40. Artio
forty
Artio
*AZADEH*
G illean stays with Alana the whole day and the following night. Everyone’s exhausted from being up for more than forty-eight hours. Eventually, though, Endellion and Caelan manage to lure their father away, reasoning with him that he needs to rest, or he wouldn’t be in the right state of mind to defend his pack, if necessary.
“But, she can’t be alone,” Gillean insists. “She needs a familiar face when she wakes up.”
“I will stay with her,” Simin promises. “I consider Princess Alana a friend, and I will make sure she isn’t alone when she wakes up.”
“We can take turns,” Eibhlin offers. We have made sure she was spared from seeing the wounds on her sister’s body. Despite her slightly creepy attitude, she is still a child. But now that she wants to help, there is nothing we can say against that.
In fact, it’s probably helpful for Alana to have one of her sisters there.
“I can… too,” Kilah offers. “I just don’t know… if…” Her voice trails off. “Maybe it’s better if I help somewhere else,” she finally says, just a little too upbeat. “Some of the warriors are still recovering.”
“Yes, they will be happy and honored to have their princess attend to them,” Endellion tells her.
“Really?” she asks. When he nods, she seems to be relieved and instantly hurries to work. We leave Simin with Alana for now and promise that Eibhlin will join her later, while the rest of us gather in the private dining room to eat and drink something. Later tonight, we will also need to say goodbye to the fallen warriors.
When the maids serve us our tea and early dinner, a surprise guest joins us: Aylin and… the young dragon.
“It’s time,” Aylin says without further ado. “I know most of you are still grieving, but we don’t have too much time to allow us to grieve.”
“I agree,” Tynan growls. “My mate is still out there.”
“He isn’t wrong,” Flinn agrees. “We have Royan and Shayan still undercover and they’re relying on us to have their backs, which, frankly, we haven’t.”
“With that said,” Aylin says urgently. “Let me introduce the young man who fended off the creature. He stayed with me ever since our warriors returned to get some rest, too.”
The young man looks at us shyly. “I’m Elio,” he says, shifting around nervously.
I can’t believe that I completely forgot we had a dragon shifter among us. Going by the perplexed expressions around me, I assume I’m not the only one who forgot.
The king is the first to regain his composure and takes a step forward to be eye-to-eye with the young dragon shifter. He smiles. “I thank you for saving our warriors, Elio. My name is Gillean.”
Elio nods. “You are the Alpha King,” he points out.
“You know about us?”
“Of course,” he smiles proudly. “I’m a dragon prince.”
“You are of royal blood?” Endellion asks, stunned.
Elio nods. “That’s why I can shift so early,” he says proudly.
“Elio is sixteen,” Aylin fills us in. “He has only recently been able to shift. He told me only the royal dragons shift so early.”
Gillean begins to introduce us all to the young dragon. Elio follows his words curiously, beaming happily whenever someone greets him. “It’s the first time I’ve gotten to meet so many new people,” he says happily. “I’ve been hiding until now.”
“And what made you come out of hiding?” Endellion asks.
“It was time,” he says. “My family’s prophecy said so. It said once I am sixteen, I will meet the Warrior Princess with the fiery hair.”
The others are clearly stunned. Another prophecy… probably one intertwined with the one concerning the werewolves. “What else did your prophecy say, Elio?” Endellion wants to know.
“I don’t know all of it as most of it concerns my brother,” he says. “But, something about a creature rising from the other world.”
“The other world?” Quinn blinks.
“What shouldn’t be here will be present,” Elio recites. “And Artio will rise, clouded by darkness and despair.”
“Did you say Artio!?” Eibhlin blurts out.
“Artio…” Endellion frowns. “Like the mythical creature, Artio?”
“She is more than that,” Eibhlin explains. “She is a deity, a lesser deity but still a deity, said to be the goddess of the bears, but she also stands for new life, for fertility. She normally rests in winter and wakes in spring.”
“The creature shouldn’t be awake,” Elio agrees. “But she is. That’s what our prophecy said.”
“The more we find out, the more confusing this gets,” Flinn mutters. “We started with weird attacks on our packs at the borders. Now we have a conspiracy within the bears who are enchanted, a mysterious prophecy surrounding Ende, Flinn and I… and Aza. The woman in white strolls around, terrifying everyone. Dragons who were said to be extinct return, with Aza being connected to one of them in her dreams. And now a mysterious bear deity pops up. Did I forget anything?”
“No, that’s about it,” Caelan says quietly.
Elio turns around, his eyes finally falling on me. He gapes. “It’s you!” he blurts out.
His surprise makes me blink. “You know me?”
“Yes, yes! You are part of my brother’s prophecy. My brother kept telling me about you when I was a child.” He rummages for something in the little bag he carries, before taking out an old notebook. There are notes and pictures in it. He looks through it before he turns it over to show me something. It’s a drawing of… me. Prosperity is written next to my name. The Desert Princess of Prosperity and Wealth.
My ears start ringing. “Who is your brother?” I ask. “The one who told you about me?”
“The Crown Prince,” he explains, suddenly looking sad. “He has been imprisoned for many years now. His name is Favian.”
Favian! The young dragon I’m meeting in my dreams. I knew it! The moment I saw Elio, he reminded me of Favian.
“You are Favian’s little brother?” Endellion asks, before correcting himself. “Prince Favian’s?”
Elio nods. “My nanny, my bodyguard and I hid away for many years. Favian told us to do so. They said I was crucial for saving our species.” He looks proud. “Everyone thought I was dead. I was waiting for the Warrior Princess with fiery hair to appear. My mother once saw her when she was a child, so we knew she was a werewolf princess. My bodyguard has been watching her ever since.”
So it was Favian’s and Elio’s mother who Alana spotted as a child.
“Elio.” Flinn steps closer and looks at him kindly. “Who is responsible for killing so many of you? The woman in white? Cailleach?”
“Yes… no…” Elio looks confused. “She wasn’t always Cailleach.”
“But she is now?” I want to know.
“I think so,” Elio says.
“What does that mean?” Caelan asks.
“She was just a woman first, searching for something, and then she turned into this…” he pauses. “Nightmare.”
“How is that possible?” I ask Aylin. “Cailleach is a deity, after all. How can someone else turn into her?”
“It might be that said woman in white merged with the sadness and pain of other women,” Aylin says. “Like Eibhlin believes.”
Eibhlin nods her agreement. “It’s possible that a witch channeled this energy and turned her into Cailleach or another version of her. But this is just a guess. We don’t know for certain what happened.”
“A witch.” Elio nods. “A witch was with her at first. She bound our powers and killed many of us. She wanted Favian, because he is a golden dragon, the only one who still exists. But Favian hibernated. He hid in his own mind and slipped from her grasp. His body alone isn’t worth anything. They need him awake. I think she bound him with a medallion, though. So, his mind can’t completely slip away.”
“They can’t reach him while he is hiding away in his dreams,” I mutter. “Elio… do you have a sister too?”
“No,” he shakes his head.
“Do you know another dragon shifter, a female one, named Favia?” I ask him.
Again, he just shakes his head. “I’m sorry, no.”
“Then how about you try to describe the witch to me,” Aylin offers. “Anything you know… Her appearance might not be crucial, as she can probably change it, but small details are important… tattoos, runes… jewelry.”
“Like that tattoo of an eye?” he asks.
“An eye?” Endellion asks, appalled. “She is a cultist!”
“If she is that powerful, she is probably leading it,” Aylin claims.
“That’s where Shayan is…” Tynan breaks the silence. “That’s where he and Royan went. Quinn mentioned they were about to meet a witch.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Quinn tries to reason. “They could be somewhere else. It’s true they went to research the cult, but it doesn’t mean they are at the heart of it.”
“Beta,” Tynan says seriously. “I know they are there. I don’t know how… but my gut feeling… I know it isn’t much, but-”
“It’s okay,” Endellion reassures him. “It’s a lead, and we will certainly follow it. Hopefully, it will lead us to your mate and our other Gamma.”
*ENDELLION*
I brush my fingers over Azadeh’s face when we settle for the night. “You should sleep in tomorrow,” I offer.
She turns in my arms, smiling at me. “You worry too much, my prince.”
The last two days have been wearing on Azadeh’s nerves. She has spent a lot of time with Elio and Aylin, trying to figure out where Favian is currently being kept, and where the witch is hiding. Together with Quinn, they have tried to reconstruct the path Shayan and Royan took after leaving the town at the border.
On top of that, Alana hasn’t woken up yet, worrying us more. It seems like her inner organs have taken a bigger hit than we thought, and while Aylin is sure that she will recover, she doesn’t know when and how.
Ever since we met Elio, a lot more has come to the surface. Finally, we have answers to our most urgent questions, though more questions have arisen as well. Something else struck me though about his story. The dragon shifters struggled to a point they almost became extinct. It’s true that they had battles beforehand and fought with each other - the reason as to why is still unknown to us - but the fact an outside force almost wiped them out of existence, and no one helped them, saddens me.
Aza is exhausted, too, and her dreams are coming back with much force. One night I had to stop her from climbing out of the window, ending in Aylin putting incense and other herbs in our room to stop Cailleach or rather, the woman in white, from entering her mind.
“You still look worried,” Azadeh’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
I wrap her in my arms. Her smell is divine, everything about her is. I can’t believe how lucky I am that she chose me, that she fell in love with me.
She reaches out her hand to touch my cheek. “I can’t wait to carry your mark,” she says, almost like she can read my thoughts.
For a moment, Caspian comes forward, her words spurring him on. “And we want to place it on your neck as soon as possible.”
“I’m ready when you are, Caspian,” she says. “But, I think for Endellion it’s important to do this properly. He wants a marking ceremony, and he certainly wants Alana and his mother to be there for it.”
Caspian grumbles a bit, but eye to eye with our chosen mate, he can’t stay stubborn. Instead, he wraps her tighter in his arms, starting to kiss her neck. I let him, as I didn’t have much time to let him out recently. We both chose Azadeh as our mate, and he is entitled to have some privacy with her.
He rolls on top of her, pressing her down into the mattress while kissing her neck. “You will carry our mark here,” he growls. “Soon.”
Aza wraps her arms around his neck. “Yes,” she smiles. “Thank you for choosing me as your mate, Caspian.”
Caspian is clearly happy with her answer, retreating to let me take the lead again. I pick up where he started, eagerly kissing her before moving my lips over her neck and further downwards. I push her nightgown up, my hands brushing over her naked thighs. My hands keep roaming her body, and for a moment I’m scared this will be too much for her. But she doesn’t seem to mind. Instead, she curves her back, moving into my touches.
“Tell me when to stop, princess,” I smirk while slipping beneath her nightgown and kissing the inner side of her thighs.
Azadeh’s breath hitches slightly. “Don’t stop.”
“Are you scared?” I ask, while easing her panties down.
“No,” she murmurs, gasping when I brush my thumbs over her folds. “And that’s what scares me.”
I circle her clit with my thumb, pulling her lips slightly apart before bending down and guiding my tongue over her moist center.
She is so wet already; she is so eager. Our hot mate. I reach my hands up, feeling her breasts through the soft fabric of her nightgown. I knead them, the fabric between our skins allowing me to handle them a little rougher. She seems to like it, as she tugs her nightgown upwards to free her breasts for me.
She is so stunning, so beautiful. Everything about her is perfect. I attach my lips to one of her nipples, feeling it between my lips, while my other hand roams her body. I try to get a feel for what she likes, and how her body responds.
Her skin is smooth, and her scent heavenly, filling my nostrils and almost making me feel dizzy with want.
I move downwards again, lifting her by her hips and putting her legs on my shoulder before focusing on her core again. When I lick over her folds and sink my tongue into the cleft between her legs, it draws the first moan from her.
I revel in the sweet sounds she makes while I continue to lick her and fuck her with my tongue. I use my thumb to brush over her clit before attaching more pressure to it. A shiver goes through her, and she clenches her legs around my neck.
I smirk against the soft skin of her folds while I move my hands to her legs, loosening the hold on me again and spreading them. I revel in her beauty for a moment, trying to take it all in. Her beautiful bronze skin, the shape of her hips and breasts, her slightly parted lips and the flush on her face.
I can’t believe she chose me.
I dive my head between her legs again, pushing my finger into her core, while teasing her clit with my tongue. Another shiver goes through her body.
“This feels so good, Endellion,” she moans.
“You taste so sweet, Aza,” I say, grazing my teeth over her clit before sucking at it. I add a second finger for more friction, pushing them into her wetness.
She moans, arching her back, her muscles are clenching. She raises her hands, clenching her fingers into my hair, while another moan leaves her lips. “This feels…” she pants, “amazing.”
I feel incredibly proud of getting such a reaction from her. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit that, but it just makes me happy that I managed to do that. “How can I repay the favor?” she asks, batting her beautiful eyes at me.
My body heats up instantly at her words, and my erection hardens.
“I-”
Endellion , my father’s voice comes through the mind link. If you are not asleep yet, come to the meeting room. We are trying to find a new connection to Royan.
I groan, turning around and dropping onto my back.
Azadeh looks at me and chuckles. “Did a mind link come through?”
“The next time, I will make sure to put a block up,” I grumble.
“I can wait for you,” she offers. “And, then return the favor.”
I reach my hand out to brush over her cheek, planting a kiss on her lips. “No, go to sleep. I doubt this will be done in an hour.”
Azadeh nods, snuggling back into the pillow while I get up grudgingly. I love my family, really, but right now I wish I was a hermit, living alone in a small cottage, just my mate with me.