Chapter 30

DIMITRI

I gaze down at Valkyrie’s chest, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. When it finally sinks in, I can’t help but break into a wide grin.

Overwhelmed with joy, I scoop Valkyrie up and twirl her around. I’m so elated, I can’t imagine feeling anything else.

It’s the first time I’ve felt at ease in a while. I haven’t smiled like this in ages.

But my happiness is short-lived. Prince Cian has other ideas, and one of them involves picking a fight with me.

With a growl, Prince Cian grabs my shirt and lands a punch on my face, sending me sprawling onto a table. I spit out blood. What’s his deal?

Without wasting a moment, Prince Cian morphs into his dragon form and lunges at me. The room shakes as his dragon form takes up most of the space.

I watch as Damian scoops up Valkyrie and rushes her out of the room. I hold back a growl. I know that if I transform, this place will be reduced to rubble.

One dragon in here is bad enough, but two would be catastrophic.

I dodge Prince Cian’s claws, weaving around the room. I need to get him out of here. Remembering the balcony, I make a dash for it.

Prince Cian follows, demolishing half the wall in his wake. Cursing under my breath, I run until I reach the garden.

Prince Cian is out of control, his rage unlike anything I’ve seen before. He swings his tail at me and I jump to the side, but he hits me, sending me crashing into a pillar. I groan as I get back on my feet.

I don’t wait any longer. I tear off my clothes and transform into my black dragon form. With a loud growl, I go for his neck. We stumble and bite each other.

I bring down my claws, scratching his face. Scales start to cover the bleeding wound. As Prince Cian growls, we hear a woman’s voice, causing his reptilian eyes to widen.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, CIAN?” a woman yells. Her slender body moves quickly as she approaches us. Her long, black hair and blue eyes meet Prince Cian’s.

Prince Cian growls softly, staring at the woman. She places her hands on her hips and looks up at Prince Cian.

“I SAID, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” she yells again, slapping Prince Cian with her hand. We hear a slight smacking sound as she huffs in anger.

I hear someone giggle and look up to see Valkyrie laughing at the palace entrance, Damian biting his lip to hold back his own laughter.

“HEY, YOU! SNAP OUT OF IT AND TRANSFORM YOUR GECKO ASS BACK DOWN!” the woman yells, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

Prince Cian looks offended as he huffs through his snout. Shaking my head, I decide to end this. I transform back and study the woman. She’s quite petite.

“Lost something?” the woman says, snapping her fingers at me. She doesn’t even look at me. “Get lost, now,” she says, snapping at me again.

I frown at her, about to ask if she knows who she’s talking to, but then I feel someone at my side. Seeing Damian’s smiling face, I take the clothes he’s brought and decide to leave them be.

Who is she?

***

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Irene, this jerk’s mate,” the petite woman says, glaring at Prince Cian.

“Welcome,” Damian says for me. I’m still trying to process everything. I glance between Prince Cian and her.

“May I ask why you’re here?” I ask, keeping my eyes on them. Prince Cian is looking at the ground, his arms crossed over his chest. He looks angry.

“We came because Cian told us that there’s another hybrid here,” Irene says, her eyes moving to Valkyrie.

“We?” I ask, confused, looking around.

“Yes, six of my men, my uncle, and I came all the way here,” Irene says. “We’ve come to meet the queen.”

Valkyrie, who has been silent, looks at her in surprise.

“You said uncle?” I ask, looking into her eyes.

“Yes, in other words, her potential father,” Irene says, pointing at Valkyrie.

“According to what Cian said, Valkyrie is our cousin, which means she’s our uncle’s daughter, the Princess of the Kingdom of Fae.”

We all look at Valkyrie. She’s nervously fiddling with her hands.

“Where is your uncle?” I ask, furrowing my eyebrows.

“He’s down by the lake. I was the only one who came up. They’re waiting for your permission,” Irene explains, bowing.

“Sorry for barging in like this, but when I saw this ANGRY BEAST, I knew I had to step in,” Irene says, shooting daggers at Prince Cian with her eyes.

“Very well then. You may call your people up,” I say, mind-linking Damian to ask him to check on them. “I think we all need to talk.”

***

Heading back to my chambers, I glance at Valkyrie. We agreed to meet for dinner. Sighing, I take her hand.

I can see she’s conflicted. We walk back in silence.

I open the double doors and let Valkyrie enter first. Her face is full of worry. It’s unsettling. I close the doors and lean against them, watching her.

She sits on the bed and lets out a loud sigh. “This…,” Valkyrie mumbles. “Is this for real?”

Her voice is barely above a whisper. I stay quiet, just watching her.

“What if it’s true?” Valkyrie asks. “What if I finally meet someone who might be family? Should I go with them?”

Hearing her say that, I walk over to her and kneel in front of her. I take her hands in mine and look up at her. Her two different eyes are glistening with unshed tears.

“If there’s a chance…,” I say, “do…what you need to do.” I can hardly believe my own words.

The thought of telling her to follow her heart scares me. It means she might walk away from me. But she wouldn’t, would she?

I feel a delicate hand on my face and open my eyes. Valkyrie is looking at me, a sad smile on her face. As her fingers trace my jawline, I close my eyes, letting the sensation wash over me.

This is the second time she’s done this, and it’s just as calming as the first. I rest my head on her lap, eyes still closed. She doesn’t push me away.

“Can I take a nap?” Valkyrie asks out of the blue. I respond with a noncommittal hum.

“Dimitri?” Her voice is a whisper, her warm breath tickling my ear.

“Mmm?” I reply, my voice heavy with relaxation.

“I need to lie down,” she says.

I hum again, getting up from her lap. As she turns her back to me, I run a hand through my hair. Valkyrie doesn’t say anything else. I watch as she lets out a sigh, her body finally relaxing. Her breathing becomes steady.

I reach out to Damian through our mind-link, asking him for an update.

~“Everything’s as she said. Six guys and her uncle,”~ Damian reports.

~“What’s your next move?”~

~“What do you mean?”~ I ask, stepping out onto the balcony. The sun is beginning to set.

~“Valkyrie, Dimitri. You’re not really going to let them take her, are you?”~ Damian’s question hangs in the air.

A smirk plays on my lips as I watch the sun dip below the horizon. ~“Of course not. How could they possibly take the queen of the Onyx Dragon?”~