Queens of Wings & Storms

by Angela Sanders et al.

  “Aleria.” my father appeared, taking my arm in a firm hold and pulling me to the side with him, distracting me from my musings.

  “Yes Father?” It took every ounce of strength I had within me to keep the bite of sarcasm out of my tone. My father was a brutish man, short in stature with dull brown eyes and a receding hairline that he desperately tried to hide.

  He sneered at me, drawing up an elegant lip as his brow furrowed in disgust at me. “You look like a trollop. But I guess that is to be expected.” Yet another insult, one I had heard countless times before.

  My uncle opened the door to the study, glass of alcohol in his hand, and smiled down at me, the look in his eyes anything but familial. “Frederik, this is exactly what we need. She will be perfect.”

  What the hell was he talking about?

  Father chuckled before leveling me with a wilting glance. “I suppose you are right, Gustav.” He grasped my upper arm firmly before jerking me into the study.

  Wincing in pain, I tried to drag my arm away from his grip. “Father, you are hurting me.”

  Gustav and Frederik both howled in laughter as they shut the heavy wooden door behind us.

  Chapter 2

  Aleria

  Father deposited me into a familiar wingback chair and settled his palms on my shoulders from behind me, securing me in place. Blocking any hope of escape. My uncle took the chair opposite me and leered at me while stroking his thick brown beard. His cheeks were ruddy and pink from the scotch he consumed so heavily. Gustav Mikkelsen was a man who was as wide as he was tall, with a rounded stomach, and more hair on his face than was on his head. I shuddered every time he glanced at me, feeling his gaze crawl over my flesh, making me want to vomit.

  “Now Aleria,” Uncle began, his eyes lingering on my cleavage. “It is past time for you to be useful to the Brotherhood.”

  From the moment that the Dragonkyn arrived on Earth, my family had hated the sight of the proud warriors. I could never understand why they had harbored such a hatred for such a peaceful race that was just doing what they could to survive. My father and uncle had banded together with several of their comrades to form the Brotherhood.

  The Brotherhood for a Pure Society had the mission of keeping the races separate. They knew that the Dragonkyn were desperate for women to grow their rapidly dwindling population and as such, the Brotherhood did everything in their power to stop the matings from occurring. While they were a hidden, covert organization, the Brotherhood had their hands in a number of different branches of government. They made it their number one objective to get rid of the aliens.

  “You live here, enjoying the vast benefits of the wealth of the family, but contribute nothing,” he continued.

  My anger rose and I bit the inside of my cheek until the metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth. I took care of most of the day-to-day operations required to run the house, as mother couldn’t be bothered with communicating with the maids and other household staff. She felt she was above them. I was the one who made sure that the staff was paid, the menus were approved, the schedules were made, and the house was kept in top shape.

  “We will finally have our opportunity to make our way into the heart of those bastards’ inner-circle. You, my dear, are going to be that opportunity.” My uncle smiled widely, his eyes gleaming with malice.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped, unable to keep quiet.

  My father dug his nails into the flesh of my shoulders so hard I knew there would be bruises in the morning. “My darling daughter, haven’t you heard?” His smile was pure evil. “The twin dragon brothers are finally hosting their own ball with the intention of finding a mate. Those filthy bastards are finally coming of age.”

  The twins that he referred to were Alexandros and Drakon, the only sons of King Dimitros. They were the youngest of the Dragonkyn and last born before the planet Drakona collapsed. They were just fifteen years old when they arrived on Earth, still reeling from the loss of their mother just a few months earlier. The king had shielded them from the public eye as best that he could, maintaining their privacy to grieve and grow.

  Upon their first appearance to the general public at age eighteen, I was immediately obsessed with the teenage princes. They held themselves with a regal, yet friendly air, much like their father. And they were so handsome. Long black hair, strong angled jaws and arched brows with deep midnight blue eyes. They were every woman’s fantasy.

  I couldn’t help my sharp intake of breath at the thought, drawing myself back into my uncle’s words.

  “And you, my dear, are going to make yourself very available for them,” he sneered at me.

  “I won’t be your whore.” I lifted my chin in defiance, meeting his gaze, fire in the depths of my eyes. There was no way that I would do this. I couldn’t.

  Laughter filled the room. “You seem to think you have a choice, dear Aleria.” He drew his stubby fingers down my cheeks, causing a shiver of revulsion to run down my spine and nausea to overwhelm me. Seven hells, how I hated this man. I tried to jerk my face away, but he held firm to my chin.

  “Why do you hate them so much?” I implored, my voice barely above a whisper.

  My uncle and father laughed, holding their bellies, looking at me as if I sprouted a second head. “You silly, naïve girl. Those filthy dragons are polluting our blood. The species are to remain separate. They are no better than animals,” Uncle spat.

  I wiped my cheek in disgust as a droplet of spittle hit my skin.

  “I have never trusted them or their technology. Just another way to enslave us,” my father continued, nodding his head in agreement.

  “You are wrong.” I said, raising my chin in defiance. “They just want peace. Can’t you see that?”

  He tisked as he patted my face. “If you want your darling sister to keep receiving the generous medical care that we provide her, you will do as instructed. The ball has been announced for Halloween, just a few weeks away. An invitation has already been secured for you.”

  “You’re a fucking bastard.” I bit out through clenched teeth, not able to help the insult that left my lips.

  A crack echoed through the room as his palm slapped my cheek. My neck ached with the force of the snap as I brought my hands up to cup my face. A ferocity unlike anything I had ever felt before welled up within me. Angry tears gathering in my eyes that I refused to let fall clouded my vision. My uncle looked triumphant across from me as he took in my appearance, thinking me defeated.

  Oh, I would play his games alright. But we would see who would come out on top when the ashes cooled. My fury drove me. I would make them pay for this. The wheels were already turning in my mind as to how I would accomplish my revenge.

  “Aleria, you will respect your uncle, as we have raised you to do. Another outburst and the punishment will be exacted against Sariah.” My bastard father had the nerve to carry a note of glee in his tone as he spoke. They knew they could never get my obedience with physical attacks against my own person, so the threats were always made against my little sister, Sariah. I couldn’t care less about myself. Sariah was my main reason for living in this hellish place.

  Sariah was born when I was five years old with a rare genetic condition which caused her immune system to be susceptible to attack, and any little virus or germ that entered her environment could be fatal. Last year she had spent almost six weeks in the hospital with pneumonia as a result of a simple cold. It almost killed me to see her so helpless in that hospital bed day in and day out.

  The only reason that my parents kept up with her treatments was to maintain their image with their friends. How bad would it look in their circle if one of their daughters had perished because of their own negligence?

  Lowering my head, I feigned defeat, knowing in my heart that this was all temporary. At least that was the dream I always strived towards. My jaw ached with the effort I used to keep it shut, my tongue itching to give them a few choice words.

 
“Now that we have that settled,” Uncle clasped his hands together as he rose from his chair, smiling, “I don’t care which of the filthy twins you seduce. Screw both of them for all I care. Once you gain access to their home, you will begin the search for a very important artifact that the Brotherhood has learned of.”

  Curiosity piqued, I watched him as he approached the wet bar and poured himself another drink. I’m sure he has already had quite enough of the fine scotch, but Gustav never knew when to say no to a good stiff drink. “What kind of artifact?”

  “You don’t need to know anymore about that just yet. Your goal is to get yourself into their bed and then into their home. We will instruct you from there.” He took a long, lingering appraisal of my body from head to toe. “I’m sure you will have no trouble getting them into your bed, girl. You’ll just have to learn how to keep that mouth of yours shut long enough to get into their home. Well, unless you are opening it for an entirely different reason.” Thinking himself funny, he laughed loudly at the joke and sipped his alcohol.

  “She better be really good in bed, otherwise this plan will fail,” Father murmured, finally releasing my shoulders. I rolled the joints in them when I was finally free, trying to restore some of the blood flow as my fingers tingled from the punishing grip he had.

  “With that body, Frederik, and that attitude of hers, I’m sure the dragon will have his hands full.” The creep didn’t lift his eyes from my chest as he said the words and licked his lips in anticipation.

  I needed to get out of the room, and fast.

  “May I be excused now?” I asked, using my best meek and mild tone, dropping my eyes to convey a submissive demeanor.

  “Leave us, girl.” Father dismissed me with a wave of his hand. “But don’t forget what will happen if you run away or fail us on this mission,” he added, severity bleeding from his words.

  I nodded as I rushed out the door, ignoring the rest of the partygoers as I rushed up the stairs. I vaguely heard my mother call out for me, but I breezed past her, intent on getting to Sariah. She would be the only one that could calm the storm within me, who could help me understand this task which was forced upon me.

  Closing the door to her room softly behind me, I gazed at my sixteen-year-old sister as she sat next to her window, reading her tattered copy of The Odyssey, brow furrowed in concentration. Her dark brown hair was arranged in a messy ponytail behind her head, strands of hair scattered all about her face. Her skin looked particularly pale today, the black circles under her hazel eyes more pronounced as she hadn’t been getting much sleep.

  “What are you up to, Monkey?” My tone lightened, trying to cheer her up as I reached her side, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead.

  “Same thing I always do on party night, Ria, I’m watching people come in and out of the house while I read.” She sighed, pressing her face into the cool glass, watching the scene below. Her room overlooked the front courtyard of the house, and she had a perfect view of the long driveway and the cars that arrived during the many social engagements our parents hosted.

  “You are lucky you don’t have to talk to these people, Ari. They are vile.” I lifted the skirts of my simple champagne colored dress and sat down on the window seat, facing her. I lowered my head, placing my chin on top of my knees. “They want me to seduce a dragon. But get this-- not just any dragon.” I paused, swallowing thickly as the words caught in my throat. “One of the princes. Father and Uncle want me to seduce and honeypot one of the fucking prince dragons so that I can weasel my way into their house to find some fancy artifact thing they want.” The angry tears returned to my eyes, but this time I couldn’t help them falling down my cheeks. “You know how much I’ve always idolized them. I can’t imagine doing this to them. Why do they hate them so much, Ari? What did they ever do to any of us? All they want to do is live their lives!” I wanted to scream the words, but I knew that that my parents had ears everywhere in this house, so I whispered instead. “They are the opposite of humans-- they treat their women so well. They are wonderful fathers. You should see the latest episode of Dragon Daddies. Maximos was so adorable playing with his daughter.” I wished that I could have a father that treated me half as well as those dragon fathers adored their babies.

  Sariah reached out a hand, intertwining her fingers with mine and giving a light squeeze. “Aleria, you need to just leave. Run away,” she choked out, her own tears beginning to form in the depths of her hazel eyes. “You can’t keep staying for me. I’m not worth it.” She shook her head, eyes pleading with me to finally take her advice. She had been begging me for years to just leave her, to quit sacrificing my life for hers.

  “Don’t say that. I can’t leave you little Monkey.” I gathered her into my arms and held her tight as we both let the tears flow freely. “You never have to worry about me leaving you. I will always be here, Sariah. Always.”

  Scooping her small frame into my arms, I carried her to her bed. She had fallen asleep about thirty minutes after our emotional outburst. They rarely happened anymore, but after the revelations of tonight, it was warranted. Sariah tired easily; her body was not able to handle stress such as extreme emotions. I placed her on the soft mattress and swiftly changed my clothes before crawling into bed next to her. We would both need the comfort of each other tonight.

  My head hit the pillow and I slipped off into a fitful sleep, my dreams filled with dragons staring down at me with glowing blue eyes, sharp talons closing around me as we flew through the sky. The wind rushed through my ears and stung my face as the strong, beautiful black dragon flew through the air. His rumble of laughter was the only sound that I heard before his talons expanded, releasing me, and I plummeted down towards the earth. I shot straight up in bed just as I landed on the Earth, falling to my death.

  Chapter 3

  Xander

  Waking from a nightmare, my dragon rumbled deeply inside of my chest. He had been in a tizzy lately. The closer it got to my twenty fifth birthday, the more difficult it was to contain him within. The dream had been strange. He had a girl, no, a woman, clasped in his talons as he flew through the sky. The cool air felt heavenly on his wings, but for some reason, an emotion overtook him that made him release his grip on his precious cargo and watching in horror as she careened down towards earth.

  “What is a dream like that supposed to mean?” I scrubbed my hands over my face, throwing off the sodden sheets as I climbed to my feet. From what I could remember of the woman, she was utterly beautiful. Dark auburn hair fell in waves down her back and around her heart shaped face. Piercing, intelligent green eyes spit fire at him before I had gathered her up in my claws and took flight. She even had an adorable sprinkling of freckles along her nose and cheeks.

  Great, now his cock was awake too. “Fuck.” I cursed as I walked across the floor to the large shower.

  Descending the stairs forty-five minutes later, he still couldn’t shake the dream or the woman that he saw and let die. Maybe his father would know the significance of the dream? Perhaps it was just a side effect of getting closer to his twenty fifth birthday.

  When a dragon reached the age of twenty-five, he was fully matured and his dragon fully developed. It was at this point where his powers were revealed and the bond between his human soul and his dragon soul merged together. Together, the merged soul could find their mate, the one person who would complete them and provide balance to the darkness within.

  “Xander,” Drake, my twin brother, shouted from the other end of the large dining room as I entered, “heads up.” He tossed me an apple, which I caught in one hand and took a large bite of before smiling.

  “Thanks, bro.” I gave him a high five as I grabbed a plate and loaded it with the various breakfast items that our chef and head of the house, Hilde, had prepared for us this morning. “Damn, did she make us her orange glazed cinnamon rolls?” I groaned in anticipation as I shoveled two of the delicious treats onto my already full plate.

  Another
perk of being a dragon was an extremely high metabolism. We had to consume a lot of calories to maintain our bodies, especially when we shifted. Drakon and I were royal Black dragons, meaning that we were the largest and most powerful of all the dragon clans.

  The other dragons of our kind were a variety of colors and had various abilities. Blue dragons held power over the elements and could command water and ice. Red dragons were masters of fire and the purple dragons held very strong psychic abilities. Only black dragons possessed power over all the elements, hence our rule over the Dragonkyn. Our father, Dimitrios, was the king, maintaining the balance and ensuring that our laws were obeyed.

  He was a kind, generous and fair king, always listening to his people and providing judgements that all could abide by. Since the environmental collapse of our planet, caused by the shifting of the planets core, and our subsequent departure for earth, he had been the pillar of strength for the Dragonkyn. Shortly before our actual departure, a series of natural disasters rocked the planet, causing total chaos and massive casualties.

  Our mother had been one of those casualties.

  Since her death, our father hadn’t been the same person. He still ruled, still maintained the order and peace, but nothing brought him joy. His mate was gone, and he was a dragon without the light to balance his soul. My own heart ached when I thought of my beautiful mother.

  “Earth to Xander,” Drake tossed a piece of scrambled egg into my face, which landed square on the bridge of my nose. It caused him to snicker before he dug back into the food on his plate. “Stop brooding.” He said, mouth full of bacon, the remaining half piece he used to point at me. “You have that look on your face that says ‘I’m thinking too much’ like always.”

  Hilde walked through the swinging door to the kitchen and gaped in horror at Drake, “Drakon Rathnar Scwartzen how many times have I told you not to speak with your mouth full?” She approached him, her deadly wooden spoon in hand.