Chapter 22
The last few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions. I couldn’t stop thinking about Gwendolyn; needing her, yearning for her. It was our bond, it had awakened even more, the longer we spent together.
And then we were sitting in the carousel, she had picked the horse with the different colored eyes. My eyes. She knew.
There was no denying our connection anymore.
Unfortunately, it also meant the dragon inside me wanted her just as much, and he wouldn’t stop until he had her. It made it almost unbearable to be near her without claiming her in front of the others.
I might have been able to share her heart with Xavier and Malakai… but the dragon inside me could not. He would never be satisfied with only a part of her. He craved to own her, to brand her with every fiber of our being, until there was no question of who she belonged to.
I’d wanted nothing more than to rip that soft, delicate dress from her body and take her so hard and fast against the entrance of the castle, so that everyone who dared to step inside would know she was mine. Only mine.
But I kept myself in check. For her sake, and for mine. I didn’t know how it would be if I truly bonded with her, how my powers would change—how I would change.
Still, it was getting worse.
The longer I remained unbonded to her, the harder it became to function in my own body. It was getting so hard to fall asleep, to even shift into my dragon form without having her on my mind and the things I wanted to do with her.
The dragon clawed at my mind relentlessly, screaming for her. Not that I’d blame this side of me. It’s purely animalistic, instinctive and only yearned to possess her. It craved her just as much as I did.
And now the craving became so strong that the only form I could find rest in was my dragon shell.
Being wrapped in my own scaled armor, close to the Ancient Springs, I felt stable, less afraid to lose myself completely.
The water was the only thing able to control my emotions, the only way to prevent the storm raging inside me from winning.
The Ancient Springs were more than just water.
It was a sacred place, existing before all kingdoms rose and bloodlines claimed their thrones.
The place had not shown itself until the moment my dragon powers first awakened.
It was a response, a reflection of the beast I was carrying inside me.
The ancient statues surrounding the silver water portrayed forgotten deities, just like I was said to be.
Something revered once, then buried and left behind. And now, mainly feared.
Except for Gwendolyn. When our eyes first met, there had been no fear, no insecurity, just plain admiration and curiosity.
It was one of the reasons why Xavier had chosen to build Carnivalland here. Not out of strategy, not even out of safety. But because something drew him to the water, just as much as me.
At first, I didn’t understand why, but I believed it was the connections I was able to build up to her in the water, before I even knew where she was, or who she was.
Gwendolyn was the reason my own magic started to focus better, and yet I wasn’t sure if our bonding could pull magic from the edges where I’d kept it buried for so long.
Carnivalland had never been Xavier’s creation, it had all been hers. Her dreams, wishes, everything she yearned for, breathed into the land itself. She was the reason why I was feeling at home. And yet there was this burning hunger inside me, which only yearned to claim and possess her.
I rested in the lake, the silver water shimmering around my scales, making them look more purple than blue.
For a moment, I felt something stir around me… it was my bond.
It was her.
Instinctively, I shifted back. My dragon form melted away in a swirl of light and heat, and I emerged in my human form, the cold night air kissing my bare skin.
And then I heard a gasp. I turned my head and there she was. Gwendolyn.
Standing just a few feet away from me, wearing a flowy white dress.
Gods, she was breathtakingly beautiful, and she had absolutely no idea how much it affected me.
But it seemed like I was affecting her just as much, because her heart was racing.
Almost as if it was speaking with me in a language meant only for my ears.
And here I stood, completely naked in front of her, the water only reaching my hips. If she came closer, the love of my life could see anything through the water.
I guess we were even, now.
“Gwendolyn,” I murmured. “You shouldn’t be here,” I added, but there was no heat to the words. Only need, raw and thrumming between us.
It was late. What was she doing outside?
It wasn’t because it was dangerous. Carnivalland was solely owned by Xavier, and he knew every single person living here.
But Xavier knew I was here… so he must have told her. And she wanted to see me. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but no words came out of her sweet mouth.
Instead, she simply stood there, caught between shyness and the same desperate pull that was tearing me apart right now.
I couldn’t touch her, even if I wanted to. Because if I would, there would be no going back. The bond between us crackled, a living, breathing thing that only wanted one thing. Her, in my bed.
“I was trying to sleep… when I saw you from the balcony in your dragon form,” she said, her eyes trying to look anywhere but my naked form. The more steps she took toward me, the more steps I took back.
I wasn’t prepared yet. What would happen if I gave in?
Suddenly, she lowered herself to sit on the smooth edge of the stone surrounding the lake, letting her bare feet slip into the glimmering water. My eyes trailing down her bare legs, as the moonlight cast a silver glow over them. She didn’t speak at first, just looked at me.
But not with lust, like I had the first time I saw her naked. It was different, it felt like she was seeing me.
As if I was something precious—not the beast inside me, but so much more, for her.
I began to move toward her slowly, until both of my hands rested at her sides, against the marble stone. My fingers brushed against her legs, drawing a slow shiver from her. Her skin was so warm and soft and begging to be touched by me.
“Why are you really outside?” I asked her gently.
“I saw you in your dragon form… I was curious, and wanted to see you,” she confessed. A smile escaped me.
“And why are you here?” she asked, her tone gentle—too gentle—as if she felt the need to be cautious when talking with me.
I hesitated, my thoughts still in chaos. “I needed to get my mind off things.”
She tilted her head at me, her fingers about to brush in my hair, but they stilled.
“Off what?”
I turned to her, my gaze taking every single inch of her beauty in. “Off you.”
Her breath caught, like she still couldn’t understand the connection I have to her.
There was this undeniable force of energy between us, and although I wanted to control myself, she was too tempting. I needed her.
I leaned in, brushing my lips over her upper lip as cautiously as possible, then trailing down the softness of her lower lip.
I lingered there for a second, too afraid that she would regret it.
But she didn’t move until her lips tasted mine again, the faint scent of cherries and pears filling my head like the magical medicine I’d needed for so long to finally be able to ground myself.
I deepened the kiss, my tongue sliding into her mouth, causing the faintest whimper from her lips and making the dragon inside me stir.
He wanted to claim her right now, wanted her just as much as me.
“I need to breathe,” she gasped against my lips, her chest heaving. I broke the kiss just enough to let her catch her breath, but the moment I pulled back, my hands clung to her immediately.
“You belong to me,” I growled, my voice thick, roughened by the beast within. “Even the lungs filled with air to breathe are listening to my command.”
My mouth captured her soft lips again, letting the kiss grow deeper, hungrier.
Her breaths quickened as my fingers slipped under her panties and caressed her sweet flesh under the fabric.
I was afraid I went too far, but as she started to shift her hips and moved against them, I knew she needed me just as much.
She was incredibly responsive to my touch, but now it was like she felt every movement of my fingers, and it was my goal to bring her the orgasm of her life.
I began to slowly slide off her panties, cupping her sex.
“Damien,” she whispered softly and closed her eyes.
Her body was already starting to calm down. With all my caution I began pushing a finger inside her, slowly and steady, so her body could adjust to it.
And then her gaze drifted suddenly away from my face, looking around.
“What’s wrong?” I asked instantly, cupping her cheek with my hand and pulling her focus back to me.
“I’m smelling him…”
I immediately knew she was talking about my brother.
Malakai.
“Where do you smell him?”
“Here.”
“Here?” I frowned, scanning the surroundings, but there was only water. No movement, nothing.
She nodded. “Yes,” she said, her voice breaking into a whisper. “It’s the strongest it’s ever been.”
“What are you feeling?”
“My whole body is tingling… and it’s pulling me... like it’s trying to drag me under the water to find him.” She lowered her head, ashamed. “But… I’m not a good swimmer.”
“Even if you could, I’d never let you risk your life like that,” I said firmly, lifting her chin so she could see the truth in my eyes. I pressed my forehead against hers, steadying both of us. There was no way I’d ever let her put my life above hers.
“He’s… hurting,” she whispered, placing a hand over my heart.
My brother was hurt, and he had been trying to reach her all this time through their shared connection.
“Let me help you,” I murmured. “Can I look into your memories? Maybe it will help me expand my powers, even here.”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes, reaching for the bond between us and slipping through it, into her mind.
I hated the risk of seeing things she wouldn’t want to show me, but I tried to solely concentrate on the connection we both had with Malakai.
It felt like falling. Images of her childhood went past me—the loneliness she felt, the bright joy she felt in the Faerie Village, and then there was another scene.
It included her talking to some shadow in her room, and I knew it must be my brother.
Angels were able to cast a glow of themselves through different dimensions, but it cost a lot of energy.
I used this memory of them both and dived deeper, until a strange feeling arose in my chest. Suddenly I was being pulled into a hidden place, an underground river, where the air smelled thick and metallic. It was dark, but I was able to catch a glimpse of white hair.
I reached out blindly in her dreamscape, and suddenly the ground shifted under my feet, pulling me down. The water started to disappear around me.
I wasn’t in Gwendolyn’s memories anymore.
I was inside whatever hidden place her soul had sensed.
The realization hit me like a lightning strike.
Malakai had been trapped here the entire time. Alive. Somewhere below the Ancient Springs. And he was calling out to her through her bond, through her dreams, begging for help.
And now, we were here.
I looked over at Gwendolyn, realizing I took her right with me. Into the depths of whatever portal, I had just opened.