Chapter Six

Aliana’s POV

Nyla was a dragon!

Her head was adorned with four sets of horns, and spikes covered her long, sinuous body. Her limbs were equipped with talons the size of short swords, and her head was the size of a buss. Her body rippled like liquid shadow, curling lazily around a stone arch as she regarded us with unblinking eyes.

“Master,” she rumbled, voice deep and resonant, vibrating in my chest like thunder. She gracefully bowed her head to Dikaios, a strange serpent-like smile curving her lips. “You’ve finally returned!”

The god glanced up at the beast, utterly unbothered. Hell, seemed pretty chill to have a talking dragon slithering aorund in his guarden. Me, on the other hand…

Not so chill!

I froze, my blood turning to ice as fear crawled down my spine.

Well, if I wasn’t dead already, I was about to be snack now…

“Nyla, my faithful guardian,” he grinned, his tone almost affectionate as he walked up to her and caressed her huge snout with one hand. “Nyla, meet the woman who freed me from my imprisonment, Aliana Bekim.”

“H-hi…,” I stuttered, awkwardly holding up my hand in a weak wave. Until it finally hit me...

Hold up!

How did he know my name?!

And what kind of imprisonment were we talking about?

The serpent’s eyes shifted to me, narrowing slightly before she lowered her massive head in something that looked like a bow.

“Aliana the Blessed,” Nyla thundered once more, surprising me that she knew the meaning behind my family’s name. “You have my eternal gratitude and loyalty for freeing my Master. Speak your heart’s desire and I’ll grant it to you.”

Erm…?!

“Like--- what? Like a genie?” I asked, surprised when the horned god laughed. Genuinely laughed, and the sound somehow felt comforting and warm at the same time.

“Nyla is not a wishing dragon, little girl,” the god said, his tone teasing like before. “She’s the last of her kind. A Shadow Dragon, taking refuge in my realm when humans were hunting her clan. But she has riches beyond your imagination, and she’s a powerful ally to have in a fight.”

I guess that was good…

But while he talked about the dragon, I also picked up a few things about the man I’d bound myself to. He was kind, taking in the scorned raven and hunted dragon. He was also a good master since they so fiercely protected and loved him.

But who was he?

And why hadn’t I ever come across his name in my father’s studies?

Why had he been imprisoned?

“Thank you,” I said, turning to the dragon as I’d finally found my metaphorical balls. “But if you would just be my friend, I’d appreciate it.”

Figured that a fried would come in handy in this new world – especially if I had to navigate a world with forgotten gods and immortal family feuds. And Dikaios was right about one thing: if shit hit the fan, it wouldn’t hurt having a dragon as an ally…

“It will be my honor,” the dragon thundered once more, but I was getting used to it. Hell, I don’t think the dragon could help the way her voice sounded. It definitely didn’t sound like she did it out of malice. And yeah, take away the enormous body and the fact that she could eat me and probably not even consider me a snack, she sort of reminded me of a dog…

A very, very big dog…

“She has the power of petrification,” Dikaios explained, eyeing me as if he knew something I didn’t. “Anyone who enters my realm without my permission can be turned to stone.”

And also a very dangerous dog!

“Holy shit!” Scrambled from my lips before I could stop it. And just like that, I slammed a hand over my mouth, wishing I could take it back.

Shit!

I was going to die...

“Hmm, holy shit?” The serpent echoed, her giant head tilting much the same way her Master did. “No, I turn intruders and enemies of my Master to stone, not shit. And most certainly there’s nothing divine about my powers.”

What the---?!

And to make matters worse, Dikaios – the fucking bastard! – was hiding a snicker behind his hand. Well, at least now I realized what he knew that I didn’t! Nyla didn’t understand figures of speech, nor was she up to date on modern language.

Had they been cut off from the world when their master had been imprisoned?

For how long?

Legends about ancient Greece were thousands of years old. And in all those lore and legends, there wasn’t a single mention of a God of Justice...

“I don’t think she’s questioning your powers, my old friend,” the horned god explained to the serpent, scratching her scales until she purred with delight. “But she’s had a long day and requires a meal and rest. Will you inform Nyx and Erebus to have a chamber ready for her and some food, please?”

Nyx?

Erebus?

I knew those names! They were both children of Chaos, a being of reality outside the ordered cosmos, and according to Greek mythology, Chaos was the first being to exist. Any children of his were considered primordial gods and goddesses, meaning they were more like a concept or idea.

Like Nyx and Erebus...

Nyx was a powerful goddess, the Goddess of Darkness. She was said to be a primordial being, mother of Sleep, the Fates, and even Death. And Erebus was the God of Night and the personification of darkness. Those two were said to have given rise to the first rulers of the gods. But because of their terrifying nature and primarily negative forces, neither of them was ever worshiped…

Was that what this place was?

A place for shadows and darkness to find refuge?

“Right away, Master,” Nyla boomed, lowering her head to both of us before slithering away, the ground vibrating as she moved. I watched her leave, my thoughts once more stumbling over themselves. I’d just met a freaking dragon, but for some reason, I kept looking at the shadowy figure next to me. For a Master and a god, he didn’t seem very--- well, bossy!

I’d always imagined the gods to be very arrogant and entitled, taking whatever they wanted without any care or regard for anyone around them. I mean…

Have you heard about Zeus?!

The guy couldn’t keep it in his pants to save his life, and his brothers and sisters weren’t any better. The only good thing he ever did was trapping the Titans and stopping them from destroying the world. After that, he was basically just a horny drunk that did a poor job at ruling the Olympian gods...

“That was---,” I gaped, trailing off my words. “A moment!”

Which was putting the night I’d had lightly!

In one night I’d met a horned god, a talking raven and a dragon. And that was before mentioning escaping my deathly marriage to a known mafia king. And for some reason, my night wasn’t over yet. There were so many things still unanswered and---

“Nyla is loyal to the bone, and if she says she’s your friend, she’ll give up her life for you,” Dikaios said, his tone cool for the first time since meeting him. His eyes bore into mine, a bond and a warning: “So please don’t make light of her promise.”

“I won’t,” I replied before thinking. In any other situation, I would have been on the fence for the way he spoke to me. But despite his tone, I had a feeling that he did it to protect the dragon. To protect the people under his care.

So he was used to being met with hostility and felt that he had to defend them?

Or was he just the villain?

My thoughts spun wildly, but none of them stuck. I was too overwhelmed, too shaken by everything. This world of stars and monsters and impossible beauty. My knees gave a little, and I pressed a hand to my temple, trying to steady myself.

“You need rest,” he suddenly said, looking back at me with a smile – as if the conversation before had never happened. And once more, he didn’t ask. It was a statement, as simple as if he’d told me the sky was blue. His smile was unreadable, yet his eyes were bright enough to make me shiver.

“Come!”

He held out his elbow for me to take, offering like a gentleman, but I couldn’t help feeling coerced. I stared up at him, my mind a whirl of fear, distrust, and--- something else I couldn’t admit! The pull that hadn’t stopped since his mouth touched mine. Every instinct I had should be screaming at me not to follow. But instead, there was this overwhelming pull that only wanted to be closer to him.

Deeper, quieter…

A whisper that told me I could trust him.

That, against all reason, I was safe here...

So I nodded slowly, helpless to resist, and linked my arm with his. His smirk softened, just a little, and he inclined his head. And with that, he led me inside the moonlight onyx castle.

My stomach curling with anticipation…