I’d never seen Tylendel in such a state and it actually worried me. I didn’t worry about much, but these past few days had been more intense than I cared to admit. And now, to see one of the greatest warriors I’d ever known beside himself with grief, shock, and dare I say, fear… I’d be a fool myself not to be concerned. As I looked at both Tylendel and Vex, I realized something, their auras weren’t as strong as before.
“You two have changed,” I said, trying to understand what had happened.
Tylendel nodded. “Our Knighthoods are gone. Died with Evander.”
Oh shit! “Can you get it back?” I asked.
Tylendel nodded. “If the new King wills it through his heartsblood. He can make new Knights. If I am chosen, then I will regain my Knighthood.”
That was interesting. Of course, one of my biggest worries was, what were Tylendel and Vex going to do now? They had a new King and one who wanted to eliminate us all and take over the colony. Would he oppose and challenge to the death or would he follow as no other Knight or Council member opposed? From what I knew of dragons, majority ruled and the rest followed in line. That would mean that my oldest friend was about to become my greatest enemy. This… I didn’t need.
“What are you going to do?” I asked Tylendel.
He didn’t answer me right away and I could only imagine what thoughts were going through his head. Finally, after several seconds had passed, he looked up at me and sighed. “I have to pledge my allegiance to our new King, Théoden. It is our way.”
Yeah, I knew that much, and if their new King wasn’t hellbent on killing me, I wouldn’t have given a shit. When his father had been defeated by Evander, it only affected us in the sense that my Father, Ara, wanted to maintain his alliance and with Ty’s help and my Father’s cunning, he had. But now, that alliance was no more. It had died with Evander’s last breath.
“We have to go, Tylendel,” Vex said.
“I know.” Ty sighed heavily as he rose to his feet. He looked at me. “I will try my best to convince my new King to seek an alliance with you, Théoden. That is all I can do.”
Well, it was something. “I would greatly appreciate that, Tylendel, thank you.”
He nodded, then walked over to me. He pressed his mouth to mine and kissed me with as much passion and love as I knew he felt for me. I returned his kiss with all my love for him and when he stepped back with all the sadness in his eyes, I felt like I’d just lost my best friend and a part of me was at a loss.
He walked away with Vex in tow and once they found their wolf lovers, they took to the skies, leaving us there to defend our territory alone. I was over thirteen hundred years old, but I felt like that young human hybrid that was looking into Tylendel’s gorgeous green eyes right before he entered me. For pretty much my entire life, Tylendel had been my friend, lover, and mentor. What if this new King felt he would not be able to trust Ty and ordered his death? What if he ordered Tylendel to kill me, could Ty do it? I knew nothing of Kendrick except his desire to take over the entire colony and that was only based on his actions.
I had no advantage I could use against Kendrick as he was immune to both dragon and werewolf venom, but I wasn’t. If he found a way to bite me, or even put venom on his nails and scratch me, I was dead. I had syringes filled with antidote, many of us did, because I made sure Josef and Dante had given them to us, but I was sure Kendrick wouldn’t allow it. He’d find some way to prevent me, especially if the battle was one-on-one. I would have to rely on my cunning as Kendrick would be immune to fire as well. He was my equal in some ways and my superior in others. I had age, speed, and strength on my side and that was what I was going to have to put into action. I found Josef and Dante amongst their wolves, going over strategy. I listened as Josef led the charge.
He looked so young, although, he was anything but and his fight plan was well thought out. Dante was listening to his mate, which was smart on his part. He was a new Alpha and would need to learn from Josef as much as from me. Of course, if I couldn’t defeat Kendrick, I feared for the lives of my sons. Especially my youngest ones, Noel and Dante. They were just getting to enjoy what being immortal really meant and I didn’t want it to end for them. A part of me hated Kendrick for putting us through this. Then there was the part of me that admired his gumption. This was a being that was both dragon and wolf and ruler of two armies. I would have done the same thing.
In any case, we needed to prepare on a different level. “Josef, Dante, we need to talk.”
Josef dismissed his wolves and they all spread out, giving us space, although I was sure they’d still be able to hear our conversation as we were out in the open.
Dante stepped closer to me. “Father, what’s wrong?” he asked.
I had to take a few seconds before I could give the news. I wasn’t the greatest friends with Evander, having only met him for the first time not too long ago, but he had always come through for me and in truth, asked for very little in return. Not to mention, he was amazing beyond words in bed, and now he was gone.
“Kendrick has defeated Evander,” I said, just getting it all out there.
“Holy shit! How, Father?” Dante asked.
I explained to them both what had happened and as I was talking, my sons joined the huddle and they were all just as concerned as I was. Because they all knew what it meant, Kendrick’s dragon army was now one of the oldest and largest in the world, if not the largest, and he still had hundreds of formidable hybrid wolves. And furthermore, he was coming.
“So, is Tylendel going to help him fight us, Sire?” Noel asked.
“If he is commanded to, yes,” I said. That was the look in Tylendel’s eyes when he kissed me.
“Fuck,” was all Marco grumbled. “Well, shit… if this is our final stand, then I’ve got no regrets.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, son. I still have a card or two to play,” I said.
“I don’t have any regrets, but shit… I’m not ready to die,” Noel said.
“Don’t be a pussy, boy,” Marco growled.
“Look, Marco, I haven’t walked this earth for a thousand years like you. I haven’t even lived one human lifetime and I just found out what it means to be happy with all of you. So fucking forgive me if I don’t want that to end,” Noel snapped, and I was proud to see him stand up for himself against my eldest. I knew Marco could be brash at times. It was one of his lovable attributes that drew me to him when he was cursing the gods on his deathbed and daring them to drag him to the afterlife.
Marco sighed and reached over, lightly slapping the side of Noel’s neck affectionately. “Yeah, I know. I forget that sometimes. Stay beside me when these fuckers come… I’ll do my best to protect you. But keep your eyes open and your senses sharp.”
Noel nodded. “I will, thanks, bro.”
I looked at my sons, they were my legacy as I was Ara’s. They were connected to me and I to them, I’d already felt the agonizing pain of losing one son, I couldn’t bear to lose another. I would show Kendrick no mercy, because I had to protect my children and what was mine. With Josef’s expertise and my own, we worked out other battle plans in case we would have to take on the full force of Kendrick’s army. After we worked it all out, we just had to wait. If I died, at least Josef and Dante had a fighting chance.
~*~
Two hours passed before I felt a powerful aura approaching. I could tell by the alertness of everyone else that they all felt it. In the distance, we could see the headlights of vehicles coming and when I looked upward, I could see hundreds of dragons in the sky, their beautiful wings flapping majestically against the night’s background. The moment was finally upon us and I stood my ground. The park was filled with wolves and vampires, two species I had managed to bring together in a way no one would have thought possible. Just as Kendrick had his dragons and wolves, I had my army as well. Hybrid ruler versus hybrid ruler; that was what this was.
A beautiful black man landed before me several feet away,
his silver eyes boring into mine as he checked me out. Beside him stood two very powerful dragons, one I recognized as Hexon, the dragon who had given Tylendel his Rite of Passage so long ago. He was one of the oldest dragons in Evander’s army from what I knew. The other dragon, I didn’t know. There was also a wolf standing next to the man I presumed to be Kendrick’s direct right. This Alpha and King had a commanding presence, there was no doubt about it.
His army piled in as they exited their cars and trucks to fall in line behind their ruler. My own army stood behind me with Josef and Dante to my left and Marco to my right. My other sons stood directly behind me as I’d instructed. While we had waited for his arrival, I’d sent for more vampires to join us from New Haven and together with the wolves, we were over five-thousand strong. Kendrick’s army was close to that number, but with Evander’s army at his command, Tylendel alone was the sheer power of ten vampires at least. I didn’t even want to calculate how much damage Hexon could do. I needed to play this smart.
“Impressive army,” I said, kicking it off.
“I know, and this isn’t even half of them,” Kendrick replied as his silver eyes scanned my army with an air of arrogance of a dragon King. He knew my vampires were no match for his dragons or his wolves, not with their ability to manipulate fire.
“Kendrick Sahr, I presume,” I said.
He nodded. “Do I have the pleasure of speaking with and soon to be killing, Théoden Sura?”
“You don’t honestly think you can defeat me, do you, boy?” I asked, egging him on.
Kendrick laughed. “I’ve just destroyed one very powerful dragon King in full dragon form, I might add. You’re nothing to me.”
“Is that so?”
He took a step forward. “It is. And when I’m done eliminating you, I’ll kill Josef and his mate. Their wolves, well, they can die with them or join me.”
“You might find me harder to kill than you think,” I warned.
He made an off-handed gesture. “That’s not the first time I’ve heard that line. Everyone who’s said it to me are now dead.”
“So, how will this go, full on war, or one on one?” I asked.
He looked over my army standing behind me and snorted in his arrogance. “My army versus yours, there’s no compa—Agh!” Kendrick cried out as my fist punched through his back. I used my speed and strength to my advantage, catching him off guard mid-gloat. I wrapped my other arm around his chest, holding him close to me in a vice grip while I reached under his ribs, gripping his heart. It was a technique I’d mastered over my long years, one taught to me by my brother, Titus. It was the best way to kill a dragon when you didn’t have dragon bone weapons or venom to depend on. If one could reach under their ribcage, if you weren’t strong enough to break through the tough dragon bone, and grip their heart, you could rip it out and kill them.
“I suggest you stay very still,” I told Kendrick.
He was gasping for air and I knew he had to be in incredible pain. Good. “You… son of a… bitch!” he managed to say through gritted teeth.
I chuckled. “I am a son of a bitch, her name is the only thing I ever wanted from her. The one thing she couldn’t take from me. But enough about my mother, this is about you, Kendrick. It is true, you have slayed your way through this land, killing some very powerful rulers. But now, you have met your match. You looked down upon vampires, probably because you aren’t all that familiar with them. If you were, you’d have not underestimated our speed and strength. We are faster than any other supe. If I pull my hand away, I will rip your heart out and you will die. Your dragons and wolves will be without their King. Is that what you want?”
“What—what the fuck… do… do you want?” he asked through agonizing pants.
I could feel his blood running down the length of my arm and I knew it was pooling in the grass at our feet. I turned him around, so he was now facing his army. He wailed in pain as I made the movement, but didn’t try to fight me. He was wise enough to know that I could end him if he tried anything. The wolf that stood to his right looked like he was ready to pounce if Kendrick gave him the command. Tylendel and Hexon stood stoic, their expressions unreadable. The other dragon who had stood beside Kendrick was a little easier to read. By the snarl on his face, his canines at the ready, you could tell that he was furious and would attack me as well if Kendrick ordered it. But neither the wolf nor that dragon would be able to kill me before I could kill Kendrick. They knew that and I believed it was what stayed their hands.
I leaned towards Kendrick’s ear. “You fought those who challenged you honorably. Evander fought you as an equal when he took his dragon form. That is how Kings fight,” I told him. “I fight to win, Kendrick, and it was you who’ve underestimated me. That is why you’ve lost, in spite of the size of your very impressive army and what you are. As a hybrid myself, I know how powerful it can be to have that sort of advantage, but it’s not everything.”
I twisted my wrist ever so slightly to add pressure to Kendrick’s heart and he cried out in agony. “Yeeesss, feel that, boy. I didn’t get to where I am today by not using every advantage I have, my cunning being the most useful tool at my disposal.”
“Then kill me,” Kendrick growled.
“That would be ideal for someone without vision, yes. But I am not that person. Let me offer you a deal for a deal.”
Kendrick turned slightly, I could see the tears streaming down the side of his face and knew that he had to be in so much torment to have that reaction. Good. We were now able to see each other’s eyes and I noticed the confused and pained expression in his. “What?”
Ever since learning about him, one thing had been nagging me, something of a curious nature. It was obvious that Kendrick could make Knights and from what Deacon had told me, his Knights were immune to werewolf venom. It was a risk, but one I was willing to make for the power it would give me.
“Make me a Knight,” I said.
“Théoden,” Tylendel called out. That was the first time he’d broken his silence. “That could kill you!”
“I know, but I have to risk it,” I told him. If I could become immune to werewolf venom, perhaps any child I made in the future would also be immune. No longer would I have to worry about wolves ever again.
“I don’t even know that I can,” Kendrick said. “You’re a vampire.”
“I was born half-dragon, like you. There is a chance that my dragon half will take to your heartsblood,” I told him.
“And if you die?” he asked.
“Then it would seem that you have a better chance of getting what you want. But then, you’d have to still fight Josef, Dante, and my vampires,” I warned him. “Or you can gain a very powerful alliance.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Or you could die. Did you forget I have your heart and life in my hand?” I reminded him. “I’m offering you your life in exchange for a Knighthood and alliance, what say you?”
“Fuck,” he growled. “If I do this… I will be your King. Would you bow down before me?”
Now, there was the pickle, as they say. I had a vampire King in my Father, Ara. If I took Kendrick’s Knighthood, he would become my Dragon King. Could I serve two Kings? Yes, I could and I would. The reward was far greater than my pride and my Father would see it my way. For he always wanted a more powerful army and with me being bound to Kendrick, it would create and solidify an alliance with an extremely powerful ally. One that would be hard to break.
“I would bow to you as my King,” I said. “However, you must understand that I also serve another King. Vampire King, Ara. By giving me a Knighthood, you agree to an alliance with him as well. To come to his aid when he calls on you and vice-versa.”
“For fuck’s sake…” Kendrick grumbled again. “I came to take over this colony and I’m forced to share it with wolves and vampires.”
“What makes you powerful isn’t the size of your army, it is how many alliances you can make. You think you won’t be
challenged? You will, and you will need help. You don’t want to make an enemy of my Father. Trust me,” I warned. “You’ve never faced a true Vampire Royal.”
I actually sensed fear in Kendrick at that moment, which meant he was smart. Wise enough to consider what I was telling him was life-saving advice. Again, I twisted his heart and he screamed in excruciating agony. Tears flowed down his face and I knew he couldn’t hold back for much longer. It was either a certain death or an alliance and a good portion of the territory he’d conquered. With me remaining alive, the Kingdom of Ara would stay intact.
“I need an answer,” I said. I’d hate to kill Kendrick, because this was probably the one opportunity I’d ever have to become a dragon Knight. I wanted this badly and that was why I was willing to risk everything for it.
“Yes! Fuck… yes, I’ll give you a Knighthood,” Kendrick finally conceded in front of everyone.
“And do you agree to the alliance with King Ara?”
“Yes,” he growled in equal parts frustration and anguish.
“Wise decision,” I said, then released his heart. I pulled my hand from his torso and he fell to the ground, moaning in pain. The wolf and dragon who seemed most upset at my actions ran to his aid.
“Are you all right?” the wolf asked him.
Kendrick nodded. “I’m healing, Monroe.”
“Thank god,” Monroe said, his head resting on Kendrick shoulder.
“Do you know what you’re asking?” Tylendel asked as he walked up to me.
I nodded. “I know the risk, Ty, but I have to take it. I may never get another opportunity to become that strong.”
Tylendel looked worried for me, but he nodded, understanding my meaning. “You better survive this Knighthood, dear friend.”
I placed my hand reassuringly on his shoulder. “I hope I do.”
For one thing, my survival meant the survival of my own army and by extension, Ara’s. I had everything to gain and everything to lose. I had to live. For now, a great war had been averted and I needed to keep it that way. I watched as Kendrick rose to his feet, fully healed.
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