by Eric Vall
Chapter 1
The cool air of the morning sent a chill through my body, and I could feel Laika shiver next to me. Her gray ears were pressed against her head, and her tail was curled around her left thigh. We hadn’t spoken since the traitor Aleksey passed out after his interrogation about half an hour ago. Laika had followed me as I left the airship, and now we walked together in a comfortable silence through Hatra while we contemplated what Aleksey had told us.
Now, we looked around the city as we walked. The echidnas didn’t do too much damage, and I thanked the gods for that. Some spots near the wall the echidnas crawled over were stained green with the insects’ blood, and their dismembered bodies littered the dirt, but for the most part, nothing was too badly damaged. Hopefully, we would be able to stay on schedule for the reconstruction.
The fields took the most damage, but we had already begun the process of growing new seeds. The dryad sisters used their plant magic to “persuade” the plants to mature at a faster rate, and we would hopefully have new plants ready to harvest in just a few weeks. In the meantime, we would survive off the rations Afra and Julia had stored away on the airship.
“We need to inform the others,” I murmured and finally broke the silence.
Laika glanced at me, and I could tell she was surprised to hear my voice after such a long stretch of quiet.
“About Aleksey,” I clarified. “If the Green Glass Sect finds out he is alive, who knows what lengths they will go to ensure their secrets are kept quiet.”
“You’re right.” Laika nodded. “They need to know as soon as possible. I wanted to let Alyona sleep for as long as she needed, but this is too important. We need to discuss this now. I can go back to the airship to wake her.”
I smirked to myself as I was reminded of Alyona and Laika’s surprise for me last night. Sadly, we had more important things to do, or I would definitely be up for round two … and three and so on.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll send a message for everyone to meet at the temporary palace. It will be the closest and most secure area for everyone.”
Laika nodded and stopped in her tracks before she turned back to the airship.
“We’ll meet you at the palace in a few minutes,” she told me as she walked away.
I licked my lips hungrily, and my eyes traced the curves of her athletic body as she strode off to fetch Alyona. The Demi-Human’s hips swayed as she walked, and the leather armor she wore was tight against her frame. My eyes were glued to her figure until she disappeared around a corner, and then I sighed in disappointment.
What I wouldn’t give to lock myself in a room with Laika and Alyona for days. Sadly, as lord of a vast city, I had more important things to attend to at the moment.
So, I shook my head to clear my thoughts before I created a small silver dragon in my hand and relayed my message. The magical creature crawled in my hand for just a second before it took off and split into three different dragons. One of them headed toward the small cabin like structure the guests from Leyte used as their room and board, and the other dragons disappeared in the direction of the palace.
I knew Nike would be awake, since he was always an early riser like myself, but I had my doubts with Ruslan, my adoptive father. That man liked to sleep whenever he got the chance.
Once my messenger dragons vanished, I made my way toward the temporary palace, but I walked slowly so I could continue to inspect the damage the echidnas caused and would know where to send clean up crews once everyone had rested up.
Ten minutes later, the temporary palace came into view. It wasn’t really a palace, just an old courthouse, but since the real Lunar Palace was destroyed during the demon attack a thousand years ago, and since we hadn’t had the time to rebuild it, the courthouse was used instead.
Alyona, the Elders, and myself had rooms inside, and there were also a few other rooms we could use for personal reasons. Almost no one came here unless it was an emergency, so it was the perfect place to discuss secret plans or have private conversations without eavesdroppers.
I could smell meat cooking in the kitchens as I approached the temporary palace. It smelled amazing, and I was tempted to sneak in and see what it was, but I knew I didn’t have time, so I sighed and continued on toward the palace. Once inside, I quickly found my parents’ room and knocked on the door. A moment later, I heard a loud thump and then familiar footsteps as the door swung open.
“Evan!” Ruslan greeted with a grin. He was dressed in his pajamas, and his crimson hair was a mess around his head.
“Hey, Pops,” I replied. “I just wanted to know if you got my message?”
“Of course we did! We were on our way to meet you now!”
“By that he means I’ve been trying to wake him up for the last half hour, and he only woke up when you knocked,” Julia’s voice rang out.
She appeared from behind Ruslan with a smile on her face, and her light brown hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. She looked rested and serene as ever, and I smiled at my adoptive mother.
“Sounds about right,” I chuckled.
“Betrayed by my love and my son.” Ruslan placed a hand over his heart, and Julia rolled her pale blue eyes.
“Just give him a few minutes, and we’ll be ready,” she said to me and pulled Ruslan back inside to change. “We can meet in the courtroom. It’s down a level and to your left. You shouldn’t have any problems finding it. I already sent my brother down so the others would know they were in the right spot. Now, I’ll make sure this husband of mine doesn’t fall back asleep.”
Ruslan grumbled somewhere from behind the door, but then Julia narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue, and the grumbling ceased.
“Thanks, I’ll see you two down there,” I snickered before I turned away from their room.
The courtroom was easy enough to find, since the stairs were just down the hall about fifteen feet. I descended quickly, and I could hear the voices of the others as I approached an open door. A narrow walkway cut through the middle of the room, and several rows of long pews sat on each side of the path. There, toward the front of the room, was a judicial bench atop a large platform.
Laika and Alyona sat in chairs near the bench while Nike stood next to them, and they were all lost in a conversation. Moskal, Julia’s brother and the third Elder of Hatra, stood beside them as well, with his nose buried in a book of healing herbs.
I walked toward the group, and Alyona waved when she noticed me. Then I wrapped an arm around her narrow waist, and she yawned tiredly and leaned her head against my shoulder.
“I see you took your time,” Laika remarked with a smirk as she stopped their conversation.
“Hey, give me a break,” I chuckled. “I wanted to see where the most damage was to the city and where most of the clean up needed to be later on today. Then I had to check on my parents.”
“Sure, Lord Evan,” the wolf laughed.
“So, what happened?” Nike asked, and his silver eyes glinted with interest.
“I’ll explain soon,” I told him. “I want everyone here. Ruslan and Julia should be down in a moment. Ruslan was still asleep when I got there.”
“Why is everyone so mean to poor little me today?” I heard a familiar voice say with mock hurt, and I turned to face the door.
My father looked much more put together now, and his hair had been combed. The sleep had also been washed from his green eyes, and they glinted mischievously.
“Have I said something that wasn’t true?” I smirked.
Ruslan huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I am nearly a thousand years old, Evan. I need my beauty rest.”
“Clearly,” I snicker
ed, but then my mother cleared her throat.
“So, what is it that you need to discuss, Evan?” Julia asked as she and Ruslan came to a stop beside our group.
The others fell silent as the jovial air evaporated around us, and Moskal put away his book.
Then Laika and I met eyes, and I took a deep breath.
“We talked to Aleksey this morning and found out some things about the Green Glass Sect,” I began.
I heard several gasps, and Nike’s eyes narrowed at the name of the traitor.
“While he answered some of our basic questions, the sect tried to kill him through a tattoo on his back,” I continued. “It was supposed to work like a communication device so the sect and Aleksey could be in contact, but I guess it’s also a beacon so they can find each other. It was also apparently cursed to kill anyone who began to talk about the sect, and if I hadn’t been there with Miraya, it would have succeeded.”
“What did Aleksey tell you?” Nike asked quickly.
“Nothing too serious. It was just about how and why he joined the sect. He has a sister--”
“Ella,” Nike interrupted me in a solemn voice. “His sister, her name is Ella. She was really sick for a while, but then mysteriously got better after a mage travelled through the city. That’s why he joined, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, did you know her?” I asked the Lord of Light.
“Everyone knew Ella. She was a sweet girl, friendly and kind to everyone. Leyte’s people loved her, and we were all crushed when we learned of her disease. My family had always wondered how she was healed so easily out of the blue. We just figured it was a blessing from the medicine god.” Nike shook his head. “I can’t believe I never put it together. It seems so obvious now.”
“You can’t blame yourself,” I reassured him as I placed a hand on his shoulder. “They offered him a cure for Ella, in exchange for him joining the sect. He made his choice. No one else should feel any blame except him.”
“That must have been hard, though,” Alyona said softly from my side. “They gave him the choice of betraying his country or betraying his family.”
I sighed and pulled her closer. I loved this part of Alyona, the kind and pure side that always wanted to see the good in people, but it was also the reason we could never let her be involved with our interrogations. She would never be able to handle someone being injured by her hand.
“I’m sure it was, Milady,” Laika responded stoically, “but in the end, he chose to betray his country, and for that, he must pay.”
“Do you think they chose Aleksey for a reason or because he was an easy target?” Ruslan asked, and I turned to him.
“I don’t know,” I replied with a frown. “I’d guess it’s the latter. He doesn’t seem to really have any qualities a secret sect would actively be on the lookout for. Does it really matter?”
“I don’t know,” Ruslan mused as his ears twitched atop his head. “The Green Glass Sect knew his sister was sick, and they also knew he would do anything to save her. That just seems very convenient, especially since I’m sure there were other sick children in Leyte they could have used as bargaining chips. Instead, they chose a noble family, which could potentially be a risky move for them. What if Aleksey said no and reported them to King Rodion?”
“That’s true, so maybe they didn’t want him for a skill set,” Julia said as she looked at me and fanned herself. “Maybe they wanted him for something else.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“We know they plan to assassinate the king, so what if Aleksey was their key to get close to him?” Laika suggested.
I was quiet. I hadn’t thought of it like that.
“Do you think they are responsible for his sister’s disease as well?” Julia questioned. “It would be awfully convenient for a girl to get sick and for her older brother to be a key player in their game.”
I could feel my scales grow up my arms at the thought of some poor girl nearly killed to further the Green Glass Sect’s mission.
“I think it’s likely,” Ruslan nodded, “which would also explain how they knew how to cure her of a deadly disease so quickly.”
Moskal set down his book and stood next to Julia. When they were beside each other, their similar features made it obvious they were siblings. His eyes were the same shade of pale blue, and his brow furrowed in the exact same way as his sister’s. The healer also shared his light brown hair with my mother, and he ran a hand through it now before he spoke.
“What if they had poisoned her?” he suggested. “If they could consistently get her to ingest a poison, say in her water or in her food, it would give the appearance of a strange and rare disease. To ‘cure her’ would simply only require them to stop slipping the poison into whatever she used to ingest it. There are many plants that could be used for something like this.”
“That’s terrible,” Alyona whispered, and her purple eyes were wide with horror. “That poor child.”
“I will rip them apart one by one when I find them,” I swore as I clenched my teeth.
“Son, are you alright?” Ruslan asked with a worried frown. He reached out a hand toward my shoulder, but I pulled away quickly since I felt my anger building.
“I just … need some air,” I grunted.
Then I took off down the hall and was out of the building before Ruslan could say another word. The thought of innocent children being used like that set me off, so I walked to the walls around Hatra and approached the closest gate. Then I shifted into my dragon form and launched from the ground.
I let the wind whip across my scales as I flew absently, and I didn’t realize I had flown toward the Crimson Canyons until I hovered above the entrance to Valerra’s cave. I debated turning around and flying until my anger abated, but I decided against this as I landed quietly and made my way inside the cave.
I needed a distraction, and the crimson dragon was just the person for the job.
I found her in her lair, with her piles of treasure around her. Her sister’s egg was placed back in the red silks, and Valerra herself was in her human form, naked and spread out across a pile of gold. Yellow coins and bricks lay underneath her creamy skin, and I licked my lips in anticipation as my eyes trailed over her naked body.
“I thought I told you to leave me alone today,” Valerra spoke from atop her pile. Then she sat up, which caused coins to trickle down the heap and roll along the floor.
“I needed some air,” I told her, and she slid down the treasure. My eyes never left her body, and she swayed her hips seductively as she came closer to me.
“So, you thought you could just barge into my home?” she sneered as she stopped in front of me and crossed her arms over her bare breasts.
“I came to take what is mine,” I snarled, and I pulled her toward me.
I heard her hiss as my claws pinched into her skin, but she didn’t complain. So, I kissed her hard on the mouth, and she responded immediately. Then I pulled out of the kiss, dragged my lips down her neck, and bit down hard on her bare shoulder.
“Evan!” Valerra growled as she pulled away from me, and she reached a hand up to her shoulder.
I looked down and saw my teeth had slightly broken the skin, and small dots of red blood appeared. The anger that had been boiling in my veins was quickly combining with my lust for the crimson dragon, and I wanted nothing more than to throw her down and fuck her right now.
“Do you want me to stop?” I growled in her ear as my fingers trailed down her spine.
Valerra was silent for a moment before she shook her head no and moved her hand from her shoulder. I smirked as I pulled her into another kiss, and our teeth clashed together while we fought for dominance.
I pushed her down onto the floor, and she grabbed ahold of me so we both collapsed in a heap on the ground. I ended up pinned beneath her and ground her hip along my groin. Then I groaned as she wrapped her hands around my wrists.
“Someone is eager today,” she commented with a smirk.
“If you’re just going to talk, I’ll go find someone else,” I whispered, and my voice was husky and low.
“You wouldn’t dare,” she snarled, and her golden eyes burned into me with a heated glare.
“Try me,” I challenged.
She sent me another glare before she loosened her grip, and I took advantage and flipped us over so I was on top of her. Then I gripped her wrists in one of my hands and pinned them above her head. Her red hair spread out beneath her like a scarlet blanket, and her golden eyes watched me.
“Well?” she sassed. “Now what?”
“Now, I fill you with my seed,” I said, and I kissed down her bare skin.
“Ohhhhh,” she gasped as she quivered under each touch of my lips, and something in my chest preened with delight.
This was my mate. And I was going to make her scream my name.
I used my free hand to trace designs down her sides, and she inhaled sharply when I cupped a hand around one of her breasts. Then I teased her body for a few minutes before I let my hand drop between her thighs. I could feel how wet she was, and it turned on some animalistic instinct in me. My fingers traced along her entrance, but I never slipped inside, I just rubbed along her clit.
“What are you doing to me?” she groaned as my fingers played with her.
“It’s called foreplay,” I snickered. “I didn’t give you any last time before I fucked you. Just relax and enjoy it.”
“I would prefer that you shove your--ohhh!” she cried out as her body began to spasm. Then her eyes closed as her climax took control of her body, and her hips bucked against my fingers for half a minute as she enjoyed herself.
“See?” I purred as I made one last movement across her dripping wet pussy lips, and then I smirked as I pulled my hands back and took off my shirt.
“Yes, that was … very good, Evan,” she panted while she watched me undo the strings on my trousers and pull out my hard cock.
“But I know this is what you really want,” I growled as I grabbed her legs, placed them over my shoulders, and lifted her hips off the ground.
Then I angled the tip of my cock at her dripping entrance and pushed inside her in one smooth motion. We both moaned loudly as my girth spread her walls open, and she squeezed tighter around me as she let out a long sigh of relief.
