Valonis: The Ancient Blood Awakens: (A War of Blood and Scales Romance)

by Angel Black

  Valonis’ eyebrows rose in surprise. “No way, I’m not going to give him the time of day. It’s bad enough that we argue all day in meetings. And…and, well…I mean- Rachel, I- are you sure? He- I mean, what he did to you was no small thing. He threatened to take your freedom away. He tried to sell you!”

  “I know,” Rachel had replied as she ran a soothing hand through his hair. “I know he did that. But you and I didn’t meet under the best circumstances either, if you dare to recall.” She nudged him playfully, and was delighted when she saw a sheepish grin spread across his face. He kissed her hard on the lips, and then grew somber.

  “All signs point to your father being an ass,” she admitted. “But at least by going we are proving to ourselves, him, and our supporters that we are the bigger people in this situation. Besides, I know you and I also know that you would never let anything bad happen to me.”

  After a slight back and forth, Valonis eventually agreed, and they sent their RSVP to the palace. Still, despite wanting to be the bigger person in all the mess, Rachel still didn’t want to go anywhere near the old dragon shifter. It would be a struggle to even be in the same room with him, but something bigger was at stake. He still hadn’t given an exact reason as to why he despised human females in particular, and that made her very uneasy.

  Now, after weeks of waiting, it was time to attend the infamous dinner party. Neither was really sure what to expect other than the worst, but secretly, Rachel hoped that something, no matter how small, would shift the dynamic. If she could just get a dialogue going, she was sure that she could make a change. Even if it was a small one, it was worth trying. Of course knowing the Earl, he could very well still be holding a grudge over what she had said to him at the wedding. She smiled wickedly as she thought of it. It was definitely one of her prouder moments during her stay in the dragon realm. Even if it was tiny, it was still a message to the Earl and his council that they would not beat her down.

  Glancing up at the clock, she saw that it was nearly time for Valonis to be coming home. Better start getting ready, she thought to herself, pushing up out of the deep, comfy cushions of their couch. In less than a month, she was sure that she would no longer be able to do such a thing without help. No one was really sure how long a human-dragon shifter hybrid gestated, but however long it was, she hoped she would not get much bigger.

  In her wardrobe, a room Valonis had remodeled just for her new clothes, shoes, and jewelry, she picked out one of her favorite shifter designed dresses for the dinner. It was midnight blue, and felt somewhere between a mix of velvet and silk. On the hanger, it looked as if it would only fit the skinniest of people. But once she started to slip it on over her head, the fabric stretched beautifully, fitting her in all the right ways. She had grown to love the long bell sleeves of the current fashion. When she was uncomfortable, she could use them for extra cover over her rounding belly. This dress had a modest neckline, cutting straight across her chest just an inch or two above her cleavage. Over the bodice, delicate silver thread was sewn into the figure of a flying dragon.

  Though dragon fashion was popular, she had been very surprised to see that many dragons, mostly males, often wore high class designer human clothes as well. Armani suits, Prada dress shoes, and tons of Under Armor shirts took up Valonis’ closet. Given the choice however, Rachel still preferred the long, flowing dresses of the shifter women. They were easier to wear, and made her body feel less constricted, especially with her pregnancy. She was just finishing arranging her curls into an updo when she heard Valonis call for her from downstairs.

  “Up here my love!” She called. A few moments later, Valonis strolled into the room, a smile breaking out across his face as he looked her slowly up and down.

  “You look absolutely beautiful my love,” he praised, pulling her into her his arms. She went into them willingly, always loving how protected she felt in his embrace.

  “Thank you darling,” she replied, going to her tip toes to accept his kiss. “I’m ready to go.”

  Sighing, Valonis pulled his arms slowly away from her and went to wash his face.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked, splashing cold water over his face as she came up behind him to rub his back.

  “Remember, we’re the bigger people here,” she replied. “The more your father sees humans on the same level as him, the more hope we have of him not seeing me as less than.

  “Fine,” he sighed, drying his face. “But the moment you want to leave we’re gone, okay? I’m serious.”

  “Deal,” Rachel promised.

  Rachel’s stomach rumbled, but not because she was hungry. For the past two weeks she had been hoping beyond hope that the dinner had been called off because the Earl had some transcendent moment and wanted to bury the hatchet. Well, he had wanted to bury the hatchet all right, right into her skull.

  Once they had arrived, the Earl had been quick to lavish his son with attention. He praised him for finally stepping up in to politics, for attending royal meetings, and for interacting more with their people. Even though they were both on opposite sides of the political spectrum, the Earl was still pleased with Valonis’ maturing. For that, Rachel was grateful. The Earl was right after all. Valonis had changed and matured since they were set to wed, and had been working hard to make positive changes. However, the Earl did not have anywhere close to similar feelings when it came to her.

  When she had tried to say hello, he acted as if she wasn’t even there. He ignored her completely, even during drinks and appetizers when he would ask Valonis about her pregnancy. Rachel was kicking herself for having hopes, and beside her she could feel her husband’s annoyance continue to grow. Every time his father ignored her, every time he asked a question but only listened to Valonis’ reply, he had reached over and squeezed her knee. The evening was most certainly not going well.

  Right before they were about to go into the dining hall, Rachel’s stomach growled in stress again, this time loud enough for Valonis to hear. Reaching out, he took her hand, and smiled at her before turning to look at his father.

  “I think our little one is ready for something to eat,” he laughed. “Shall we go in and see what the chef has prepared for us?”

  In that moment, the Earl’s face fell, looking over at Rachel for the first time during the night with apparent disdain.

  “When I sent that invitation, son, it was meant for you and you alone,” he explained. “If you think I want to willingly share a table with this- human, you must be more stupid than I thought.”

  Rachel watched as Valonis’ eyes lit up gold in fury. Dozens of scales began to glide over his skin, and she gasped as she heard and felt the bones in Valonis’ arms begin to snap and shift. She had seen his scales, many times. But never in his anger had he began to shift bones. She needed to get him out of there. Having no more hopes of a respectful evening, she pushed herself up from her seat, and looked directly at the Earl.

  “You are a sad thing, my lord” she told him. “A sad, ancient thing, that has no respect for the world that has grown around him.”

  Valonis and his father looked up at her in shocked silence, so she continued. “You begged your son to marry for years, and yet when he finally does, and when he does it for love, you refute his bride? And for what? For not being able to shift? Well you’re right. I can’t do that. And I can’t live for centuries, I can’t heal quickly, and I can’t change from human to dragon at a mere thought. But you know what I can do that neither you nor even any female in your kingdom can? I can have a baby. Your son’s baby. Your grandchild. ” She shook her head, her voice growing even stronger and more commanding.

  “I am the very reason the miracle of life is even being celebrated in the entirety of your world, and yet, you have the audacity to openly despise me? Well guess what? I am done trying. I don’t give a damn about what you think of me! I came here in hopes of showing you kindness, but you are clearly too juvenile for that. I will not stay where I am not at
least respected, and you will not have the pleasure of making me feel less than what I truly am.”

  She turned to Valonis, keeping her back to the shocked and speechless Earl.

  “You were right. This was a waste of time. Let’s go.”

  Valonis stood up, a wide smile on his face as he took his wife’s hand.

  “As you wish, my lady,” he replied, bowing low at his waist.

  They left the Earl and his posse in their shocked silence, and made their way towards the door. The moment they were outside of the palace, Valonis wrapped her in his arms and kissed her until they were both gasping for air.

  “That was incredible,” he praised. “You were incredible.”

  Chapter 22: Come Fly With Me

  Valonis

  Later That Night

  The details of the evening’s dinner whirled around inside his head. Rachel had been magnificent in the way she defended herself and their relationship. Though they hadn’t talked about it, he thought that she would make an exceptional Countess to his people if the day ever came.

  It had actually given him immense satisfaction to watch his father struggle with Rachel’s strong defense of their relationship. He had underestimated her because she had kept quiet, but beneath that soft interior was a dragon all of her own. He knew without a doubt that she was going to be a protective mother, and that made him so proud. As he thought over the evening’s events, he recalled feeling Rachel’s concern when his shift started to take over.

  Although Rachel had seen him begin to shift before, he knew she’d never seen him begin to contort his bones. She had tried to hide it from him but after scanning her thoughts, he found that it actually did alarm and worry her to see him do such a thing. He didn’t want Rachel to be afraid of him in any form. As he lay in bed with her, watching her sleep, he realized that she had never seen him fully shift.

  He smiled as an idea began to blossom in his mind, and he gently shook her awake.

  “What is it?” She asked, her sweet voice full of sleep. “Is something wrong?”

  “No,” he quickly promised, “Nothing like that. But I have an idea. I think you’ll like it.”

  Rachel pulled herself up to a sitting position and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. As she did so, Valonis was sure he’d never seen anything so adorable.

  “What’s your idea?” She asked, her soft voice still full of sleep.

  “I want to take you on a ride,” he replied.

  “Now? On what?” Rachel looked at him as if he’d gone mad.

  “Yes now. On me.”

  Rachel’s left eyebrow went up in partial amusement, partial annoyance. “If you wanted to have sex, my lord, this was not the way to seduce me.”

  Valonis chuckled, and shook his head.

  “That’s not what I mean,” he began to explain. “You’ve never seen me shift before. Not fully anyway. And I think it’s something that I should have let you see long ago. I want you to feel comfortable around the presence of dragons, no matter what form they are in. Especially me.” He gave her a small apologetic smile, and went on to explain that he felt her worry when he had started to shift at his father’s dinner.

  “So I was thinking, since it is night and almost everyone is asleep, I would take you outside so I could shift. So you can see the other side of me and not be afraid of it. What do you think?”

  Gone was the sleep in Rachel’s eyes as they glittered with excitement.

  “Yes!” She exclaimed, throwing off the covers. “I would love that. I’ve always wondered what your full dragon form looks like.”

  Not wanting to waste any more time, she slipped out of bed so she could put warmer clothes on. Outside, Valonis positioned her on their back porch, and instructed her to stay there until he reached out telepathically to let her know it was okay to approach. In the yard, he began to shift. Normally he could go from humanoid to dragon in under sixty seconds, but he purposely slowed down the transformation so that Rachel could see what each phase looked like. Sure it was a little more painful, but it was only temporary. He knew by the time he was fully shifted, he would be fine.

  Closing his eyes to concentrate, he held out his arms and called the shift to him. It started in his chest, enlarging his ribcage and organs as his skin began to expand and harden into a protective layer of scales. Then it spread to his arms and hands. Ropes of sinewy muscle and plates of impenetrable dragon scale began to push through his skin as his fingers began to elongate and curl into long, sharp talons.

  The most painful part was always the shifting of his head. His dragon teeth always came in first and they always burst through his gums, ripping them to shreds before the rest of his jaw had time to catch up and shift accordingly with their size. And then of course, there was always the nearly quadrupling of his size.

  When he finally finished his transformation, he was the size of a bull elephant. Cracking his neck side to side, he gave his gigantic body a shake as he settled into his scales and stretched his wings. Looking over at the porch, he saw Rachel staring at him, her mouth wide in awe.

  What do you think? He thought to her.

  Oh! Oh you’re so pretty! She replied, her voice full of excitement.

  Valonis snorted, letting a long stream of smoke billow through his nostrils as he straightened his shoulders.

  I am not pretty, my lady. I am fearsome. I am intimidating. I am a dragon.

  Rachel giggled in her mind. You’re adorable.

  You will pay for that later, he teased, spreading out his wings. But for now, let’s fly. Are you ready?

  Even from across the yard he could see her head nodding in excitement with his sharp dragon eyes. Nodding his great head, he beckoned her to come closer. Rachel took her time crossing the yard, but he didn’t mind. It had been ages since he’d shifted fully, and was hoping to take his time in his predatory form. When she finally reached him, she gasped as she understood the enormity of his size.

  You can touch me if you want, he offered. I promise I won’t bite.

  You better not! She thought back to him. Or we’re not having any sex for a month!

  Valonis shivered at the thought, and promised to remain perfectly still.

  Rachel’s touch was so soft he could barely feel it, but he was able to turn his great head on his long neck and watch her in quiet amusement as she ran her hands over the scales and spikes of his sides, the talons of his feet, and finally, his long, spiked snout. Even though his insanely sharp teeth were as long as her forearms, she even reached out to touch those. The moment her hand touched his face he nuzzled into her palm, letting her know that he had total control over the beast.

  What does it feel like in there? She asked, after a long moment of awe-filled silence.

  He didn’t know what to say at first. No one had ever asked him that question before. He thought about it for a long time, trying to find the best way to explain it.

  It’s like having a pet, he said at last. But, instead of just using words to command and train it, you can use your thoughts. We’re both separate entities that share the same body. Sometimes he comes out when my human form is mad, but for the most part I am in complete and total control unless I hand the power over to him.

  When would you ever do that?” Rachel asked.

  Inside the dragon, Valonis winced. He knew that Rachel had read books on their somewhat brutal history with wars, but it was hard to put into words the ferocity needed for such a thing. For dragons to excel in battle, they often had to hand their consciousness over to the beasts. They were intensely predatory beasts, skilled in the art of hunting, and savage as hell. Their only goals when they were allowed full reign over the shifter’s body was to survive by killing. In dragon wars, there were never any hostages, only fallen warriors.

  Hopefully I won’t ever have to do it again, he said at last, not directly answering the question. Hoping to change the subject, he asked if she was ready to fly with him.

  I think so! She replied enthusiastically
. How do I climb on?

  Valonis settled his body to the ground as low as it would go, and stretched out a long wing so that she had a ramp to walk up.

  My wings may look delicate but I assure they are very steady. Take your time as you walk up it, it will not hurt me, he assured her. We have all night. If this was something that she would enjoy, he would start to work on a saddle for her right away. He liked the idea of them flying together. He’d never shared flying with anyone before, and to him it felt like an intensely intimate moment.

  Rachel did as she was told, taking her time as she used her hands and feet to steadily climb up his wing. When she made it to his back, she stepped daintily over his spikes, careful not to hurt him. Even though his skin was practically impenetrable, he adored that she was so considerate of him. After some searching, she found a place just behind his largest head spike to sit. He felt her as she wrapped her arms around the foot-wide circumference of the spike and gripped his neck with her thighs.

  All settled in? He asked, feeling excited himself.

  Yes! But no loops or scary stuff okay?

  Valonis chuckled. No loops, I promise.

  Okay then, I’m ready!

  When she had both her hands and her feet wrapped around his spike, he gave a final warning to hold on tight, and began to ready his wings. Moments later he pushed forcefully up and away from the ground, and into the sky they soared. In his mind he could hear Rachel squeal in delight as they went up above the entire dragon city. When he felt that they were high enough to not be seen, he stopped his ascent and began a slow, lazy course of flying.

  What do you think? He asked.

  Valonis! She gushed, her voice full of laughter. This is incredible! How come we didn’t do this sooner?

  He chuckled, a flood of affection coursing through him. Well I can only promise that we will do this much more in the future.

  They flew for over an hour, letting the wind carry them in wide circles over the city and towards the volcano’s center. As they soared and talked, he told her stories of the old worlds, long ago when he was a mere twenty-three years of age. He told her the myths of their volcano, and how his mother when she was around, would take him and his brother to the base of it once a week to pray to their gods.