Page 1 of The Exiled Dragon

Chapter One

Odessa

"Wait!"Thegurglingvoicecalled for me. A claw tore at the upper part of my ankle; I winced at the sharp sting but kept going. Flinging the weighty door open to the unobstructed air, I bolted to the tree line. This area was usually secure, streaming with guards, but many were missing. I didn't question it; this was my only chance.

His gurgles became clearer; he was healing far too quickly. My hope for escape was diminishing, but I trudged on because facing the repercussions was not an option.

My feet were burning despite the cold weather. The damp leaves clung to my bloody feet while I tried to silently run through the dense woods. Thorns and briars scraped my skin; the moon was still high in the night sky.

No footsteps ran after me; heck, I didn't even know if they could fly or if it was an old wives’ tale to scare children. I wasn't about to find out. My steps hit soft patches of moss-like material. Bright lights flew out, sparkles catching the moonlight as I whipped by. Not the kind of attention I needed. I really sucked at this.

The morning light finally came into view. I might have been running for hours, but it felt like days. My breathing was heavy despite every part of me trying to remain silent. It was a fruitless endeavor, even if I could keep quiet, they would still find me.

Their senses were overwhelming; never had I seen such a creature of a high predatory grace. Despite the blood-red eyes, their features were handsome among the men and beautiful among the women. Remembering that beauty is only skin deep came to mind when their true intentions followed once I met them.

Tripping for the tenth time, I stood up, holding my hands to my knees, hyperventilating for a few minutes. Even if I didn't hear them behind me, I had to keep going. They were built to hunt, created to fight their prey tooth and nail. To them, I was a mere human, an easy source for their meal or illicit desires. Shivering at the thought, I pushed forward.

I was said to be unique, and this night the Duke was to have what he had wanted for the past six months. Me on his bed, to be claimed. Though I was dressed in a beautiful nightgown with a necklace around my neck and treated just a bit better than the other unfortunate humans I roomed with, it was a curse. The shortened sleeves held lace around my arm, the purple dye, the finest that this darkened mansion could offer, I was sure. None of the other humans like me wore anything of the sort. My hair was curled to perfection, and a light coating of mascara covered my lashes. All the other Vampire women huffed in disgust as they left me in the Duke's cold room.

There was no fire to warm the room, despite knowing humans could freeze in weather like this. Rubbing my arms, I could remember the cold breath that ran up my neck when I thought I was alone. His nose traced my neck. I was too scared to move. The blood rushed up straight to my beating heart. His fangs tickled the artery next to my neck. The sharp serrated knife that one helpful Vampire girl slipped to me just an hour before was gripped between my thighs.

"Odessa." His voice curled underneath my skin. Like nails on a chalkboard, his black claw slithered up my forearm. "I've been the only one that has fed off you since you arrived, and I don't think the demon in me can resist you anymore. You've fed me into an obsession." The Duke turned his back to me, not expecting me to get off my knees and lunge towards his neck. I had been the quiet one, the reserved and obedient one. The Duke liked that, and I used it until I could use it to my advantage.

Pulling the dogwood knife between my thighs, I said a quick thankful prayer to the one Vampire girl who tried to help. My hand went to his forehead, and the knife slipped in my sweaty hand until it ran across his neck. Slumping to the floor, I jumped off the bed to run.

Shuddering the remembrance of that monster, I jumped into the creek and my body screamed in protest. The blood needed to be washed away. My scent, the 'allure' he kept talking about the nights he fed on me in his cold room, had to get off me. They could track me, their noses were keen, but this only meant that my body would suffer all the more.

The scratches covered the many holes in my arm where they had fed the past six months; my fingers traced the scarred forearm. Vampires didn't drink from the neck of their 'food.' No, neck drinking was meant to be an intimate bonding time between their lovers. Last night, the Duke wanted to take me as his lover, and who knows what would have happened after that.

I sank my head in the icy water, and I emerged with new energy and life. My feet were cleansed of the blood, and I jumped from the icy depths, bolting to the north. At least, I hoped it was the north.

The trees grew sparse, less dense, and not as menacing. These giant trees didn't remind me anything of home. Some had held a glow that hovered around the bases, more significant than a firefly, but I didn't have time to notice because I was running for my life. Running to freedom.

I ran all day with no water or food. My body wanted to crumple to the ground in exhaustion. The scratches on my calf had to be infected; they itched while the cold air flew by. My adrenaline was depleted since there was no sign of anyone coming for me, but I couldn't be too sure. Finding a tree with branches low enough for me to reach, I stopped. The once beautiful purple nightgown had rips and holes, frayed at the knees, and dirt in the lace. Each pull on the branch was agonizing until I reached a safe height. Indeed, this was high enough to sleep just for a few hours.

By the time I awoke, the sun had begun to set. I couldn't stay still any longer; they could have caught up to me by now. I ran, hobbled for another five hours, and crumpled into the moss. My stomach and mind protested, saying that this was it; I could no longer continue. Now, here I stand in front of tall trees, in the middle of the mountains. The terrain is much more complicated than the darkened forest I had crawled out of days ago.

The flash of dark hair, red eyes, and clawed fingers swept through my vision. A flap of wings blew past my ears. A yip left my lips while I stumbled down into a deep ravine. My hair was tossed into the branches, and my fingers gripped the jagged rocks. Nails ripped from my fingers, and a jolt of pain from my ankle shot through my body.

My back halted at the base of a vast dead tree. My forehead was bleeding, and there was no way I could walk to a stream to rinse away the blood. If there even was a stream nearby. Luckily, there was a ravine, and the wind wouldn't blow my scent around for the Vampires to find me as quickly. My eyes drooped in exhaustion; my heartbeat could be felt in my ears.

Several flying animals—A bat? A sparrow? A firefly? —flew past my head. For a minute, I thought they could be Fairies, but that was absurd. No such things existed. Then again, Vampires did, and Witches did. That was how I came to the Duke. Could they exist too? My shoulders slumped, pulling my body and crawling around the tree. A sliver of an opening was just large enough to fit my tiny body into the trunk.

A defeated moan left my lips, dragging my indeed broken ankle into the decaying tree. I couldn't see the large blue moon anymore if I sat just right, hiding me from the outside world.

It was the bluest of moons I had ever seen. I don't remember the last time I saw it with such color. My eyes were playing tricks on me; it had to be. Being able to see the sky was a wondrous feeling. I didn't see it for months sitting in a drippy basement. All the humans missed the sky, the sun. Several of the girls wondered if there was even a sun anymore. After running for two days, I didn't even stop to look at it.

The weakness from the run, the adrenaline leaving my body, the faux feeling of finally feeling safe. I wasn't bound in the human cage. No, my ankle is what bound me here now, and who knew if I would actually live past this night.

My throat swallowed a lump of spit, coating the scratchy part. No relief came. I sighed, defeated, until a rumble of thunder in the distance caught my attention. This was both good and bad, my scent will be washed away, but now I will be freezing.

To die a free woman was better than being a blood and sex slave. This I was certain. I could rest, close my eyes, and let the dark spirits take me away in my sleep if they were feeling merciful tonight. That sounded much better than being forced to love a Vampire who had drunk my blood for the past several months. It was much better to have a choice.

The rain poured, darkness swept over the sky, and the blue moon hid behind the clouds. All fell quiet, and I no longer heard the light pattering of small animals’ feet. They all had crawled up into their burrows to get away from the cold rain. The dead tree above was keeping me dry, thankfully. The water hit the side of the bark with a slap and trailed down the thick tendrils of the roots that I was sitting in. Particular tendrils curled up, looking like a bowl. It filled quickly with water.

Sitting up with a groan, I put my lips straight to the natural bowl, drinking down as much as possible. It was clean and refreshing. Becoming overwhelmingly thankful, I began to cry. For the first time since arriving in this land, I finally cried. Grateful to be free, grateful to be far away from the hell that I survived, I leaned back into the tree.

Besides the pain in my ankle, I was happy. At that moment, I knew I was going to survive. Not sure how, but I would endure. No more complaining, no more feeling sorry for myself. When I wake, as long as my body willed me, I would continue, for me.

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