Chapter Nine

Drakarus

“Fuck,” I say as I scoop her into my arms. I don’t want to be mated to a witch, but I didn’t want to kill her either. I need to get her to the healer.

I carry her back to the castle and take her to my bedroom. Before I get there, I see Julianna. “Get the healer. Now,” I command.

“Oh no,” she says. “I’ll get him.”

I take her into the bedroom and lay her down before covering her exposed body. I don’t want anyone seeing my mate so vulnerable. No matter how much I want to walk away from this witch, I can’t. I can’t pull myself away from her.

“What did you do?” Eyrx asks. “You’ve been gone forever.”

“I marked her,” I say. “She went unconscious after.”

“Did you take too much of her blood?” he asks .

“No. I don’t think I did. It’s not like I’ve done this before,” I say, still looking over my mate.

“Let me see her, Drake,” Salvor says carefully. I realize I am guarding her unconscious body, but I still turn and snarl at him. “You are my king and I respect you, but I will still sedate you. Let me help your mate, Drake.”

“Come on,” Julianna says as he takes my hands and urges me to stand. When Sal sits beside her and lays his hand on her chest, I lunge at him.

“Hey. Hey. Hey,” Eyrx says as he steps between us. “Let him look at her, Drake. I understand your emotions are on edge, but she is safe. Okay?”

“A witch?” I ask. “Why did I have to mate to a fucking witch?”

“I don’t know,” he says.

“I have to break the bond. I will not have a witch at my side,” I declare.

“You can’t break the bond,” Julianna says.

“I’ll make her watch me take another woman to bed. That will sever the bond,” I say.

“You are a king, Drakarus. All you will do is hurt her emotionally, but it won’t sever the bond. We have adapted as a species to allow forgiveness,” she reasons.

“I could kill her for you,” Eyrx says. I grab him by the shirt and slam him against the wall again as I get in his face.

“You will not harm my mate,” I growl.

“You see this, right? You honestly believe that you can walk away from her when your bond is this strong? You went against me and your sister for this woman. Learn to love her because your bond is not going to be broken unless she is dead,” Eyrx says simply.

“Fuck,” I complain as I step away from him.

“As the wife of your second in command, I am her second in command. She is your queen now, so treat her like a queen,” Julianna says. “If I find out that you so much as speak to her wrong, I will make you regret ever raising me.”

“I don’t like this version of you,” I frown.

“Okay,” Salvor says. I snap in his direction, and he doesn’t look sad.

“What’s wrong with her? Is she cursed?” I ask.

“No,” he says. “A few things… One, she is unconscious because her powers suddenly developed and weakened her. She will wake up in a few hours.”

“That’s good, right?” Julianna asks. “Why did it take so long to get her powers? Why now? Witches get their powers between ten years old and sixteen years old. ”

“The next part is a bit more confusing,” Salvor says. “She is a hybrid. She never developed powers because hybrids always manifest as a witch, but they need a dragon mate in order to come into the powers. She was always destined to be made into a dragon. Once she was marked, her power’s developed.”

“So… her dad is a dragon?” I ask.

“No. Seems like her mom fucked one though,” he says bluntly.

“I don’t see Isolde going to bed with a dragon shifter,” Julianna says. “There have been a few dragons that got a bit too close to the border and ended up in prison there. Maybe her mother found her way to one of them.”

“So… her mom is mated to a dragon that she kept in prison there, but then somehow was able to sever the bond and remain with Rystar?” I ask.

“No, I'm saying the King Rystar and Queen Isolde are not her biological parents,” he says. “I can say with a great deal of certainty that they are not dragon shifters, nor are they hybrids.”

“We can discuss them more when she wakes,” I say. “How long?”

“A few hours,” he says. “Get some rest, Drake. She will wake soon.”

“Alright,” I say. “Leave me with my mate. ”

Eyrx pats my shoulder before they all leave. I move to lie on the bed beside Lysa. She looks so peaceful when she sleeps. I gently stroke her hair, and she sighs softly as she relaxes more.

“What am I going to do with you, little flame?” I ask quietly.