Chapter 13
Lambda held Vallie while she slept for a few hours, never letting himself close his eyes. They weren’t far from Balaur now, but dawn was the best time to enter the keep. Hopefully, the majority of the residents would be asleep, Vallie’s eyesight wouldn’t be completely dark, and they’d have some light for their escape.
Lambda had pushed away all his fears for an hour or two, allowing himself to bask in all that was Vallie.
He was in love with her.
It was ridiculous, really. He knew the mating bond was addling his brain, causing him to feel incomplete without her, but…
Being with her. Talking to her. Feeling her body melted against his. He couldn’t deny that this feeling was love. This was what the other wolves gushed on about.
After taking time to feel nothing but love, his fears crept back in. He was taking his mate into certain danger, possible death. He admired her strength and resolve, but a small part of him wished she didn’t want to go. That she was content to let others rescue Verona, or trade for her release.
Worst of all, he was taking her someplace he didn’t know. He had never been to Balaur, had never met a dragon. Sure, Epsilon had killed one, but they were fighting man to man. How many dragons could Lambda face without falling? Would he be able to hold them off long enough to give Vallie and Verona a chance?
While the war inside his heart raged, Vallie rolled to him, stirring in her sleep. He held her close, kissed her forehead, then said, “Vallie, you need to wake up now.”
*
“Give me the layout of Balaur?” Lambda asked. They were close now, a looming shadow in the distance marked Dragon’s Keep. The last group of trees, their last hiding spot, was in their sightline. Lambda could see the outline in the distance. It was small, only twenty or so trees grouped together, but it would have to do. Beyond that, Balaur lay only a few miles north.
“There are five main buildings. Bedek, Verona’s captor, lives in the one on the northeast corner with three turrets. Bedek’s turret is the eastern one among that group. He’s a solitary dragon, no wives, so it’s only him and his pets and servants living there.”
“Outside wall?”
“Yes, but there is a drawbridge that they almost never close. No one ever attacks them. Plus, as pets, we’re usually too weak or chained. So, escaping wasn’t an issue they dealt with until Tella. Or at least, successful escape.”
“Hm.” Lambda answered. He didn’t like the chance that the drawbridge would be closed. “How tall are the walls? Climbable?”
“I don’t know, fifty feet? We might be able to climb it. I’ve never had boots like these before. Definitely makes all things foot-related much easier.”
Fifty feet was too high for Vallie to safely climb. Hell, he’d never climbed that high before. They’d have to make that choice if the drawbridge ended up being closed.
“Let’s hope the drawbridge is open,” he continued. “Guards?”
“There are general guards who wander around the keep. They are mostly lower dragons who don’t have their own hoards yet. They don’t carry weapons, but they are dragons, so claws are their main form of defense. They are bright gold. It can be a little jarring when you first see one, so go in thinking man-lizard with wings and is gold. Also, there are areas in the keep where the dragons can’t fly. I don’t know why they live somewhere with narrow hallways, but it’s a good place to duck if you’re trying to get away from one of them.”
Lambda made a mental note to keep an eye out for corridors. “Any idea how big their wingspan is? And what sort of range of motion they have with their wings?”
“Wingspan is about twice their height. The wings only work like wings. Can’t grab you with them or anything.”
“Ok. We go in, we stick to corridors if we can. We stay away from dragons at all cost. Will Verona be chained?”
“Maybe. I wasn’t always chained, though I was a pain in Cade’s ass, so I did get chained as punishment a lot. Verona is not as big of a pain as I was.”
“Good girl.” Lambda grinned. “If we’re lucky, we go in, we see no dragons, we find Verona, she isn’t chained, and we’re out before anyone notices we’ve even come in.” He reached out his hand to grab onto Vallie’s arm while she walked over some uneven earth.
“And if we’re unlucky, we catch the attention of the dragons immediately and Verona is chained on every limb.” Vallie shrugged. “Either way, the three of us are getting out together.”
“Together,” he echoed. It was the hope. He’d promised together.
But he knew in his heart, Vallie was who mattered. Vallie got out alive, no matter what. No matter how many dragons he needed to kill, no matter if he had to stay behind to let her escape.
Vallie would make it back to Luven. And Verona, if he could help it.
“Have you ever seen a dragon?” Vallie asked.
“I have not. Never left wolf territory before this. I’ve seen a vampire, once. She came to Luven to have some meeting with Alpha probably twelve years ago.”
“Oh! What are they like?”
“Ice? That’s what she smelled like at least. Like the smell of ice on the wind. She didn’t smile or even look at anyone other than Alpha. Also, she walked so fast it was like she was gliding. Spooky, really.”
“Are wolf shifters afraid of vampires?” Vallie teased. She slipped her hand into his, now. Lambda wasn’t sure if she felt off balance, or if she wanted the contact, but either way, he wasn’t letting go.
“I am not afraid of vampires, but they are very creepy.”
“Creepy?”
“Yes. I felt a sense of unease when near her.”
“Ah. I feel like that when a spider runs over me. Or any bug really. But it’s good for me to know this about you. You can protect me from spiders, and I can protect you from vampires,” she giggled.
“You do not need to protect me from vampires. First of all, we’ll never go in vampire territory. Secondly, if a vampire wanders into wolf territory and proves themselves a threat, I will take care of it. I will protect you.”
“I don’t know. Seems like you might need your weak human mate to stand between you and the ice people.”
“Vallie. Nothing stands between you and me,” he insisted. He pulled her to stop and circled her waist with his arms. “I’m serious.”
“Don’t worry. I’m just having a laugh with you. I’m sure if I ever saw a vampire, I’d absolutely lose it and climb up you like a tree and need you to carry me away.” She planted a quick kiss on his mouth. “You are a good protector,” she added. “But remember, I like to fight, too. I’m not some wilting flower. I was a pain in Cade’s ass for a reason.”