4. Lukene
“B e alert! Keep your eyes and ears open. A den could be nearby!” I shout over the howling, bitter wind to the group of soldiers ahead of me, nearly at the top of the mountain—Serpent’s Reach.
Wyvern are said to be smart, fierce, and calculating creatures. They fascinate me, honestly. It is truly a shame to end such a ferocious killing machine, but when the king gives orders to kill it, there’s no room for questions.
The wind bites into my skin, the air turning colder the higher we climb. The king wants the threat eliminated before it becomes a problem for him. We don’t need the wyverns feeding on our cattle—or worse, our people.
I march on, my boots grinding against loose dirt and stone, the scent of cedar and earth clinging to the tail end of the wind. The sea of red cloaks ahead billow in the wind like banners of blood.
The moon sits high in the sky, casting silver light over the jagged landscape—illuminating our path ahead. Thank the gods and goddesses for small miracles.
I glance back to check on the healer who’s safely surrounded in the center of the formation. The last wyvern we faced claimed several men before we killed it. This time, I’ve brought extra Infinities, just in case.
A weak roar echoes from up ahead, feeble compared to the bone-rattling calls I’ve heard before. I exchange a glance with Kylo, whose furrowed brow mirrors my confusion.
Without hesitation, we sprint ahead, pushing past the guards.
“Shield!” I shout. Seconds later, rippling energy surrounds us as one of our shield-wielders casts his protective magic. It’s a thin barrier—protecting all of us will weaken its strength—but I pray it holds if we encounter a fiery attack from a wyvern.
At the peak, we reach a giant nest of branches and tree trunks. In its center lies a small wyvern, its wing slightly deformed, snapping weakly with its orange-tinted jaws.
Kylo approaches, resting his hands on his hips as he surveys it. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Birth defect, probably,” I say, scanning the surroundings. “Where’s the mother?”
“I’m not sure. Let’s just kill the baby and get it over with. It’d be a mercy killing,” Kylo suggests. “It probably can’t even fly.”
He is right. It would be a mercy killing. Could the baby even fly? Why are they coming here from the Island of Wemdrah? It is said they roam freely there and usually don’t bother humans unless provoked. Is it here because we have taken over one of the cities there? I should just kill it, but something tugs at me. Instinct tells me not to act yet. It’s something I can’t explain, but I have found that when I don’t go with my gut feeling, I typically pay for it.
I shake the thought away and climb higher, searching for the mother. I gesture to Kylo, who follows me.
Ahead, we spot a cavern large enough to house the beast, but if she were inside, she would have attacked by now. I turn back toward the nest, a nagging sense of unease creeps over me.
The baby wyvern screeches just as one of my men raises his sword.
“Stop!” I shout. Shadows surge from me, wrapping around the soldier’s arm to halt his strike. I sprint toward the young wyvern, but it’s too late.
A deafening roar shatters the night.
The mother descends from above, her massive wings blotting out the moonlight. The ground trembles beneath her landing, and her roar shakes me to my core. Fire erupts from her maw, incinerating the soldier I restrained as well as the nearby guards who weren’t under the shield.
“Damn it,” I mutter, wrapping my shadows around her snout. The beast thrashes, her strength nearly overwhelming me. Sweat drips down my temple as I inch closer. My heart is thumping away, like a ceremonial drum. Even the wicked grow wary, and when faced with a massive wyvern, I am sure my nervousness is warranted.
“Stand down! Slowly back away and head back down the mountain, now!” I shout to my men, struggling to hold the wyvern. The wyvern is thrashing around, trying to break free. I’m sweating trying to keep its jaw shut. I should just kill it, but I don’t make a move for my sword—that nagging feeling still bothering me in the pit of my stomach.
“I am not going to hurt your baby.” I say, inching closer. The Wyvern swipes its massive muscular tail at me. I am so concentrated on its mouth that I don’t see it coming. I am thrown a few feet away—my shadows release it. Before I can even get up, it pins me with its deadly claws, digging my back into the dirt and stone.
The Wyvern lets loose another roar, inches from my face. The heat and force from its powerful jaw scorches my cheeks and blows my hair back. I am breathing in uneven pants now. My heart is lodged in my throat.
I look it straight in the eyes and speak softly. “I am not going to hurt your baby. I tried to protect it.”
I can see something like recognition in its eyes.
The wyvern removes its massive claw from me. I stare warily for a second before I slowly stand, not wanting to make any sudden movements.
“Luke! What are you doing?” Kylo says in a hushed, nervous tone behind me.
“Shh. Go.” I jerk my head toward the direction the guards went.
He doesn’t move.
Typical.
He would never leave me. He would knowingly die with me before he ever left me. Fool. Brave, but foolish.
The wyvern’s gaze softens as she studies me. Her feral rage has faded—this one is different. I dare to take a step closer. When she doesn’t react, I extend my hand, brushing my fingers against her cool, granite-like scales. The wyvern snarls in response, so I yank my hand back; freezing in place.
Shit.
I may have just made a grave mistake.
It brings its head closer to me, mere inches away. I swallow, my throat bobbing as I do. My mouth feels like sand as sweat continues to drip off my brow. Cautiously, I reach a hand up to pet it. Surprisingly, the massive creature doesn’t move as my hand meets its scales once more.
“I won’t hurt your baby, but you need to take it and leave.” I continue to pet the wyvern. Magnificent.
The wyvern steps closer and lowers its head to the ground like it is inviting me onto it. I look over and notice my guards have completely receded at this point. I can’t see them. I look over to Kylo, his eyes wide, mouth gaping, and he is shaking his head at me, letting me know he thinks this is a bad idea.
Is it a bad idea? Absolutely. Am I still going to do this? Also, absolutely. I have never been one to back down from something because it’s dangerous. I grin, widely. “Head back down, tell them it’s done and that we killed them. Set that bush on fire so they think we burned their bodies.”
Kylo mumbles some curses.
I jump on the wyvern’s back, and it takes off in the opposite direction of my men.
“Luke!”
Kylo’s fading voice is the last thing I hear as I soar off into the night on the massive wyvern’s back. I hold tightly to the spikes protruding from its muscular back, so I don’t fly off. There is something so serene about being lost in the darkness of the night’s sky and the clouds. The wind is so fierce, my eyes are tearing, and yet I love every second of it.
I’ve never known peace like this. The inky blackness of night swallows us whole, and for the first time, I feel truly free from life’s burdens. I wish this moment never had to end.
My door clicks shut, and I hear Cora enter as I am reading at my desk. I don’t even bother looking up from my book. I knew it was her. My shadows sensed her. Cora knows I hate anyone being in my room. She comes up behind me. Feeling her hot breath on the back of my neck, I groan, as she plants a soft kiss to it. Closing my eyes, I breathe in deeply. She brings her arms around me and plants her hands on my chest. Within seconds, I have her off me and pin her to the wall, with her back to me. I hold her there with my shadows.
I brush her black hair off her face and shoulder as I push my hardening length into her backside. She is always such a horny little thing. I hate that she is in my room, and she knows I hate for my chest to be touched. This makes two strikes against her. However, I start to undo my pants anyways because I’ve had a hard day and need some relief.
“Lukene?” she says in a huff, and I begin to kiss down her shoulder.
“Yes?” I say, breathy, pushing into her more.
“Let me touch you.”
And… strike three. I stop unbuckling my pants, releasing her from my shadows. My hardening cock now completely flaccid. “Leave.” My tone is cold and unyielding as I step back from her and gesture to my door. “Now, Cora. I am not in the mood.”
I can see all the many unspoken words she wishes to say as she looks at me with her bright gray eyes. However, she knows better, which is why she lets out a huff as she stomps out of my room, slamming the door behind her.
I head over to my bed that’s draped in luxurious black cloth. Flopping onto it, I release a loud sigh before grabbing the necklace that is tucked under my tunic; close to my heart. My mother’s necklace. This tiny black stone, wrapped in silver twine, is all I had left of her. It always brings me a small bit of comfort.
Cora is an ambitious woman. She knows what she wants and tries to take it. She is the daughter of a duke but wants to be more. She is beautiful, I’ll give her that. However, I have no interest in marrying, ever. Love is for the weak, and I am anything but. She is good for when I need a release, but nothing more. She craves power and my attention. I plan on giving her neither.
She knows I hate my chest being touched, yet she is always pushing, which is why I always fuck her from behind. A cringe rattles through me just thinking about her hand on my chest. I try not to think too much about it, but when my chest is touched, I can’t help but see the face that has taken and ruined my youthful innocence. A shiver runs down my spine. No, I don’t want to think of what was done to me when I was a child.
Anger.
I cling to my anger like I always do.
Cora.
She pisses me off when she does stuff like this.
Cora knows I hate when she comes to my room. My room is my own, and I never let her in here. It is something I never have to share unless I want to, and I don’t want to share it with her or anyone. It’s my sanctuary. My personal place of peace. Looking around, I take it all in.
My chamber radiates an aura as dark and formidable as my own fractured soul. The black walls loom like silent wraiths—swallowing all light and hope. The black stone fireplace contradicts my cold and heartless nature. A slender black desk and muted shelves mirror the hollowness inside of me. In my shadowed sanctuary, even the flames dance in the shades of darkness. It’s all a reflection of the brokenness within me and the darkness that haunts me. It’s a killer’s lair—smothered in the echoes of my past sins and the shadows I command.
It’s the perfect muted room for a dark prince.