Chapter 20

DIMITRI

Dragon tamers. They’re the kind of people who have one thing on their minds: to charm dragons and then trap them.

When I realize that the attackers are dragon tamers, my mission shifts to capturing them and extracting any useful information about their identities.

I never saw Damian’s injury coming. Everything unfolded so fast that no one had time to react. None of the other guys had even drawn their weapons until that jerk did.

This whole thing was obviously planned, but could they be King Gabriel’s men?

The men King Gabriel sends always wear the kingdom’s insignia on their clothes, or something that identifies them, but these four have nothing. Odd.

Swearing under my breath, I’m about to attack, but Damian could get hurt worse if I don’t help him. Seeing my brother struggling to stay conscious, I decide to kill them all.

They had the audacity to harm my family; they have no idea who they’re dealing with.

As I bite and devour the bastards, I get distracted by a shout. Searching for the source, I spot Leo’s dragon form hovering above us, and on top of him, Valkyrie.

What on earth is she doing here? This is dangerous.

Keeping an eye on them, I continue my attack. I can’t let them see Valkyrie. I position myself in front of Damian to block their view of him, growling and ripping them apart.

With a snout full of blood, I turn around. Valkyrie’s face is filled with worry as her hands glow. Is she trying to heal Damian? I transform back and rush over to her.

“What are you doing?” I yell, grabbing her arm. “Do ~you~ even know what you’re doing?”

“Back off, Dimitri!” Valkyrie shouts back at me.

She turns her attention back to Damian, continuing her healing. Something tells me this isn’t right.

“Stop it, Valkyrie!” I plead. Her hands glow brighter, forcing me to close my eyes.

Calling her name again, I open my eyes to see Valkyrie panting. I catch her in my arms, checking if she’s okay.

“Did I do it?” Valkyrie gasps, her eyelids heavy. I glance at Damian, who is now asleep. I don’t know if she helped him or not. As her body goes limp against mine, I start to panic.

“Valkyrie?” I call, gently patting her face. She’s pale and sweating profusely. “Valkyrie?” I call again. Now I’m really worried.

~“Get Michael!”~ I order Leo. I look down at Valkyrie. Her breathing is shallow, and it scares me. What did she just do?

We bring everyone back to the palace. Michael’s conflicted expression tells me this is more serious than I thought.

“Let me examine her, and you go look after Damian,” Prince Cian says, pushing Michael aside.

“What are you doing?” I ask him. Prince Cian starts to undress Valkyrie.

“I need to check her body. Something’s not right,” Prince Cian explains. “Just let me do my job.”

So far, Valkyrie hasn’t opened her eyes. It’s like she’s in a deep sleep. Did using her powers so much affect her? It was the first time I’d seen her use her powers like that. Especially for healing.

Prince Cian starts to frown. He’s examining Valkyrie’s entire body. I’m not sure what he’s looking for, but I hope he finds it, whatever it is.

“Dimitri, I need to delve into her memories,” Prince Cian suddenly says, looking at me from under his lashes. “Something strange is happening with her, so please let me.”

“No,” I snap. I can’t let him do that. What if something happens to her?

“I know what you’re thinking. I won’t hurt Valkyrie. Can’t you trust me a little?” Prince Cian says with a sigh.

He pinches his nose, then flicks his finger. A faint purple glow appears as fire dances on its tip.

“It will be quick. If we don’t find out what’s wrong, Dimitri, Valkyrie may not wake up,” Prince Cian says.

I clench my fists, groaning.

“Fine!” I say, my voice filled with worry. “But if you hurt her, you’re a dead man.”

Nodding with tight lips, Prince Cian sits down on the canopy bed and moves his hand to Valkyrie’s head.

He frowns for a moment, studying her face, then moves his finger toward Valkyrie’s right temple.

I watch in awe as he closes his eyes, and the room falls silent. I don’t dare move. I wait patiently as he works with her. Prince Cian starts moving his hand until he stops behind Valkyrie’s ear.

At that exact moment, he opens his eyes and backs away. Stumbling, he takes a deep breath.

“Is something wrong?” I ask, confused by his reaction. Prince Cian shakes his head, looking just as confused. Then, groaning, he rubs his face and tells me to follow him.

We leave Valkyrie’s chambers and head toward Damian’s. After knocking, we walk in. Michael is with Mia. Judging by their expressions, Damian is okay.

“He’s fine. I’m amazed by what Valkyrie did,” Michael says, handing Mia a cloth. “How’s Valkyrie?”

“We need to talk,” Prince Cian says. He looks stressed, which is making me impatient.

He asks us to follow him, and we all head toward the living room. It’s a cozy area with carpets and pillows and a fireplace.

“Can you please tell us what’s going on?” Michael asks, frowning. “You’re being cryptic.”

Clearing his throat, Prince Cian takes a seat and asks us to do the same. I stay standing near the window. Arms crossed, I look at him. He can see I’m getting frustrated.

“Dimitri and Leo mentioned that Valkyrie used her healing powers to save Damian, right?” Prince Cian says. We nod.

He continues, “Now Valkyrie is in a sort of deep sleep. Her body isn’t waking up, and neither is her mind. Worse, Valkyrie’s body had a reaction to the poison on the crystal plates.”

“Hold on, what are you suggesting?” Michael questions, his face a mask of confusion.

“Listen,” Prince Cian begins, letting out a weary sigh, “I just delved into Valkyrie’s memories.”

“You did WHAT?” Michael’s voice is sharp, filled with anger. “Are you out of your mind? How could you?”

“Calm down, Brother,” Prince Cian says, raising a hand to halt Michael’s outburst. “I had to. King Dimitri gave me permission.”

Michael turns to me, his growl echoing in the room. He ~growls~ at me.

“So I did. But before I did, I examined her body. There was no evidence of anything, not a single mark or injury,” Prince Cian explains. “Then I delved into her mind and…”

“And what?” I interrupt, my voice laced with anger.

“I discovered some old memories inside Valkyrie. They aren’t hers; they belong to someone else. But that’s not all,” Prince Cian continues, his gaze filled with concern as he looks at me, “it appears Valkyrie is a hybrid.”

“Wait a minute,” Michael interrupts, standing up and beginning to pace. “You’re not making sense.”

“What part are you not getting, Michael?” Prince Cian asks, his voice tinged with irritation.

“I’m telling you. Valkyrie has memories that aren’t hers and she’s a hybrid, which means she’s half sorceress and half dragon.”

Michael halts in his tracks. We both stare at Prince Cian, shock written all over our faces. I’m stunned. Did I hear him correctly?

“Did you just say Valkyrie isn’t human?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” Prince Cian confirms, his lips pressed into a thin line. “I discovered that Valkyrie isn’t human, and she carries our blood. She’s just like Michael and me: a hybrid. That’s why she has powers.”

“And the memories?” Mia questions.

“They seem to belong to someone else. I couldn’t identify the person.” Prince Cian sighs. “So I will need to delve deeper. If you allow it.” His gaze lands on me. I shake my head, denying his request.

“But Dimitri!” Prince Cian protests.

“Enough!” I command. “I’m saying no, as the king. Not until she wakes up.”

“She won’t wake up unless we find a clue!” Prince Cian snaps. “Don’t you get it? Valkyrie used her healing powers incorrectly. Instead of just saving Damian, she transferred the poison to herself! We have no idea when she might wake up!”

I growl and shoot him a glare. I don’t need to hear any more to understand the gravity of the situation. If Valkyrie has dragon blood in her, she could be in danger just like us.

“I think Prince Cian is right, Dimitri,” Mia suddenly says, her eyes filled with sadness as she looks at me. “If we want…no, if ~you~ want the queen to wake up, you will need to let Prince Cian do his job.”

“I said no, Mia, and that’s final,” I retort, my voice filled with anger. “Without Valkyrie’s consent, you’re not delving into her mind. Are we clear?” I direct my question at Prince Cian.

Prince Cian rises to his feet and, clenching his fists, he glares at me.

“I asked, are we clear?” I repeat, my voice louder.

With a scoff, Prince Cian turns his back on us and walks away. I shift my attention to Michael. I look at him, surprised. He’s shaking his head.

“For the first time, I agree with my brother, King Dimitri. If you want the queen to wake up, let him do what he needs to.” With those words, Michael exits, leaving me to growl in frustration.

It’s infuriating, but do I have another choice?