Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Deep red and purple streaks paint the sky as the last light of day fades into the sea. Standing there on the balcony, I gaze out at the endless horizon while intense longing pulses in my chest. I had no idea that it was possible to yearn this desperately for a place I have never been.
But oh, I want it. I want it so badly that my chest aches. With Draven by my side, I want to just fly right into that open horizon and see it all. Laugh. Breathe. Live. Finally live. After everything we have been through, we deserve that. Draven deserves that. I deserve that.
“You remember that old, grumpy, gray dragon I told you about?” Draven asks from next to me.
He is standing behind me and a little to the right, so that he can also gaze out at the beautiful view. He rests both of his hands on the balcony railing, keeping me between his arms.
I removed my jacket earlier, so now I’m only wearing the leather pants and the thin white shirt that I wear underneath the fighting leathers.
Since Draven has access to his wardrobe here, he has changed out of his dragon scale armor and is now only wearing a pair of pants and a black, short-sleeved shirt.
With no armor to act as a barrier, the heat from his body warms my back, and his intoxicating scent of night mist and embers envelops me and fills my lungs with every breath.
“The one who trained you and taught you how to use your storm powers?” I reply, still watching the way the colorful sky is reflected in the vast water.
“Yes.” He lifts one of his hands from the railing and points straight into the sunset. “She came from that direction. And she left in that direction too.”
My heart flutters with excitement. “Maybe one day, we can try to find her homeland.”
Leaning down, he brushes a kiss against the side of my neck. “One day, we will see it all.”
I smile.
For a few minutes, we just stand there in comfortable silence and watch the last rays of the colorful sunset fade from the sky.
Below us, candles and torches are lit all across the beautiful city.
They spread out like a glittering sea in all directions before the city meets the actual sea beyond.
Since Draven is the clan leader, he lives in that grand half-castle, half-mansion building in the middle of the city.
But apparently, he has a private house on another island as well.
“We have an hour or so before the celebration kicks off in the gathering hall,” Draven says, and nods towards that large one-story building that looks relatively flat compared to all the two-story buildings around the massive open square. “Is there anything else you want to see before then?”
After he and the others finished handling those initial clan matters, he showed me around his city before ending here at his grand mansion.
I sweep my gaze over the area, trying to think if there is anything else I’m curious about.
But we’ve seen most places that I wanted to see already.
The only thing we haven’t really explored is this almost castle-like house.
He brought us in through a private side door rather than the front, and he has mostly just shown me the residential parts of the building.
If this is the clan leader’s house, there must be some kind of official receiving hall or something.
“If other clan leaders come to see you, where do you receive them?” I ask, turning in his arms to look up at him.
A devilish smile spreads across his lips. “You mean, where do I lord my power over them?”
I laugh. “Yes. That.”
His wings rustle as he spreads them out wide across the balcony. Then he scoops me into his arms and launches into the air. My stomach lurches at the sudden start, and I tighten my arms around his neck. A satisfied chuckle rumbles from his chest.
We land on the ground outside the grand doors to Draven’s half-castle. After kissing my forehead, he gently sets me down and tucks his wings in tighter again. I straighten my clothes while he unlocks the door and then pulls one of them open.
“Welcome to my seat of power,” he says, a wicked glint in his eyes as he motions for me to enter.
It feels like I’m about to walk into some kind of trap, but with Draven, I don’t actually mind that, so I just saunter in through the door.
Torches flare to life all along the walls the moment I step inside.
Surprised, I turn back to Draven. But before I can ask about it, I find him closing and locking the door behind us.
“Locking me in, huh?” I flash him a smirk. “You know how that usually works out for you.”
Shaking his head, he lets out a short chuckle. “Yes, you do seem to have an uncanny ability to get out of locked rooms.”
I wink and then turn to face the room again.
A sense of awe fills me as I take in the high-ceilinged hall before me.
The floor is made of black stone, and it gleams when the torchlight is reflected against it.
Those torches line the walls of the rectangular room, running all the way down to the other short side.
Almost all the remaining space on the walls is taken up by incredibly detailed works of art that look to have been painted straight onto them.
Starting forward across the floor, I stare in wonder at those breathtaking paintings as I walk. They all depict epic battle scenes over a stormy sea, making it feel like I’m walking through the echoes of a great war.
“Wow,” I breathe, still gazing at the stunning art as I move towards the other end of the room.
“Yeah,” Draven replies with a soft laugh where he is walking along next to me. “The clan leader who designed this sure knew how to set the tone for negotiations.”
He’s right. Walking through this place, I can practically feel the power thrumming inside the walls. It sends a very clear message. You do not want the Black Dragon Clan as your enemy.
“It’s very…” I begin, but then I trail off as I reach the room’s other short side.
My eyes widen as I take in the grand piece of furniture there.
An imposing black throne is situated atop a small dais.
The shining black floor rises into steps leading up to the impressive seat of power, which takes up practically the entirety of that small platform.
It has a spacious seating area, and flat and sturdy armrests that end in fierce decorations that look like snarling dragon heads.
I raise my eyebrows as I take in the dangerous-looking black spikes that crown the back of the chair.
“You have a throne,” I state, rather superfluously.
Draven slides me a knowing look. “Are you in any way surprised?”
“No. It suits you.” I flash him a villainous smile as I add, “Sir.”
Burning desire flares up in his eyes, making them glint in the torchlight.
With that wicked smile on my lips, I saunter up the steps until I reach the ones right below the throne. Then I turn back towards Draven and lower myself to my knees there.
“So, is this where you want me?” I ask, my voice full of teasing. “Kneeling at the foot of your throne?”
He strides up the steps until he reaches me. Dark desire still burns in his eyes as he looks down at me, but there is a sly smile on his lips as he reaches down and takes a firm grip on the collar of my shirt.
“No,” he says.
My heart skips a beat as he suddenly yanks me up from the steps and turns me so that my back is towards the throne.
Releasing my collar, he instead gives my chest a firm shove.
Cool stone meets me as I hit the smooth surface.
It takes me another second to process where I’ve ended up. Sitting. On his throne.
“This is where I want you,” Draven says, his golden eyes glittering.
My pulse thrums as I hold his gaze.
He slides his tongue along his bottom lip as he watches me sit there on his throne, as if drinking in the sight of it. Then he slips his hand into his pocket, and something metallic clangs faintly.
“Now, if only there was some way I could keep you here forever,” Draven muses, that wicked glint in his eyes. The sly smile on his handsome face widens as he draws out a pair of steel handcuffs and dangles them in the air before me. “Oh, wait.”
Heat rushes through me, but I try to keep an expression of challenge on my face as I arch an eyebrow at him. “Seriously? You just happened to be carrying a pair of handcuffs?”
“I always carry handcuffs when I’m around you, you troublesome little rebel.” He nods towards my chest. “Now, take off your shirt and raise your hands above your head.”
My clit throbs at the command in his voice, and I bite my lip. I shift my weight slightly as I watch him spin the handcuffs around his finger in an incredibly distracting and unnecessarily hot way.
He narrows his eyes at me. “Azaroth help you if I have to tell you twice.”
A rush of desire pulses through me. While holding his searing gaze, I sit up a little straighter and grab the hem of my shirt.
His eyes burn with deep desire as he watches me pull the shirt over my head.
It flutters down to the smooth black steps as I drop it at Draven’s feet.
Then I lean back in the chair and raise my arms above my head.
Satisfaction glitters in Draven’s eyes as he bends down over me and takes my jaw in a commanding grip. “Good girl.”
A shiver of pleasure rolls down my spine.
He steals a possessive kiss from my lips before releasing my chin and instead reaching towards my hands.
My core throbs as he snaps the handcuffs shut around my wrists, locking the manacles behind one of the tall spikes atop the backrest. I pull tentatively at my restraints, but they now keep my arms firmly trapped above my head.
With heat pulsing inside me, I tilt my head back and look up at my mate.
His intense gaze burns through my soul as he watches me. “Fuck, you’re perfect.”