Page 126 of Valpar

The guards near the palace gates must have heard the commotion, because they left their posts to see me coming around the side of the palace.

“Tell the king, Calliope has been taken!” They all looked at each other like idiots but I didn’t have time to stop. I had to continue.

Sensing my urgency, Ulam quickened his pace, his hooves thundering against the soil, leaving deep indentations in the soil. As we raced through the forest, the overhanging trees seemed to taunt me, their branches reaching out like gnarled fingers, obstructing my view. I strained my eyes, but I was losing sight of her amidst the dense foliage.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I tapped Ulam’s sides with my heels. His breath was heavy, but I felt the excitement running through him.

He sped up even more, the wind whipping past us as we raced through the dense forest. Branches snapped and leaves swirled around us in a frenzy as Ulam charged forward with determination. My heart pounded in my chest, the adrenaline coursing through the branches on my arms as I pushed him faster, desperate to catch up.

As we burst out of the trees into a clearing, I could no longer see the floating fae with my helpless mate, dangling from a rope.

“Calliope!” I shouted, again, my voice raw with emotion. Ulam snorted beneath me, his powerful muscles rippling with each stride.

Ulam galloped faster, his powerful muscles rippling beneath me as we raced through the dense forest. I could hear branches snapping and leaves rustling around us, but my focus was solely on finding Calliope. The image of her being taken by that fae flashed in my mind, igniting a fierce determination within me.

Where the hell did she go?

I let out a roar, continuing our journey in the same direction. Who the hell was that, and why did she leave? Why the fuck would she leave the cave and not speak to me?

I jutted out my jaw, feeling my tusks tense against my lips. I wasn’t about to give up. I would run my horse ragged and then continue my journey on foot, until I found her.

We burst into another clearing and as I was about to tap Ulam’s sides again, a gigantic shadow came overhead. It circled and followed us until I jerked my head above me to see what it could be. The light sources cast a shadow, so I couldn’t see the color of its underbelly, but there was no mistaking that a dragon was hovering above us.

I slowed my horse with a quick tug of his mane. He came to a stop but pranced when the large black dragon landed before us with a thud.

Creed!

My horse yelled in surprise. He cried out, jerking his head back and forth until he reared his front legs up. I jumped off, pushed Ulam away from me and slapped his backside to move away from the black dragon.

It’d been years since I saw the Black Dragon. He was a good male, but I didn’t trust his dragon form not to eat my companion.

“You smell of Calliope.” Creed’s deep, dragon voice rolled like thunder. Unlike most of the shifters of Bergarian, dragons were the only ones who could speak in their animal form. Creed jutted his nose in the air, black smoke rolling out of his nose. “Are you mates?”

“Yes,” I puffed out my chest and I put my arm over it. “She is mine, but she’s—”

“Been taken,” Creed finished for me. “I saw from the mountain. They were flying high enough to see, an impressive height. It’s dangerous for a human.”

I wiped my hand down my face. “Did you see where they went? What the fuck took her? I need to get her back. I will fucking rip that fairy shit to shreds!”

Creed shook his body, his wings unfurled, and his tail lashed around the ground. “I’ll take you to her. If the wind is right, perhaps I can catch her scent.”

Instead of feeling the weight of humiliation from my shortcomings in finding my mate, I choose to seek aid from the Black Dragon. Determinedly, I sprinted towards him, while my horse galloped back to the palace. Creed’s powerful wings unfurled, and he soared into the sky. His sinewy talons firmly grasping my shoulders, sending a surge of adrenaline through me. I could hear the rush of wind in my ears as we ascended higher, the sound growing louder with each passing moment. The dragon’s scaly talons brush against my skin. As we rose, I reached behind me, swiftly drawing my sword.

“Easy, it will take time. They are far ahead of us. Fairies are fast and you are heavy.”

Did he just call me fat?

I growled beneath my breath, but soon we were in the air. I didn’t have time to be frightened. I had flown in the air before by the fae one upon a time using a rope swing system. It didn’t mean I liked it, but my mind was still stirring with my miresa.

Moon Fairy, who took her?

“A pixie was following the fairy—do you know,” Creed began, but I growled and gripped my sword.

“That stupid pixie and fairy who have bothered my mate. I should have taken care of them. I never thought they would amount to something so brash! I’ll kill them both!”

Creed’s chest rumbled and he held onto me as we caught a headwind.

“I have failed her in so many ways. I have done it again,” I whispered to myself.

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