Assassin's Past (The Assassin and her Dragon Princes Book 2)

by Ivy Clyde

  My insides, from my stomach to my core, tightened around his pulsing member.

  Our corresponding cries mingled together as we both climaxed together. My mind went blank for a moment as nothing but pure pleasure cascaded down my body. I fell myself fall on his chest with him still buried inside.

  Adal’s arms wrapped around my body, holding me against him tightly as his seeds exploded inside me.

  Our bodies were entangled together, trembling and shuddering against each other.

  As the high that came with release began to ebb away, something else took its place. Adal’s face and the chamber around me vanished to be replaced with utter darkness. Something heavy seemed to be slamming over my face, cutting away both vision and air. I gasped, fighting against the rising darkness like I was drowning in a sea of black miasma.

  I called out for help but no words escaped me.

  I thrashed, but couldn’t feel my arms or legs.

  Nothing but the blackness endured.

  19

  I’d barely pulled out of Daria, my mind still lost to the incredible high when I noticed the first sign something had gone wrong. My mate lay among the pillows, completely spent, but something was very off about it. Her eyes were shut and she barely seemed to be breathing. Moments ago, she’d rode my cock, crying and moaning my name but now, she lay deathly still.

  “Daria,” I whispered, my voice suddenly too loud in the still and silent chamber. My hands grasped her shoulders, shaking her gently but she wouldn’t wake up. “Please open your eyes. You’re scaring me.”

  She remained still, while a burning sensation erupted inside me.

  Clutching at my chest, I fell away from Daria, breathing hard as the new sensation threatened to overwhelm me. Dragonborns never felt the burn of anything. Placing a hand directly over fire resulted in a gentle, soothing warmth over the skin. Fire didn’t affect us the same way it did ordinary humans. They would scream and feel their skins crackling and decimating.

  However, at this moment, I felt the same. Fire erupted in my heart, sending its white-hot tendrils running through my veins, spreading throughout my body. I screamed from the agony, hastily leaping away from Daria to avoid hurting her.

  A cry of pure anguish escaped me as I writhed on the floor of the chamber, trying to drown the invisible flames. In that haze of pain, a sudden realization occurred to me. Cain had explained some of the things he’d experienced when he shifted.

  “It felt like I was being burnt from the inside out.” His voice crossed my mind and suddenly, I felt calmer despite the unbearable agony.

  “Daria,” I called out, panting through my pain. “Wake up.”

  No response.

  Next moment, the inferno blazing inside me reached to such an unbearable degree, it drowned every thought in my head. I shrieked out, the chords of my neck straining and bulging as I felt my bones melt away within my body. I saw red in my vision as another primal beast-like roar escaped me, the sound both terrifying and majestic. I was ready to give in, asking the dragon gods to kill me just so I could escape it all.

  The muscles and bones in my body broke, melted and re-fused all the while I continued to scream.

  And just as suddenly as it started, the pain stopped.

  The red in my vision slowly faded away to be replaced with the dimly lit walls of the underground hall. Looking around, I felt my head brush against something hard. Stone crumbled from the scrape of my hard scalp and rolled down my body to fall to the ground, several feet below!

  As my gaze traversed down the length of my body, I realized with a start I’d shifted into my true form. The bed at the center of the hall looked minuscule from where my eyes were located. I felt power surging through every fiber of my being, waiting to be unleashed. My scales glinted with a bluish glow in the dim surroundings.

  “Daria,” I called out. My voice came out like a low rumble of thunder.

  I craned my long neck down to reach her. She was still unconscious. I nudged her arm gently but stopped immediately. Long, red scratches appeared on the flawless porcelain skin. My dragon hide was far too hard against the softness of her skin.

  My elation of having achieved the greatest gift of life was dimming. What happened to Daria? While I was able to shift in the exact manner that Cain predicted, he never told me about her blacking out. We’d been intimate but this never happened before, no matter how aggressive or passionate I got. My instincts told me it was something to do with the magic of the sacred chambers.

  I willed my body to shift back to my human form. While my dragon form begged me to walk, run and fly among the clouds to try out its new abilities, I couldn’t stop worrying about my mate. She’d given me the greatest and most impossible gift of all. There was no way I could leave her lying so listlessly on the large bed without tending to her.

  My body shrunk within the blink of an eye. Standing naked in my human form, I went to the bed. Sitting down beside her, I felt her pulse. It was regular. A sigh of deep relief escaped me. At least, she was alive.

  The items of our clothing lay scattered on the floor. Rising from the bed, I collected them, ignoring the tattered bits of Daria’s under robe which I’d ripped in a mindless frenzy to get to her body. After getting dressed, I helped Daria put on her clothes as well. It was time to take her back to the palace to rest.

  When she was fully dressed, I carried her up the stairs to reach the second-floor landing of the temple. It was early afternoon now. Wind buffeted around us, making the long length of Daria’s hair blow about her. Casting one glance at the valley around us, I made my way to the main prayer hall.

  To our luck, the temple courtyard was empty and deserted. Putting on my shoes and helping Daria with hers, I carried her to the horse. It was a struggle to drape her limp body over the creature’s back. Deciding against riding with her like that, I took the reins in my hand and led the horse through the wooded path to reach the palace.

  The way back was uneventful but every person who saw me knew exactly who I was. While they respectfully bowed their heads, I couldn’t help the unease stirring inside me. No prince would walk with a fainted maiden draped over the back of a horse.

  It was a relief to get back to the palace grounds and leave the horse at the stables. Ignoring the maids and servants on my path who offered to carry Daria, I hurried towards my quarters. At least, Norvin would be there to help me with her without the need of asking for a maid which would only lead to more questions.

  “We’re almost there,” I said, pushing open the large doors leading into my quarters. “You’re going to be fine.” I doubted whether Daria heard me but I kept repeating the soothing words for my sake.

  Norvin appeared in the parlor room just as I took a few steps inside. He looked ridiculous with the brown hair now but his purple-hued eyes took in Daria’s limp body in my arms.

  “What happened to her?” he asked immediately, striding towards me.

  “I don’t know,” I said, looking down at Daria. She seemed to be asleep but I knew it wasn’t normal. “Let’s take her into her chambers.”

  Norvin followed after me as I took Daria into her room. I laid her among the pillows and pressed a hand to her forehead. It wasn’t warm.

  “What happened, Adal?” asked Norvin.

  “I have no idea why she collapsed like this,” I said, turning to face him. “Everything happened the way Cain explained it would. I went through the horrifying agony of shifting into my dragon form but he never mentioned this happening to Daria before. I must go and find him now.”

  “Wait!” Norvin took a step forward and gripped both my shoulders hard. His face was so close to me now, I could see how wide his eyes were. “You shifted?” he whispered.

  I nodded.

  Astonishment spread through him as he moved away, swiping his fingers through his long, mucky hair. “So, Daria really is a blessed woman of the Fire Clan?”

  “I suppose she is.” Walking towards him, I gripped his upper arm hard, bring
ing him out of his moment of elation. “Stay here with Daria. Guard her with your life. I’m going to search for Cain and bring him here.”

  Norvin’s expression changed. His gaze turned grim as he gave me a nod. “I will stay with her.”

  Thanking the goddesses for the blessing of bringing my companions to me, I headed out to look for Cain. There was no one else in the world I could trust to keep Daria safe than Norvin and Cain. As incredible as it was to shift into my true dragon form, we were all bound by a new relationship now. Daria was our woman now, belonging to us equally.

  20

  I seemed to be falling through a veil of black mist. It began with a choking, breathless sensation which threatened to drown me, but as time passed, some of it lifted. The suffocating miasma dispersed, leaving me to fall through wisps of black cloud.

  When my feet gently touched the ground, I looked ahead as a pinpoint source of light slowly began to grow bigger. Moving forward, I found myself before an oval-framed ornate mirror. However, instead of seeing my reflection, I was staring out onto a scene.

  A young child in a red dress ran through a courtyard lined by tall pillars. She laughed and cried with mirth, running on her small bare feet. Red petals drifted down from the trees nearby as she got chased by several maids.

  Confused, but enthralled by the child’s carefree laughter, I continued looking on the scene. She suddenly came to a halt, right before me on the opposite of the mirror. Gazing at her closely, I could see my resemblance to her. Ebony curls framed her pretty face. Jewel-green eyes stared back at me, like I was staring at myself. My hand rose to touch her but felt only the cool, smooth surface of the mirror.

  Black fog drifted across the glass, erasing away the scene.

  When it cleared up again, I saw the girl in the arms of a handsome well-built man. He smiled down at her tenderly while she incessantly talked about something. I couldn’t hear the words she spoke but the man’s lips curved in a smile. With a start, I recognized him. He was King Helmut of Drakhaven. I’d seen him before in the painting in Adal’s mother’s vault.

  “Why am I being shown this?” I wondered aloud as Queen Eibhlin came onto the scene to pick up the child from her husband’s arms.

  While some of my features matched the king and queen, I felt I was closely related to the child. Who was she? And why was I being shown their old memories? A part of me already knew I was somehow connected to them. But why would these scenes come up in my mind right after I’d mated with Adal?

  Adal…Adal…where was he? Was he able to shift?

  The mirror before me dissolved as soon as my mind focused on him. More of the black mist floated by as if a gust of wind was chasing them away. My lungs filled with air and with a wracking cough, I felt myself wake from the subduing dream.

  My eyes blinked in confusion as the walls of my chambers came into view. I shifted, feeling the soft warmth of the blankets over me.

  “She’s waking up!” It was Norvin’s voice.

  Weren’t we in the underground chamber of the temple?

  As the haze cleared from my eyes, I saw three familiar faces hovering over me, each wearing the same expression of intense anxiety.

  “Good goddess, Daria!” Adal’s sigh of relief was loud as he leaned down to pull me into a tight hug. “What happened to you?”

  I stared up into his anxious blue eyes and saw my blank face reflected in them. “Why are we here?” I asked. “How did I get here from the temple?”

  “You don’t remember? You passed out right after we…,” Adal stared at me meaningfully. I blinked as the memories of my time with him resurfaced in my mind.

  I slowly nodded. “What happened afterward?” I asked, holding the sides of my head and closing my eyes. The memory of the suffocating blackness and the strange scenes I saw in my dream came to me.

  “I was able to shift into my true form.”

  “Really?” I asked, staring up at Adal. “Oh wow! That’s amazing.”

  He smiled gently. “You’re the one who’s amazing, Daria. I never thought there would be another dragon after Ivan died.” He glanced at Cain and then back at me. “Now there are two dragons in the realm, all thanks to you.”

  “I wish I could have seen you,” I said, feeling disappointed I missed out on seeing Adal’s dragon.

  “So do I.” He pressed a hand to my forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever.”

  I shook my head. “I saw some strange visions in my head. There was a child who could’ve been related to me. She was with the late king and queen of Drakhaven.”

  Adal exchanged a glance with both Cain and Norvin. “Maybe the whole thing was too stressful for you, Daria. You even used up a lot of your inner strength to heal Norvin. We want you to rest well now.”

  “No.” I didn’t feel weak physically. There was slight soreness between my thighs from our lovemaking but it wasn’t exhaustion as they believed. “The sacred chambers of the dragon temples are incredibly powerful,” I said slowly. “Maybe they unlocked some of my old memories from before I was five years old. I know I’m connected to the old king and queen somehow. Even your mother and her maid hinted towards it. Maybe I am one of their relatives.”

  Adal sat at the edge of the bed while Cain and Norvin took their place in chairs nearby.

  “What is she talking about, Adal?” asked Cain in a deep voice.

  “Daria met my mother recently,” said Adal, addressing him. “We were both taken into one of her private vaults where she stored an old painting of King Helmut and Queen Eibhleen. Daria has some resemblance to them. I think my mother’s maid knows something about her past and her connection to the royal family but she refused to tell us anything until Daria remembered her. The old maid has been by my mother’s side for years now, so I can’t even force her to tell me anything. My mother will protect her.”

  “It’s not so far-fetched if you think about it,” said Norvin. “Daria could definitely be related to the late queen. She is, after all, a blessed woman of the Fire Clan. Somehow, she survived the massacre on the clan. Daria,” he called, drawing my gaze to him. “Perhaps, you saw something too bloody and vicious during the chaos and don’t want to remember it. Maybe you’ve been safe from Ivan’s wrath because you forgot all your connection to them.”

  It was a reasonable explanation. Maybe the suffocating fog was the part of my mind that had drowned those memories, doing its best to keep them from me. But what could be worse than being burnt and beaten to near death? Could my past be worse than the time I spent in Linmoor?

  “When I was with Cain,” I began. “I noticed a new ability unlock within me.”

  “What new ability, Daria?” asked Cain, his voice heavy with anxiety. “Why didn’t you tell me about it before?”

  “I wasn’t sure of it myself back then, but now I can touch fire and stay as unburned as you three.”

  “Fire never affected you before.”

  “You don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head. “Only by channeling magic I can stay protected from being burnt. However, when we were together, there was a moment when both our bodies ignited on flames. I don’t think you noticed it in the heat of the moment. Even I was too engrossed to use magic. If it wasn’t for the sudden emergence of the ability, I would have been badly burnt.”

  “So along with us, you’re seeing changes happening to you too, Daria,” said Norvin. “I wonder what incredible powers you’ll manifest when you mate with me in those sacred chambers.” He grinned widely, winking heartily.

  It made me chuckle. Running my fingers through my hair, I realized they were loose and unbound. I turned to Adal. “You carried me back here?”

  “I had to. You have no idea how scared I was. You barely allowed me to get excited after shifting into my true form.”

  I chuckled. “Apologies, Prince Adal,” I said, tilting my head.

  He pulled me into another embrace, holding me close to him. “I’m just glad you’re all right, Daria.” Kissing my lips briefl
y, he moved away. “I’ll get you some food now. Make sure you rest well.”

  “Yep! Rest well, my love,” said Norvin, his intense eyes on me. “I want you fresh and at your best when you’re with me.”

  “I’m always at my best,” I retorted while my cheeks flamed.

  “Men,” said Cain in his deep voice. “You’re awfully lucky to be with her. I can’t wait to get out of here so I can have her to myself again.”

  “You had her to yourself all the way from Iorna,” said Norvin. “It’s my turn now.”

  I chuckled, hearing them bickering over me. But there was no viciousness there. They were laughing and slapping each other’s shoulders, like they were mere lads in a village, boasting of their conquests. I watched them all, feeling my heart soar with happiness. While my mind couldn’t stop thinking of the strange visions I saw, at the moment, I just wanted to be part of the family we’d created together.

  Moments like these were rare for us. So, taking a deep breath, I smiled and joined in with them.

  Next morning, I woke up to a bright morning. Sunlight streamed through the light curtains of my room, warming up the air. Stretching my arms over my head, I climbed out of bed. My body felt well rested and none of the soreness remained. Looking down, I realized I was still clad in yesterday’s clothes.

  The first thing I needed was a bath before Norvin came to see me. He didn’t want to waste another day when both his companions managed to shift into their true forms. Adal protested, wanting me to rest another day, but I already felt well enough last night. There was no need to let another day go by.

  Our circumstances were precarious. Any moment, we could face a new problem from Zane or one of his brothers who may decide to march into Baledonia after taking over Iorna. Prince Kurozeru was too much of a pushover to resist the Drakhaven princes. By chance Mekhi came over to keep his brother company, he would definitely recognize Norvin despite the altered color of his hair.