Chapter 36

Grace

I don’t know how I did it, but I managed to teleport home…. I think it was from the embarrassment…

/Where’d you go?/ He linked the dragon’s way.

/… Home…/ I said looking at Snow. His narrow eyes shamed me as if he were judging me….

Aureus Laughed at me. /I’ll be home in a few hours./ It was currently 4:40, but honestly, he likely needed to meet with his generals now that he was back.

I growled, but didn’t respond back. That he wasn’t complaining about the link, meant that it probably didn’t hurt over longer distances.

I got in the shower. I washed my hair and brushed it, braided it too. I didn’t want to deal with it right away, plus, I could heat my hands enough to light fires…. So honestly, I’d cheat a bit. I still can’t believe we got caught…. Like… why did I even Do that?!

What happened to being the ‘good’ pup?

I laughed at that. I was many things, but a pup I was Not. I got done, and turned off the water.

When I got out, I swear the house felt… colder. I could see my breath… I really did have to use my Charred powers to dry off…. I grabbed a t-shirt and shorts, but I didn’t put them on yet.

“That’s a nice set of tits.” Said a Rogue…. He was a dragon, but he didn’t scent like one of the fold…

“How did you get in here Rogue?” I demanded, subconsciously covering myself with my shirt….

“For starters, nothing was unlocked, and You weren’t paying attention. Second, I’ve been in here waiting for this chance for 3 days now. No, 4. I just went home early yesterday. It really helps that the only thing Omegas are good for is dying.” He said tapping his clawed finger to his chin. “Like the one on your roof. She tried So hard to stop me with her mortal like strength.”

“What?” I growled. “Where’s Wyn?”

I charged at him, but in a blink of an eye, he teleported out of my reach…. What the hell….

“See That’s the thing about royals. Bow down and play dumb, nobody notices. I’ve worked for Golden Financial since he bought it, but I bet he won’t even know my name.” He sneered. “I should be one of his managers, yet here I am, being paid to kill his mate to send a message.”

“Who sent you; You’re stalling.” I said shifting, and I was placed in a block of ice.

“Wrong Again. Bye ‘your highness’. I hope your firepower out does my ice…. Oh… what’s This?” He chuckled, and frost came off his breath.

Snow meowed. He was perched on the couch like he wasn’t supposed to… but I was more concerned for him than myself… I had fire powers…. That was just a cat.

[Don’t you hurt him!] I Tried to scream and when that didn’t work, I tested common linking … but I had no air. My mouth was sealed shut…. And my mind felt numb.

He went to pet Snow, but the cat had enough sense to run from him. He scampered off to hide, knowing there was malice in the man’s heart.

“I don’t feel like wasting time, killing a mammal.” He disappeared as soon as he came….

I don’t remember what he looked like…

I don’t remember his voice… but little Snow put his paws on the ice and screamed. It was too cold for him…. And I couldn’t link… I felt like I was not only frozen, but stopped in time from it...

I couldn’t move….

There was no air in here… no air, no fire. Shit.

-----Aureus-----

Most of us were yawning with my Omegas serving coffee. The Dragon Council was still here, though my table had enough space to sit them all… I can’t count how many times I’ve had to replace it.

This was Boring…. But the priest had made his way to my den to speak with me.

“I know it’s unconventional, having a leader of the Church here, but I was on good terms with Saiyatok…. Plus… we didn’t know he’d been seceded.”

“It was a private affair.” Said Saiyoken. “My King does not have to speak to you if he does not wish. We thank you for our people’s eggs return, but know we will continue to stay sovereign.”

That was probably the most professional way I’ve heard someone tell someone else to fuck off.

“I understand you’re concern Crown Prince, however, I did need to discuss something. I don’t know why I feel like I should talk to you about it, but I was actually there looking for an artifact.” He said giving a photo to an Omega, who passed it to me.

It looked like a red feather earing. “What’s this?”

“A feather from the God of War, blessed by the Goddess of the Wind… Legend says that he saved her from her husband, the Lord of Fire’s wrath…”

“I know about the Volcano God and the Air Goddess having beef… What did they do to each other?” Asked Atlas.

He was more interested in this lore shit than me, but I pretended to be interested for his sake.

“She cheated on her husband, but he’d cheated on her first… So she was trying to get even. Aris, the god of War, and Posidion, Lord of the Ocean teamed up and subdued the Lord of Fire… And in return, she asked for one of War’s wing feathers. The Wind goddess blessed it, but Aris cast it to Urth. The Lord of War didn’t want it. He figured he didn’t need it. After all that mess, the Lord of Light ordered the couple to make up, and tasked us to guard the feather, only using it if one of the Hands of the Light, me, needed to fight Xaxas, the Tyrant King.”

“And HOW did another mortal get their hands on it?” I asked. “You speak as if it was held in your Holy City.”

“It WAS….. and We Don’t Know. It was stored in a box underneath the Holy Throne…. But since a normal mortal sits on it, it could have been anyone. No unicorns have turned to bi-corns…. The half angel that guards the throne room had another assignment with his mother… It was as if they hid themselves until I left, to do this.” He mumbled.

“I don’t get why you didn’t just keep it on.” Grumbled Sainevvi.

“I Can’t.” Rodrick huffed. “I may hold the immortal Champion’s blessing, but my body is Still human. That artifact was made for a god, by another god… those without the Wind Goddess’s favor Cannot wear it long.” He said looking angrily at the table.

“Well…I guess I’ll help. Where do we-” I was cut off.

-/Don’t you hurt him!/

“Are you ok sir?” Asked Atlas…

I don’t know how long I sat there, before I got up and went upstairs. “Grace is in danger.” I growled.

I was accompanied by Atlas, Nakkron, Sainevvi and Saika while the rest were ordered to decided among themselves who would defend the Den, and who would protect Golden Financial.

“Stay here until your shift’s over.” I growled at Terra. I ripped my shirt off in front of her… My scales were on my neck and face. I would have to explain later.

“What should we do with the mortal your majesty?” Asked Sainevvi.

We were going into my office and up the stairs, but I know she heard him.

I want Othek to stay. If I don’t return here, escort her home and stay with her.” I commanded my Third Dragon Council Seat. The orange drake looked stern enough. I suspect he would be no nonsense, but also alert… if Grace was a target… so was she.

Fuck.

“What?!” She yelled, while I opened the door.

“Just let him protect you. I’ll explain later.” I said hearing her little heals clack.

“Sir, I don’t know any of these people in your office! I don’t feel comfortable-” she was cut off by me jumping off the roof.

I let her see my true self…., and that my officers were only about a third my height. If that… Saiyoken was the largest of the bunch, but even he paled in comparison….

It made me wonder did I get bigger.

It didn’t matter. With a mighty flap I was high in the air, diving to go as fast as I could to my penthouse. I smelled blood on the roof…. Why was Wyn up there?

I landed, seeing the Horror in her eyes… Wyn was cold as ice, but she would die if left that way… She looked like she didn’t know where she was, but I had an idea to stabilize her enough to get help… The local hospital wouldn’t be enough for the dagger lodged in her chest.

It wasn’t fair… I carried her downstairs and sat her on the couch.

Grace held no heartbeat…. Her wolf form was locked in an angered expression, stuck in a perfect cube of magical ice… My fire melted it, easily…but her lungs did not move… nor did her heart beat. I did chest compressions, but my generals silently stood…

All I could see was her lifeless eyes…. There was no way she would remain dead… There was no way my love was taken from me before I got a chance to tell her…

It was almost like this was retaliation for killing my father… I did mouth to mouth, and she coughed up water and ice…. And blood.

“Where’s Wyn?” She gasped…. Being frozen like that weakened her substantially…. It felt like I was holding a small dove.

“I got her warm.” Said Saiyoken. “Her heart’s weak…. But she’s likely going to bleed out.” He mumbled.

“Don’t take out the blade…. It’s magic.” I warned.

There was so much blood coming from such a small woman. We got towels and applied pressure, though neither of us knew how Much to put on her. The chances of crushing her wasn’t zero….

Without thinking I bit my wrist and gave her my blood. It could kill her… but doing nothing would kill her too…. She drank, and her bleeding stopped. Her chest wound closed around the blade… but she woke up screaming.

I held them both. Grace held onto Wyn. “It’s alright.” I said quietly. Wyn was Young, basically a child compared to me… and on top of it, she is just an Omega. Whoever did this knew enough of dragon anatomy that he made an example of her… She passed out from her pain, but honestly it wasn’t a bad thing…. I know she’d never seen battle.

“Sainevvi, take Wyn to the hospital. She’ll need surgery.” I said with no protest from anyone.

“I’ll fly her to New Apple… They have draconic specialists I trust.” He said picking her up. I gave him a nod. When I got the chance, I’d go visit her… I needed to speak with the wolf who ran those hospitals anyway…

“My love… who did this to you?” I said calmly.

I was livid… I didn’t smell any scent of an intruder….

“An assassin… a Very good one…” She admitted. “I don’t remember anything about him…but he mentioned working for you since the beginning…”

“That’s fine Grace… Saiyoken I want you to work with Atlas and find if any ice dragons were employed here… I Know I would remember something like that…” I mumbled.

Ice dragons can be any color… it’s just they’re born with a recessive trait that makes them the way they are…. It’s about as common as an albino…

My cat meowed. Snow was likely hiding… They do that when they’re scared.