Chapter 24

“Lilly,” the girl utters.

I can feel my eye twitch in response. I grip the throne, my knuckles white with anger, and rise to my feet. Without a word, I storm out of the room, my face twisted in fury. The beast within me is clawing to get out.

I attempt to mind-link Lilly, but she doesn’t respond. It only fuels my anger.

The moment I find her, I swear she’ll pay. This time, she’s gone too far. I storm downstairs, asking everyone if they’ve seen her. No one has. Finally, a girl steps forward.

“King Dimitri?” she stammers, her body trembling with fear.

“You’ve seen her?” I demand.

“Yes, please follow me,” she replies, her body shaking as she leads the way.

I’m doing my best to keep my cool, but I know if I see Lilly, I’ll lose it.

The girl leads me to the cave. I’m puzzled. I’ve searched everywhere.

“Why are we here?” I question.

“This is where she went,” the girl whispers, her eyes darting around. As the realization hits me, I shove the girl aside and sprint toward the entrance.

Discarded clothes litter the floor. I take a deep breath, recognizing the scent. It’s hers. I growl in frustration and mind-link my men, including Damian. In an instant, they’re all gathered around me.

“We are going out to search for your queen. I want Lilly dead or alive, are we clear?” I command.

A chorus of affirmatives answers me. I strip down and transform into my black dragon form, taking flight from the cave. It’s been three hours since Valkyrie vanished. She could be anywhere by now. Cursing, I mind-link Damian.

~“Find her, Damian. No matter what, find her,”~ I order. Damian doesn’t respond, but I can see him watching me from a distance. Deciding to land, I transform back into my human form and begin my search. I use my heightened senses to catch a whiff of the air. If they’re close, I’ll smell Valkyrie.

The area around the mountain doesn’t offer many hiding spots.

There’s only one waterfall with a cave that could conceal someone from plain sight. So, I decide to search that area and start running. The waterfall isn’t far from the lake.

When I reach the waterfall, I scan the trees and bushes. So far, no sign of them. I can’t even catch Valkyrie’s scent.

Frustration building, I stop and decide to scout the area. I close my eyes, kneel on one knee, and focus. I try to sense my surroundings.

Being dragons gives us advantages. Our senses are sharper than humans, so listening and smelling things from a distance isn’t a challenge.

“Damn it,” I mutter. Nothing. Where is she hiding?

The desperation building inside me is maddening. I hate feeling like this. I was already worried because Valkyrie wasn’t waking up, and now she’s gone.

~“Dimitri, we found something,”~ Damian’s voice echoes in my mind.

~“Where?”~ I ask.

~“On the east border. You better come,”~ Damian replies, his voice laced with frustration.

Growling, I transform and take off. The east border isn’t far. It’s the closest border to the palace. Now that I think about it, Lilly might have escaped that way.

The east side borders the Marlin Kingdom, a friendly kingdom across the mountain range. They are our allies and one of our major providers, especially of food, so we have a treaty with them.

Spotting my men from a distance, I quickly head their way. Landing, I growl softly. Damian is in his human form.

“These are Lilly’s clothes,” Damian shouts, holding up the scattered cloth, “and these are Valkyrie’s.”

Looking ahead, I see the gates of the Merlin Kingdom. Could she have gone that way? Something doesn’t feel right. It feels like a trap.

“Keep looking. Leo, send a team to the Merlin Kingdom,” I order.

Leaving Damian in charge, I head back to the palace. First, I need to see if they checked every room. Second, something tells me that Lilly didn’t go to the Merlin Kingdom.

It would be strange if she went there. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that Lilly’s obsession with me has spiraled out of control.

“Nothing?” Michael asks as he hands me some clothes.

“We have some clues,” I tell him as I pull on my trousers. “It seems she headed to the Merlin Kingdom.”

“What?” Michael exclaims, shocked. “Why there? Does she realize the chaos she would cause?”

“I don’t think she went that way,” I admit.

“What do you mean?” Michael asks, trailing behind me.

“I have a feeling that it’s a distraction. Lilly is somewhere else,” I say. I’m determined to find her, no matter what.

When we reach Valkyrie’s chambers, we find Prince Cian on Valkyrie’s bed, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

“What are you doing?” I ask. He raises a hand to silence me.

“Cian?” Michael questions, only to be silenced by Prince Cian as well. Reaching for the edge of the bed, where Damian was found resting, Prince Cian picks up something white. He sniffs it, scowls, and drops it.

“If I’m not mistaken, this is yours, Brother, isn’t it?” Prince Cian asks, looking at Michael sternly. “Did you check your chambers to see if anything was missing?”

“Missing?” Michael echoes, looking at Prince Cian’s hand. There’s white powder on his fingers. Walking over, Michael grabs Prince Cian’s hand and brings it up to his nose.

Scowling, he looks down at his brother.

“Fairy drug,” Michael mutters.

“Fairy drug? How did that get here?” I ask, confused.

“I have some, but it’s for experiments or for battles,” Michael explains, cursing under his breath. He leaves in a hurry, and I’m left with Prince Cian.

Prince Cian saunters over to me, a smirk playing on his lips. “You’ve got a fine piece of ass there,” he says. “If you’ve fucked her that much, you should have made her your queen.”

I bristle at his words. “What the fuck is your problem?” I growl.

He shrugs, his icy reptilian eyes meeting mine. “No problem. Just curious why Valkyrie doesn’t bear the mate’s mark.”

“That’s none of your damn business,” I snap, turning to walk away.

“Is that so?” Prince Cian retorts, grabbing my arm and forcing me to face him. “If Valkyrie isn’t your mate, I’ll claim her.”

I shove him away, my voice a low growl. “You dare threaten me?”

“She’s my family,” he hisses back.

“You have no proof!” I counter, stepping closer to him. “Show me proof, then I’ll believe you.”

“Don’t worry, the proof is coming,” he murmurs. His words leave me stunned.

Proof? Is he gathering evidence that Valkyrie is his cousin? If that’s true, and if Valkyrie is indeed my mate, I’d be marrying not just a hybrid, but a princess.

The thought brings me a strange sense of relief. Valkyrie would no longer be seen as a former slave. She’d be respected.

When I look up, Cian is gone. When did he leave? I rub my temples, feeling a headache coming on.

“Where are you, Valkyrie?” I murmur to myself.

Night falls, and everyone returns. Leo tells me they’ve sent a team of four into the Merlin Kingdom. Damian has left a group of dragons to patrol the mountains, watching for any activity.

I lean against the table, sighing heavily.

“Relax, Dimitri,” Damian says, taking a seat next to me. “I’m sure Lilly hasn’t harmed her.”

“Lilly? That woman is a lunatic,” I grumble.

“And whose fault is that?” Damian shoots back.

I run a hand through my hair, frustration mounting. What if Lilly hurts Valkyrie? Or worse, tries to kill her? The thought makes my chest ache and my mind race.

“We’re searching for her again. We have people combing the palace. Valkyrie will be fine. I’m sure of it,” Damian reassures me.

“But what if—” I start, but my voice trails off.

“Have some faith,” Damian advises, patting my shoulder. “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll let you know if we find anything.”

“I’m fine,” I reply.

“Stubborn,” Damian mutters. “Michael!”

I frown, looking towards the door. But Michael isn’t entering the room; he’s standing right behind me.

“Sorry, Dimitri,” Michael sighs. “Blame Damian for this.”

Confused, I turn back to Damian. He’s grinning wickedly as he whispers a goodnight.

Suddenly, I feel dizzy. I reach for the edge of the table just as my head slumps forward, and I’m out cold.