36. Chapter 36
thirty-six
M y pace is slow and hesitant as I follow Hephaestus around another clan, as I’ve done for many days now. All to show the other Dominions, Wardens—everybody—what power Cedric holds. To show that I’m his mate, wearing his mark on my neck.
Every visit is the same, at least, with one question. Why hasn’t the Draconis marked you?
Every day, those words sound better than the day before, but the lashes, the pain that follows, make me wonder if I’m doing the right thing.
And my growing weakness is proof that we haven’t mated yet to seal his mark. I never realized the effects of a bond, even a forced one. It was never explained to me, but neither was it needed to be since normally, once you’re marked, the mating happens quickly after. Every moment, I decide to take the pain, to take the weakness, all to keep his touch from my skin.
I haven’t found a single evidence of Ares and Ethan’s deaths, nor have I found anything that tells me they are still alive.
Maybe I’m just waiting for my death, hoping to start anew and for Ares to find me again, but then I think of Ethan. A love I’ll never have again.
Perhaps Ares isn’t coming back either…
I sigh as my stomach rumbles, grazing my fingers over it, feeling my ribs and the dip beneath it. The last time I was this slim was when the headmistress of the orphanage tried to teach me a lesson. It didn’t stick, though, because I had absolutely no idea what I did wrong.
A smile tugs on my lips, thinking about those days, wishing I could go back and do it again, only with a different outcome.
“What happened to the orphanage at Slatebane?” I ask Nyra while knowing she never stayed there, but it’s still nice to pretend, to talk to someone who seems to help me in any way possible.
She dresses my wounds after Hephaestus unleashes his anger, secretly bringing food, and puts me in garments that won’t be so easily ripped from my body.
“The Slatebane clan is deserted, Draconis. All the shifters and riders have found a new clan to call home.”
My steps come to a stop as Hephaestus speaks to a Dominion I’ve never seen before. The color yellow is woven into his armor, revealing we’re in Sunfire Fang.
At least I’ve got some books to read while locked in my prison.
“Nyra, why is the Slatebane clan dissolved?”
She shifts uneasily on her feet, her gaze flicking from me to her Aetherion. “All the slaves, Netherlings, have found their new masters, new shifters. Aetherion Cedric doesn’t see the need to keep that clan home… occupied. ”
“And the town?” The small, bustling little town where Ethan took me.
“All deserted, Draconis.” She bows her head, and a branch breaks behind me, chilling my spine, warning me of my new keeper.
Goosebumps break out on my skin as my ribs tighten. The anger I once had has morphed into fear, but my defiance remains.
I turn, my chin raised as a false smile tugs on my lips.
His stormy gaze rakes over my form as he licks his lips.
“Aetherion,” I say, stepping up to him as I know he’s expecting.
A smug smile spreads, a triumph glinting in his eyes. “I have a present for you, my Draconis. Well, Dominion Fangar has.”
I blink as I’m sure it won’t be something I want. The Sunfire Fang leader moves beside Hephaestus and speaks. “The bodies of the late Aetherion and his Warden, Draconis.”
My blood runs cold as my face falls. With a thick swallow, I muster a response, trying to keep up with the fa?ade to avoid Hephaestus’s wrath.
“Where were they found?” I ask, my voice steady as my heart cracks.
“Outside the estate of Valorcrest.”
I hum, lacing my fingers together to keep them from trembling as I gaze up at Cedric’s eyes, watching as Hephaestus glares back at me, an amusing smirk tugging on the corner of his lips.
“Show us,” he says without breaking our stare.
“Of course, Aetherion. This way.” Fangar steps aside, gesturing south, and I move.
I have no idea how long the trip will take, and it seems neither does Hephaestus as his smug smile drops slightly after ten minutes.
His men, his warriors—or should I say Cedric’s warriors—are scattered around, making sure no one dares to come our way, and still, I have this sense of hope.
Hope that Ares and Ethan are still alive and this is all a ploy to get to me .
“How much further?” Hephaestus asks as the midday sun burns on our skin.
“Just over that ridge, Aetherion,” Fangar says as he falls back. An act that Hephaestus notices as well.
He lifts his hand in the air, curling his fingers into a fist, and his warriors freeze. Silence follows, nothing other than the soft breeze rustling through the bushes and a bird chirping in the distance.
Ripley stands closer, his stance widening, and I sigh. “Oh, now you want to protect me.”
“Why are you stopping?” Hephaestus spits at the Dominion. His head drops, and his hands raise.
“The ridge is the border of our land. I won’t step a single foot within Valorcrest.”
“Why?” Hephaestus asks, his impatience showing by the vein bulging in the crook of his neck.
Fangar’s brows knit. His lips part slightly as confusion edges on his features, and I wonder what Hephaestus said wrong. Surely, he can’t know any more about the dragon culture than I do.
At least I have lived here my entire life.
“Aetherion, the legend?”
A soft giggle rumbles in my chest, and I shield my smile with my hand.
The Dominion’s brow raises as Hephaestus doesn’t respond.
“From the ashes he’ll be reborn, from the fire he’ll merge. Death won’t keep him as he is death. He is war,” Fangar says and takes a steady breath. “Anyone who dares to stain their feet, their boots, their claws with his ashes will be cursed to endure death’s wrath.”
“Those are just tales. He isn’t a—”
“God?” I ask.
Cedric’s angry gaze pierces mine, and I know I’ll pay for that one word, but it will be worth it. Because I can see that single glint of dread. All he went through just so he wouldn’t have to stand against Ares in single combat. All those tricks he needed to win, to control everything.
“The Sunfire Fang has always been in good graces with Ares’ lineage, and we stand by our new Aetherion…” Fangar pauses as his light yellow eyes stare briefly at me. “And his Draconis… but we’ve seen the power Valorcrest holds. Our history, our clan, is built on the destruction of Nythralia , and we won’t risk being next.”
Ripley shifts at the word Nythralia, but Hephaestus’s chuckles draw my attention from the movement. “You fear his bones more than me?”
“Fear? I won’t say we have feared our late Aetherion and those before him, but… our bond with his lineage precedes his death. We can’t break our promise.”
“How do you know he’s dead? How did your men find his bones?”
His lips curve. “We didn’t find his bones, but others have. Those who are part of the Valorcrest Clan.”
Hephaestus huffs. “They are all dead.”
Fangar shakes his head. “You killed some of the late Aetherion’s warriors, but Valorcrest reaches much further than one estate.”
The warriors move in the shadows of the forest, and Hephaestus mumbles under his breath.
“You two.” He points to two of his men. “Stay with the Dominion. If we aren’t back within the next three hours, kill him.”
My throat dries, and I meet the Dominion’s gaze, thinking I should find some annoyance or fear, but he only bows his head and takes the two warriors with him.
“Even though he’s a yellow tail dragon, they are mighty warriors,” Ripley whispers .
“I thought they didn’t have any… like… special abilities.”
“True, but it isn’t needed. Too many shifters rely on their powers, forgetting what they are.” His words don’t match the anger in his eyes. This is hatred I haven’t seen before, and it makes me wonder if there’s something I need to know.
“What kind of dragon are you?”
He clears his throat. “Sapphire.”
My brows draw as I don’t believe him. Something doesn’t feel right. I can’t explain it, this itch under my skin. But I’ve known a sapphire dragon, and I know what their power is.
My actions are quicker than my breath, and as Ripley takes a step to follow behind Hephaestus, I extend my leg, knowing he should see it coming, right?
My ankle hooks with his feet, and he stumbles slightly. His head whips back, and his brows pinch together.
“You’re not a Sapphire,” I whisper and walk past him, watching him closely as he swallows thickly.
My trust in those around me thins as I follow Hephaestus, leading us over the stone ridge into Valorcrest lands.