79. The other sweet Prince

Reya immediately stopped breathing, the fear of being unconscious suddenly burning through her brain like an alarm.

She knew what happened when she was unconscious, knew how much Castiel liked it when she wasn’t struggling.

But she could only try to close her legs for so long- or even stop breathing.

All she could feel were nails digging into her flesh, forcing her thighs apart and fabric tearing.

And just like that, a great wave of water washed Reya’s bed. Reya laid coughing on her bed, rasping for air and trying to regain her vision that had been littered with black dots.

She could hardly believe her luck- or how credible it was that water would rise from nowhere and wash Castiel away.

When her vision finally cleared away, the next thing she heard was coughing, the swift slash of a sword and screaming.

Reya immediately sat up and looked to the side that the water had swept through.

Kairo was hissing hotly at the crumpled and wet form of Castiel, his beak parted and picking awfully at Castiel’s body.

Wherever he pecked, Castiel’s flesh was ripped apart and his body was soon turning into a gory bloody mess.

“I warned you, hatchling,” The Lord of The Sea stood before Castiel in his brilliant might.

“I told you to keep in your domain. I told you that the only reason you were alive was because my mate had deemed it fit to have her revenge on you,”

Castiel was still thrashing under Kairo’s angry frame, trying his hardest to injure the bird and throw him off.

“You’ve done well Kairo. You can stand back,” Armani stroked the feathers of the Phoenix.

When The white flame feathered bird leaped back, the water on the floor moved and spun upwards, hoisting up a trident in its slippery grip.

As soon as the trident touched the Lord of The Sea’s hands, it lit up in bright, unforgiving flames.

Castiel’s eyes widened in horror. Oh, but it was too late.

Wielding his trident of flames smoothly, The Lord of The Sea threw his trident through the air. It hissed for the briefest moment, the flames briefly flickering before connecting with Castiel’s hands.

“Argh!!!” The Red Alpha’s heir screamed, sitting up because of the sheer intensity of the excruciating pain.

The Lord of The Sea was silent as he moved, detaching the trident from Castiel’s hand.

Reya noticed with horror that the hand had gone limp. When The Red Alpha’s heir twitched with pain, she noticed with horror that the hand had completely fallen off.

“Please,” he screamed, crying like a baby.

“Please let me go- let me- **argh!!!**”

And just like that, Castiel’s other hand was chopped off.

“Open your mouth,” The Lord of The Sea demanded, his stance still surprisingly calm for someone that had recently been dismantling a body.

Reya noticed mutely that Castiel’s hands weren’t bleeding out. This could only mean that Prince Armani was congealing the blood so that Castiel would not bleed out.

“I can’t- please don’t feed me my hands,” he was crying out in anguish, writhing with pain.

“Okay,” The Lord of The Sea calmly replied.

Then he tossed one of his hands to Kairo. The bird began to savagely pick at the flesh of his hands, dismembering his fingers one by one.

The moment that Castiel realized he would never have hands again was brutal.

“Please! Please have mercy-“

“Open your mouth,” Prince Armani was still as calm as the resting sea.

“Your highness-“

“Don’t you want to have one hand?” He toyed devilishly with Castiel.

“Yes,” Castiel nodded, his action droopy for his chest was losing a lot of blood.

“Then open your mouth,” he charged.

Slowly, lifting himself up on his elbows, Castiel opened his mouth.

“Extend your canines!” His voice was vicious as he enforced his Alpha Royal command on Castiel.

And the Red Alpha’s heir couldn’t say no- not when a superior dragon was commanding him.

However, The sheer horror on Castiel’s face was a sight to behold. He knew, Reya knew- Kairo might have even known what Prince Armani intended to do.

*’The Second Prince is about to make him lose his birth right,’* she thought with a shudder.

Her thoughts were further confirmed when The Prince viciously ripped away his double fangs from his mouth.

That was it. That was the last time Reya would ever refer to him as the heir to Red dragon Alpha.

Without double fangs, an Alpha dragon was as good as useless. He could never become a clan Alpha or even a sub clan Alpha. The best he could become was a warrior or at least enlist in the lord of the sea’s army. But after what Castiel did today, it was quite obvious that he would have no place in his army- neither would the lesser armies even take him up for fear of enraging The Lord of The Sea.

They were so many armies and noble military families in the dragon kingdom and nearly all of them had allied themselves to Prince Armani.

Castiel’s life was as good as finished. With no fangs, no hands and after offending the Royal dragons, he would be as good as an outcast. It was either he was sent to the Lazarus mountains so he would be damned with eternal madness or he would be executed.

And just as she expected, Reya didn’t feel any ounce of pity for him.

After Armani had dismembered his fangs, tens of guards began to pour into the room.

The Prince snarled at them, baring his fangs in a bid to make them stop.

Once they froze, completely confused as to why he didn’t want anyone to take Castiel away, he marched right towards Reya.

Wrapping her in her sheets, he picked her up bridal style and addressed the royal guards.

Reya hid her face in his neck, breathing in his salty scent.

“The whole castle must be awakened. I find it odd he moved past security unharmed. Do we have a traitor in our midst?” He demanded hotly.

“No!” They cried out in unison.

“I was going to tell you! We heard the flapping of wings around the castle but we didn’t see the dragon! The other members of our Royal guard were combing the entire castle in search of any dragon infiltrating the towers!” Another reported.

“You mean to tell me the Royal guard has been up and about?”

“Yes your highness!”

“Very well then. Chain and lock him up. I’m certain the Queen would want to see him,”

And with that he sauntered off, hugging Reya to his chest.

“Reese!” He barked out, walking along the halls of the great castle.

A shadow emerged from the wall, mist and steam shrouding the area until her full body formed.

Reya remembered her as soon as she saw the eye patch, dark skin and twin braids. She was the shadow that ensured she broke down the force field that had trapped them back at the red dragon clan.

“Report to me. What happened?” He demanded.

“It was a cloaking spell,” she answered confidently, marching right beside her master.

“I started following his shadow but he seemed to have noticed the irregularity of a shadow appearing on the walls when there was no body. After that, I was trapped in the walls and had to call you in to save the lady. The Red dragons are aware that The Royal family possess shadows. There’s no way else they could have trapped my body in a wall,”

Reya listened to the thudding of The Lord of The Sea’s heart and the puffs of his breath that indicated that he was beyond furious.

“Very well. Comb the castle with the rest of my band. I don’t want any jumping jacks trying to attack any other women in this place,”

“As you wish, your highness,” she said and vanished, moulding with the shape of the walls.

“I can walk,” Reya said feebly, scratching her aching throat.

She was too shaken to produce a word or even cry about what Castiel tried to do.

“I’m scared,” The Lord of The Sea answered, surprising her.

“I don’t want anything happening to you again. Not when you are under my protection. So please, let me hold you until I can find my mother,”

Reya didn’t know what to say to his sudden vulnerability. She simply leaned her head against Her mate’s chest.

They walked down a long hallway before finally arriving before two double doors.

“Is Her Majesty inside?” He asked the guards.

“Yes, your highness. She has been expecting you,” the guards said and opened the doors and led them into a luxuriously decorated salon.

“Mother,”

“Is she alright?” Her voice was panicked as she rushed towards her son.

“Yes,” Reya answered for herself, slipping out of her mate’s arms.

The Queen’s vines were vibrating with pastel green lights, her eyes roaming over Reya’s frame.

“Did he-“

“No,” she shook her head, her eyes watering.

Gods, she was so scared. She thought that tonight would be a repetition of those awful long nights Seven years ago.

For a second, as she struggled under his powerful arms, clearly overpowering her, she was certain that Castiel would molest her again.

“He got there just in time and he saved me,” Reya whispered.

“Seat, please,” Queen Aprilina’s voice was full of compassion as she pressed Reya’s shoulders until she was laying across a grey sofa.

“Ring the maids for tea. Lemon, ginger and honey. No sugar needed,”

“I am fine,” Reya protested weakly.

“The marks on your neck tell a different tale, sweetheart. I know your throat is sore. Have some tea, you must,” The Queen spoke in that calm, motherly way that made her eyes wet with tears.

Gods, if only she had a mother that would love her this way. If only she had a family that truly loved her and treated her sweetly not because they wanted to later manipulate and rape her.

“I have to heal your bruises too, Reya,” The Queen explained.

The thought of the Queen pressing her hands to the parts of her body that Castiel had just been manhandling filled her with fear.

“You have to appear as though your dragon is fine. If many more people know that she is gone, then more rape attempts would be made on you,”

*Because your dragon is gone and she would not be there to reject the seed of the men that try to make you conceive.*

“Alright,” she nodded, wrapping her arms around her legs.

She just wanted to stop feeling those disgusting fingers pressing into her body. She wanted to feel like her body was hers.

“I have to leave,” The Lord of The Sea announced, glancing to his mate.

Reya immediately panicked, her eyes going wide with fear.

He ignored his mother’s stony glare and knelt beside Reya, cupping the back of her neck and pressing his forehead to hers, an intimate move done by fated mates.

“There is no place I would not go to protect you. There is no danger that can stand against my wrath. Unfortunately, I have to find out what I can to avoid more of this happening. I will be back, I promise,”

“Okay,” she nodded, trying not to let her tears fall.

The Second Prince let out a sigh that showed he wasn’t ready to leave her side either before kissing her forehead.

And with that, he left the room- not without turning around and sending her one more sad glance.

Jessica emerged from the edge of the room and tentatively reached for a trembling Reya. When Her friend collapsed into her arms, Jessica wrapped her arms around her, stroking her back until all her cries left her lips.

When she calmed down, her cup of tea was presented to her. But each swallow hurt worse than the last and worse, her eyes were burning from the stinging pain. She never realized how badly Castiel had strangled her until she was swallowing.

One sad look at the Queen made her nod in understanding.

“It will only take a minute,” she said, lighting up her hands.

Her light magic was very similar to the way Reya healed. Except, she could turn her light into balls and press it against the affected area.

Reya let out a sigh when her throat was fixed.

“Now drink your tea. It will make everything better,”

Reya complied before her hands started to feel weak and she no longer had the strength to hold up her cup.

It seemed to only be a minute after she drank her tea but suddenly, two shadows bursted into the salon.

“The First Prince has arrived.... with quite a number of people,”

*Gale and Daria!*

On hearing that, Reya jumped to her feet and went bolting past the doors.

*********

*Sorry for that cliffhanger teehee. I am not sure when, but I want to make a double update in celebration of 50k reads. Please join my FB group @Amandla M's Bookstars and leave a comment ;)*