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Malix
I’m in a foul mood by the time I make it to the north barrier of my kingdom. Vivia lands next to me, her black wings spreading wide as she catches her balance. We are about fifty miles from my castle on land bordering Nephilim territory and Kraken waters. The wards only protect my people; each king has their own method of protection.
I blame my bad mood on lack of sleep and the pressures rising as more of my people succumb to the curse. Last night, another dragon fell victim, totaling nearly half our population now. However, there is another reason I’m ready to bite the head off another pretentious nobleman who keeps pressuring us to act now.
Rose.
The human roams freely in my mind, taking up space that doesn’t belong to her. I thought keeping my distance would allow me to think straight and not about those red lips I want to see wrapped around my co?—
“Here. The tear is forming here,” Vivia says, pulling me away from my wayward thoughts. I remind myself why we are here in the first place and that is to secure the barrier.
Night patrol had felt a weakness in the north side of the kingdom, approaching the kraken’s waters. This was the second occurrence this week of a disturbance, and I have an inkling these tears will only multiply the more powerful the Nephilim become.
“There’s reports of more Nephilim escaping their mountain prison. The barrier has to hold or we need to prepare to defend our territory.”
Vivia isn’t telling me anything I don’t already know, but it frustrates me all the same. “Let’s prepare the wards. We can regroup when we get back to the castle.”
Vivia nods, prepared to assist me despite knowing it will take a lot of energy from both of us. The barrier is only as strong as the king and his inner circle. Since we are losing members to the curse almost daily now and I’m not willing to bring every council member away from the castle, the magical barrier protecting Dragon’s Keep is eroding at an alarming pace.
This is why you need Rose.
The annoying thought hasn’t left my mind since she arrived. She has to be here to help me strengthen the wards. What other reason would Ender leave her here as my wife?
“Now,” I say, pouring strength and protection into our barrier. The magic within responds immediately and I feel the magical barrier start to knit itself back together. It’s a slow process with just the two of us and I hear Vivia begin to pant from exhaustion after a few minutes.
By the time we are done, fatigue takes over our bodies and I feel as if I could sleep for an entire day. If only I had the luxury.
My wings span out, preparing for the flight home, when the dragoness beside me goes still.
My body tenses in response, prepared to find a stray Nephilim roaming nearby, even though we haven’t had any close encounters. I know it’s only a matter of time. “What is it?”
Vivia doesn’t answer for a moment and I’m tempted to snap in her direction to get her attention. Luckily that is not needed, but her words make my blood run cold. “Mina. She’s talking to me through our bond. There’s trouble.”
Before she even finishes her sentence, I take to the sky, fatigue all but forgotten. I desperately try reaching out for Rose, praying that our marriage ceremony is enough to create a mating bond, but no tethers connect us. All I feel is Vivia and her projecting the location to me.
Garden.
I was foolish to think I could leave Rose alone. She is literally a human in the dragon’s den and dragons like nothing more than finding new, rare items. I practically served Rose up on a silver platter and presented her for slaughter.
I pump my wings harder, ignoring the strain I put on them. I close the distance between us fast, though the last mile feels the longest. Even though I can sense Rose is nearby—and alive, thank goddess—I still don’t know if she’s okay.
The moment my feet hit the ground, I switch forms, sending a silent thank you to my late father who taught me a simple clothing spell for switching between skins. Next to me, Vivia lands and curses.
“Cool party trick,” she mutters and usually I would tease her about it, but I’m not in the mood. I have only one focus.
We round the corner and assess the scene. Mina’s dragon is out, crouched low in a defensive position. Rose’s eyes are blown wide with fear and the man holding her is…Aeron?
Seeing him stops me momentarily in my tracks, wondering if we have completely misread the situation. I believe that until I see the way he holds Rose’s arms, his hand half shifted so his talons keep her from pulling out of his grip.
Aeron holds very little love for me and our friendship is precarious at best, but I also felt there was a certain level of respect between us. He pushes me to face problems that threaten the kingdom and I allow him to disagree with me. At the end of the day though, we usually have the same goal in mind.
An anger like I’ve never experienced sinks its talons into me and refuses to let me go. My dragon sees red and threatens to break through the surface again, but I keep him at bay. Only barely.
“Remove your hands from my wife or I’ll remove your hands from your body.”
My voice has all three snapping their heads in my direction. Relief washes over Rose’s face before she quickly schools it into a more neutral expression. I briefly notice Vivia run to her wife’s side, whispering calming words to the worked up dragoness.
For a second, Aeron looks as if he won’t obey my command and my body tenses in preparation. But then, ever so slowly, his hand drops away from Rose and Mina’s tail wraps around Rose, pulling her close.
