Chapter 81 CHAPTER 81
DRACO'S POV
What on earth is wrong with me?
How does the existence of just one person destabilise my life so much?
I looked at the reports in front of me again, like I hadn't looked at them five times already and struggled to figure out a solution.
For some reason, the King believes I'm his second in command and sends me problems he and his Council filled with swollen-bellied men are supposed to be solving.
The court was a battle of pride and corruption, one I'll never be a part of, yet I get its responsibilities.
And now, I was tasked with this disease that's spreading like wildfire.
I stood up and walked out of my office, firmly shutting it after that one incident years ago.
Why anyone would steal a book and return it afterwards didn't make sense to me but I knew the Book of The Origin was missing for six hours and I have always been paranoid after that.
The doctor has been here for no longer than a day and he was already irritating me.
I firmly blame him for Alira's behaviour. I mean, we'd established a sort of relationship before now.
ShadowRider scoffed in my head at the thought
“What?” I grunted back, “she was warming up to me and I was sure the whole thing with her friend gave me points in her book.”
He rolled his eyes, and went back to his rest.
I'll have to stop avoiding the dragon soon and actually go for a proper flight and not condemn him to murdering the King's enemies all the time.
I knocked on the door that was now off limits to me even though it was my own building, in my academy.
He didn't respond at first and I was already getting irritated, memories of this morning pouring back into my head.
It was my dragon that first alerted me to something being awry even though there was no connection between them both.
Then Styx began neighing at my window and I didn't even bother wondering what the problem was, I rushed to this door and knocked.
Kicked.
Screamed like hell but nothing budged.
We made this doors from a special wood, secure and safe.
In that moment, I wished we'd gone to the other planets and gotten very inferior doors instead.
After trying again, I was about to rush off to get a scribe to do something about it when it suddenly clicked open.
My heart plummeted when I saw her.
Everything that was an excuse as to why she wasn't in my arms, in my life, in my bed flew away.
She's mine, I've always known that, but watching what this man looking at me now did to her made me realize that I was hers too and she needed me to stop hiding behind titles and fear and claim her.
“You're a doctor aren't you?” I asked the man and he nodded once, stiff. “Examine these symptoms of the bug and let me know what you think. The King has commissioned us to find a cure.”
“I have other important mission,” the doctor retorted, his crude Pallavi worsening the delivery.
“More important than that death toll over there?” I snapped, pointing at the numbers.
“Yes,” he muttered, handing me back the paper and moving back, about to slam the door in my face.
I made a move to get in there and show him exactly who was King in this place when ShadowRider screeched, panic filling our bond.
“What's up buddy? What's wrong?” I asked him, running out of the small office and leaving the misbehaving doctor alone.
For now.
He kept grunting, a warning, panic filling our bond and blocking all my abilities to think straight.
“For fucks sake just point me in the direction of the problem or come on out so we can find out what's wrong!” I snapped as I mounted Styx and began heading towards his pen.
A small word for a large mountain where more matured and trained dragons lived.
Styx didn't disappoint with speed and I was happy the universe blessed me with her.
She's been there for me in trying times and I ride her so much more now in penance for all the years I abandoned her to be at the war front after she saved my life.
But all that anger needed somewhere to go and who better than
the assholes that tortured the hell out of me until I was a shell of myself?
I reached the pen and dismounted before Styx even stopped moving, my boots hitting the ground hard.
ShadowRider was pacing inside his cave, his massive black form tense with agitation. Smoke billowed from his nostrils, and his ice-blue eyes—usually calm and calculating—were blazing with urgency.
"What is it?" I demanded, striding toward him.
He turned his great scarred head toward me, ancient and powerful, and sent a wave of pure panic through our bond.
But he didn't respond as usual, only tapping his foot, agitated and frustrated.
“You wish you learned how to speak my language now, don't you?” I grunted but turned around and went back to Styx. “Let's find her first and then start looking for the problem elsewhere. Although something tells me it's her that's in trouble. If only she'd still keeping secrets from me and staying put when I tell her to.”
Styx grunted in irritation as she kept running back to the Campus.
“Oh not you too,” I grumbled.
People assume I don't like talking but although it might be a disorder, with my two nonverbal friends, I was quite a talkative and I quite liked it that way.
But now, this woman was opening me up and making me do things.
As I got to her hostel, something already told me she wasn't there but I still dragged a student that was heading upstairs like a maniac.
“Have you seen Alira today?”
“No sir, she's not in the hostel. I don't know where she always goes to, you should –”
“Thank you for your help,” I stopped her before she delved fully into her attempt to make me see her as something else.
I detested that part of my position, being the center of attraction to budding dragon kin females in their prime, seeking connection and leadership mixed in one.
“Come in Styx, let's go to the library, I think she should be there.”
We were headed there when the spot at the back of my head that told me she's mine tingled, pulling me in a particular direction.
The healing house.
Fuck, what has happened to her?