Chapter 8

DIMITRI

Everyone seems to be upset with how I handled Valkyrie. But I couldn’t just let her actions slide. She was acting like a damsel in distress.

I need a strong woman, like the one I met on our first encounter. A woman who’s ready to face anything, even if it means risking her life.

I’m aware Valkyrie is scared of me. Every little thing seems to make her flinch.

She couldn’t even stand up for herself against another woman. A queen needs to be stronger. I wondered why she didn’t use her power. That curse she talks about could be useful.

So far, it doesn’t affect me, but does it work on others?

Michael is still keeping his knowledge to himself. Being a mage, he knows a lot. He seemed fascinated by Valkyrie’s power, like she was a new toy for him.

As I head to the throne room, I see the elders waiting for me. The usual meeting starts. They want me to find out what King Gabriel is planning.

All this is just adding to my frustration. I already have enough on my plate without dealing with the elders’ issues.

I growl at one of them, making him leave the meeting. Valkyrie is on my mind, and I can’t focus. As the elder leaves, I see Damian walk in.

Apparently, he had to lock Lilly in the dungeon. Lilly, one of the female dragons who’s desperate to take my throne. Bitch.

I ask if there’s anything else. I feel my grandfather’s gaze. He always has something to say, and I know he’ll bring up Valkyrie soon.

I haven’t introduced Valkyrie yet, because I want to give her time to adjust and rest.

But knowing him, he’ll have some snide remark to make. Damian rolls his eyes as Grandfather shares his thoughts. Suddenly, Damian asks everyone to leave.

For a moment, I’m grateful. I’m on the verge of losing it and I don’t want anyone to witness that. So I understand his move.

I get up and walk down the stairs. My grandfather was about to get himself in trouble if he hadn’t kept quiet.

As he leaves, I stay with Damian. I try to relax, but then Damian snaps at me, making me angry. How dare he tell me how to treat Valkyrie?

Something feels off. My brother never speaks up unless he’s interested, and I’m right.

Damian declares himself as my rival. Is he serious?

“You would dare?” I ask again, not believing what he’s saying.

“Yes, brother, I would dare. Even if she’s your mate,” Damian hisses back.

I growl, let him go, and walk out of the throne room. Desperate, I head to my chambers. I need to see Valkyrie. As I walk down the hallway to my room, I stop. Leaning against the wall, I take a deep breath. Cursing, I run until I reach the doors. I open the door quietly, not wanting to startle her.

I could smell Valkyrie from the hallway. Her body is burning up. She’s aroused. The perfect time to get her pregnant. Swallowing hard, I approach her. She smells like vanilla.

Her body is wet, and water is dripping down her curves. I watch her tense up as she senses me. My hands twitch in anticipation. Unable to resist, I reach for her.

I’m aroused. I want to be inside her, to consume her completely. I turn her around and kiss her. She looks at me with desire. She wants me. We’re on the same page.

I move down her neck to her full chest, her pink nipples standing erect, waiting for me to suck.

As I do, I hear her moan.

My cock twitches at her voice, the only sound in the room. Suddenly I hear her beg. Did I hear right? Soft pants escape her red lips. Her pale skin turns a delightful shade of red.

Then, I start my seduction. I want her so badly that my erection is uncomfortable in my pants.

I kneel before I pleasure her.

Damn, she is so ready. And I am dying to fuck her. But as I push, I stop. Surprised, eyes wide, I pull back and stand up. I ask her if she is a virgin. I can’t believe it when she tells me she is.

The last thing I expected was for her to be a virgin. Somehow that makes me uncomfortable, and I leave her alone in the room, wanting more.

Heading down, I stop on the stairs. Valkyrie is a virgin? That thought keeps repeating in my mind. But why am I so surprised? Is it because I expected her to have been used as a slave?

Shaking my head, I head to the training grounds. I need to clear my mind and figure out what’s bothering me about all this.

***

Night falls, and I spend it in the room I use as an office. I spend hours staring out the window. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sigh.

By the looks of it, it’s late, and dinner time has passed.

Valkyrie must be asleep by now. I’ve only slept in the same bed with her a few times. I can never control myself for more than two hours.

Turning off the lamps, I head back. I run into Mia in a corridor on the second floor and stop to greet her.

“Your Majesty,” Mia says, bowing.

“What are you doing here? Are you here to see Damian?” I ask, smirking.

I know Mia and Damian have something going on. But whenever I’ve asked Damian, he’s denied it. Mia, on the other hand, can’t hide it.

Mia is one of the few humans who works and lives with us.

“No, Your Majesty, I’m here to assist the queen,” Mia says, surprising me.

“Excuse me?” I ask, confused.

“I’m here for Valkyrie, the queen,” Mia repeats.

Confused, I look at the corridor behind her. This hall leads to other rooms, including the queen’s. Realizing what I just thought, I look at Mia. She has a smile that says ~don’t you dare~.

“Who?” I ask.

“Damian, Your Majesty. Those are the queen’s chambers, after all. She may be there,” Mia says, smirking.

Clenching my fists, I force myself to smile at her.

“I see…,” I say, looking back at the hallway.

“Alright, I’m out of here,” Mia announces, giving a slight bow. “Oh, and one more thing. It might be best to let her rest. She seemed pretty worn out.”

I give Mia a puzzled look, but she just shrugs it off. As she walks away, I turn back around, my face set in a frown.

“Damian, you’re dead meat,” I mutter under my breath.

The queen’s chambers are her sanctuary. Unless she gives me the green light, I’m not allowed to step foot inside.

It’s like a vampire needing an invitation to enter a home, but this is all thanks to a spell cast by a mage. The mage conjured up this spell to keep the queen safe from harm.

Unless she gives me the okay, I can’t enter the room. Plus, this is her private space. I had planned to show her this room, but only once she felt at ease with me. Now, things are a bit more complicated.

Standing in front of the chamber door, I’m tempted to knock it down and call out to Valkyrie, but I can’t. It’s a rule that even I can’t break. So, with a sigh of frustration, I turn and walk away.

***

The sound of birds chirping wakes me up. The morning sun is streaming into the chamber. Did I oversleep?

I sit up in bed and groan as I glance to my side. Valkyrie isn’t here, and that instantly sours my mood. I hear a knock at the door and call out, “What do you want?”

Damian walks in, a handful of fruit in his grasp.

“Here,” Damian says, tossing me an apple, “how about a quick flight?”

As we walk down to the cave entrance, I notice several dragons taking off into the sky.

“Is there some sort of training going on?” I ask.

“Yeah, you’ll see,” Damian replies, tossing the apple seeds onto the ground.

We strip down, transform into our dragon forms, and take off into the sky. I let out a loud growl, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin. As a dragon, we’re cold-blooded, so the morning sun is a welcome sensation.

~“Follow me,”~ Damian mind-links me.

I nod and follow his lead. Several other dragons are heading in the same direction. What kind of training is this?

I hear laughter from below and look down to find the source. My golden eyes widen as I spot Valkyrie, laughing as the dragons land. She’s using a bow to shoot at each one.

All the dragons dodge as Valkyrie fires arrows into the air. She looks like a seasoned hunter. Her movements are skilled, and she looks genuinely happy. It’s the first time I’ve seen her smile like that.

Mia is standing a few feet away, watching her along with Leo.

I turn my attention back to Valkyrie and notice she’s wearing a brown leather skirt and a white top.

Her high sandals are visible as one side of her dress is hitched up. She’s wearing a brown cape and her hair is tied back in a ponytail.

I’m so distracted by her that I don’t notice the arrows flying my way. When one of them hits me between my claws, I let out a growl. Valkyrie looks surprised when she realizes it’s me she hit.

~“Chill out, Dimitri,”~ Damian mind-links me.

Growling, I swoop down and land. I reach for the arrow and yank it out.

Valkyrie backs away as I approach her. I see fear flicker in her eyes. Leo rushes over to her and whispers something, but Valkyrie just looks at me and lowers her gaze.

Damian swats me with his tail and lets out a soft growl. Rolling my eyes, I transform back into my human form. Realizing I’m naked, Valkyrie quickly turns around. Leo walks over and hands me a pair of pants.

“Take it easy, okay?” Leo says, shooting me a glare before walking away. The wound on my hand is healing. Black scales appear and close the wound.

Valkyrie is chatting with Leo. I watch her; she seems more at ease around others than she is around me.

Hearing Leo whistle, I watch as Valkyrie grabs some arrows. She walks to the edge of the cliff.

She raises her bow and fires at the dragons. Each one dodges until one of them lets out a growl.

Valkyrie has hit one of them.

“So far, she’s hit five dragons, including you,” Damian says, standing next to me.

“I was distracted,” I snap back.

“Well, you should still pay attention,” Damian says, patting my shoulder before walking over to Valkyrie.

I follow him, heading towards the small group. The dragons that are present all land with a thud. Gathering around, Leo starts giving orders.

“Her Majesty will now try to fight you while she rides one of us,” Leo says, smirking.

What? He wants Valkyrie to fly on one of us?

I glance at Valkyrie and am surprised to see her looking excited.

“Her Majesty will ride on the king’s back,” Leo suddenly announces.

“What?” I exclaim.

I look over at Valkyrie and see the shock on her face.

“NO!” Valkyrie suddenly shouts. “Uh, I mean, it would be best if it was someone else. His Majesty wouldn’t want it.”

Is she rejecting me in front of everyone? How dare she?

Angry at her, I stride over and grab her, making her flinch.

“Dimitri!” Damian calls out, grabbing my hand. “Behave, everyone is watching.”

He’s right. I glance around and see everyone staring at us. Holding back my anger, I let go of Valkyrie.

“She’s right. It would be best if I observe from afar,” I say, turning away.

Eventually, Valkyrie climbs onto Damian’s back. She looks scared, but once she gets comfortable, she relaxes. I watch her from a distance, jealousy simmering in my chest.

Damian had defied me, and he declared himself as my rival. I respect him, but is he serious?

I’ve noticed that Valkyrie seems comfortable around Damian, and that just pisses me off more. What did I do to make her afraid of me?

I stare at my hands, trying to remember the times I’ve been around her. Was I too harsh?

But everything I did was to make her stronger, like all the past queens. And what’s bothering me is that she’s a virgin. Just thinking about it makes me growl.

Why does that bother me? I’m still confused and I don’t understand.

“You know, if you want Valkyrie to see you differently, stop being such a brute,” Leo says, sitting down next to me. “Valkyrie is scared of you. Everyone here can feel her fear.”

“I don’t need your advice,” I snap.

“But you do, because you’re not seeing it, are you?” Leo counters, forcing me to look his way. “Valkyrie may be innocent and naive, but she’s got a fierce determination to learn.

“She’s surprised everyone with her ability to learn. And don’t forget, she was a slave. Adjusting to these new changes isn’t easy. She needs time to realize she’s a queen now.”

Leo sighs and points skyward.

“Look,” he says, directing my gaze to Damian’s dragon.

Valkyrie is perched on Damian’s back. Startled, I jump to my feet.

~“Damian, what the hell are you doing?”~ I mind-link him.

~“She wanted to, Dimitri, let her,”~ Damian retorts, shooting me a quick glare before continuing on his path.

As I prepare to transform, Leo’s hand on my arm stops me.

“Let her be, Dimitri. You’re keeping her cooped up in a cave. If you want her to be a true queen, you need to let her be free.

“She needs to feel free. Remember, she was a slave. She was confined for twenty-one years. Stop doing that,” Leo advises, a smile playing on his lips. “She’ll be fine. If anything happens, you’re here, right?”

Looking back up, I see her giggling. She’s enjoying herself. Annoyed, I turn and walk away. This is getting under my skin.

I lie back, staring at the sky. We’re near the lake on the southern side of the mountain range. The distant sounds of growls and laughter reach my ears.

Fiddling with the grass, I close my eyes and drift off.

I’m awakened by the rustling sound of a nearby bush. Sitting up, I wait to see who it is. To my surprise, Valkyrie emerges and freezes when she spots me.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were here,” Valkyrie apologizes, bowing.

“Don’t worry about it,” I reply, shrugging and lying back down. I hear Valkyrie whisper an acknowledgment and then feel her settle next to me.

Opening my eyes, I watch her. She’s washing her hands and face in the lake. As I follow her movements, I notice several bruises on her fingers.

“What happened?” I ask, sitting up and grabbing her hands.

Valkyrie tries to pull her hands away.

“You’re hurt…,” I murmur, staring at the minor injuries.

“I-it’s okay; they’re just small wounds from practicing too much,” Valkyrie stammers nervously.

I look up and find her endearing. A blush spreads across her face as she continues to struggle.

“Let me heal them,” I suggest with a smirk, catching her attention.

“What?” Valkyrie mumbles.

I bring her right hand to my mouth, licking and sucking each finger. Valkyrie stops struggling and instead tries to push herself up. She bites her lip. I see her battling with herself. Smirking, I continue to tease her. I find her reactions captivating. I bring her wrist to my lips, pausing to plant a soft kiss, making her moan.

“Don’t fight it,” I advise, smirking.

“Stop!” Valkyrie protests as she pulls away, “Just stop it!”

Groaning, I pull her until she’s sitting on my lap.

“Why?” I growl at her. “Why stop me? You’re my woman!”

“No, you’re forcing me!” Valkyrie retorts.

“Forcing you? Do you want to know what force is?” I challenge, pushing her down and hovering over her. Pressing myself against her, I growl in her ear. “Should I force myself more?”

“Stop it!” Valkyrie protests, struggling beneath me.

As she wriggles, trying to dislodge me, I press harder. I feel her leg brush against my shaft. Tensing, I lean in close and nip her earlobe.

“Stop moving,” I warn, feeling her body heat, “Or you’ll regret it.”

Breathing heavily, Valkyrie turns her face, our lips almost touching. I lick my lip as I watch hers. She’s tempting, and I’m on the edge. Her body heat is driving me wild.

Unable to resist, I kiss her. I force my tongue into her mouth.

Valkyrie groans and tries to push me away. But I keep kissing her. I need her to surrender.

Then, feeling a sharp pain, I pull back. The metallic taste in my mouth has me looking at her in surprise. Valkyrie bit my lip.

“I said stop it,” Valkyrie insists as she pushes me away and moves. She moves so quickly that she slips and almost falls into the water. Grabbing her wrist, I pull her back and wrap my arms around her.

“Easy there,” I caution as I look down at her.

Valkyrie glances over her shoulder and realizes how close she came to falling.

“Thanks,” Valkyrie says as she extricates herself from my arms. Standing up, she adjusts her skirt and walks away.

Groaning in frustration, I glance down at my pants.

“Now I have to deal with this,” I mutter, staring at the bulge in my pants.