For a brief moment, Drake met my gaze…but then he looked away again, back up at the sky. “Well…now you know,” he said, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the grass. “Come one, let’s get inside.” Drake motioned for me to follow, and resumed walking towards the house.
“Hold on!” I said, rushing to follow him, catching up to his side.
My footsteps felt lighter this time, as I kept up with the rhythm of his strides. For some reason, the moment after he’d told me his secret, I sensed something had changed between us…
Whereas in the past, there was no way Drake would have allowed himself to act vulnerable around me, just now, he’d bared his soul to me…and the knowledge of this special moment filled my chest with a glowing warmth, that spread out to tingle at the tips of my fingers, and made me want to smile.
Now, I needed to step carefully…in case I endangered the new bond we’d just forged.
“I don’t think your brothers would see it like that…” I said slowly and cautiously, as I walked beside him. “I mean, you guys argue and get on each other’s nerves a lot, but I think deep down, at the end of the day, you all really care about one another.”
Glancing over at Drake, I tried to gauge his response.
Drake scoffed, looking straight ahead. “And where did you get that insight from?”
I gave him a light shrug. “Just by watching you all. From what I’ve seen, you might all be competing for the same throne, but none of you have actually tried to hurt each other. And you all seem to band together when shit gets rough.”
“Ha! Like when?” Drake snorted.
“Like now,” I said to him, stopping abruptly in my steps. Drake paused beside me, looking at me with a raised brow, probably wondering why I’d stopped all of a sudden.
“I’m serious, Drake,” I said earnestly, my eyes glittering with sincerity and conviction under the moonlight. “Don’t take your family for granted, stop pushing them away. Otherwise, you’ll regret it one day.”
I paused and letting the words sink in. Silence stretched around us, as Drake looked strangely back at me, looking almost troubled by my words.
“I’ll take your words under advice,” he finally said in a quiet voice. “Come on. Uncle Lupin’s waiting for us.” He grabbed my hand, the action taking me by surprise, and he held onto it firmly as we made our way to the front door and entered the house.
A butler led us through to the study, where he rapped on the door, announcing our presence. “Master Lupin, Lord Drake and Miss Jasmine are here to see you,” he said.
“Please let them in, Gregory,” Lupin called out from inside the room.
Gregory opened the door, and stepped aside to let us through. He shut the door behind us and we entered through.
Uncle Lupin was sitting at a small round table, holding up some reedy object in his hand that looked like a slender, wooden flute.
“What is that?” Drake asked, as we approached him, nudging his chin at the object, as Lupin continued examining it, not taking his eyes off.
“An old artifact which recently fell into my hands,” Lupin said casually, turning it over and bringing it up to his eyes. With one eye, he peered down its length, as if he were checking that it was straight.
Drake hesitated, unsure whether he should interrupt his Uncle. “We received your message…” he finally said, unable to wait. “You said you’ve managed to unlock the seal on the scroll?”
Lupin sopped humming and looked up, lowering his hands. “Yes, that’s right.” Placing the reedy flute down on the table, he rose up, and shuffled across to his large, rosewood desk, walking round to the other side to open up a drawer.
Dipping his hand inside, he pulled out the scroll and shut the drawer, before making his way back over to us.
“Here,” he handed it over to Drake. Drake took it from him with a grateful smile. “Thanks, Uncle…”
Lupin held up his hand, stopping his nephew from speaking further. “Just make sure you come visit me more often…you can bring your bratty brothers aswell next time,” he offered generously. “You make sure you come to,” he said, looking over at me.
I gave him a smile, nodding my head. For some reason, I found myself really liking Uncle Lupin…he was an interesting character.
“There’s another matter we want to discuss with you,” Drake said, glancing over at me, and I knew what he was about to ask.
“Yes…?” Lupin said, seeming amused as he drew out the question.
Drake took in a deep breath. “The bracelet you gave to Jasmine. Does it have the power to seal a mate bond?”
“Now, why would you ask me that…?” Lupin asked slyly. “Did something happen?”
“No…” Drake replied, his face deadpan as he looked back at his Uncle.
“Liar,” Lupin shot back, holding back a laugh as he smiled shrewdly at Drake. “Something happened between the two of you, didn’t it?”
Was I hearing things, or did he sound way more excited than he should? I frowned, and took a step forward, shaking the bracelet on my wrist in front of Lupin. “You need to get this off me. I can’t take it off,” I said, trying not to sound too demanding, in case he refused me. “I’ve tried scissors, my teeth, a knife…everything I could think of, but it just won’t break.”
Lupin had the decency to look slightly ashamed. “Unfortunately, I can’t do that, Jamine…” He held up a hand, stopping me before I could argue. “It’s not that I don’t want to help you…it’s that, I really can’t remove the bracelet myself. It’s bound to the wearer by a magical enchantment, and it won’t come off until it’s done is job.”
“It is a mate bond sealing bracelet, isn’t it?” Drake accused, his voice rising slightly.
“Perhaps…” Lupin answered, still refusing to admit anything.
Drake’s eyes narrowed down on his Uncle. “We felt it…the magic of the seal,” he declared slowly, choosing his words carefully.
“Did you now,” Lupin’s eyes brightened, his face looking delighted. “What a lovely surprise.” Meanwhile, something told me this two-hundred-thousand year old man, was not surprised at all.
“But the bracelet didn’t fall off.” Drake grabbed my wrist, lifting it up to show his uncle.
Lupin’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “How very interesting…”
Drake let go of my wrist, and my hand fell back to my side.
“So, then…did it work? Are we bonded?”
Lupin pondered the question for a moment, before slowly answering. “Yes…and no.”
“What do you mean by that?” I blurted out as my composure started to crack. At this point in my life, I was not prepared to be mated with anybody!
“I’ve heard stories about this…but I never thought it could actually happen…” Lupin said, trailing off as he assessed me with keen interest in his eyes. He scratched his chin thoughtfully…
“Could you please explain what you’re talking about in plain English?” I sighed, feeling like my head was about to burst from the overwhelming situation. I rubbed my temples to ease the growing tension building there.
“It may be that you’re partially bonded… I’ve heard a myth before, about certain creatures being able to forge a mate bond with more than one other being. It seems you may be one of those unique people, Jasmine.”
I stared back at Lupin, dumbfounded. “You’re pulling my leg, right?”
He shook his head, giving me a small smile. “I’m afraid not.” What was even more frustrating was that, he didn’t look the slightest bit apologetic.
“Then does that mean we’re bonded?” Drake repeated his earlier question.
“Like I said, it’s possible you’re partially bonded. The seal will only complete itself once Jasmine has found all her fated mates.”
I stuttered, struggling to form words. “This is a dream – no, a freaking nightmare! I must be still asleep…because there’s just no way – absolutely no way this could be happening to me…!” I breathed, starting
to get hysterical, my voice becoming shrill.
Drake buried his face in the palms of his hands and groaned, trying to process the reality of our situation.
“Wait…hold up! Isn’t this like your father and his concubines?” I asked, turning my head to look over at Drake.
Lupin snorted. “My dearest brother hasn’t marked any of his concubines as a mate. And, no, regardless, this is nothing like that,” Lupin replied. “First of all, to be marked with a mate bond means you are bound together permanently. This means you’ll have access to each other’s source of power, and if one of you were to die, you’d feel it…it’d be like a part of your soul had been ripped out. My brother, is much too self-centred and self-serving to risk any of that,” he remarked bitterly.
Great spitfires of hell. The news just kept getting better and better.
“Is there anyway for us to undo this?” Drake asked desperately, gazing hopefully at his uncle.
Lupin gave Drake a hard stare, and looked back at him like he was stupid. “Drake, given your upbringing, and the fact you were taught by the very best teachers on the subject of magic, you should know the answer to that. You are Jasmine’s true mate; it’s just that in this situation – no matter how preposterous it may seem – you are not her only fated mate.”
Drake scowled, cursing underneath his breath.
“So, there’s nothing we can do to fix this…?” I asked in a quiet, trembling voice.
“No. The bond is irrevocable,” Uncle Lupin stated gravely, his words ringing with a sound of finality as they left his lips.
“Then, how do I find the rest of them?” I groaned, feeling like crying. “The ones I’m fated to be with? How many of them are there?” I asked, feeling more and more queasy with each new question. It seems like I’ve just gotten myself in a fuckton of trouble.
“You should be able to feel the connection to them when they’re near you. It might be similar to what you feel with Drake…or it may be something different altogether,” Uncle Lupin added, unsure of himself.
I choked, ready to vomit blood. “You have got to be joking! That doesn’t help me at all!”
“I’m really sorry, Jasmine.” Lupin gave me an embarrassed look. “But this is relatively unfamiliar territory for me too.”
Cupping my face in my hands, I shook my head, then threw my hands out in frustration. This was unbelievable!
A clock struck, signalling the time, the sound cutting through the air.
“Shit – we have to go. Ethan and the rest of my brothers are waiting for us.” Drake stood up, and I reluctantly followed suit.
“By the way, I don’t suggest either of you tell anyone except for Jasmine’s mates,” Uncle Lupin warned us before we left. “Otherwise, it may bring unwelcome trouble…”
Drake led the way out of the house and to the front lawn, where he handed me the scroll, before stripping off his clothes and tossing them into my arms.
Transforming into a dragon, I mounted his back, and settled into my favorite spot at the base of his neck. With little time to spare, he took off with a whoosh, and soon we were soaring up into the air.
Drake rode the air expertly, flapping his massive wings as we made good speed. Everything seemed normal…until suddenly, I got a tingling feeling down my spine.
Glancing around us, I peered left and right, and to our back, but I couldn’t see anything near us. Despite this, for some reason, I got the strangest feeling we were being observed by someone.
Shaking my head, I told myself it must be my imagination, and settled back to enjoy the ride. It was a good distraction from the chaotic mess that was currently ravaging my mind.
As the wind rushed through my hair, whipping it back to flutter like ribbons, I pushed the anxiety, worries and fears away, and finally felt my mind unwinding, as I began to feel at ease.
It wasn’t long before we passed through Lupin’s sprawling estate, and like all the other times, Drake opened his mouth and spat out a ball of fire, ripping open the sky to create a portal in mid-air.
But, unlike all the other times…I felt another presence with us as we passed through. This time I knew it wasn’t just my imagination.
As we emerged through the portal on the other side, dark, shadowy wisps trailed after us, hot on Drake’s dragon tail.
Drake snapped his head around, craning his neck to see who was following us.
“What the fu – ” He didn’t get to finish his sentence as wraith-like shadows merged and surged forwards, coming towards us.
“Hold on,” Drake gritted his teeth, his voice a deep rumble as he swooped to the right and dived lower, down towards the wooded landscape below, trying to lose the creatures after us.
“What are those?” I yelled out, as we gained some distance between them and ourselves.
“Hell wraiths,” he answered curtly, both of us hearing the sounds of branches snapping and leaves ripping as his clawed feet scraped over the canopy of the trees. “Someone must have sent them after us through the portal.”
“Do you know who?” I asked, eyes darting upwards to check if any of them were above us.
“No idea. But probably someone who wants me…and maybe even all of my other brothers, dead.”
“Can’t you just blast them out of the sky?” I asked, eyes searching the air around us in panic.
“No…I don’t have enough power because of my injury; and I spent most of it opening the portals earlier,” he replied bitterly, and I could hear the self-loathing in his voice, distinct and clear.
I wanted to tell Drake it wasn’t his fault…aswell as comfort him and tell him everything was going to be okay. But I didn’t think he’d react well to it. I have to be practical. We had fearsome creatures on our ass, and we needed a plan to get away.
“Shit!” Drake swore, and I felt his massive body suddenly jerking back. Quickly turning around, I saw a shadowy wraith had grabbed him by the tail. Coal red eyes glowed back at me, and what I assumed was its mouth was wide open, revealing sharp black teeth.
Drake swung his tail hard to the side, trying to throw the wraith off, but it just raised one of its sharp, pincer like claws high in the air, and swung down, digging into Drake’s scaly flesh deeper. I screamed. “Drake!”
Drake sputtered out a groan, the sound seeming to echo and reverberate through his throat like an echo in a tunnel.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” I looked around frantically, wondering what I should do. I had to help Drake, otherwise we were both going to die!
My instincts kicking in, I leapt up from my seated position, and onto my feet in a low crouch. Keeping my body bent low, to help me balance, I haphazardly made my way down Drake’s intimidating, long back.
Reaching behind me, I pulled out a throwing knife tucked inside the waistline of my jeans. I didn’t know if these ghost-like assholes could bleed, but I was going to try anyway.
I threw out my arm, and the shiny, steel blade sang through the air as it soared true, hitting the motherfucking hell wraith right between the eyes.
Its hands immediately let go, and it fell away and back, wailing in pain, as it plummeted down into the woods below.
Glancing up into the sky, I saw a dozen more coming to take its place. Shit. I sucked in a sharp breath. There were way too many of them, and I only had five more throwing knives left.
“Are you okay?” I called out to Drake, not daring to let the wraiths leave my sight for even one second.
“Yes. I’m alright. For now, anyway...” he muttered, and I tried not to think about what the last of his words implied.
“Hang in there,” I said, pulling out another throwing knife as one of the wraiths broke from the group and came sailing towards me.
In one smooth movement, I threw the blade at it and it flew through the air to spike the creature deeply in its chest. My body tensed, as I sucked in a hard breath in anticipation.
A moment after, it cried an ugly, ghastly sound, and like its friend, fell towards the ground.
I guess if we were going down, then it wouldn’t be without a fight.
A movement behind the horde caught my eye, and I squinted at the dark dots in the sky, then my eyes widened in alarm, realizing what I was seeing.
There were more wraiths pouring out of the portal! Wisps of black plumes slinking through the sides…
Holy, motherfucking –
My faced blanched white. We were doomed. Totally and utterly doomed.
No! Get your shit together! I growled at myself, slapping my cheeks. You still need to find your mother. She’s depending on you!
“Shit…” Drake hissed, and my eyes followed his line of sight, spotting a multitude of creatures coming after us.
He whipped his head back to the front; a hard, determined look in his eyes.
“There’s a lake up ahead,” he said to me. “When I fly over it, I want you to jump.”
“What about you?” I asked, while I watched some of the new wraiths join the original horde, and as a group they began diving towards us.
“I’ll distract them, and get them to follow me away – ”
“No!” I shouted, responding immediately and vehemently against his suggestion. I gritted my teeth. “I am not letting you sacrifice yourself for me.”
“This isn’t time for arguing, Jasmine. Please, just do what I say.”
“No.” I repeated, stamping my foot down stubbornly. I turned myself partially around to glare at the back of Drake’s dragon head.
Drake didn’t bother arguing with me further; he knew he wasn’t going to be able to convince me no matter how long he debated with me. The wind rushed past me as he sliced through the air, beating his wings harder against the currents.
We glided out of the woods, and came to the clearing where the lake was, the wraiths just yards from our tail; a black mass littered with glowing, red eyes.
Just a few more yards to go…
Without warning, the black, shadowy creatures melded with each other and morphed, forming themselves into the shape of an icicle. With the sharp head pointed straight at us, they came careening towards us at breakneck speed.
Dragon Lords Blood Contract Page 24