The emperor’s eyes flashed with something like dark satisfaction. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. Indeed, the sprite is tainted.” He paused briefly, as if considering the situation. “They shall provide us with entertainment instead,” he continued. “I hear the ninth caste is quite brutal in their sexual practices. It would be interesting.”
“An excellent idea, my darling,” the empress said. “And after that?”
“I’m surprised you’re even asking,” Kavehquader replied. “They will die, at my dear son’s hands. Isn’t that right, General Shtamakarein?”
“I live and die by your command,” Karein replied automatically, once more kneeling. He didn’t even dare to look at his father, out of fear that his relief would show in his gaze. Yes, definitely, the Overlords were watching over him. In his arrogance and his desire to push Karein into murder, the emperor had given Karein the way out he had been hoping for ever since he’d agreed to help Graham and Caelyn. Karein only hoped he had enough time to arrange everything.
* * * *
Graham honestly didn’t know what he had expected to see in Draechenburg. Opulence, certainly. Violence and disdain for his kind, of course. But all his worst nightmares had been surpassed by the reality he’d been thrust into.
Kneeling on the marble floor of the throne room, he was well aware of his powerlessness, of how little he meant in the eyes of all these people. His Alpha abilities could do very little against the draechen. Werewolves had only ever been a threat to Shtamakarein’s kind because of their once-overwhelming number. But now, he was outnumbered and overpowered, and he couldn’t protect his sweet angel, or their child.
He had to rely on Shtamakarein for help, which boggled the mind. For the gods, he didn’t even understand what they planned to do to him. Half the conversation seemed to take place through mind speech, as obviously, the shape-shifted draechen emperor had a power similar to Graham’s Alpha one, conveying messages to his people through his mind. Most of what he did hear was spoken in the draechen tongue, but Graham had learned that out of sheer self-preservation.
Meanwhile, Caelyn’s terror flowed through their bond, making Graham’s wolf rear angrily, straining against the hold Shtamakarein had on him. He forced himself to keep it back, though, knowing that even the slightest attempt to attack would end any chance he and Caelyn had to save themselves.
“Excellent,” the empress said, clapping her hands together. “Akarawem, gather the entire court. Everyone must see what happens to the enemies of Ornoz.”
“Yes, Mother. I live and die by your command.”
Graham was getting tired of hearing that, although he suspected they weren’t just words. More importantly, though, he’d have liked to know exactly what the draechen had agreed to do.
A brief pause followed, during which the huge red dragon in front of them, the emperor, stirred around, swishing his large tail on the marble floor. He must have said something else, because there were more nods and agreements all around.
Finally, the draechen who’d knelt got up. Shtamakarein pulled Graham up, then Caelyn, and shoved them toward the door. If he was trying to make the entire deception convincing, he was definitely putting a lot of effort into it. Hell, even Graham had trouble not believing him.
In the end, being too tame would make the draechen suspicious, so Graham managed to snatch his arm out of Karein’s grip and pulled Caelyn away. The silver manacles kept him from shifting and freeing himself like he would have from different bindings, but he did manage to shatter the chain holding them together. Apparently, the draechen had not expected him to have any strength in him left, because several of those present cursed.
“Stay away, Dog-Catcher,” Graham snapped. “We want nothing to do with you.”
Karein moved so quickly Graham would have had trouble seeing him if not for his werewolf abilities. He managed to dodge the draechen prince, but a blow of magic soon had his muscles lax once more. “You should have thought of that when you set your sights on something that belonged to me,” he said.
“Caelyn is not a thing. He’s a person,” Graham answered, still trying to pull away.
“Please, let us go,” Caelyn continued. “We’ll never bother you again.”
“Enough of this,” the empress snapped. “Take them away and imprison them until tonight. Do make use of this time, son. I think the mutt should get acquainted with the taste of silver a bit more elaborately.”
“And the sprite?” Karein inquired.
“We’ll leave that to your discretion.” The empress smirked. “He is, after all, your responsibility.”
Karein’s lips twisted into a dark smile. The fleeting expression vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a neutral look. “I understand,” he said.
This time, as Karein directed them toward the massive doors of the throne room, there was no escaping the draechen’s power, and no reason to even try. The draechen lieutenant who had been presented as Sagenamadeen flanked them, as did Princess Akarawem. It was interesting to see that, at least in the princess and empress’s regard, draechen females were just as brutal and cruel as the men. Draechen certainly had gender equality right.
As they walked into the hallway, the large doors closed behind them. Karein didn’t even bother to hold onto Graham. Instead, he draped Caelyn over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Through his connection with the sprite, Graham felt the moment Karein’s power swept through Caelyn, keeping him completely immobile.
Clenching his fists, Graham debated attacking. Karein just smirked. “You want to escape?” he asked with a smirk. “Just try it. I have your mate. If you even breathe the wrong way, he’ll pay the price.”
“Oh, I like that, brother,” Akarawem said. “On your knees, werewolf.”
When Graham didn’t immediately obey, she went to Shtamakarein’s side and passed her finger over Caelyn’s arm. The touch burned right through Caelyn’s borrowed clothing and scorched the delicate skin underneath.
Instantly, Graham dropped to his knees. “Stop,” he whispered brokenly. “I beg of you, Your Highness. Don’t hurt him.”
Akarawem burst into laughter. “Oh, how lovely. It’s so beautiful and so pathetic to see them break like this. Come here and lick my boots, mutt.”
Graham had to obey. Even his wolf understood that, his natural instinct to lead surrendering to the need to protect his mate. But before he could follow the command, Shtamakarein stopped him. “Enough of this nonsense,” he said. “I don’t have time for you to enjoy yourself at the expense of the mutt.”
Turning on his heel, he added, “Follow me.”
It seemed obvious that he was addressing Graham, so Graham obeyed. He made a move to get up, but Akarawem shoved him back down. “You will crawl, like the animal you are.”
This time, Shtamakarein said nothing, already walking ahead and threatening to take Graham’s mate from him. What could Graham do? He crawled, walking on all fours even if he was in his human form.
“Would you look at that?” the princess asked. “The mighty werewolf is actually a pathetic puppy.”
How could they be so cruel? They understood the strength of the mate bond. They had an equivalent that was just as potent. They’d even acknowledged its existence in the Directive. How could they not respect it?
The irony was that they meant to humiliate him through this, to humble him, but the act of walking on all fours didn’t bother him in itself. He and his wolf were one. It was natural for a shifter to accept his beast, and if the draechen thought differently, they were the ones in the wrong.
The idea of humbling himself in front of the draechen imperial family did irk him, but he’d gladly do that and more for his mate. And if he wanted to be honest, he still preserved the hope that Karein might help them.
For what seemed like forever, they advanced through the cold palace, traveling through dark hallways and down staircases that seemed to lead into the very bowels of the mountain. The jeers of the draechen so
unded in his ears, and it was awkward to move with the shackles still burning his wrists, but Graham didn’t care. He only had eyes for his mate, only cared about his beautiful Caelyn.
Naturally, he did keep track of the number of guards they passed, which seemed quite overwhelming indeed. And as they kept descending to lower levels, his wolf’s instincts mapped the route the draechen prince was taking. He didn’t know if the information would help him in any way, but it wouldn’t hurt.
“Oh, Graham,” Caelyn whispered, his mental voice straining under the power of the disruptor placed on him to keep him from using his abilities. “What are we going to do?”
“I know it’s hard, angel,” he sent to Caelyn, “but you have to be strong. Close your eyes and think about our son. Don’t try to use our bond.”
The disruptor caused the sprite to feel pain when he attempted to talk to Graham. However, he could still hear Graham, even though it was better if he didn’t try to communicate with him.
“Prince Shtamakarein will help us, you’ll see,” he said. “For some reason, he actually seems fond of you. I admit I don’t understand him half the time, but given what I’ve seen of his family, I’m actually surprised he even wants to prevent a war.”
“I suspect he’s very dedicated to the memory and legacy of his ancestor,” Caelyn replied stubbornly. He seemed to be trying to adapt to the hold of the disruptor, circumvent it somehow. Graham would have insisted for Caelyn not to do that, but he realized that his mate’s abilities might come in handy, no matter what Karein had promised.
“Well, that makes sense,” he said. Prince Kaelezrin had been the driving force behind the original defeat of the werewolves and had become an extremely hated figure in the ninth caste. He’d also been said to have mated the second warrior prince who’d died in the days of the Great Sacrifice, a fae, Talrasar. “But he’s misguided if he’s so dedicated to a dead man. What happened then isn’t relevant for our current reality.”
Truth be told, unlike other werewolves, Graham was aware that the Directive had been a punishment the ninth caste had, to a certain extent, deserved. He realized that at the time it had been written, it must have had its uses. He wasn’t proud of it, but his own ancestors had likely resembled the animals the draechen now accused Graham and his people to be. But what the draechen didn’t realize was that, in their quest to suppress the unrestrained nature of the vampires and werewolves, they had become beasts themselves, with no compassion or caring for the pain of others. Graham had seen it in the eyes of the imperial family, ironically, with the exception of Shtamakarein. He had no doubt now that the draechen prince had been telling the truth with regard to the emperor’s goal of starting a war.
With a mental sigh, Graham pushed those thoughts away and focused on his mate. Caelyn’s arm still hurt from the burn, and likely he wouldn’t receive any medical attention. Graham couldn’t heal him, but he could distract him from it.
“Do you know, angel, what we’ll do when we get out of here?” he asked. “We’ll build a little house of our very own, somewhere in the mountains, where no one can find us. I’ll watch over you as our child grows inside you, and when the time comes, as you bring a new life into the world. And we’ll raise him there, in the shade of the trees and under the clear blue sky, a free wolf, a free sprite, loved by both of us.”
He could almost see the image now, see the two of them laughing in the shadow of a large tree, wiggling their fingers at a small wolf pup. “And maybe we can give that wolf a sibling. What do you say?”
A small smile flitted on Caelyn’s lips for the briefest moment. His gaze met Graham’s, and in spite of the awkward angle, it no longer seemed to matter that they were trapped in the stronghold of the draechen. They were together, and out of the blue, Graham truly felt like everything would be all right.
The illusion was shattered when suddenly, Shtamakarein stopped. Apparently, they’d reached their destinations, the cells that the draechen had assigned to them. As far as he could guess, they’d been taken into a lower level of the palace compound, dug directly into the mountain.
There were even more guards at this level, so any hope Graham might have had left of escaping this place unaided faded altogether. The soldiers all saluted upon seeing Shtamakarein. The draechen prince waved off their greeting without much ceremony. “Open this cell and give me the key,” he demanded.
As one guard complied, unlocking the door to the cell, the prince turned toward Graham. “Get up and get in.”
Graham silently obeyed, but only after Shtamakarein himself entered. He didn’t put it beyond the draechen to separate him and Caelyn, and he wanted to avoid that at all costs. Fortunately, their unlikely ally didn’t seem to have this intention.
“Shackle them down,” Shtamakarein continued, confirming Graham’s hope and guess.
As the soldiers rushed to follow their general’s order, the princess asked, “Are you putting both of them in one cell?” the princess asked. The idea appeared to displease her.
“For the moment,” Graham heard Shtamakarein reply. “I have my reasons for it.”
His tone held a dark promise, which seemed to please the princess. As the guards pushed Graham to the wall and began to strap him down using heavy silver chains, Akarawem added, “Well, I should be going. But first…”
She walked to Graham’s side and gripped his hand. At first, Graham didn’t even realize what she wanted, until her fingers brushed against his wedding ring. “How sweet,” she sneered. “The mutt actually got married to his whore.”
Graham clenched his hands into fists. The draechen had taken everything else from him. He wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to steal this memory, too. Fortunately, Shtamakarein stopped her before she could do anything like that. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Akara. Don’t you have something better to do? Like a celebration to prepare?”
“I know my duties perfectly,” Akara replied, glowering at her brother.
“Good. Take Sage with you,” Shtamakarein suggested. “There isn’t much time left until the appointed hour, and you need all the help you can get.”
“I don’t need a babysitter. It’s not the first time I’m doing this,” the princess commented. Obviously, she didn’t like being ordered around.
“You mean you’ve prepared a feast with the entire court in five hours before? All by yourself?” Shtamakarein sounded bemused. “When? Mother’s always helped you.”
Akarawem huffed, but nevertheless turned toward the draechen lieutenant. “Come on, Sagenamadeen. We need to make haste. The hour grows late.”
“Yes, Highness,” Sage replied. Bowing toward Shtamakarein, he saluted. “With your permission, General.”
As the two draechen departed, Shtamakarein waved the guards off as well. “I don’t want anyone to disturb me,” he said, “only if Their Imperial Majesties have new orders for me. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Highness.” With curt nods, they abandoned the cell, closing the door behind them.
Graham was relieved that at least they’d gotten rid of the princess, who’d seemed intent on being as petty as possible. Even so, he waited, not sure if it was fully safe for them to talk in here. As if guessing his thoughts, Shtamakarein said, “It’s all right. They can’t hear us now, unless you shout really loudly.”
“Is that practical?” Caelyn asked softly. “Someone might attempt to escape, and the guards wouldn’t realize it.”
“You’re kidding, right?” The draechen laughed. “No one, not even I, could get out of here without…I don’t know, dynamite? What do the humans use these days to craft tunnels through mountains?”
“How can you laugh?” Graham asked, anger bursting through him. “Do you think anything at all about this situation is funny?”
The prince’s mirth instantly vanished. “Actually, no. In fact, the sooner you grasp the seriousness of the situation, the better.”
“What exactly is going to happen to us?” Caelyn inquired.
“Fat
her wants you two to put on a show for him,” Shtamakarein replied.
“A show?” Caelyn repeated inquiringly. “I don’t understand.”
“He expects you to fuck for his entertainment. Hopefully, if you’re in luck, it won’t occur to him to add something else to it, other people, although I wouldn’t bet on it.”
What the fuck? They couldn’t be serious. Sure, the draechen had been discussing something like that in the throne room. Graham had understood that much from the conversation. However, he’d thought the idea had been struck down. At least, that had been his impression. Apparently, he’d been mistaken.
He only realized he’d said most of that out loud when Shtamakarein replied, “Yes, you were mistaken.” He walked to a small cabinet, the only piece of furniture present in the room. As he opened it, he added, “Also I’m expected to torture you, so prepare yourselves to scream.”
Graham went rigid, straining against his bindings. He watched helplessly as the draechen retrieved several wicked looking knives and torture instruments from the cabinet.
It had all been a deception, false promises spoken to stop them to eliminate any resistance. Graham had been a fool to trust the Dog-Catcher.
“Do whatever you want to me, but leave Caelyn out of it,” he gritted out.
Shtamakarein rolled his eyes. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Give me some credit. I have no intention to torture you. You just need to play along so I can make it convincing. Got it?”
Graham shared a look with his mate. Together, they nodded. “What do we have to do?” Graham inquired.
“Like I said, scream. Don’t overdo it, or it won’t be believable. Unfortunately, I do have to harm you a little. Otherwise it will all be for naught.”
Graham said nothing. Even if he’d wanted to refuse, he was in the hands of the draechen prince. He had no real choice.
As it turned out, Shtamakarein was very good at what he did, disturbingly so. He handled all the utensils with the ease of someone who’d used them many times before. “Let me ask you something,” Graham said as a silver knife dipped into his flesh. “Just how often do you torture people?”
Hyacinth, Scarlet - Werewolf's Way [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 1] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 19