the previous king passed.” His cousin lowered his voice. “And there’s something else.”
“Something else?”
Arvin looked around, then leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Karim, I’ve heard some talk.”
What was he talking about? “What talk?”
“There is discontent among the ministers and certain people.”
Karim snorted. “Of course there are.”
“I’m not talking about the usual dissenters who clamor for the abolition of the throne,” Arvin said. “I’ve heard whispers. There are certain people who think you are not worthy to be king.”
The Great One roared in his head, and Karim felt his own anger rising with the fury of Ninurta. “Not worthy?”
“Because of your blood. Because your mother—”
“Who said these things?” he roared, making Arvin step back, his eyes filled with fear. “Apologies,” he said quickly. “I know it was not you.” His blood always boiled at the mention of his mother, and he could not help himself.
Arvin braced himself against the nearest wall and rubbed at his temple. “I’ve only heard them. And I have done my best to quell such talk.”
“I know you would, thank you.” Still, that did not abate his anger. Sure, it was one thing for him to doubt himself, but others? And because he was half-English, his mother’s blood in his body, they think him not worthy? It made him want to release The Great One and raze the streets until he found the source of such treasonous talk.
But he knew that was not possible, so he calmed himself. “Arvin, you are my most trusted … friend.” Or the closest thing he had to one. “Will you find out for me the source of this talk?”
“Of course, Your Highness.” Arvin bowed his head. “And what happens when I do?”
“You will report to me, and I will take care of them.” The Great One agreed with a nod of its horned head.
Arvin raised a brow. “Ah, finally.”
“Finally?”
His cousin’s mouth quirked up into a smile. “Finally, I see the Karim I know. You’ve been acting strange since your return.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just today, at the meeting.” Arvin removed an invisible speck of dust from his robe. “You seemed bored. Like your mind was a million miles away.”
Not a million miles. No, it was in the palace, in his bed, where a beautiful temptress waited for him. Gods above and below, if he did not have her soon—
“Highness?”
Karim shook his head mentally. “I need to prepare for the evening flyover.” He had a few hours until midnight. They were sharing a bedroom for the next week, Perhaps he could persuade her to share a meal with him. And if they shared more …
It was obvious she wanted him as much as he wanted her, and why not make the time pass more pleasurably? He was experienced at seduction, and it would be easy enough to coax her. Surely the fact that he was a prince would flatter her, and make her even more eager. She was an American, after all, and they were all fascinated with royalty, something their country had never had. Besides, once she returned to her normal, everyday life, this would have been a grand adventure for her, something to brag about to her friends. That’s what she wanted, right? That’s what all women who came to him wanted.
“Good night, Arvin. And thank you.”
“I’m at your service, Your Highness.” Arvin bowed and turned on his heel, then walked away.
Karim proceeded toward the main palace, up to his living quarters. His steps sped up as he entered his living room, and he darted toward the door. He was so distracted at the thought of Desiree that he didn’t notice the figure lying in front of door until he nearly tripped on it.
“You—Ramin?” He bent down. “Ramin! Ramin, what has happened?”
“H-H-Highness …” Ramin hissed in pain as he touched his head. “She … she …”
Dread overcame him as he dashed into the bedroom. The trace scent of her was weak, meaning she was gone.
“No!” His roar was nearly inhuman, rumbling from his chest. Where was she? How did she escape? There was no other exit except …
His heart pounded like a gong as he raced to the balcony. The vision of her broken body lying at the bottom fueled his rage. But when he looked over, he could see no trace of her. Sure, she had been distraught that she had to stay here, but she didn’t seem like the type of person who would commit suicide just to get away. But where was she?
The Great One roared again, and he could feel its claws raking at him from the inside. It was angry, but also frantic.
No! Ours. They are ours.
With a load roar, he allowed the beast to take over, a pillar of flame incinerating his clothes and engulfing his human body as it began to grow and expand. Soon, The Great One’s humungous form filled the balcony, leathery wings flapping in the air as it took off.
Where are we going? Usually, he worked with his dragon form. They were one creature with the same mind and body. They always agreed on where to go, but now, it seemed too angry to listen to him and was wresting control of their body away. It veered left, then swung right, its large head moving side to side as its eyes scoured the grounds of the palace. She could not have gone far. Maybe she might even still be in the palace.
But the great beast didn’t listen to him. It seemed to know where to look. But how? Zhobghadi was huge and—
There.
The voice called his attention as the beast’s head cocked lower. The Great One’s enhanced vision allowed him to zero in on a small, lone dot in the distance, not far from the rear of the palace. And deep in his heart, he knew it was her. Once they realized that, they were once again of one mind and body.
As their shadow loomed over her, she looked up. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she seemed frozen in horror. Good. She deserved to be frightened because of what she had put him through in the last few minutes since he discovered her gone. She had obviously escaped. Did she not know what danger she was in? If any Zhobghadian had seen her, they would have reported her to the authorities. Or worse, if the more superstitious and traditional citizens had seen her, they might take matter into their own hands.
The beast let out another roar as they swung around and flew lower, ready to grab her. However, as they came closer, Desiree ducked and stepped aside.
Inana’s tits, how did she move so fast?
Swinging around again, their eyes searched for her. But she was gone. No, she wasn’t. She was just quick. Inhumanly fast, Karim observed as the gray dot dashed away westward.
Well, that did not matter, because The Great One was bigger and had wings. They flew low, whipping up the sand in order to blur her vision. The gray dot stopped, and The Great One’s mighty claws swooped in, digging into the earth under her so they could scoop her away.
It took much effort and concentration to execute a vertical takeoff, and their wings flapped with all their strength. They soared higher, then turned toward the balcony. Their little passenger struggled against the grip of their scaly hands. Not that it mattered. Their body was armored, and the teeth and claws were—
Teeth and claws?
No, no, no! What did we catch? Karim bellowed in his mind. She has gotten away! We must go back—
No, the beast protested. They. Are. Ours.
What was The Great One talking about? Obviously, they had taken some poor creature—perhaps someone’s pet goat—and Desiree was still out there. But the beast would not listen.
Clawed, scaly feet landed on the balcony with a thud. As they began to transform back to his human body, their grip loosened on their unknowing captive, and they laid it down as gently as possible on the ground.
As he shrunk to normal size, the first thing he thought was, that was one big pet. He’d never seen wolves in real life, but he was sure they were not this large, like the size of a small horse. Despite the fight it
put up as he carried it back, it stood there, unmoving, looking up at him with light green eyes. Familiar eyes.
No.
Yes, The Great One rumbled. Ours.
The moment he fully transformed back; the wolf dashed into the palace. He ran after it—her, or whatever it was—spotting a flash of gray fur as it disappeared into the bedroom. “Desiree!” He heard the door to the bathroom slam, but when he tried to yank it open, it didn’t budge. “Unlock this door now!”
There was shuffling from the other side of the door, but it remained closed. He wiggled it violently. “So help me, if you do not open this door, I will—” Why was he even giving her a chance? This was his room, his palace, his godsdamned country!
Using all his and The Great One’s strength, he slammed into the door with his shoulder. The wood cracked in half, and he tore the remnants aside with his bare hands as he forced his way in.
Desiree stood in the middle of the bathroom; a towel clutched to her shaking body. Her eyes glowed brightly before fading back to their normal light green color. Even under her tanned cheeks, he could see the blood had drained from her face.
Her arms tightened around her towel, as if it could protect her. “What … how did you …” She gasped when he took a step closer. “What are you?”
Chapter Six
“What am I?” Karim bellowed. “What are you?”
Deedee stood there, staring up at him. It was as if her feet were encased in cement blocks. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe. Only one thought pounded in her head.
Karim was a dragon.
But how? The synapses in her mind weren’t working properly, unable to make the connections. If Astrid were here, she would probably say that Deedee had literally blown her mind.
Her dad was the only dragon shifter in the world. That’s what she knew growing up. What everyone assumed. And no way could he have fathered any other dragon kids because neither she nor any of her siblings were dragons. He was turned into a beast, and he had no other relatives. If there were others like him, surely, they would have known about it.
Yet, here was Karim, standing in front of her. Did he also have an accident that turned him into a dragon?
While trying to figure out how to get through the sandstorm, she saw the dragon flying above. In her fright, she shifted, knowing that it was the only way she had a chance of escaping. But trapped between the magical sandstorm and a furious flying beast, she knew not even her wolf could save her. And so here she was, back where she started.
The silence stretched on between them, but neither spoke. Those cool, cerulean blue eyes held her gaze like magnets, and she couldn’t look away.
She had shifted in front of him. Broken Lycan law. When her clan and the Lycan High Council found out, they would have to erase his memories.
Assuming she ever got out of here. For all she knew, Karim now had to get rid of her to protect his secret. Her wolf whined, and she quieted it with an audible shush.
“Do you talk to your animal?”
She nodded. “Do you?”
His face softened slightly. “Sometimes. It does not always speak in sentences, but I know what it is thinking.” His brows drew together. “And you … does your family know?”
She bit her lip. Obviously, he thought her a one-off. Of course, if he knew there were hundreds of Lycan clans around the world living among the humans, his mind might be blown.
But he couldn’t know though. It was forbidden to tell humans.
And dragons?
Well, that was another thing. Though she had so many questions, practically bursting with them, it was best if she kept her cards close. “Yes.” Technically, not a lie.
“And you were born this way?”
She huffed. “Why do you get to ask all the questions?” Were she not holding onto a towel to keep her modesty, she would have crossed her arms over her chest in protest.
“It is forbidden for anyone outside Zhobghadi to have knowledge of The—to have seen what you have seen.”
She swallowed hard. “Are you going to kill me then?”
A look of horror crossed his handsome face. “No! What do you think of us here, that we’re barbarians?”
“And yet, I’ve been held captive for two days for no reason, and without any way to contact the outside world,” she pointed out. “Even prisoners get one phone call.”
He let out a string of what she assumed was curses in his language, then scrubbed his hand down his face. “I think we should talk, Desiree. Let’s sit down, shall we?”
The way he said her first name made heat uncurl in her stomach. No one called her Desiree. “Fine, but, er, maybe we should both get dressed?”
She should win some kind of award for restraint as it took all her control not to let her eyes stray below his naked waist. Not that ogling the rest of him was any better. In the stark lighting of the bathroom, she got an eyeful of his well-formed chest, rock-hard eight-pack, and the deep V on his hips, not to mention all that glorious tanned skin.
He snorted. “My clothes burn when I transform, so I have always been comfortable with my nakedness. But I will put my robe on and wait for you outside. Put on anything you deem appropriate.” He turned and walked through the door, or rather, what was left of it.
As soon as he was far enough, her shoulders slumped, and all the confidence she had drained out of her body. “Oh God, oh God, oh God.” Her knees unlocked, and her limbs felt like jelly.
Somehow, she found the strength to force herself to walk over to his closet. What did one wear to a confrontation with a dragon? While her father was one, it wasn’t like she ever had to take him on. Indeed, she’d been a good girl all her life, a papa’s girl. None of that prepared her for the current situation she was in.
Fearing he might come in if she made him wait any longer, she grabbed one of his shirts and pajama bottoms. She was tall enough that she didn’t need to roll up the legs too much. After a quick combing of her hair with her fingers, she marched out of the bedroom. To her surprise, the door was open.
“Your Highness?” she called as she peeked out into the living room. Again, she was taken aback, this time by the sight of Karim seated on the couch, pouring out tea from a pot into two glass cups.
“Have a seat, Desiree.”
She padded over to the couch, deliberately choosing to sit on the cushions farthest away from him. “It’s Deedee.”
“What’s a Deedee?” he asked with a frown.
“My name.”
“No, you said it was Desiree. Professor Desiree Desmond Creed of New York University.”
“Yes, but no one calls me Desiree.”
“Why not?”
“Because …” She wrinkled her brows. “Everyone just calls me Deedee.”
“Everyone?”
“Yes. My parents, my siblings, my friends, colleagues—”
“And your boyfriends?” A dark brow had risen up.
“Yes. I mean, no.” She shook her head. “No boyfriends.” God, why was she telling him this? “Anyway, you can call me Deedee.”
“I prefer Desiree.” Those blue eyes were like twin fires when he said her name, and the way he rolled his r sent her heart racing. As prince of this country, he could probably call anyone whatever he wished.
“So, you said we should talk.”
He offered her a cup of tea, and though she hesitated, took it anyway. His fingers lingered as they brushed hers, and a spark of electricity tingled up her arm. Must be the static. This place was covered in carpets, after all.
“The knowledge of my existence is a secret that has been kept within our borders for a thousand years,” he began. “Outsiders cannot know about … my dragon. Zhobghadi has insulated itself, and kept out outsiders because of this, and every citizen is sworn not to reveal it, upon pain of death.”
She gasped. “It’s obviously an effective threat.”
“It is law. Barbaric, you may call it, but it has kept us safe. Kept m
e and my ancestors safe.” He took a deep breath. “One thousand years ago, Zhobghadi was about to be run over by invaders. In order to protect the people, the gods sent the Easifat, to act as a shield to protect us.”
The gods? The skeptical scientist in her couldn’t quite believe that. But then again, she could feel the magic from the sandstorm. That was definitely not natural. Mystical yes, but divine?
“But the Easifat could only shield us, not destroy our enemies. And so, they sent The Great One.”
“The Great One?”
“The dragon, as you call it. Prince Hammam, my ancestor and the crown prince at that time, was the very first one to receive it. He transformed into The Great One, and defeated our enemies.”
Surely, he didn’t mean that literally? That his dragon was from the gods? Sure, while Lycans existed, they still believed in science and DNA. For the past decades, Lycan scientists like her mother worked to unlock the secrets of magic and of their nature. Of course, being an archeologist, Deedee knew that people in the past used allegory and exaggeration when trying to relay stories they could not explain with their limited knowledge. She needed to know more. “So ever since then, your … family line has carried this dragon?”
“The Great One,” he corrected. “Our records show that only one exists at a given time. The king and then his heir. While I had the beast inside me, I was unable to transform until my father passed away.”
She chewed on her lower lip so hard, she winced. Well, not quite, buddy. There were two now. But she wasn’t about to reveal anything to him. What would he do if he found out about her father?
“So … if the king had other children, they won’t be dragons? Why not?”
“This is the way it’s been for a millennium. We do not know why. I was born with my beast, and when my father passed away, it became The Great One.”
Hmmm. Lycans were in a similar situation, as only two Lycans could produce another Lycan, and even then it was difficult, and many couples often did not produce offspring. Their scientists have always hypothesized that perhaps it was some law of nature, to make sure the earth wasn’t overrun with shifters and that humans were meant to be the dominant species on earth. Of course, there was one exception: True Mates pairings, but out of their population, that was only still a small percentage.
Daughter of the Dragon Page 5
