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Now, a large midnight-blue dragon stands in her place, her spiked tail pushing me farther away.
Aeron only sighs like he knew this would happen but is disappointed all the same. “I’m sorry it came to this. You’re a fierce dragon, but you put your faith in a king who doesn’t deserve it.”
I don’t hear if Aracelia responds. I watch the older dragon shift into something that can only be described in nightmares. A gray dragon, roughly twice the size of Aracelia, growls from the other end of the meeting room. His leathery skin is full of spikes that could pierce through my human flesh easily.
But that’s not what scares me.
What scares me is Aeron’s open mouth, a glowing red light building deep in his throat. I realize too late what he’s doing. Because a few moments later, flames engulf the room.
Chapter 28
Malix
For the better half of the day, Vivia and I travel home. Neither one of us spoke much on the flight home, both too consumed with thoughts of our mates. I don’t want to admit it, but I grow wary the closer we get because I still can’t feel Rose.
We land on my kingdom’s soil just as the sun sets for the day. Instead of shifting like I thought Vivia would do with me, her body goes rigid next to mine. She doesn’t leave me in suspense for long though. “Something is wrong. Mina, she’s…”
A loud, feminine scream pierces the night, rattling the windows. “Mina!” Vivia growls and flies forward. I don’t think, I just follow and try desperately to get a message to Rose.
I’m here. I’m coming.
But Rose doesn’t understand our mating bond and doesn’t respond. In fact, her mind is almost entirely blocked off from me, but I can feel some of her strong emotions trickle through, despite the barrier.
Fear. Anger. Betrayal.
My dragon rears with the powerful need to find my mate and protect her. If she is in trouble, it’s only because I made the decision to leave her alone.
Fucking idiot, my dragon roars in my head and I’m inclined to agree with him.
Vivia soars through the doors of the castle, seeking out her mate. The halls, normally busy with my staff, are quiet and barren. I hear my own beating heart and the low growls from Vivia.
Then a scream. Familiar, but not Rose.
Vivia’s roar is anguished and feral. There’s no stopping her as she flies down the corridor, abruptly turning left at the fork. I don’t know what it’s like to love someone so deeply and completely for two decades like Vivia and Mina do, so I can’t begin to imagine the anguish and fear going through my friend at the sounds of her loved one in turmoil.
But I think I’m beginning to understand.
Where the fuck is Rose?
I don’t get the luxury of reaching out for her though, because as soon as we round the next corner, two figures occupy the hallway. It takes my brain a moment to register what I’m seeing. Perhaps I have been too complacent in my privilege that I had never considered any of my people betraying me. Even now, with the evidence right in front of my face, my mind is refusing to believe it.
Otis, in his dragon form, crouches over a bloodied and battered woman. The room smells of decay and copper. The woman is in chains, blood pouring from a gash on her face, painting most of her body red. Despite the obvious serious wounds, she’s a feisty thing and refuses to give up without a fight.
I don’t immediately recognize Mina until Vivia tackles Otis to the ground. Otis isn’t a large dragon, but he’s no hatchling either. He hits the stone wall hard, causing small fissures to form in the stone.
Vivia doesn’t allow him to regain his balance. She swipes her talons across his chest, her fire coming to the surface shortly after. Normal fire doesn’t affect us much, but dragon fire can melt straight through our skin.
Otis roars out, but it’s not a roar of triumph. It’s fear, filled with pain. I could stop this. Spare Otis from the death that Vivia will more than likely rain down on him, but I’m not feeling particularly sympathetic. In fact, I’m in a very volatile mood right now.
I shift back to my human skin, running to Mina’s side. When I get to her, I crouch and silently curse. The left side of her face is completely shredded, blood pouring freely. She has another slash across her breast, down to her hip, but it doesn’t look as deep. Probably hurts like hell, but it’s thankfully shallow.
Why didn’t she shift? I’ve seen Mina fight. She’s ruthless, even with her lack of formal training. There are chains around her arms and neck, but those shouldn’t keep her confined. I go to reach for them, but Mina jerks away from me.
“Don’t touch them!” she shrieks and for a second I think I hurt her, until she shakes her head and says, “They’re poisoned. Or cursed. They won’t allow me to switch.”
My hands drop to my side, and she must see the question written all over my face. “Aeron. He did this. All of this and—oh gods, where’s Rose? I’m so sorry, My King. I tried to protect her. I really…” Mina trails off into sobs. I want to reassure her that she didn’t do anything wrong, but my mind has only one thing it wants to focus on.
“Where did she go, Mina?”
