Page 14 of The Exiled Dragon

"Odessa," I growled, putting our claws around the Vampire’s neck. Enoch violently shook his head.

"She isn't here. She escaped!”

"Duke. Name." Clamping my claws tighter, Enoch's black blood discolored my fingers.

"T-the Duke that lives here?" I didn't nod; I waited for his answer. How dense could he be? “D-Duke Mortus, he lives here. Gods, please don't kill me." I growled, my fingers crushing his windpipe. His head lulled to the side; his lifeless red eyes turned black as the life left him.

Dragging him by his neck, I pulled him with me, tracking back into the forest. His feet dragged behind me, each shoe finally falling off his feet. The little boy I had seen earlier glanced back at me. Eyes glancing at the shoes that now lay near him. The boy smiled.

"Good riddance to him," he whispered, grabbing Enoch's shoes, and going along his way. For a boy at such a young age to know what evils lay in this darkened territory means this kingdom was getting ready for a reckoning. The time for Vermillion to meet its judgment was near.

Chapter Ten

Creed

MyDragon'sfangshadalready descended again when we reached inside the forest. Bits of black blood dripped from our prey. I was no cannibal, I could not stomach the idea of eating someone with the same face as me, but that didn't matter to my Dragon. He was an animal. Wolf Shifters often talked to their Wolves; they were more civilized than they really knew. Dragons were not.

Shifting, the smoke swirled around me, quickly covering me from the outside elements. The sparks flew as my Dragon singed the corpse that lay before us. His body was now bare and scorched black while my Dragon scarfed down the body whole. I shivered inside, wondering how he would be willing to eat such a disgusting creature.

We took flight home; the rain had begun to flow so hard it was challenging to see. Small lighted torches around undersized villages showed brightly while many ran to their homes. Many Elves had already taken shelter at the mountain base, snuffing out their community bonfire, now nestled into their tree houses.

Razak was waiting patiently at the entrance to the cave. Breathing a sigh of relief, I changed back into human form, grabbing the leathers I had dropped earlier and put them on securely. Razak was acting guilty, and I hoped it was just from getting into the dried meat and beans. I walked into the cave, desiring to see Odessa sleeping. She was not.

Odessa's citrus smell was faint; she had not been here in quite a while. Was she hiding? I ran to the back of the cave, where the hot water spring sat untouched. Her scent was nowhere near the water. Back into the shared space, I smelled the bed; she had indeed left. She did not venture anywhere else in the cave.

My Dragon slid its tongue out of my mouth, unhappy with the outcome. Was she taken? Did she run? The thoughts ran over and over again in my head. The yellowcress root had been crushed and spread throughout the area so no one could smell her. She would only have been captured if she had left the cave. My head darted to Razak, his head lowered in shame, shivering, waiting for his punishment.

Grinding my fangs, I spoke her name using my Dragon's cords for the first time. "Odessa?" To have her name slide off my tongue felt like a deep, peaceful river. It was short-lived with the silence that greeted me.

Grabbing my spear and the fur on the bed, I shoved the fur into Razak's snout, clicking a command to have him smell her scent. We both inhaled, leaving the fur on the bed, and raced out of the cave. Odessa could have gone any direction, but with Razak, we would split and meet back here at dawn. Pointing to a worn path towards the tribe, he took off, leaving me to hunt independently.

Venturing out further than the spread of the root, I could smell her scent. The rain had already begun to wash it away, but my senses were keen. Small branches were broken where she stepped, one footprint heavier than the other. Her ankle was still hurt, her cuts and bruises still needed tending.

A tree to my left had her scent heavily. I kneeled to the ground, touching where she sat. Pieces of hair still clung to the tree bark. Sniffing it heavily, it was hers. I was on the right path. Standing up, wading through the muddy terrain, I came to the treehouse King Osirus had planted here when he was young.

The Golden Light Kingdom's king had just brought peace to much of his own land while the Dragon Shifters sat straddling his territory along with the Cerulean Moon Kingdom. The run-down treehouse to one's eye would have made you not spare a glance, but everyone knew that in this area, it was a nature's palace of its own.

Sniffing the tree, I could smell Odessa's blood. Her wounds had reopened, and she had somehow managed to climb the tree. Throwing my spear behind my back into its leather bindings, I climbed up in a few seconds. The broken door, just a mirage of what was on the other side, blew in the wind. Opening it and stepping through the portal, I stood up with my head near the ceiling.

The whole room was dark, but the moon's brightness that hung in the fake windows kept it light. Her scent was here, but she did not lay in the bed. My wet boots made a mess on the floor; water trickled down my body as I searched. It was truly a beautiful room worthy of Odessa, but my cave was all I had. Since being there, she had not once complained, which gave me pride in my home.

Now, knowing she has seen a place like this, would I ever be worthy? I would find the best materials to make her a home such as this. If I had to fight in the Shifter rings every night to make her happy, I would do it for her.

On the floor, next to the bed, which I could not see upon entering, laid Odessa. She did not take the bed that lay with expensive cloth, silk, and furs. Odessa lay on the floor, the thick fur rug and a blanket covering her body.

Her hair was wet, nose sniffling under the thick blanket while she shivered. I sighed heavily, feeling defeated at what I had done earlier had caused her to become sick. She was already frail; now, I had weakened her more because of my temper.

My Dragon sang a sad song in my chest. He was to blame for his outburst, to scare her into coming here. Thank the gods above she was not taken from me, captured by some evil. However, she ran because she thought I was that evil.

Hand reaching out, her bare shoulder peaked through as I rubbed it softly. Stirring, her eyes fluttered open. "Prince Charming?" she gasped, pulling the blankets over her body. Her back hit the wall with a thud, causing a light crystal to fall, smashing to the ground.

A rustling came from the bedside table, and a male Pixie jumped in surprise. The annoying bells went off, causing me to hold my ears. Those things were annoying out in nature, but being in the same room was awful.

"Shh," she whispered to the winged demon. The pixie calmed down slightly, hiding under the covers of the pincushion.

"I'm sorry. I tried to get away as fast as I could so they wouldn't find you. They didn't find you, did they?" Her breath was but a whisper, still quivering in fear.

Odessa thought I wasn't strong enough to take on a bunch of weak Vampires? I scoffed back a laugh; her eyes widened, still pinning herself to the wall. I shook my head and held out my hand, hoping she would take it. Shaking her head, I sighed, defeated. Sitting in front of her, I had to communicate with her. Using my Dragon's voice was the only way, and it may kill me with pain by the end of the night.Gods, if anyone will listen, don't let her be afraid of me.

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