Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

ANDREAS

H e had no idea how long he’d been trapped within the ice block. Andreas wondered if she knew that only his fated mate would have been capable of freeing him. He’d felt her presence from the time she’d started up the mountain. There was no doubt that when she had time to think about it, she was going to be pissed. At this point she was a bit dazed and confused; Andreas intended for that to work for him. He probably shouldn’t have claimed her with the claiming bite of his kind, but it was a far gentler way to ensure other dragons knew she was taken and to imbue her with the power of being a drakaina.

“I mean it,” she said, tromping back from the front of the cavern with her backpack and fishing out clothing and her spare boots. “You try to encase me in one of those…”

“I told you,” he said starting towards her. He meant to comfort her, but as she was still naked, his cock began to rise. “That was not the way of my kind. Lesser dragons did that in order to make the transition easier…”

“Shit,” she snarled. “Now I’m stuck up here with you, or I risk going out on the side of this god forsaken glacier and having some kind of transition hit me.” She walked up and punched him in the nose.

Andreas backed off. “I suppose in your mind, I deserved that.”

“Ya think? Did your kind forget about all the laws regarding consent?”

He grinned at her. “Don’t tell me you actually believed that? Males of all species have been turning females, including humans, with little to no consent for as long as time has existed. It is the way of most males and all fated mates.”

“I’m not your…” she paused. “Okay, maybe I am, but I don’t want to be, and that should have been enough to make you stop.”

He came to her, catching her fist as she started to throw another punch and using the inertia to spin her around so that her lovely, lush buttocks now nestled his ever-hardening cock. “You are far too smart to believe that. You are angry because either you never thought it would happen to you, and given that you are part hellhound…”

“I am all hellhound.”

Andreas shook his head and rubbed it against her, enjoying how he could already detect his scent mingled with hers. “Part hellhound and part dragon. As I said, given that you are part hellhound, you had an expectation that you couldn’t be forced…”

“So you admit you forced me.”

“Not necessarily, which brings me to my second point. I didn’t ask for your consent, and what I believe is bothering you is that you were raised to believe only another hellhound could do that. But what has you so angry is that you enjoyed it far too much for your liking.”

His mate brought her elbow back sharply into his breastbone and when he loosened his grip and bowed forward, she brought her head back into his nose, this time breaking it. He reached up to straighten his nose and stop the bleeding. It would heal in good time.

“You do know dragons like a little fire in their mates, right? We shall do fine, you and I.”

“We are going to do nothing. I freed you…”

“Something only my fated mate could do. Part of why I was banished and cursed to this icy grave was because I didn’t always treat females with the respect they were due.”

She looked at him incredulously. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Did you turn someone else against her will? And by the way, was there a reason you fucked me without even knowing my name? Do you know it now?”

“No, but I suspect you’ll tell me, and no, I’ve never turned anyone else. You should know being encased in the ice was only part of the curse. The other part was that I was in a kind of twilight sleep, which gave me plenty of time to reflect on my life. You will find the dragon that stands before you is far more noble and honorable than he was before.”

“Good. Then if you’ll give me your word you will not consort with wizards or lead the Shadow League, I’ll forego the pleasure of driving one of my ice axes through your heart.”

“Bloodthirsty little thing, aren’t you?” he chuckled. “I had almost forgotten that hellhounds let their females fight and train to become warriors.”

She shook her head, growled, and went back to dressing, which was a shame as Andreas really preferred her naked.

“Let me get my things and we’ll leave this place together,” he stressed the last word.

“We’re not going anywhere together. I’m going to get my things and head back down the mountain. Other than worrying about you fucking and turning other females without their consent, I am leaving and will never give you another thought.”

Andreas rumbled down the bonding link that was quickly coming into being. He watched as her body shuddered with arousal tinged with fear. He knew it wasn’t himself that she feared, but her own reaction.

“We will both be safer if we travel together.”

“I can simply slip into the In-Between…”

“Not for any length of time. You are no longer fully hellhound.”

“You bastard,” she hissed as she turned to face him.

“There is a threat. You were followed.”

“I was not.”

“You were. Place your hand on the rock where I claimed you. You will feel the malevolent vibrations in the earth. I don’t know how well I can fly in this damnable cold.”

“You flew up here, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but that’s not the point. I think it would be best to travel together.”

“For the record,” she said, placing her hand tentatively on the altar. She snatched her hand back as though she had felt the wickedness rippling through the rock itself. He nodded. “I hate you.”

Andreas chuckled. “That is a fine and honest place to start. Come, my mate…”

“Stop calling me that.”

“I have nothing else to call you,” he said, waiting patiently.

She sighed. “Cayetana South.”

“Cayetana,” he said, allowing her name to linger on his lips.

“Caye. And get a move on. We’re losing daylight, and I’d prefer not to have to camp overnight on the side of this glacier.”

“I will keep you warm and dry,” he said as he finished dressing. He looked at her meager clothing and reached into the trunk—one of the few things he had brought with him to the cave. Over the years when he would open his eyes, it would taunt him until he was reminded it also was a promise of a future yet to come. He threw a heavier garment to her. “Take this. I think you’ll find it will keep you warmer.”

Reluctantly, it seemed to him, she removed her heavy coat, pulled the sweater over her head, and then replaced the coat. She nodded. “Thanks. That is better.”

Andreas picked up the pack and looped them together. She held back, starting to balk but then realizing it would be safer for both of them. Smart and sexy. His fated mate would appear to be someone worth waiting for.

The icy wind howled through the caverns of the glacier, the sound bouncing off the walls like the wails of lost souls. Caye and Andreas trudged forward, their breath visible in the frigid air, each step a cautious maneuver on the slippery terrain. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like frozen daggers, and the floor beneath their feet was a treacherous patchwork of ice and rock.

"We need to keep moving," Andreas urged, glancing back at Caye. His voice, though muffled by the layers of his scarf, held a note of urgency. "The storm outside is getting worse. We need to get off the glacier."

Caye nodded, closing her eyes for a moment.

“Can you still feel it?” he asked.

She nodded. “It’s not just the storm. There’s a malevolent force, and it isn’t you or the storm.”

“How do you know it isn’t me?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know anything more than I know how I can suddenly feel who or whatever it is, but I know it isn’t you.”

He smiled at her. “Good. Keep scanning for the malevolence you feel. I will do the navigating for us.”

Nodding again, she fell in behind him. Andreas kept a sharp eye out for treacherous paths and on her. Hellhound and dragon she might be, but she was still in her human form and that made her vulnerable. He reached back to take her hand. Even encased in gloves, he could feel her fingers stiffening and becoming numb, every movement an effort. Despite the cold, he could feel a warmth growing within her, coming down the link. Each time he steadied her or cleared the way, it seemed to chip away at the icy barrier she had thought to build between them.

He halted their progress as he realized the storm had been silenced, although it still raged around them. Only the most powerful wizards could do that.

“Can you hear the footsteps?” she whispered.

“Lots of them.” They exchanged a tense glance between them.

Around an ice ridge, a man with glowing eyes appeared trailed by the glowing eyes of a small army of the undead—twisted paranormal abominations with dark, gaping holes where their eyes should be.

“Xenos,” she said.

“The others?”

“Vampires.”

“I don’t know that term?”

“I’ll explain it later, but for now know decapitation, fire, lengthy exposure to the sun, or a stake through the heart is the only way to kill them.”

He nodded. “Nosferatu.”

"Well, well," Xenos sneered, his voice echoing ominously through the silenced wind. "What do we have here? A Shadow Sister and her loyal dog."

Caye's hand instinctively went to the hilt of her ice axe, but the wizard was faster. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a bolt of dark energy hurtling towards her. She barely had time to react, raising the axe to deflect the jagged bolt, but the force of it sent her sprawling to the ground. The vampires reacted, closing in, their fangs bared.

"Caye!" Andreas shouted, rushing to her side. He brandished the other ice axe, swinging it back and forth—not only to back the vampires off, but to clear some space. The axe felt good in his hand as if it had joined with him and was humming with energy, as he moved against them with a fluid grace—precisely and lethally. One by one, the vampires fell back, those who he was able to decapitate disintegrating into ash.

Caye struggled to her feet and quickly joined the fray. His mate had courage and physical ability. Together they began decimating Xenos’ forces. But as each one fell, another seemed to appear. Just as a vampire lunged at her, Andreas was there, his axe slicing through the air, neatly severing the thing’s head from its body.

"Stay behind me," he commanded, his eyes never leaving the battle.

“Not likely,” she responded.

It was obvious she wouldn’t let him fight alone. She rallied and summoned her strength, joining with him, their movements quickly becoming perfectly synchronized. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with, cutting through Xenos' minions with ruthless efficiency.

Xenos watched them with growing frustration. "Enough!" he roared, raising his hands to cast another spell. This time, a swirling vortex of darkness erupted from his palms, aimed directly at Andreas.

Andreas felt his heart stop cold as without thinking, Caye threw herself in front of him, raising her ice axe to deflect what she could of the dark magic. She managed to thwart some of it, but not all. The impact of the residual spell hit her like a sledgehammer, knocking the wind out of her. She started to collapse as her knees buckled.

"Caye!" Andreas caught her, holding her with one arm while keeping the vampires at bay with his axe in the other. "Stay with me, mate. We have much left to argue about."

She tried to speak but failed. Instead, she smiled wanly and raised her hand up in a closed fist with a thumb sticking up. He had no idea what that meant, but she seemed to be trying to reassure him. All she could do was look at him, her eyes clouding over. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up. She clung to him, the warmth of his body a stark contrast to the cold that was seeping into her bones.

Xenos laughed, a cruel, mocking sound. "How touching. But it won't save you."

“Perhaps not, but this will,” he said, calling forth his dragon and spewing fire, destroying what remained of the army of vampires as he rose from the ground, his great wings beating against the air as he grasped her in one of his talons.

Before he could dispatch the wizard, Xenos disappeared behind a wall of ice and snow. Whatever he had done to abate the storm was now gone, and Andreas faced its full wrath. He needed to get them off this mountain. Caye was not yet fully transformed and would be unable to shift.

Andreas soared through the tumultuous skies, in the opposite direction from where Xenos and his army had come. His massive wings sliced through the biting wind of the ice storm. Each beat of his powerful wings sent tremors through the storm clouds, causing torrents of snow and ice to swirl around it in a chaotic dance. His scales, a deep, shimmering copper, glistened as if they were encrusted with thousands of tiny, glittering ice crystals.

As he made his way down the side of the mountain, the icy tendrils of the storm lashed against his body, but he remained undeterred. Had it not been for his fated mate, he might have retreated to the ice cave, constructed a place for him to rest and allowed the world to grow old without him. But as long as she still breathed, he would fight to keep her alive and by his side.

His eyes scanned the landscape below with fierce determination. The storm raged around them, the winds howling like banshees, but the dragon's roar was louder, a deep, resonant sound that echoed through the mountains. There was no need to keep his presence a secret. The wizard would see to that. Best to let the world know he had awakened and meant to take his rightful place amongst his kind.

The jagged peaks of the mountain range loomed below, their icy surfaces slick and treacherous. His hot breath came out in visible puffs of steam, each exhalation a testament to the fiery core within him, defying the freezing temperatures. His claws, sharp as daggers, flexed and gripped the delicate cargo he held in one talon while the other helped him to manipulate the air as he maneuvered through the storm, expertly navigating the perilous descent.

Snowflakes clung to his wings, creating a shimmering frost that only added to the degree of difficulty getting them to safety. His tail, long and sinuous, trailed behind him, cutting through the blizzard with graceful precision. Below, the base of the glacier came into view; the remainder of the mountain was still a desolate landscape of ice and rock, shrouded in the swirling storm.

With a final, powerful sweep of his wings, Andreas descended gracefully to the base of the glacier, his form a dark, majestic silhouette against the white fury of the storm. As he neared the ground, he extended three of his legs, preparing to land. The snow and ice erupted around him in a flurry as his massive body touched down, sending shockwaves through the frozen terrain.

Andreas folded his wings with a sense of finality, steam rising from his nostrils as he surveyed the surroundings. The storm raged on, and they were both exhausted, but he stood resolute. He would rest and then find a place more hospitable for Caye to fully transition and heal. Amidst the fury and beauty of the icy wilderness, they would find a refuge and figure out their next move.