Chapter 47

DIMITRI

“Will I see you later?” Valkyrie asks, as I’m about to leave after breakfast. I nod, give her a quick kiss on the cheek, and head out.

With a frown, I make my way to my office. I reach out to Michael through our mind-link as I walk.

My thoughts are a jumbled mess, and it’s unsettling. I can’t figure out if it’s just a weird feeling or if there’s something wrong with me mentally.

I give a quick nod to the guards as I enter my office and shut the doors behind me. After a bit, Michael walks in, looking worn out.

“You wanted to see me, my king?” Michael asks, letting out a tired sigh. I’m standing by the window, my back to him.

“Is it normal to feel weird when you’re having sex with someone?” I ask, not turning to face him.

“That depends. Can you clarify what you’re asking? I’m a bit lost,” Michael says.

“I… I’m not sure how to put it,” I admit, sighing. I can hear Michael moving closer, and I tense up.

“Have you fallen for Valkyrie already?” Michael blurts out. I suck in a sharp breath, tensing up again. I shake my head, frowning.

“No, it’s not that,” I quickly clarify. “I don’t love her.”

“Yes, you do,” Michael whispers. “You slept with her and wanted to tell her, didn’t you?”

I turn to face him. Michael’s wearing a gentle smile. He pats my shoulder and comes to stand next to me.

“When I realized I was in love with Irene, I felt the same way. Not Cian, though. He’s more of a ‘let’s fuck to procreate’ than a ‘let’s make love’ kind of guy,” Michael says, chuckling.

“But the feeling was the same. I was making love to her, and then this pull in my chest became so intense, I felt like crying.

“It’s a warm feeling, and you just want to say the words. Am I right?”

I stare at him. He’s right. My mind was urging me to say the words when I was with Valkyrie. I ignored it at first, but when she looked at me with such tenderness and love, I almost let it slip.

And it was confusing.

“Don’t worry, my king,” Michael says, patting my shoulder again. “When you feel it, just say it. And remember, if you’re feeling this, it means your bond is growing stronger.

“But she’ll only say the words when she feels the same,” Michael adds, smiling.

“So, we might not feel the same way?” I ask, puzzled.

“No,” Michael says, his lips thinning, “it might just be you.” I nod and sit quietly. All of this is making my head spin. It’s new to me, and it’s unsettling. I don’t even know if she feels the same way about me.

***

“Is she still in the dungeons?” I ask Damian as he walks beside me.

“No, they moved her to her chambers,” Damian replies.

Today, I have to visit Lilly. With everything that’s been happening, it’s been hard to even think about her.

But after my grandfather brought her up again, I need to make sure she’s taken care of. Lilly may be the granddaughter of an elder, but her actions are inexcusable.

Now that Valkyrie has shown her power, proving she’s a hybrid, I have no doubt she’ll make a great queen. All that’s left is to deal with Lilly. She can’t stay here.

We unlock the doors and step inside to find Lilly asleep on her bed.

“Wake her up,” I tell Damian as Leo mind-links me.

~“Where are you?”~ Leo asks, worry evident in his voice.

~“In Lilly’s chambers. What’s wrong?”~ I ask, furrowing my brows.

~“I think you should come to the throne room,”~ Leo says, breaking the link. I shake my head, confused.

“Is everything okay?” Damian asks as he comes back, leading Lilly by the hand. I watch as Lilly rubs her eyes and yawns sleepily.

“We need to go to the throne room,” I say, turning around and leaving the chambers. I don’t like this. Leo sounded upset. What’s going on?

As we’re descending the stairs, we hear an explosion. Damian looks at me, confused.

“Stay here,” I tell him as I run towards the room.

There’s dust and debris scattered all over the room. One of the golden doors is barely hanging on its hinges.

“What’s going on here?” I demand as I step inside.

I notice a strange glow in the distance and frown. What is that?

“Just in time!” Michael exclaims, rushing towards me. “You have to stop her.”

“Stop who?” I ask, not understanding what’s happening.

“Valkyrie!” Michael snaps. “Your grandfather provoked her!” I turn my attention to the front and see a flash of red hair.

“Valkyrie?” I murmur to myself.

As I walk down the stairs, I see Valkyrie staring down my grandfather, who’s a few feet away from her. He’s groaning as he tries to get up.

“Valkyrie!” I call out, making her whip her head towards me.

“Make her stop!” my grandfather suddenly demands, causing me to growl at him.

“No,” I hiss. “I think you need a lesson.”

I walk over to him and look down at his body. There’s a wound on his chest, but it’s already healing. I look back up to see Valkyrie standing there.

Her hands are at her sides and she’s smiling at me. I raise an eyebrow as I look at her. Her wicked grin sends a chill down my spine. What’s gotten into her?

I take a step forward and see a shadow pass by me. Everything happens so fast, all I see is blood splattering everywhere.

I hear gasps as I try to make sense of what just happened.

“Useless,” Valkyrie mutters, wiping her hand.

“Damn!” Damian’s curse echoes behind me. I follow his gaze and spot a body next to Valkyrie. Who is that?

“Look at me,” Valkyrie commands. I lift my gaze to meet hers. “Leave her. She’s already gone.”

Gone? But who is it?

Recognition hits me and I growl.

Lilly lies motionless on the floor, her eyes vacant. A pool of blood surrounds her, her chest torn open. Her heart is missing.

I snap my gaze back to Valkyrie. She smirks and then starts to giggle.

“My work here is done. Everyone can leave,” Valkyrie announces, waving her hand dismissively. “I want some alone time with the king.”

“Everyone out,” I command, noticing the hesitation in the room. “I said leave.”

“But Dimitri!” Damian protests.

“Go,” is all I say, and the room slowly empties. Once we’re alone, I turn to the woman grinning at me.

“What’s your problem?” I ask cautiously.

“Me? Nothing,” Valkyrie sighs. “Your grandfather provoked me, and then Lilly showed up. I just…,” her voice trails off as her eyes drift to the floor.

“I had to get rid of her. You didn’t have the guts to do it.”

I growl and stride over to her, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards me. Valkyrie flinches as I tighten my grip.

“I know what I’m doing!” I snap. “You didn’t need to step in!” Valkyrie just looks at me, silent. Suddenly, she scoffs and yanks her arm free.

“King Dimitri has everything under control,” she mutters, leaning in close. “Yes, you did.”

She pats my cheek gently, smiles, and turns to leave. I grab her arm again, stopping her. I need answers.

“You’re not going anywhere!” I tell her.

Valkyrie glances over her shoulder.

“Or what?” she challenges. She sighs and turns back to face me. “Dimitri, let go. You’ll understand.”

“Understand?” I echo, desperation creeping into my voice. “Then explain it to me. Where’s the Valkyrie I know? Because I don’t see her.”

She tries to pull her arm free, gritting her teeth.

“Let go, Dimitri!” she demands, struggling against my grip. I hold on tighter. I don’t care if I leave a mark; I need answers. She’s not acting like herself.

“Dimitri!” she yells.

I pull her towards me and she crashes into my chest. I look down at her as she groans.

“Let go!” she repeats.

I lift her chin, forcing her to look at me. Her eyes flicker with fear. She stops struggling and just stares back at me. I see her flinch slightly.

I stare back at her, my gaze warning her not to push me. I’m not in the mood.

“D-Dimitri?” Valkyrie stammers.

I try to read her, to understand what’s going on. I study her face, searching for any clue, but all I see is fear in her eyes.

I lean down and kiss her gently. I’m tired; I don’t want to fight with her.

I loosen my grip and deepen the kiss. Valkyrie reaches up and tangles her fingers in my hair, kissing me back with the same intensity.

I slide my hand down to her waist, pulling her closer. Her body is cold.

“Let’s go,” I murmur between kisses. Valkyrie slowly opens her eyes. A faint blush colors her cheeks and she nods. Seeing her calm down, I smile at her.

“Come here,” I say, lifting her up. I wrap her legs around my waist and carry her back to my chambers. Her body starts to warm up as I continue to kiss her.

I kick the doors open, walk in, and lay her down on the bed. Valkyrie is panting as I start to undress her. I pull off her skirt and then her top.

She lies naked on my bed, her red hair spread out like a fiery halo. I smile as I look down at her. I lift her leg and start kissing her, working my way up her inner thigh. Valkyrie moans as I leave a trail of soft, feather-light kisses down to her pussy. She arches her back and I lick her clit gently, earning another moan from her.

I lick her pussy, making her shiver. I want her to come. I flick my tongue and press against her walls, tasting her as she moans louder. I slide three fingers inside her and start to move them.

She grips my hair as I quicken my pace. I suck on her clit and thrust my fingers. Valkyrie’s legs start to shake as she convulses against me.

She moans my name and I feel her juices flow. I clean her up with my tongue, then lift my head to find her with her eyes closed, panting heavily.

I crawl over her, reaching for her left breast and start sucking. She gasps as my lips meet her hardened nipple. I glance down and notice a new design on her mark.

I frown, confused. Why did it change?

“D-Dimitri?” Valkyrie whispers, her breath ragged. I shake my head and smile at her. I don’t say anything. I can’t stop staring at it.

Then I feel a hand on my face. I lift my eyes to meet Valkyrie’s. She’s frowning.

“You’re not okay,” she says, sitting up. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I whisper, kissing her forehead. “Where were we?”

She tilts her head, looking innocent. I pull her legs towards me and flip her over. I take out my cock and start to stroke myself.

I slide my fingers into her pussy. She’s still wet, just the way I like it. With one thrust, I push myself in.

She moans as I slap her ass and thrust harder. I groan as I feel her tighten around me. I pound her hard from behind, reaching for her hair and pulling it. She gasps as I fuck her relentlessly.

I can feel my climax building, and with three more thrusts, I release inside her. This time, I don’t let her reach her own climax.

I release her hair, and Valkyrie collapses onto the bed, panting heavily and cursing under her breath. I thrust into her one more time before pulling away.

“I didn’t cum...,” Valkyrie manages to say between breaths.

“I know. Consider it a lesson for your actions today,” I reply, moving away from her.

***

Valkyrie doesn’t join me for a bath. When I return, she’s nowhere to be found. Is she angry with me? I don’t care. I don’t know what’s gotten into her, but it’s made me furious.

As I’m adjusting my pants, I hear the chamber doors open. Glancing over my shoulder, I see Damian leaning casually against the wall.

“How’s everything?” I ask, not turning to face him.

“I should be asking you that,” Damian retorts, crossing his arms. “What happened with Valkyrie?”

“I don’t know,” I sigh, finally turning to face him. “She… I still don’t know.” I’m at a loss. She acted so strangely for a moment, and then she seemed to snap back to her normal self.

I first noticed the change when I kissed her in the throne room. Her demeanor shifted.

When we had sex earlier, she was the Valkyrie I know, not the one who looked down on us and commanded us to kneel before her.

The first time it happened, it was a turn-on, but now it’s not. She’s spiraling out of control.

“Is Grandfather okay?” I ask Damian.

“Yes, he’ll pull through,” Damian replies with a smile. “That old dragon isn’t going down without a fight.”

Nodding, I grab a shirt and motion for Damian to follow me.

“Where’s Lilly’s body?” I ask.

“Michael is looking into it. Her heart was ripped out. It’s really pissed off her grandfather,” Damian explains, nodding to one of the guards as we pass.

“Did he ask to see me?” I ask Damian, grabbing his shirt to pull him back. “Stop socializing and answer me.”

“Yes, well, not you specifically, but Valkyrie. He wants to speak with her,” Damian says, chuckling. “Are you going to summon her?”

“No, I’ll handle this on my own,” I reply as we push open the doors to Michael’s room.