by Angel Black
In that moment, it became perfectly clear to Rachel why Valonis had all but begged her to stay in his chambers. For whatever reason, she was not supposed to be there. The look on everyone’s faces made it clear that a very, very big mistake was made, and that she was about to pay for it.
Chapter 12: There Was Still Time
Valonis
Valonis felt a predatory growl rise from his chest the moment he saw his father walk in. Of all things to happen in that moment, this was possibly the worst. Over the last few days, Valonis had found himself becoming more and more attached to the human he’d brought to his world. Rachel was without a doubt unlike anyone he’d ever met. She was intelligent, and not just about her field. He found her passion for books to be the most adorable thing, and often enjoyed just watching her from the bed or any chair as she spent hours turning pages of the books he snuck in for her. She was also very kind, despite her often sarcastic responses to his dominating tendencies. And of course, there was that situation that arose just days earlier where it took everything he had to not throw her on the bed and claim her as his and his alone.
Now was not the time to think of such things however, for they both now faced a very real threat--- his father.
Vilhelm smiled at him and Rachel as he approached the bed, greed and power making his eyes glisten with fire. Valonis loathed him in that moment.
“Well, well,” he laughed, his eyes fully on Rachel now. “What do we have here? A little human pet I see. Well, no wonder you wanted to stop the female trade. You want them all to yourself, don’t you son?” He clicked his tongue.
“I see our women are not enough to curve your salacious appetites anymore.”
“Valonis,” Rachel whispered, tears in her eyes. “What is he talking about?”
Shame flooded through Valonis as he tried to find the right words, but his father beat him to it.
“Didn’t he tell you?” The Earl asked, looking from one to another. “Oh, son. That isn’t very nice of you.”
“You will pay for this,” Valonis promised, sneering. His father ignored him, turning his full attention to Rachel.
“My son here made a very horrible mistake trusting one of my guards to bring you food. When he started becoming interested in our council meetings, I knew there had to be a reason he was against our human slave trade, so I had him investigated. I can understand why he wanted to keep you for himself,” he said softly. “You’re very attractive, for a human.”
Vilhelm reached out to stroke Rachel’s cheek, but Valonis caught it forcefully as more scales erupted over him.
“You will not touch her,” he growled, the tone of his voice promising a vengeful repercussion if he actually did so. “You need to stop this father. All of it. She’s not here to serve me, she’s here to help us. Her father has found something. There are answers to….”
“Oh I’ll do as I please,” his father interrupted, not at all interested in what he had to say. “She’s very beautiful son, very beautiful indeed. She’ll fetch a lovely price for sure.”
Valonis felt Rachel shrink closer to him as his gut wrenched in horror.
“You will not!” He snarled, pushing his body between his father’s and Rachel’s.
“Seize her. Remove him!” Vilhelm commanded, ignoring his son. “Beat him if you must but try not to mar her face, she is very pretty after all.”
“Valonis,” Rachel whispered, her voice full of utter fear.
His father’s Sigma, Ajax, came rushing at Valonis, but was stopped by Duke, who had moved between the Sigma and Valonis with surprising agility. As the two began to fight, three guards came at Valonis. He met them head on---literally. Grabbing one by the lapels, he threw his head back and head butted the dragon with all his might. It knocked him out instantly and Valonis threw him to the floor, raising his fists to the other two.
It had been a while since he’d been in a good brawl, and he realized, as he smashed his fist into one guard’s teeth, that he rather missed it. The same guard stumbled towards him and Valonis caught him up easily, lifted him above his head, and tossed him like a sack towards the other guards that were coming towards him. The body of the unconscious guard crashed into them and sent them sprawling like a set of bowling pins. He even laughed as they all went down.
“Come on,” he growled, wiping blood off his lips before raising them again. “What else you got?”
Two more guards came at him, but the sound of the Earl’s voice brought them to a sudden stop.
“Enough,” the Earl said in a sing-song voice. “That is more than enough.” He looked over at his son, his face expressionless as he evaluated his son.
“I underestimated you. With all that time you were spending in bed with your women, I had predicted you had gone soft.”
Valonis shot his father a hateful grin. “I have much more left if you want to take a chance with me,” he replied.
The Earl shrugged his shoulders, seeing it as an empty threat. “Perhaps another time. For now, I think I’ll just revel in the ability to outsmart you.”
Valonis felt his heart stop as he understood his father’s words. Turning around, he saw that while he was fighting, two guards had snuck around him and captured Rachel.
In a roar of rage he sprinted towards the guards, ready to kill them if need be. When one put a silver dagger to her neck however, he drew up short, stopping so fast it was as if he’d hit an invisible wall.
“Get away from her!” Valonis warned. His body was shaking with rage.
“I would calm down if I were you, son,” Vilhelm warned, his voice level and calm. “If you want to see her again, you will not stop this. It is what the council and I have decided, and it will happen with or without your presence.”
He lowered his voice, becoming serious for the first time since he walked in. “I have many more guards under my control Valonis. They may not be strong enough to fight you but I promise you they are more than capable of causing intense harm to your little human pet here.”
Valonis drew up short, images of a battered and bruised Rachel flooding his mind. He drew a steadying breath, and then put up his hands in defeat.
“All right,” he rasped, going to one knee. “Father, you have control. But please, leave her here for now. Don’t tie her up. Post guards if you like, in and out of the room. But please, don’t put her in ropes again. She’s been here trying to help us.”
Vilhelm studied his son, his eyes shifting constantly from his dragon’s eyes to his human ones as he seemingly debated whether or not he would torture his son.
“Very well,” he gave in at last. He flicked his wrist towards the guards that had been tying up Rachel, and they stopped immediately.
“She will remain in this room under the supervision of the house’s Sigma, Ajax. Duke will be reassigned immediately. You may visit her if you wish, but if you even attempt to move her out of this room son, so help me by the power of the Supreme dragon himself, I will make you regret it.” He went to turn to leave, but pivoted towards Valonis a final time.
“We’ve deactivated the portal beneath your quarters,” he announced. “And if you even try to attempt it, our sensors will let us know. Don’t abuse my kindness, son.”
Valonis waited until his father and his guards left the room, but once they did he rushed towards Rachel.
“Don’t touch me!” she cried, holding her hands in front of her. “Is that what you really wanted me for? As a slave?” She said the last word with disgust, which turned Valonis’ stomach upside down.
“No! Rachel, I---”
“This is your fault,” she screamed, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. “If you wouldn’t have taken me this would have never happened!”
Valonis opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came. The heart in his chest ached heavily at the sight of Rachel so upset. Of course, she had every right to be; she had just found out that she was being sold like a mere object. And she was right, it was his fault.
Not wantin
g to stress her further but not ready to leave her side, Valonis took a seat near the hearth and watched in silent, heavy regret as Rachel wept for the loss of her life. He stayed there for several moments, looking at the woman he was falling in love with fall to pieces for his own selfish reasons.
Unable to stay still any longer, he got up, strode over to her, and dropped to one knee.
“Leave me alone,” she begged, tears leaving heart wrenching trails down her cheeks.
“I will,” he promised, holding his hands up in surrender. “But I need you to know something first. I swear to you on my life, on the life of my people, I will get you out of this. I don’t know how yet, but this will not be your fate.”
Rachel began to cry harder, and he knew it was time to leave. He got up, walked to the door, and abruptly left. He strode down the hallway, his gaze so fierce that those sharing the path with him quickly got out of his way. A quick glare at the palace guards got him access to exit the front gates immediately. The moment he was outside the walls, he took off at a run, following the old paths up to the Volcano where his brother was laid to his eternal rest.
He waited until he passed the last dwelling before he let out a roar of rage and let the shift take over him. Valonis relished in the pain of a quick shift. He wanted to feel every bone break, every scale, horn and spike form and push from his body. As he shifted, his voice grew louder, more animalistic until he was no longer shouting as a man, but a dragon. Unfolding his great wings, he pushed roughly off the forest floor, sending his massive body up into the sky with an anger-fueled force.
His massive wings allowed him to fly to the opening of the volcano, where he perched. Large puffs of dark gray smoke flowed from the opening, stinging his eyes as he looked down into the bright yellow and red lava that swirled and bubbled way down at the bottom. As he watched the lava, he thought of his brother, and how he had failed to save him. He could have reached out, that he knew. He could have been by Valcone’s side more often, could have made sure that he never felt alone. But he hadn’t. He had done nothing, and now he was gone.
Now, after feeling certain that he had found his mate, he was going to lose her too. He let his rage boil over and in another dragon scream he let loose a long, intense stream of white-hot fire into the heart of the volcano. Valonis breathed his fire into the volcano over and over again, sending all of his rage and hate into the volcano that took his brother’s life.
After what seemed like hours, he finally ran out of dragon fire. Exhausted, he let his heavy body fall backwards over the edge of the volcano, somersaulting in midair so that the downward winds would catch his wings and practically float him down to the earth. Once his feet touched, he began his shift, letting his human form take over slowly. On his human legs he trembled with fatigue as he started his walk back to the palace.
Now that he had been able to dispel his rage, a somber calm had taken over him, allowing him to think rationally. He had lost his brother from his own inability to help him. There was nothing that could change that. But Rachel wasn’t dead yet, nor was she sold. There was still time to figure out a plan, to save her somehow. He just had to figure it out.
Chapter 13: Falon & Alexandra
Valonis
Looking over his shoulder, Valonis wanted to be sure that he hadn’t been followed. Sneaking around his father’s castle had become quite a feat now that all of the royal guards were now on alert. However, thanks to their avid exploring as children, he and his brother had discovered a plethora of secret passageways. When he was sure no one had spotted him, he knocked quickly on the door, hoping that the residents would let him in.
Falon’s eyebrows rose in surprise as he opened the door to Valonis.
“My lord,” the other shifter greeted, bowing his head. “What brings you here?”
Normally Valonis would wait to be invited in, but due to the stressful circumstance he simply pushed past Falon and let himself into their chambers.
“Don’t call me that,” he said irritably after Falon closed and locked the door behind them. “We’ve been friends since we were children, for Gods’ sake.”
Falon looked at him for a long minute, his large, muscular arm crossed against his bare chest. He wore his black leather slacks slung low on his hips, and Valonis wondered if he had interrupted something.
“Forgive me then,” Falon replied dryly. “It’s just been so long since I’ve seen you. You’ve been quite busy with your women. I didn’t think our friendship meant much anymore.”
Valonis winced, but accepted the dig. It was true. After Valcone had died years ago his attention had gone completely to the female anatomy alone.
“I’m sorry old friend,” he apologized, looking guilty. “I couldn’t--”
Falon shook his head, and stretched his arm out to offer Valonis the warrior’s handshake. “It is in the past, and I accept your apology. At least you stopped by for Alexandra and the baby.”
With a sigh of relief Valonis reached out and grasped Falon’s arm in the sacred handshake.
“Now come,” Falon beckoned, going over to a table where a pitcher of wine stood. “Let’s drink and catch up. From what I hear, you and I have grown to become very much alike.”
Valonis took the offered cup and seat, and as the two dragons drank, he told Falon everything. How he took Rachel, how he had fallen in love with her, and now, had risked her life. When he was done, Falon shook his head is disappointment.
“I’m afraid your father has gone mad,” he replied. “I’ve tried to reason with him, even Alexandra has attempted to write to him, but he will not listen. No good will come of opening a slave trade.” He paused, looked towards the adjoining room, and leaned in close so he could whisper.
“And between you and me, I don’t think it’s going to work.”
Valonis quickly finished draining his cup, and kept it back down. “What do you mean?” He asked, intrigued.
“It’s just a theory,” Falon warned, filling their cups again. “But Alexandra and I have talked endlessly about us, and our people versus hers. She and I have read through countless books in the ancient sections of the royal library, and we believe that it takes a very specific human paired with a very specific dragon to create a new life. Not just anyone. They have to be matched.”
“Matched?” Valonis asked, not following. “How so?”
“Don’t call me soft,” Falon warned, “Or I’ll box you a good one. But I think--- we think that it’s a soul connection. I am hers, she is mine. We are able to have children because she is my other half.”
“Have you told this theory to my father?” Valonis asked, feeling sparks of hope.
Falon nodded, drinking from his cup. “Of course I have. He doesn’t want to believe it. He says that we don’t have enough proof.”
“That’s why he wants to sell Rachel,” Valonis murmured, realization dawning on him. “He wants to see if your theory is correct. If it isn’t, he’s going to open up a human slave trade.”
Falon growled as his eyes shifted and scales erupted over his naked chest.
“A disgusting idea,” he snarled. “We must stop it.”
“We will,” Valonis promised. “Somehow. We just need to get more support on our side first.”
“You do realize this could start a civil war, don’t you?” His friend asked.
“Good.” he replied. “Maybe we need it. I refuse to believe that we as a species have fallen so far that we cannot find a more consensual alternative to our lack of children. Speaking of that, how is that you are able to keep Alexandra so safe?”
Falon sneered at the question, obviously not pleased with their current situation. “I’m not certain ‘safe’ is the correct word, but I am doing the best that I can. She is the first human in your father’s lifetime to ever carry a child from a dragon. He wants to monitor her and the baby. Only Supreme Aedan’s protection has granted us any immunity from your father.” He said the last sentence with apparent disgust.
�
��I wish they would allow us to leave, but if we tried they would separate us. I promised her that I would never let that happen. So for now, we’re doing the best we can with a bad situation.” Falon shook his head, disappointment apparent in his face.
“If I were able to get her to visit the human world more often, I would. She stumbled into our world by accident and she has paid such a heavy price for it. We have found our soul’s counterpoints in one another, yes, but in return she is on the verge of being turned into a science experiment.”
From the other room came a noise. A beautiful human woman, Alexandra, with a rounded belly walked into the room.
“I can hear you talking about me,” she teased. “Why didn’t you tell me we had company? We never get visitors.”
Falon immediately straightened his posture so that his lap was available. The human woman took a seat on his legs and he immediately wrapped his arms around her. There was apparent love between them, and it made Valonis miss Rachel and worry for her even more.
“Apologies, my love,” Falon replied.
Though he was not what many would call a sensitive man, Valonis could feel the love between the two the moment the woman walked in. Their connection to one another was clear and so was their commitment to their relationship. His heart swelled as he pictured one day being able to hold Rachel in such a fashion.
“Valonis, greet again my beloved, Alexandra. My love, this is Valonis. He is to be the next Earl of our people--- and is also in love with a human.” Valonis bowed low to the human woman.
“My dear lady,” Valonis apologized. “I offer my sincere apologies for the way you’ve been treated. I promise you I am working on a change.”
“I couldn’t help but overhear you,” she confessed. “I am sorry for what you and your woman are going through.”
Valonis felt his heart stutter in his chest at the idea of Rachel actually being his. “Thank you. But things will change I will make sure of it. Not just for Rachel, but for you too. We all deserve our freedom.”