Chapter 68

DIMITRI

Flames burst from the east side of the castle as I launch my attack. Gabriel is still nowhere to be seen. I target the castle’s weakest point: the east side, where they store their weapons and supplies.

I scan the area, my eyes wide open. Zar is missing. Is he okay? It’s been over two hours since we got here. I need to know if he’s found Valkyrie.

A roar echoes behind me. ~“Leo?”~ I reach out through the mind-link.

~“Dimitri! You have to stop!”~ Leo responds.

~“Why?”~ I growl back.

~“Valkyrie, she’s in the palace,”~ Leo explains. Soaring high above, I look down.

~“What are you talking about?”~ I ask, puzzled. Isn’t she supposed to be here? As the truth dawns on me, I let out a thunderous roar. Is this all a trap?

~“We found Valkyrie after you left. But she’s in terrible shape,”~ Leo says, causing me to whip my head around. I glare at him. Another roar rings out, and we both turn toward the castle.

~“That’s Gabriel’s son,”~ Leo communicates.

~“Go back and bring the dragons. I’ll buy us some time,”~ I instruct him.

~“What about Zar?”~ Leo asks.

I know he could be in danger. But hopefully, Gabriel hasn’t discovered him yet.

~“Go, and don’t worry,”~ I say, not turning to look at him. Eros is approaching with a dragon. ~“Tell Valkyrie that I’ll return safely.”~

~“No, you tell her yourself when you get back,”~ Leo growls. Nodding, I head toward Eros.

~“One more thing,”~ Leo adds, causing me to glance back. ~“Tell Eros his dear brother met his end at the hands of the queen.”~ With that, he roars and flies away.

As I fly toward Eros and his dragon, I halt midair and growl at him. Eros is decked out in silver armor, his face stern. The tamer.

“Welcome, King Dimitri,” Eros smirks.

I shift my gaze to the green dragon. I try to recognize him, but it’s futile. There’s no trace of humanity left in him. Then, turning back to Eros, I open my mind.

~“Your brother sends his regards from hell,”~ I say through the mind-link. Eros’s smirk vanishes.

“What did you do?” Eros hisses, seething with anger.

~“I did nothing. My queen did it. She had the pleasure of sending him to hell,”~ I reply. Eros’s face twists as he screams in rage.

Yanking the reins of the dragon, he charges at me. I ready myself to attack the dragon. But first, I need to find a way to get Eros off his dragon.

He’s wielding a tamer sword. I can’t risk getting injured by it. Engaging in direct combat, I lunge at the green dragon, aiming for his neck, but he evades my bite and instead bites my tail, yanking me.

Growling, I spin and reach for his wing. Eros swings his sword at me, but I ram into him hard, causing him to lose his balance.

“I will kill you!” Eros hisses.

Commanding the dragon, Eros launches a series of bites and scratches at me. I fail to notice another dragon sneaking up behind me.

As I attempt to tear off one of his wings, a brown dragon appears, slamming into me and clawing at my head.

I roar as I snap at him, sinking my teeth into his neck. Blood pours as I dig my long teeth into his throat.

The brown dragon squirms as he tries to scratch my eyes, but I spin and smack him in the face with my tail.

I spin and bite him again. This time, I use my claws to shred his wings. With a deafening screech, the dragon plummets to the ground. Just in time, I spin to dodge an attack from Eros.

Spotting a familiar figure sprinting near one of the towers, I fly toward it. Zar is signaling me as I rush to him. Something must have happened.

Descending quickly, I hear the dragon behind me. I glance back and spin as I take a turn. The dragon snaps his jaws, but I flip over and go for Eros. I need to kill him quickly.

“Watch out, Dimitri!” Zar shouts from the tower. Feeling a scratch, I glance to the side. Eros smirks as he leaps from his dragon and slashes my side with his sword.

I curse inwardly as I feel a sharp sting. Eros lands back on the dragon. Throwing his head back, he laughs.

Growling loudly, I swiftly dive toward them. I’m growing tired of this. Roaring, I go straight for his back. Tumbling over the dragon, I reach for Eros.

But Eros wields his sword and attacks me. Grabbing the dragon’s neck, I shove him aside. As my claws reach for Eros, he raises the blade and stabs me.

“Don’t fucking think you can get me that easy. I’m not like my brother,” Eros hisses. Furious, I push my paw, causing Eros to fall off the dragon.

Unfortunately, the bastard lands on a safety net. Seizing my chance, I use all my strength to bite a chunk out of the dragon’s neck. He roars as he digs his claws in.

Biting again, I twist his neck. Hearing a snap, I let go. The dragon’s eyes go blank, and his body crashes to the ground. Eros yells as he watches his dead dragon fall.

“YOU BASTARD!” he shouts. I turn away from him and look toward Zar. He’s battling some guards. Making my way to him, I land on the tower.

Roaring at the guards, I devour them, tearing their bodies apart as Zar kills two of them.

~“We need to get out of here!”~ I say through the mind-link.

“Why? I still haven’t found Valkyrie!” Zar protests.

~“She’s not here. She’s safe in the palace,”~ I explain as I see more guards approaching. ~“Let’s go!”~

Zar reaches for me just as an arrow zips through the air, striking him in the leg. He cries out and crumples to the ground. I glance up to see Gabriel, a smug grin on his face, readying his bow for another shot. I spread my wings wide, shielding Zar.

~“We need to get out of here!”~ I urge Zar, who’s already yanking the arrow from his leg. But as he climbs onto my back, I let out a roar of pain. More arrows, these ones poisoned, embed themselves in my wings. I can feel the venom coursing through me almost instantly.

I growl, trying to take flight, but the poison is potent.

“DIMITRI!” Zar’s voice rings out as my vision blurs and I lose my balance, crashing into a massive tree.

~“You need to go, Zar,”~ I manage to say, shaking my head. I need to pull myself together.

“No, what if something happens to you?” Zar argues, dismounting and pulling the arrows from my wings.

“Valkyrie will be worried sick. We need to get back. Come on, change back into your human form,” he urges, glancing nervously at the castle wall.

I see men heading our way. Can we make it out in time? Panting, I shift back into my human form, collapsing naked onto the cold ground. My body feels like it’s made of lead.

“Help me up!” I gasp, throwing an arm over Zar’s shoulder. I manage to get to my feet and we start running towards the forest.

The forest is thick, and the snow and mist make it nearly impossible to see. It should be just as hard for them to see us.

“Let’s hide in the mist,” I suggest as we veer off the path. Hopefully, help will arrive soon.

GABRIEL

I watch as they disappear into the mist, followed closely by my men.

“You’re not going after them?” Eros asks, joining me on the wall. I glance at him before slapping him across the face.

“Can’t you do anything right?” I snap.

Eros glares at me, still hurting from the loss of his mother.

“Why didn’t you use the poison?” I ask, looking down at him. Eros stands up.

“I wanted him alive!” Eros spits back.

“And I want him fucking dead!” I retort. “He can’t live! I won’t let him live.”

I walk away, bow in hand, ordering my men to surround the castle.

***

Night turns into day and I find myself still on the castle wall, staring out at the forest.

“Any sign of them?” I ask my general.

“They vanished, my king,” he replies, bowing. The snowstorm that hit after they entered the forest made it impossible to track them.

Irritated, I scan the area. They can’t have gotten far. “Head south, towards the caves,” I command.

“The caves?” my general asks, frowning. “But Your Highness, those caves are filled with venomous snakes.”

“I gave you an order,” I snap. My general nods and turns to leave. His blue cloak billows out behind him as I turn back to the forest. I hear the distant sound of a dragon and look towards the forest.

Eros and a group of men head south, into the woods. I start to walk down the wall when the sound of horns blaring makes me turn. A tower guard is shouting: ~Enemy~. I squint into the mist, trying to make out the shapes.

My eyes widen. A red dragon? The shouts of the guards bring me back to reality. I look again, but it’s still there.

Red dragons aren’t supposed to exist. I feel a chill run down my spine and I step back. Then, a roar echoes through the air and I look up to see more dragons appearing.

There must be at least fifty dragons heading our way. I clench my fists and start barking out orders.

Confused, I try to identify the rider of the red dragon. But I’ve never heard of Dimitri having a red dragon.

The more I think about it, the more confused I get. I grab a poisoned arrow and aim it at the beast. The dragon stares back at me. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see something flying towards me.

I try to dodge it, but the arrow hits me in the shoulder. I groan and look to see who shot it. Standing on the dragon, clad in black armor and holding a bow, is Valkyrie, Dimitri’s mate.

Her fiery red hair whips around in the wind. How is she still alive?

Realizing that something must have happened to Seth, I yell out in anger. My face contorts with rage as I order the guards to prepare to fire.

“Get my dragons ready,” I command one of my men.

“All of them?” he asks, his voice shaking.

“Yes, release them all and bring me my sword. I need to teach my dear daughter a lesson,” I say, a cruel smile spreading across my face.