I sat dully on my chair next to Benedict, exhausted. I blinked blearily, not interested in the breakfast laid before me. I’d spent the night tossing and turning, the proximity of Benedict’s body against mine plaguing me all night.
“You look awful.” Benedict appeared in his own chair, his usual unaffected self. It made me want to punch him.
“Don’t you ever walk places like the rest of us?”
He snorted, a rare grin turning the corner of his mouth before it disappeared. I sighed, unable to keep up with his changing moods. I longed to be with Kieran and ask his opinion—dear Kieran who cared only for my happiness and well-being. Instead, I was stuck here with Mr. stick-up-his-ass.
“What is the task today?” I asked, mostly to distract myself. He faced me fully, and I struggled not to blush. After yesterday, I found it hard to meet his eyes. He sneered, and I knew I had to decide. Either I was going to continue to let him walk all over me, or I was going to be the new Wren. “I’d say all drakens were rude, but experience has told me it’s just you.”
His head whipped back to me, interest flaring in his eyes. “What you know about drakens could fill a drop of rain.”
I’d lose my nerve if I saw his face. I kept my gaze steady over the arena, which was filling up with eager spectators. “Then educate me, oh benevolent king.”
He growled, then exhaled again through his nose. I couldn’t help but admire how the firelight caught the hidden tones of green in his purple and black scales. “Fine. I will tell you some basics, but only to stop your nagging.” He took a breath. “Not all of our females died on Lyoness.”
I went very still in my chair, wanting—no, needing—him to continue.
“Most of them did, hunted down and slaughtered like animals. There was one though; they took her alive. The vampyres holding her thought they could ransom her as the last female draken, so they kept her for weeks. Whatever the reason, it was a gift from the gods, as she was pregnant. She endured torture, beatings, and near starvation, but she held on for the child she carried. She hid her pregnancy from her captors and was forced to give birth in a filthy cell, alone and fighting for her life. As the vampyres came for her child, she used the blood of her labor to lay a powerful enchantment on the baby, sacrificing her life to keep the last draken babe safe. Her enchantment was strengthened by one my fa—by another spell nearby, and the combined power ensured that no one except the draken king could claim the child. The lost daughter disappeared into history and was never heard from again.”
He laid his head back against the stone, his eyes closed.
“That power is what keeps us here and tells me she is still out there, somewhere. It was black magic of the most magnificent kind.”
My hands covered my mouth in horror. “That’s so sad, and yet so—”
“I know.”
Our eyes met, and for a moment, I saw him. “What was the draken’s name?” I asked. I couldn’t explain it, but it was important that I knew.
“Rhyfel.”
Goosebumps erupted along my skin, and I crossed my arms to ward off a sudden chill.
“Kieran said you keep everyone under the mountain, not some enchantment.”
He looked away.
“The child is lost to us, so I can’t claim what doesn’t technically exist. Besides, how would you feel if your mate were picked out before you were even born, and you had no choice in the matter?” He cut himself off, probably realizing he was revealing too much.
“Yeah, how awful would that be, to have no choices in life?” I snapped back, then sighed. “Just . . . maybe if you introduce me to some of the other drakens, it will make this easier. I would have someone else to bother and talk to.”
His mouth tightened. “Fine. I will . . . introduce you to a few of the drakens I can actually stand to be around.”
I aimed for a lighter tone, feeling guilty for darkening his mood with such an unhappy story. “Thank you, oh mighty king.”
I’d meant it in jest, but he closed his eyes and sighed. I put a hand on his arm, not sure why I’d had the sudden need to comfort him. “You will find her. You must. It’s a great story, and all great stories have happy endings.”
He leaned in, running his hand softly over my cheek. His gaze was searching as if I were some great puzzle he had yet to figure out. “My stupid, little siren.” It was tempting to punch him, but his eyes were too sad, taking all the venom out of his insult and he continued, “There are no happy endings, just moments where the world doesn’t seem all bad.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. “Do you know where she is, this lost daughter?” Benedict nodded, and I prodded further. “Are the other drakens aware?”
A pause, then he shook his head. I ran my fingers down his forearm, my nails scraping against his skin. To my surprise, he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. Then in one smooth motion, he stood.
“One more question,” I begged. This tentative peace between us was unlikely to last. He shot me a resigned glare, since both of us knew that was impossible. “If this lost draken is still out there, why are you bothering with me? It can’t just be for your men. That’s only an excuse.”
He frowned as he apparently contemplated what to say. “You have shelter, food, and company, even if it is questionable. Is this life better than your previous one?”
I snorted. “Of course, it is—’
“Then don’t question it.”
I growled in frustration and turned to watch the task. Threatened by Benedict, D’Arcy had been forced to severely scale down his plans and had opted for a large obstacle course instead. The safety of the task meant nearly all drakens were involved, forcing D’Arcy to have to break the crowd into different groups. Each group would race at the same time, and the top two winners from each group would then face off in a winner takes all race at the end.
Knowing there was a distinct lack of danger, I wanted to watch. Hoops dangled from the ceiling, posts were set up around the pit, and narrow lines drawn in bright red to mark the path.
“This should be entertaining,” I muttered.
Benedict grunted.
“On my mark . . . one, two, go!”
The first group of drakens exploded into action, a few tripping and pushing others out of the way in order to get to the obstacles first. A large wall was the first task, and the first two drakens easily scaled it, dropping to the sand below and continuing onto the next obstacle. As more drakens clustered to climb, they pushed and shoved at each other, more focused on blocking someone else than just working on their own progress. The two drakens up front gained a substantial lead.
“Bair and Sabien are my remaining blood relatives aside from D’Arcy,” Benedict’s voice washed over me with blatant pride as he pointed out the two drakens in the lead.
One obviously shared Benedict’s amethyst and obsidian coloring. The other had D’Arcy’s bright turquoise scales and blonde hair. They fluidly hurtled obstacle after obstacle and then took to the air.
The other drakens were far behind, still apparently more worried about taking each other out than winning.
The duo easily crossed the finish line first, the purple one inching out the turquoise draken by a hair. D’Arcy beamed in pride. Benedict stood and clapped for his relatives. The draken turned and gave me a saucy wink, then flew back to the spectator area with the other.
“Lovely,” I drawled.
Benedict sniffed, and I turned my attention to the next group. Seven groups later, there had been nothing too exciting except a few crashes and collisions with no permanent damage. There was an excited buzz filling the arena as the last sixteen drakens lined up to compete in the final heat to win it all.
“I hope you’re better prepared today,” Benedict stated imperiously.
I made a face at him.
D’Arcy took to the air, hovering over the finish line. “Go!”
Benedict’s brother immediately tripped D’Arcy’s son, which caused the turquoise colored draken to fall face first in the mud. I scowled at the obvious foul play, but Benedict only chuckled. To his credit, the turquoise draken just got up and focused on getting through the obstacles as fast as he could, ignoring the other drakens. I couldn’t help but admire the grace and strength of D’Arcy’s son as he quickly caught up to and then began to pass the others.
A draken with brown scales reached out to trip him, and he nimbly skipped away. My hands clutched the armrest of my chair as I silently cheered for him.
Benedict’s brother was in the air now, completing the last aerial part of the race. D’Arcy’s son gained on him, but I didn’t see how he could make up the distance with Benedict’s brother just a few wing flaps from the finish line. D’Arcy’s son drew a claw across his throat and wrists, and suddenly his skin was covered in swirling lines that pulsated light. With a roar, he beat his wings harder and then suddenly was flying twice as fast, his body a turquoise blur as he narrowed the distance between him and the other. Ten feet, then five feet from the finish line, then they both crossed the line together, flaring their wings to keep from smashing into the stone wall. Behind them the other drakens finished, though a few were in the pit, licking their wounds.
“Who won?” I asked as Benedict stood, drawing the attention of the crowd and competitors.
“It is too close to tell. Both will dine tonight with the female!” he said.
The drakens cheered as the blond thumped the other on the back, but the blond one didn’t look thrilled with having to share his time with another draken. I sighed heavily.
“You will let me meet them first at dinner, won’t you? I also insist on going to the dining hall instead of in my rooms. I’m tired of staring at those same walls all the time.”
Benedict rolled his eyes. I sat back down, frowning as I realized who I hadn’t yet seen.
“Where’s Kieran and Ronan? Why aren’t they here?”
Benedict refused to meet my gaze, and anger throbbed through my body.
“What did you do?” I demanded.
Benedict grabbed my arm, yanking me close to him. “Not here.”
I tried in vain to get his scent out of my mind, to quit staring at his muscles as he held me close. I shook my head.
“They almost killed you, Wren. I had to ensure such a mistake wouldn’t happen again.” There was a burning fire in his eyes, the kind that dried my mouth and left me gaping at him.
“I-I thought you hated me,” I managed, struggling to keep my voice steady.
His mouth opened, then closed again. “Correction. I hate how helpless and weak you act when we both know deep down, you’re just like me. You willingly drank my blood, then got turned on by it, so call me intrigued. Why else would you stab me?”
My eyes narrowed. “I’ll do it again if you piss me off.”
One of his dark eyebrows lifted. “Promise?”
I bent to hide my flaming face, and he laughed. For the first time, it lacked any mocking tone or anger.
“Are they at least alright?” I asked.
Something flared in Benedict’s eyes despite his continual insistence that it wasn’t jealousy.
“I promise that they’re fine. I will even take you for a visit later this evening.”
I wrapped my small hand around his forearm.
“Come. I will escort you back so we may change for dinner.” His offered arm was such a small thing, but we’d just climbed a mountain together.
You aren’t like that.
Who was he to say what I was like? It was odd, this feeling of someone believing in you.
“Dinner, then my boys,” I announced.
He twitched but nodded.
“As you wish.”
We didn’t speak as we walked down the dark halls, the way lit with dim torches set deep within the stone. I never considered myself claustrophobic, but I wondered how the drakens had survived for so long without seeing the sun or breathing fresh air.
I wondered how long I would last.
Before, I likely wouldn’t have cared if I never touched the grass again so long as I was free from the boarding house and Crullfed—let alone fed, clothed, and cared for. Yet now that I was here, my mind and body were a confusing mix of signals. I longed for the open air, but I didn’t know why. I found myself thinking about what it would be like to raise a child in a fortress, then would catch myself.
It was likely just because I was free now. Yes, that was it. There couldn’t be any other explanation for these new, foreign emotions inside of me.
None at all.
I decided to be a bit more daring for dinner, choosing a midnight-blue dress that ended right at my knees, but no breeches on underneath. With my leather boots on, it wasn’t as revealing as it could have been, and I still wore an underskirt to protect my modesty. I would have to ask Benedict about ordering some clothes at some point. I wasn’t sure if he was serious about taking me to the dining hall proper, but an hour later he was waiting patiently in my sitting room, one arm outstretched. I grasped it, appreciating his effort. His hair was combed, and re-braided, and he wore a black leather vest over his chest. A golden chain dangled from his chest, pointing to the dark tattoos that snaked along his upper body. His eyes met mine, and for a moment nothing else mattered when he looked at me like that; our eyes locked, and my fingers tightened around his forearm. Then the moment passed.
We appeared directly on the raised dais in the entrance hall, an incredibly dramatic entrance that ensured everyone stopped what they were doing to watch us. Just like my first night here, tables lined the edges and were laden with food. I ripped my arm from Benedict in embarrassment, and he chuckled darkly.
“Was that necessary?” I hissed at him, annoyed that he wore a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
“Yes,” he replied simply.
“Ah good, you got her to a dinner! Excellent!” D’Arcy was next to us in a whirl of his silver tunic, bowing to me. He put his hand out towards mine but withdrew when Benedict growled at him.
I turned towards Benedict, exasperated. “How am I to mingle if you bite everyone who comes near me?”
“You don’t need to mingle with my uncle.”
I whipped back to stare at D’Arcy, remembering how Benedict had mentioned he was one of his remaining few blood relatives. It made sense physically. They both shared the same dark, purple coloring, though Benedict’s was on his upper body, and D’Arcy’s on his lower. I also knew D’Arcy could move through the shadows like Benedict. Didn’t he say it was a blood talent?
D’Arcy leaned forward again, offering his hand. “Come, my dear, your winners await your presence.”
I allowed myself to be led away even though it was obvious Benedict let me go against his will. D’Arcy steered me to one of many long tables lining the edges of the room that was set with food and small benches. We headed straight for two drakens, who immediately dropped their food when they saw me approaching, one even tripping over his stool in his haste.
I fought to keep a straight face as D’Arcy snarled at him. “Sabien, Bair, may I present Wren?”
I bowed my head, as each of them took my hand and kissed it reverently. Sabien was the spitting image of D’Arcy, from his lanky build and scale coloring to the long, blond hair. His eyes were different though. Instead of D’Arcy’s cornflower blue, they were the same dazzling turquoise of his wings.
“Sabien is my son, of course. Bair is Benedict’s younger brother,” D’Arcy explained though I already knew.
Sabien practically fell over himself in his effort to charm me, though Bair’s dark gaze watched me with more caution. My eyes widened. Benedict had a brother? It was easy to see the resemblance. Bair shared Benedict’s dark coloring and build, though he wasn’t as large as his older brother. Instead of the bright purple of Benedict’s eyes, Bair’s were more of a mix between indigo and dark blue.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I began. “May I sit with you?”
They nodded, and I allowed D’Arcy to assist me onto the bench. After he left, I turned conspiratorially towards Sabien.
“It’s a bit unfair, having your father use an advantage like that,” I said, and Sabien blushed while Bair smirked. It was so much like Benedict’s I almost laughed.
“D’Arcy has always been that way. Ignore him. I usually do.” Bair offered me the breadbasket, and I gratefully took a roll, groaning as I bit into its warmth.
“You made an impressive comeback, though it shouldn’t have been necessary to begin with.” I shot Bair a glare, but he laughed it off.
“Anything to get to you.” He leered, and I frowned.
Sabien leaned forward. “Is it true then? Has Benedict claimed a human and given up on finding the lost daughter?”
I paused, my mouth full of bread. I swallowed carefully, keeping my face blank so I wouldn’t blush. It was still odd to me how brazenly drakens spoke of love and . . . other things.
“I don’t see why it’s any of your business.”
Bair’s eyes darkened even as Sabien kicked him under the table. “It’s our business if he took the Overlord’s bloody deal, and sentenced us to an eternity under this—’
“Bair! Not here!” Worry broke out on Sabien’s face, but Bair shoved him off.
“Everyone should know, shouldn’t they? Isn’t it the right of the people to understand why they’re imprisoned and what keeps them here?” He turned to me, nonchalantly spearing a hunk of meat on the end of his dagger and tearing into it with his teeth. He waved the dagger at me as he chewed.
“What do you think? Surely you have an opinion, stuck here with us.”
What did I think? Well, that was a quandary. When was the last time anyone had even bothered to ask my opinion on anything? It was novel, really. I raised an eyebrow at the keen interest in his face.
“I . . . I think the others should be told,” I managed.
“Aha!” Bair shouted even as Sabien hissed at him. Bair lowered his voice, but his face was triumphant. “I knew you wouldn’t let him walk all over you, the way everyone else lets him. I heard—” He lowered his voice at a pointed glare from Sabien. “I heard he has made a deal with the demon overlord, a deal to keep us trapped here.”
He speared another piece of meat, his eyes trained expectantly on me. He leaned in closer, and I couldn’t help but notice how he smelled of cedarwood and sage. I busied myself by taking another piece of bread, breaking it into smaller pieces.
“I haven’t heard anything about a deal,” I admitted, remembering the despondent look in Benedict’s eyes when he said the last female was lost to him.
Bair’s gaze sharpened, reevaluating every inch of me. I didn’t like it, yet at the same time, I wondered if he would kiss like his brother.
“Allow me to lie with you tonight, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know about Benedict,” he said.
I blinked at him. It wasn’t the deal itself that was offensive, but the self-assured way he had proposed it was as if my agreement were already assumed. I narrowed my eyes. “I hardly need your help.”
Bair raised an eyebrow, and it was eerily reminiscent of his brother. What Bair lacked in Benedict’s strength and figure, he made up for with subterfuge and flattery. I wasn’t sure that I preferred it. Bair lowered his voice further, whispering gently into my ear so Sabien wouldn’t hear. “Choose me and I’ll take you outside the mountain.”
My hand froze halfway to my plate. How did he know my wish to see the sun? To gaze upon the sky as a free woman.
He couldn’t. It was just coincidence. It had to be.
I popped the last bit of bread into my mouth, grabbing a few grapes and rolling them between my fingers anxiously. “I thought that you are all trapped here.”
Bair set down his dagger and wiped his mouth. “Think of it more as a . . . loophole.”
“Won’t Benedict find out?”
Bair grinned nastily. “He can’t be everywhere at once.”
I threw down my napkin, quite done with both of them.
“Thank you for dinner, but I have some business which requires immediate attention.”
Bair stood, his hands splayed on the table as Sabien bowed.
“What about my offer?” Bair asked.
I growled. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”
Bair gave me a salute with his dagger, grinning widely. Sabien shook his head and turned his attention back to his meal. I stalked back up the dais where Benedict was leaning against the wall, half of his body in the shadows. Did he ever eat? His hobbies seemed to be primarily composed of stalking and creeping.
I only made it halfway before a group of three drakens stepped in my path, bowing. I impatiently nodded my head, but the look in their eyes was serious.
“May we have a moment of your time?” the draken who asked had scales of navy blue, while the rest of him was silver: his eyes, his hair, his wings and upper body.
“I apologize, but perhaps tomorrow before the games? I have some urgent business with Benedict,” I said.
The draken agreed, and the three of them stepped out of my path.
I hurried over to Benedict, who didn’t bother glancing up at me. “I would like to go see them now, please.”
Benedict’s eyes flashed. “I’m not your servant.”
I put the back of my hand dramatically to my forehead. “I suppose I’ll have to wander the fortress aimlessly then, hoping to bump into them. I hope I don’t run into any bloodthirsty, hormonally deprived drakens on the way.”
A puff of air exhaled from his nose. “Fine. You’re like an annoying, little pet.”
I could have winced. His joke was in particularly bad taste. Demons frequently kept humans as pets. Instead, I tried something different. “Careful, I might bite.”
I grinned in victory, turning quickly so my hair flew in his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off from over my shoulder. “And you may stay and watch if you’re so concerned about my safety.”
I held my hand out imperiously, and he reluctantly took it, his warm fingers sliding up my palm.
