55. Aurelia
Chapter 55
Aurelia
I know Xander and Francesca have left the estate because Flores orders me to dress and takes me down to breakfast this morning.
Their places are blessedly empty and the twins are quiet as they eat—except to demand that I sit next to them. Eugene is also absent, as Flores won’t allow him at the table, Selena has been keeping him tucked in the nursery during meal times.
Despite Francesca being gone, Flores is in a good mood and allows me to take a spot at the table for the first time. Is it his way of saying thank you for rescuing Delilah? Surely not.
I take my seat between the twins. Emmerson gives me a chipolata and most of the wilted spinach off his plate. I smile at him and scoop up the entire wad of spinach, shoving it into my mouth.
The little dragon grins at me before turning his face down to his food. A hand approaches me from my left and I turn to see Lady Drakos’ delicate, veined hand reaching out to pat my own. She smiles at me, and I notice her mythical eyes have a new sort of sparkle.
“Will you be a dear and fetch my tonic, Aurelia?” she asks.
A slender trolley sits by the window behind me, her day’s three bottles sitting expectantly on top.
“Of course, Lady Drakos,” I say quietly. “With your juice again?”
She nods and I take her cup to the trolley.
“I hope Xander and Francesca have a productive trip,” Flores says as the butler pours black coffee into his mug.
“Indeed,” Lady Drakos replies. “Francesca’s parents will be most pleased to spend time with their daughter.”
Something in my chest squeezes at the words.
I’d been someone’s daughter once.
Blinking hard, I take my time at the trolley, gazing out the windows as I stirred the mixture in the glass, before turning back around and returning the cup to Lady Drakos.
“Hopefully they’ll have good news on the way soon,” Flores says mildly.
I almost keel over as I make my way back to my chair.
“Does that mean we’ll have cousins?” Delilah says, frowning. “I hope Uncle Xander doesn’t forget about us.”
Flores chuckles. “I’m sure he won’t forget you, but hatchlings of rare breeds are important for the community, are they not, Aurelia?”
Luckily, I’ve seated myself this time. “Certainly,” I say tightly.
Selena glances at me with unmistakable worry.
“Hopefully we’ll expect good news from you too, Aurelia,” Flores finishes.
I stare at my plate, darkness swirling in my stomach. Without Mace’s scientists, what are the dragon king’s plans? What are Mace’s plans?
I’m suddenly highly aware of the fact that Xander is not here.
We eat in silence for fifteen more minutes, and I don’t miss the look of warning Selena throws my way.
“Well, we must be on our way,” Flores says, pushing his chair back. He gestures to me. “Come along, Aurelia.”
Lady Drakos and Selena have gone very quiet. I avoid looking at them both, silently pushing my chair back and going around the table towards Flores. With the flick of his wrist, any illusion of a normal family breakfast is gone, and I’m leashed once again.
We head outside to a Rolls Royce with its engine already running.
There’s not a serpent in sight, of course. No Ghoul, flashing his fangs at me with a snarky greeting. There are only Lunaris wolves, staring me down with hard, unforgiving eyes.
Raquel has been in the back of my mind, still trapped down there in the dark. Minnie and Stacey are probably beside themselves, but at least I know they’ll be looking after our wolf anim’s body.
As chilling as this is, nothing makes a fell tingle crawl down my spine like the moment Flores Drakos opens the back door of the Rolls Royce and smiles at me.
With my jaw clenching back my fear, I head inside, scooting all the way into the other side so he sits as far from me as possible. Two wolves, a male and Ruben’s regina, get into the front seats and we’re off down towards the gate.
Long drives are a killer. It would just be easier to ride on dragon back, and I don’t know why Flores doesn’t choose this option. Scythe always rode Xander to get from Animus Academy into the city, and while it was a little uncomfortable, it was much more efficient than sitting in a car for so many agonising hours.
Flores puts his headphones in and gets out a laptop, busy for most of the time. I don’t get any such luxuries and am forced to look out at the sunburnt countryside until I eventually nod off.
By the time we reach our destination, my hands are numb from sitting on them, my eyes are wet at the corners, and my mouth is as dry as the Australian outback. My nerves are shot through.
And the entire time, the dragon king sat on his phone or laptop, ignoring me. I think a part of him enjoys the fact that my fear perfumes the car. That my heart is beating so loudly all three beasts can hear it. I don’t attempt conversation, nor ask any questions. I won’t give him that satisfaction.
For the first time, our destination is not in the city, but a property in a regional area, where the soil is red and the scattering of visible grass is crispy. Located practically in the middle of nowhere, we come to a gate topped with barbed wire, manned by four shirtless beasts with rifles resting on their shoulders.
The wolf in the passenger seat gets out to talk to them, the gate is quickly opened, and we’re waved through to a long, newly sealed road. It’s a ten-minute drive down the deserted, private road, with nothing but dry land on either side. Eventually, the empty land becomes decorated with more barbed wire, and when I spot what’s on the other side, I immediately know who owns this land.
A human-made river snakes along my right, and sunbaking along its bank is a long line of crocodiles. Huge, leathery-skinned reptiles, their powerful jaws slightly open as they warm themselves.
On my left, a mansion comes into view; it’s a white rendered brick palatial residence that reminds me of a delicate swan. There are wings that sweep out from the central building, tall and sloping roofs on the fourth storey. It’s clean and brand spanking new.
It makes it all worse to know this property has come from blood money. From the buying and selling of rare creatures. I’d seen enough from Scythe’s memories of the Collector to know that. She’s been doing this for over a decade and is very good at her job.
The car stops directly before the entrance, where the square door is already open on one of the fancy hinges that operate on a swivel from the middle of the door. Flores gets out of the car and I scramble to follow before the chain yanks on my collar.
“Welcome, Your Majesty!” The Collector’s silken feminine voice dances out of the house, and I straighten to see her gliding forth in a flowy green dress with long draping sleeves. Beside her, a servant carries a tray of crystal tumblers.
“Lady Crocodylus,” Flores says, stalking forward to greet her.
“Come in, come in, Your Majesty!”
We follow her into the house, where the air conditioner is on full blast and something sickly sweet perfumes the air.
“Will you stay the night?” The Collector says, gesturing to the servant.
Flores accepts his glass of lemonade. “I’d prefer a timely exchange.”
“Understandable.”
The Collector whips out her phone and calls someone I can only imagine to be her personal banker. Sure enough, she approves for ‘the previously discussed sum’ to be deposited into The Drakos trust account.
Flores answers his own phone when it rings. When he hangs up, he takes off the bangle around his wrist and hands it to the Collector. She accepts it with a silken smile.
As easily as swapping Pokémon cards, the deal is done.
“Lovely!” the Collector says, admiring her new bangle. “Shall we go on a tour? I wanted to show Aurelia what I have here.”
“I’m afraid I must return home,” Flores says, clapping his hands with finality. He’s reluctant to leave the estate for longer than necessary with no one to protect the hatchlings. “I hope to hear some happy news soon.” He turns to me, his eyes raking down my body. “Behave yourself.”
“She will,” The Collector coos.
Flores is gone faster than I would like. Somehow, without anyone from Drakos Estate accompanying me, I feel…alone. This is unfamiliar territory and The Collector studies me, tapping a long red acrylic fingernail on her chin. “Let me show you my pets, Aurelia dear. My family is rather large!”
We head back outside, the dust of the Drakos car barely settled before The Collector climbs into the driver’s side of an open-roof Jeep and ushers me into the passenger seat. A couple of her shirtless guards discreetly get into the back, and as I scent them, I realise they are roo shifters.
We don’t see them in the cities. They prefer to stay away from human populations and live out in regional and rural environments. It also explains the guns, because their only power is the ability to jump extremely high like they’ve got springs on their feet. So I’ve heard, anyway.
The Collector drives deeper into her property, where the artificial river continues behind that tall barbed-wire fence. Wind blows through my hair so hard I have to gather it up into a fist to keep it from becoming a nest. The sun beats down on us, and eventually, she comes to a stop, pointing at something in the river.
We climb out and she grins, gesturing to the water where I see them. A row of perhaps twenty crocs, deep in the water, the only visible parts of them being their eyes. I let out a shiver.
“They’re all mine,” she says proudly. “All purchased through my business. We have strict regulations on their cages, of course; wouldn’t want them all getting out.” She nudges me with her elbow as if this is a joke.
We stand there quietly for a moment, sweat trickling down my spine. If she’s trying to scare me, it’s hardly working. I’d just shift into a bird. The crocodiles stare at us in a way that’s unnerving, and it takes me a second to realise these are no regular animals.
I suppress a choke.
“You finally got it,” she murmurs almost intimately, running a hand through her bob. “Most of them are near rabid, but they listen to my commands. I’ve trained them to do so.”
A red flag goes up in my mind and an inkling makes my phoenix power rise to the top. My vision changes as the bonding plane becomes visible, twinkling strings stretching out from the closest crocs. I track them to their origin. One croc animus, larger than the others, eyes us with hard intelligence. Four strings lead from him. Three to crocs close around him and one?—
I stare at The Collector and the bond coming from the centre of her chest. She’s keeping her rex and her other mates prisoner here. What a psycho. I shake the disgust out of my head and the celestial bonds disappear.
The Collector moves closer to me and the scent of floral perfume, mixed with her own salty sweat, fills my nose. I detest it. I detest her and everything she stands for.
Her breath is sour as she whispers in my ear.
“The easiest way to break a woman?” She points to the army of males she’s created. “I will let them all have you. One at a time, against your will. I don’t know how many it will take. Fifty? One hundred? But eventually, you will submit to me. Eventually, you won’t even care what I do to you.”
A chill shoots down my spine. “You’re plain evil.”
Her breath tickles my ear. “You will understand, Aurelia. Soon enough, you will understand why I need you so much. No one knows the real reason. Not even Flores. Not even the Lady Hyena. Not even your beloved Scythe Kharkorous. No one knows what I have that no one else does.”
I see it now. A feeling snakes between my bones, settling in my marrow. A destiny. A certainty.
I will meet my end here.