Chapter 9

CERION

I had decided to head to the training area and distance myself from her for a little. I knew she couldn’t really be sleeping. It wasn’t even nighttime yet. That was just an excuse she’d used to ward me away.

I felt life force flowing through my body. Cold pricks of energy danced across my skin, and I felt my eyes shift to red.

My dragon felt it too. ~Ah, the feeling of war~.

After a series of strenuous exercises, I felt at peace, but it didn’t last long before my irritation returned.

Memories of her blatant disobedience and argumentative tone encircled my mind.

I knew training was of no use, especially when all I could think about was her.

I realized in this moment how little I knew about courting a woman, about their desires, their interests, their emotions even. I had thought Kira was fragile, but I knew I was wrong now. Kira might be innocent, but she most certainly was not fragile.

Instead, I decided to return to her bedroom and see if a middle ground could be met.

As I pushed the door quietly open, I found her curled up in a ball. Her dampened and torn dress barely covered her body in its entirety, and makeup had dissolved on her face in black marks. She was fast asleep. I sat there staring at her, wondering what to do.

Who knew having a queen would be so difficult? Why couldn’t she be like the others: obedient, bothersome, and all-consuming?

But I knew I wouldn’t want that.

I never wanted that, and that was exactly why I’d chosen her. Because she was a pain in the ass and wanted nothing to do with me.

I wanted what I couldn’t have. ~Hell, I guess I could have her now that I’ve got her, but she still wants nothing to do with me.~

Her soft breathing filled the room, and I found myself studying her again. She was delicate, inside and out.

My mother’s arguments had some truth to them. Kira wanted nothing to do with me, and I was forcing her to become my queen. On top of that, she knew nothing about being a queen, nor did she have any desire to learn.

She was trouble, and I knew it, but still, my desires overruled my common sense. My want for her was a weakness, and others would figure that out soon enough.

I had to distance myself from her. She was supposed to be a figurehead, maybe a plaything, but I needed to focus on important shit, like war.

I picked up her light body and carried her to my bedroom—our bedroom now, I guessed. She didn’t wake up. She must’ve been exhausted from the last few days.

As I placed her on the bed, she kept on sleeping peacefully. I let her sleep, admiring her from a distance, taking in her beauty, innocence, and mystery.

But all I could see as I looked at her was my weakness, and the Dragon of Ruin was never fucking weak. I’d be damned if I let her ruin me like I ruined others.

I glanced back at her one last time, then left her to sleep.

I decided that now was as good a time as any to prepare to extinguish the group of raiders nearby. I’d prepare my army to travel overnight to surprise them.

Even though my body begged me to stay, my mind won. I was going to war.

“Verion!” I yelled down the hallway. Verion was at my side in a minute, like the good little lapdog he was.

“Yes, my king?”

“Prepare a company of soldiers and see to it that they are ready to depart in an hour,” I said casually, walking toward my office.

“My king? But you’ve just chosen your queen,” he said, his brow furrowed like he was constipated or something.

“Don’t question me, Verion. Those who do tend to end up dead,” I warned him.

“Yes, my king. Should I inform the princess, or will you?”

“Yes, inform her when she wakes.”

His face fell. He obviously didn’t like my decision, but the farther I got from her, the better.

He nodded reluctantly. “Yes, my king.”

Verion scurried away from my side.

When I closed the door to my office, I took a deep breath—a breath of resolve.

War was always a solution for me, especially in times of trouble.

It was something familiar; it was what I knew. I knew how to kill, how to mutilate, how to hurt people. It was a talent of mine, and inflicting pain brought me strength and happiness.

I found myself smiling at the thought of it, imagining the blood seeping across the battlefields—the feeling of victory.

And with that, Verion packed my bag, and I was off to ruin another enemy.

***

The sun hadn’t yet peeked over the hills. It was still dark, and nighttime consumed any trace of day. I had arrived right on schedule. My dragon had flown ahead to scout out the location of our targets while the company of soldiers moved at their own pace.

The raiders were still sleeping, blissfully unaware of their impending doom. The Northern Raiders had been a thorn in our side since they first sailed to our shores, but not enough of a problem for me to take immediate action—until now.

They’d pillage a few villages, kidnap people, and kill, but it was always a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. I was the one who determined the seriousness of a problem, and now they were classified as top priority for annihilation.

In my dragon form, I swooped lower—close enough for my enemies to sense their death approaching. It was almost impossible to kill a dragon. Our scales were made of almost metal, thick calloused skin that was almost impenetrable. Arrows could do harm, sure, but we healed fast, and they couldn’t kill us entirely. You would need a lot more firepower to kill a dragon than just mere arrows.

I breathed out flames, just enough to make them burn in their terror. And burn they did, while my soldiers took care of the rest.

As I neared the ground, I placed my massive feet onto the burned ashes before shifting from my dragon form into a man. I had hoped to use my steel, even if just for a few minutes.

There was something satisfying about the sound of steel slicing through flesh. And so it did, several times, as I killed my opponents with ease.

Standing in the wake of my destruction, I felt satisfied and pleased, but there was still an internal longing I couldn’t shake. ~Her~.

Even in the midst of war, I couldn’t separate my mind from thoughts of her. I knew I was doomed, cursed with a single weakness that surrounded me with longing.

I wasn’t even content with violence anymore. The Dragon of Ruin would suffer ruin himself, at the hands of a delicate creature with no real power—except the power of desire.

I left my soldiers to track down any stragglers and flew back to the castle.

Celen let out a loud, booming roar as I landed on the castle roof before I leapt down to the castle entrance, still in my dragon form. The battle—if you could even call it that—had been more of a slaughter, but my mind was elsewhere.

My thoughts kept drifting back to Kira, imagining her soft skin and the curves of her body. ~I wonder what she’d do if I spanked her~ I mused, picturing her reaction.

Verion’s voice snapped me back to reality as I shifted into my human form. “Welcome back, my king,” he said, wincing as he took in my appearance.

I glanced down at myself, realizing I was covered in blood, scars, and ashes. ~Well, that’s attractive~, I thought sarcastically.

Verion held out a robe for me, clearing his throat. “The princess was upset to hear you had left,” he said hesitantly.

I couldn’t help but feel a spark of interest. “Oh, was she?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. “What did she say?”

Verion looked uncomfortable, and I knew I should’ve left it alone. But of course, I couldn’t resist pushing further.

“Verion, I will not ask again!” I growled, fixing him with a stern look.

He sighed, finally relenting. “She said you were an atrocious man for forcing her to become your queen, then leaving her at the first chance of daylight. And that you must be just as appalling as a king and ruler.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. ~Looks like the princess has more fire in her than I thought~.

“Bring me the princess,” I ordered, a plan forming in my mind.

Verion hesitated. “But she’s bathing, my king. It’s almost time for her to retire to bed.”

I smirked. “Even better. Have her dressed in her nightgown and bring her to my office—by force, if necessary.”