Chapter 64

DIMITRI

We’re all huddled at the mouth of the cave. It’s been a handful of days since we started putting Zar’s plan into action. He’s convinced we can sneak into his father’s castle through a secret passageway.

He’s sure no one will see us, no one will catch us. I’m about to start giving orders to my men when Zar rushes up to me. He’s paler than I’ve ever seen him. I frown as he gasps for breath.

“Letter!” Zar manages to get out, thrusting a crumpled piece of paper at me. I unfold it and start to read. My heart sinks as I take in the words.

It’s a letter from King Gabriel, demanding Zar’s return if he wants to save Valkyrie. He’s given Zar a two-day deadline, or Valkyrie will pay the price.

Zar had told me earlier that his father wants him dead because he’s standing in the way of Gabriel’s plans. Zar has managed to sway several kings and princes.

Even King Gabriel’s council agreed to the peace treaty Zar proposed. But King Gabriel’s ambitions were too big. As I scan the letter, I see a section addressed to me.

~King Dimitri, if you hand over your onyx heart, I promise to spare your beloved mate. I don’t want my daughter marrying a beast like you, but I have no choice.

Make your decision, and we can negotiate. Come with Zar in two days. If you don’t, I’ll take it as a sign that you’re leaving your queen’s fate in my hands.

Gabriel.~

I clench the paper in my fist, furious. How dare he use my queen’s life as a bargaining chip?

“Did you read it?” Zar asks, still panting.

“What?” I ask, thrown off.

“My father said Valkyrie is his daughter,” Zar says. I read the letter again and realize he’s right.

“Do you know what this means, Zar?” I demand, my voice rising.

“No,” Zar admits, shaking his head. “I’m just as lost as you are.”

“Shit,” I mutter. “We need a new plan.”

“What?” Zar looks shocked. “We can’t. You know it’s a trap, Dimitri.”

“I know. That’s why we’re going to do things differently. Let’s get everyone together,” I say, heading up the stairs.

Once everyone is assembled, I take a moment to look at my people.

“Men, as you know, King Gabriel has declared war on us. He sealed his fate the moment he took our queen.

“Now, he’s sent a letter proposing a trade for the queen. Things are escalating. We need to change our plan.

“I know this is sudden, but there’s a reason,” I say, meeting everyone’s eyes. “Your Queen is carrying my heirs.

“I can’t let a simple trade put me or you, my people, at risk. And I won’t let my queen be in any danger because of our mistake.

“Here’s the new plan. I will go to King Gabriel’s castle with Prince Zar. Damian and a group of eight will go overland, following the trail that leads to the woods.”

“What about the rest of us?” Leo asks.

“I’ll leave a group of twenty here in case they try to ambush the palace. Leo and a group of ten will go by air, and Jordan will take the river route.

“I need you and the scouts to prepare for an ambush. We’ll have people surrounding his castle in case we need to attack,” I say, noticing Damian’s frown.

“You’re going alone with Zar?” Damian asks, stepping closer. “You need more men, Dimitri.”

“I’m enough,” I say.

“No, let me go,” Michael suddenly says. “I’ll go with you. If Cian and Irene are there, I need to save them. Remember, my brother and my mate are trapped there.”

Seeing that Michael won’t back down, I smile and pat his shoulder. “Good, now everyone knows their roles. Let’s get ready,” I say, dismissing everyone. As I start to leave, Michael stops me.

“Where are you going?” Michael asks, concern in his eyes.

“There’s something I need to do,” I say, giving him a reassuring smile. I pat his shoulder again and head towards the south side of the palace.

There’s a place I need to visit before we put the plan into action. As I walk down the quiet hallways, I pause by a window and look out.

The weather is changing, and I have a bad feeling. I glance down at the forest and frown. Something is flying towards us. Are we under attack?

I lean against the window, watching as the guards react to the intruder. I mind-link Damian and Leo, letting them know what’s happening.

Using my dragon sight, I see that it’s a brown dragon. It looks injured and is acting strangely.

“Keep me updated,” I tell Damian through the mind-link. I can’t get distracted from the plan. I have something else to do.

I finally reach two massive golden doors. I place my hand in the center and move the latch, tracing a cross until the door unlocks.

The hall echoes with creaking sounds as I push the doors open. I’m greeted by a huge chamber lit by torches. The room is eerily silent, and the smell of dampness fills the air.

I look around as I step inside. It’s been a while since I’ve been in this place. This is the vault.

A secret room in the palace where all the kings who’ve ruled the horde have hidden their most precious treasures. Like all dragons, we all have something we’re attached to.

My late father had something he was attached to and left for me to use: an egg. It’s rare, but female dragons can lay eggs.

This is a little-known fact, especially for a king who usually mates with a human. My situation is different. I’m mated to a hybrid.

This means that if Valkyrie can turn into a dragon, she can lay an egg, making her the first hybrid to lay an egg in four generations.

Why did my dad’s most cherished possession include an egg? Simple. Years ago, my dad assisted a king whose mate was a dragon.

She fell pregnant while losing her human form and managed to lay an egg before she died. But this wasn’t just any egg, it was a special breed.

In gratitude for his help, the king gifted the egg to my dad. He often told me that this egg was his most prized possession.

A black egg that could hatch a dragon, if the person’s blood was potent enough.

The king had the strength to bring it to life, but the egg has been dormant for the past three hundred years. It has never stirred. Neither my dad nor I have ever used it. We’ve never had the need.

But in the midst of this chaos, it’s time to use it.

Once the king’s blood is given to the egg, it will crack, and a unique dragon will be born. It will be a pure dragon, a beast. No trace of humanity or human form will be in it.

No one knows what it will look like, or if the dragon will accept his king as his master.

All this time, I had saved this egg for one person, Valkyrie. Ever since I discovered she was my mate, I had the idea of giving this to her.

At first, it seemed pointless, but after I found out that Valkyrie is a hybrid, it made more sense. Not only that, but she is a tamer.

Would that make her a master at taming this beast? Even if it would, they have captured her, so it’s up to me to use the power of the egg. I must take him with me and we must fight for her together.

Standing before the egg, I gaze at it. I frown for a moment as I walk around it. Is it just me, or has the egg grown in size?

I remember this egg being half my size, but it seems to have grown over time. But why?

Baffled by this sudden discovery, I reach for it. As I touch the rough surface of the egg, I pause. Something grabs my attention.

Running my hand over the egg’s surface, I feel a faint humming coming from it. Is the egg responding to me?

Smiling, I move closer and lean my face over the egg. The dragon inside stirs, but only for a moment. It stops as I pull back.

Taking a deep breath, I let one of my claws grow long enough to cut. Reaching for my wrist, I make a deep cut and, hovering my arm over the egg, I let the blood cover it.

Flexing my wrist, I let the blood flow. But nothing happens. Did it need more blood?

I make three more cuts on my palm, wrist, and upper arm, and I let all the blood cover the entire egg, but it only moves slightly.

“Is this not enough?” I ask, puzzled. I keep my eyes on the egg. Then, lowering my arm, I pinch my nose. Am I missing something?

As I try to remember my dad’s words, Damian mind-links me.

~“Dimitri, you need to come. You won’t believe what just happened,”~ Damian says, his words filled with excitement.

Frowning, I let him know I’ll be there in a moment. Keeping my eyes on the egg. I walk around it. Did I miss something? It’s confusing, but nothing happens.

“Am I not strong enough?” I ask aloud, frowning. Then, deciding to leave, I sigh and walk away, closing the vault once again.

Reaching the cave entrance, I stop and look at everyone. In the middle of the cave lies a worn-out brown dragon. It’s panting, struggling with itself.

“What’s this?” I ask as I join the group. Looking near the front, I see a worried Michael. “Damian?”

“Dimitri, this is Irene,” Damian explains. Surprised, I stare back at the dragon.

“Excuse me?” I ask, confused. “What do you mean this is Irene? Michael?”

Michael is in tears as he strokes the brown dragon.

“This is Irene, Dimitri. Somehow, she was poisoned. It seems Gabriel tried to tame her,” Michael explains.

“What about when she changes back?” I ask, frowning.

“She…she can’t,” Michael says as his voice breaks. “It seems she has started to lose her humanity. She’s more of a beast now.”

Michael looks pained as he watches Irene.

“Is there a way to make her change forms?” I ask. “If she’s here, it means she still recognizes us.”

“Dimitri is right,” Damian says. “She came for a reason.”

Walking up to her, I look around. There has to be something we could use as a clue. Stopping near her back, I find some trails of blood and some arrows. Picking one up, I sniff it.

Backing away immediately, I scoff.

“Poison?” I say aloud.

“What?” Michael says, moving next to me. “Let me check it out.” Sniffing, he detects poison. Then, frowning deeply, he moves around.

“Is something wrong?” I ask him.

“Yes, there are two different types of blood here,” Michael says.

“You sure?” I ask as my heart starts pounding hard. Michael doesn’t say a word. He keeps staring at her back. “Michael, answer me!”

“It might be Valkyrie’s,” Michael murmurs, filling my heart with worry.

“We have to go,” I order. “Get everyone ready. Michael, if you want to stay, do.” Michael nods as I turn around.

“Brother, make sure to scout the forest as you go,” I say, gripping his shoulder. “Anything you see, link me. Anyone who finds the queen, you take her away, are we clear?”

Everyone yells ~Yes!~ as I turn and get ready to depart. Zar stands in the cave, looking at everyone.

“You ready?” I ask him. Zar sighs.

“Yes, I am. Shall we leave?” Zar says.

“Yes,” I say, undressing. Once I transform into my black beast, Zar climbs on my back.

~“Damian,”~ I say, mind-linking him. His eyes meet mine. “If anything happens, you know what to do.”

He turns and leaves without uttering a single word. I gaze down at the sprawling forest below, the mist blanketing the first snowfall. I take one last look behind me before I launch myself out of the cave.

VALKYRIE

I trudge through the dense forest, snowflakes falling around me. I collapse onto my knees, letting out a weary sigh. My body refuses to move any further. I glance down to see my legs, stained with blood.

Pain radiates from my abdomen and back with every attempt to move. I feel weak, drained. How much longer until I find help?

Tears stream down my face as a sharp pain shoots through my lower abdomen. “Dimitri…,” I whimper. All I want is to be enveloped in his arms. I force myself to stand, gathering what little strength I have left.

As I take a step, a wave of dizziness washes over me. I lean on the thick stick I’ve been using for support.

My breath comes in ragged gasps, black spots dance in my vision. I groan as I crumple to the ground. Clutching my belly, I let out a scream. Will I lose the babies if I don’t find help soon?

Lying on my back, I stare up at the sky, snowflakes landing on my feverish face. I let the tears flow freely, closing my eyes. But then, a noise grabs my attention.

I open my eyes to see a black shadow darting past. I try to sit up, to call out, but the pain intensifies. I recognize the beast and call out Dimitri’s name, but he’s moving too fast. I attempt to run after him, but the more I move, the more blood seeps down my thighs.

“DIMITRI!” I scream, collapsing onto my knees. “Please don’t leave.” My words catch in my throat as I watch his figure disappear into the mist.