Visenya thought that she had lost her mind. How in Goddess’s name could Lucian be her mate? Dragons, Lycans, and Vampires had never before been mated to one another. They may have had sexual encounters from time to time, but interbreeding between each other had never been possible.
Maybe it wasn’t Visenya who had lost her mind. Perhaps, it was the Moon Goddess who had gone completely mad. What was the motive of mating her to a dragon? An arrogant, condescending, and terribly enraged dragon at that. Lucian snarled and bared his razor-sharp teeth just inches from Visenya’s snout. She imagined how preposterous it might look to any bystanders to catch sight of a wolf having a face-off with an indestructible dragon.
Lucian could snatch her up in his jaws and spit out her bones within seconds if he wanted to. Visenya remembered that if a Dragon Lord’s mate perished, they would lose their nigh-immortality. Lucian was far too pompous to give up anything that made him more godlike. They kept their eyes locked on each other for what felt like an eternity, while Visenya tried to figure out what Lucian’s next move might be.
Finally, Lucian let out a huff of smoke from his nostrils, and with one rapid flap of his enormous wings, he lifted off the ground and disappeared into the night sky. Visenya was relieved, yet so utterly confused by everything that had just taken place. If Lucian had survived the bombing, where had he been for the last ten years?
Nothing made sense to her anymore, but she needed to try and smooth things over before Lucian’s rage got the better of him. When she returned to the castle, everyone was in tears to see that she was okay. They were reluctant to come out of the bunker, but she assured them that they were safe.
The next morning, Visenya made the conscious decision to try and make peace with Lucian. She needed to find him and explain that none of them had anything to do with the massacre of his people.
“Where are you going?” Caspian hounded, as Visenya claimed a horse from the stables.
“To the Dragon Empire…or what’s left of it.”
“Are you crazy?! You don’t think that dragon will be there waiting for you?!”
“That’s pretty much the point, Cas. I need to find him.”
“Did you suffer a head injury last night?! What if he kills you?!”
“If he wanted me dead, he would have done it by now.”
Visenya mounted her horse and went on her way. Caspian had insisted on coming with her, and she didn’t have the energy to put up a fight. They rode all day and didn’t reach the empire until well past sundown.
Visenya hadn’t been there since they were teenagers. Before last night, that was the last time she had seen Lucian. Visenya had never forgotten that it was Lucian’s superior attitude that ultimately led to the severance of the Lycan/Dragon alliance.
She jumped off her horse and walked over to the rubble that Lucian had emerged from, running her hand over the loose gravel. “He was buried right here.”
“How… how did he survive so many black zaphynite explosives? There’s no way a dragon can heal from such wounds.” Caspian said in disbelief.
“No, he can’t… but what if he had been in a place that kept him shielded, so that he was never directly hit by the explosion?”
“And what? He’s just been buried under the rocks, unable to break himself free? That’s absurd, Vee.”
“Cas, think about the toxicity of the fumes released from explosives. Those mixed with black zaphynite in a confined space should have been enough to kill him, but instead…”
“It sedated him,” Caspian finished.
“Exactly… this entire time he’s been here… sleeping. It must have been the earthquake that woke him.”
“I still don’t understand how any dragon could have been spared from such a massive explosion.”
“Well, there was one particular dragon who had his own personal underground lair… or in this case, a bomb shelter.”
Caspian’s eyes widened in revelation. He only knew of one dragon who prided in his underground lair. “No, there’s no way… are you actually suggesting that prick is the dragon that terrorized our kingdom last night?!”
“I’m not suggesting anything, Cas. I’m straight up telling you… Lucian is alive, and he’s pissed.”
“That doesn’t give him the right to attack us like that! He nearly killed our men! Some of them might never fully recover!”
“How would you feel, Cas?! Waking up after ten years to find out that your entire clan has been wiped out?! He’s in pain right now!”
“Wow…” Caspian snorted. “Un-fucking believable!”
“What?!” Visenya snapped.
“I am just astounded that after ten years you still have the biggest hard-on ever for him.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Cas!”
“You know it’s true, Vee! You’ve always been soft…”
Visenya and Caspian spun around defensively at the sound of footsteps approaching from a few yards away. They stalked towards the incoming intruder cautiously, ready to shift into their wolves if necessary.
“I come only as a messenger!” The man shouted as he approached on his horse.
“And who the hell are you?!” Caspian barked.
“My name is Cylis, and I come bearing a message for the former queen.”
“Former? Did you just say former queen?!” Caspian couldn’t believe his audacity.
“What is the message?” Visenya inquired.
“Dragon Lord Lucian demands an audience with you. You have until sunrise to stand before him at the old kingdom of the night stalkers.”
“Or what?!” Caspian challenged.
“I wouldn’t take the risk of finding out,” Cylis replied.
“He knew I’d come here looking for him…” Visenya perceived. “I have to talk to him.”
“I’m coming with you,” Caspian asserted.
“She has to come alone!” Cylis conveyed.
“And who the hell are you to be giving commands in our direction?!” Caspian spat. “You don’t think we know what you are?! We can smell you blood-suckers from a mile away! How do we know that you’re not setting her up for some kind of trap?!”
“You don’t, but I assure you that I was sent here by the Dragon Lord himself, and I can prove it.”
Cylis climbed down from his horse and rolled up his sleeve, baring the freshly ingrained marking of a dragon’s lackey.
“So, you’re a dragon’s bitch? I wouldn’t go around bragging about that,” Caspian mocked.
“It’s an honor to be of service to such greatness,” Cylis chimed.
There was something rather unsettling about the smirk he shared with Visenya. A chill ran down her spine, and she wondered if he knew something that she didn’t. Was she about to walk into her own demise? Surely, Lucian wouldn’t hurt her… right? She walked to her horse and was just about to climb on top, when Caspian grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.
“If you think I’m letting you go anywhere near that bastard alone, you’re out of your damn mind!” He shrieked.
“I don’t have a choice, Cas. Return home, you’re in charge until I get back.”
“Vee…” Caspian uttered in a tone that was undoubtedly laced with worry.
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. “Everything will be okay, trust me.”
Caspian wanted to be optimistic, but he couldn’t shake this dreadful feeling that he had, warning him that everything was not going to be okay. He was reluctant to let her go, but he knew that he really didn’t have any say in the matter. She was not only his Queen but also his Alpha, and he knew she had to do what was best for their people.
Visenya loosened her hold on him and slipped out of his arms. She offered him one last backward glance before riding off into the night with Cylis.
