34. Chapter 34
thirty-four
“ L ead the way.” I barely recognize my own voice once I garner the strength and courage to speak. My palms grow clammy as Ripley turns away from me. Part of me wants to run as far away as I can, but I know that won’t be far at all.
He opens the door, gesturing for me to step through. With an unsteady breath, I do so, and my gaze roams around, taking in the high stone walls, the painted glass showing different battles that happened in the past. All colors of dragons shine brightly in the windows, even reds.
The scent of flowers lures my eyes down, noticing the path that leads me to the other side, curling between the rows and rows of wooden benches, all filled with other clan leaders and their entourages .
I thought I’d seen plenty that day at the Mates’ Convergence, but it seems that was only a smidge of the dragon leaders. Maybe I was wrong to think they came there to find some slaves. Maybe I was wrong to believe dragon shifters aren’t loyal to their riders.
Because what I see here aren’t only shifters. There are riders here too, some mated, it seems, by the marks on their neck or the colors on their gear. The sight makes my heart lurch, a feeling of yearning spreading through my aching chest.
I want to be with Ares and Ethan so badly. I want to feel their strong arms around me, their lips against mine, their love all around me.
Here, it’s so lonely and cold.
My spine chills as I walk further, my steps the only sound filling the large room. Whispers softly rise, ones that make my stomach turn in disgust.
“Can you believe how Ares had stolen Cedric’s rider?”
“It doesn’t surprise me, seeing all the blood spillage his lineage has caused.”
“It’s good we finally stepped up, taking care of him before he could breed again. What his ancestors did to Nythralia, to the Vermyllions…”
Vermyllion Drakes… The red dragons?
My gaze falls on Hephaestus’s vessel, Cedric. A smug smile tugs on his face, and mine drops.
“There she is, my precious Draconis,” Cedric booms through the hall, and all the whispers falter. I shake my head, my fingers curling into fists as I grip my dress tighter.
He extends his hand, urging me to take it as his eyes heat in warning. Another sigh leaves me, and I take it, letting him pull me closer as my stomach churns. For now, I’ll play along until a good opportunity to either escape or kill him arises.
Whatever comes first .
“My friends.” Cedric focuses back on the other clans. “Thank you for standing by me by stopping this monster once and for all.”
Murmurs rise, but Cedric doesn’t stop, not while he has all the attention he craves. He needs to feel important and wanted.
My eyes skim around the hall, falling on those boxes, similar to the one Cedric gave, the one that held that cursed rose. I scoff, trying to peel my hand away from Cedric’s, but his grip only tightens.
My words bubble up, unable to keep my mouth shut. “You do realize he’s lying, right? He’s the one who killed my mates, both of them, and you all pretend he saved me, saved you.” I snort, and I rip myself free.
The murmurs get louder, and a few clan leaders rise. “Draconis, perhaps you’re telling some truth, but we lived under Aetherion Ares’ wrath for too long. Our ancestors celebrate his demise.”
Swallowing thickly, I see the nods, the agreement in others. This isn’t just because of Hephaestus’s golden words. No. It has more to do with the clan leaders, the Dominions. They all wanted Ares gone.
I have no clue what he has done in his past lives, but I can guess. I know about his temper. I saw the fear in the eyes of his staff, of his Sentinel. He can be ruthless when he needs to be, and I know that he’d gladly rip apart the entire world for me. I wonder if he’s trying to do that right now.
“So, you stand by this imposter? He shouldn’t be the Aetherion.”
Laughter fills the hall. Even Cedric joins in. The sound makes my stomach twist, my forehead threatening to grow clammy as the lights around me feel too hot and bright.
“Oh, sweet little Rodi,” he sings, and a blush creeps up my neck. “We did everything right.”
My brows pinch, and I look at the clan leader who still stares at me. “He’s right, Draconis. There was a vote, and we all stood by Cedric. It doesn’t matter how. It matters that it’s done. ”
“It doesn’t matter that he killed the Warden, and who else?”
“No.” He speaks plainly, not caring about all the lives lost because I’m sure Ares’ warriors stood by him till the end. But I wonder, was it because they believed in him? Or because they feared him?
Who knows the true Ares, them or me?
As I face all the defiant dragon shifters, I swallow hard and do my best to gather myself. Right now, I can’t doubt the man who would move mountains for me. Who would fight wars for me.
That’s the true Ares. These dragon shifters don’t see the loving, caring person I see. All they see are the consequences they face whenever they get in his way.
Hephaestus moves closer to me, snapping me out of my thoughts with a cruel look on his face.
“You all have it wrong. You’ve agreed to support a monster,” I tell everyone, strengthening my voice as much as I can.
“Cedric hasn’t done half the things that Ares has done,” one of the clan leaders scoffs, eliciting murmurs of agreement.
My eyes sweep over them as their wariness and frustration surround me. No matter what, I’ll stand by Ares before I stand by Hephaestus. They don’t understand how vile Hephaestus is, but they’ll never believe my words.
He has them all brainwashed.
“No one cares about him, or even you. The only thing they care about is the charter, created ages ago. That’s the only reason you’re still alive, Draconis.” My meaningless title is like venom on his tongue as Hephaestus grips my dress tightly, enough to hear the fabric tear at the seams.
“What are you doing?” I hiss and squirm in his grip.
Hephaestus tightens his grip even more, refusing to let me writhe away .
“Showing them that you’re nothing more than a cheap, simple woman.” There he is, revealing his true colors.
My breath lodges in the back of my throat as the fabric tears, breaking from my skin and leaving me bare in front of the other clan leaders and their entourages.
Cold air brushes over me, and I try to cover myself, shielding my breasts and core with my hand, only to get them ripped away again.
“You’ll learn your place,” he snarls in my ear as he grabs my wrist, keeping me from fleeing and covering myself as all eyes lock onto me and my bare body.
“I’ll never be yours!” I scream at him before trying to strike at his face with my free hand.
Hephaestus ducks out of the way at the last second, my knuckles breezing over his cheek. He laughs in my face at the attempt, but I’m pretty sure he’d have a much harsher reaction if I actually hit him. “You have no choice!”
Unmated clan leaders draw closer as the air shifts around me. The cold breeze is failing, and heat is crawling closer. Bile rises up the back of my throat, and nausea churns in my stomach when I realize what’s happening. And what may happen.
“Don’t,” I whisper, but my words are ignored as laughter bubbles in the hall. Even the females look at me with disgust, but none stop what’s happening. I try to yank away from Hephaestus so that I can run and hide as the unmated clan leaders grow more and more desperate to reach me. “Let me go!”
“Make her crawl, Aetherion,” is bellowed, and Hephaestus’s grip loosens. I stumble to the ground, trying to get away .
But there’s no use. The heat flares up, and I glance back, watching as Hephaestus uses his dragon call to make me submit, to make me docile and needy.
At first, I start to curl into a ball, my strength fading away under the power of his dragon call as its roar echoes in my head. It’s a firm, crushing sensation, making my body shake and jerk as I try to fight it.
Suddenly, my ribs tighten as this other warmth spreads inside me, making the tension fade. Hephaestus’s power weakens, and the weight crushing me starts to lift off my back and shoulders. The new warmth intensifies, and the roar in my head silences.
I’m able to breathe again, and I gather enough air in my lungs to fight my way out of this.
“Stop!” I screech, and he blinks, his motion stopping.
Sudden silence rings throughout the space as everyone stares at me with stunned looks.
Once I gather my breath, I take advantage of their shock and quickly scatter away, peeling the destroyed dress from the cold ground and protecting myself as I run toward Ripley. I cut through the crowd with a pounding heart and flushed skin, but no one tries to grab me. In fact, a few people step away when I get close to them, but Ripley doesn’t.
His gaze lingers on the floor as he tears the cloak from his back and tosses it over my naked form.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and his arm wraps around me as he leads me back to my room.
My prison.