TAKEN BY THE DRAGON KING

For seconds, I stood frozen, staring at the door. I needed to run. I needed to move. I fucking needed to start moving, but I couldn’t.

Somehow, I couldn’t even breathe as the footsteps got louder and louder.

Run! Move! Do something!

The door swung open and it was too late for me to run. In the darkness, I saw a figure step out of the room and come towards me. Bulky and big, he towered over me just like Dracul did. He was huge!

Suddenly, I was painfully aware of the torch in my hands. I gripped it tighter, knowing that I was already caught. If they hadn’t seen me already, they will see me any minute now.

I felt a shiver move down my spine, shaking me with cold, all the way down to my core. They had caught me.

I shouldn’t have been listening in. I shouldn’t have been standing outside the door. I should have run when u had the chance. I should have moved before they opened the door.

Time seemed slow as a second figure appeared and they both turned their eyes towards me. In the dim lighting, I saw yellow eyes staring back at me, narrowed to slits.

Just like Dracul’s eyes, but nowhere near as warm. The golden tone of his eyes was welcoming compared to the pale yellow eyes that stared back at me.

I couldn’t breathe.

The torch dropped from my hand and I stumbled backward. The clatter was loud, banging through the hall and echoing off the stones, thundering in the small space between us.

Everything clicked back into place and I heard a low growl.

I didn’t think, I just moved.

I turned ready to run. I knew, at that moment, that I couldn’t be caught. Dracula had been angry enough at me, but there was something else in his voice, a warning.

And now, I was face to face with two dragons, two dragons who knew that I had overheard their secrets. Two dragons that were planning something dangerous, something bad.

Two dragons that didn’t seem to care about the rules.

Dracula had called me here for a reason, but those guys had no reason to square me and I knew it.

My heart was pounding, bile rising in my chest, aching through my heart and leaving me breathless.

I tried to run, but I didn’t get far.

A hand grabbed my wrist, wrenching me backward. I screamed as I pulled back, losing my balance.

I slipped and fell to the ground, scraping my skin on the harsh stone as was pulled upwards. My wrist ached, wretched terribly as I was lifted into the air.

“Ah.” I gasped as the strong hand tightened around my wrist.

The touch light dimmed to members and I couldn’t see anything but silhouettes in the darkness, and the yellow eyes glowing with malice.

My heart caught my throat and I thought I was going to faint.

My wrist ached as he lifted me into the air like nothing at all, my feet barely touched the ground. I wanted to scream, but my throat was frozen with fear.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He said.

There was a wave of low anger to his voice, a growling, mocking sound that I hated. I hated him already, in a way that surprised me. He was toxic, could feel that already, just looking into those eyes.

I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a gasp of pain.

He laughed and tightened his grip on my wrist until I yelped. I wondered if this is going to leave a mark.

It probably would. If I lived that long.

“What did you hear me say?” He said snarling, the anger back in force.

“Nothing.” I choked out, my head spinning, I wanted to run, but my feet couldn’t get purchased, and there was no way I would be able to pull away from his hands.

“Damn right, you heard nothing.” He said the threat seeping into his voice was like poison.

“Because if you heard anything, I might have to do something you’d regret.”

I shook my head frantically, seeing a spot in front of my eyes, the pain shooting through my vision like a light show. I couldn’t think straight.

“I didn’t hear anything.” I gasped out, ” I promise !”

Right now, I had no thought of royalty or pride. I heard no idea what they did to me and I wasn’t thinking much past the pain anyway.

Honestly, pride didn’t seem important when he was away from crushing my wrist.

“Maybe I will just end you now. Dracul won’t miss you. What’s one less servant?” he hissed?

He tightened his grip, lifting me and grabbing me by my neck. I choked, feeling my air start to cut off. He seemed to be enjoying this, relishing the moment.

He was a brute. He was sickening.

I couldn’t breathe!

I was going to die here anyway. Just like I had predicted.

But now, I wasn’t prepared. Now, I have a whole host of questions that need answers.

Fleeting, I found myself thinking of Dracul, of the way his eyes sparkled in the darkness, the way he gripped me like he wanted to me, like he needed me so badly.

“Wait, she’s not a servant.” The second voice chimed in. The other voice from behind the door.

My vision started to blank out.

“What?” The hand on my throat eased.

“Ryder, she’s the princess. The one Dracul brought in today.” He said in a hiss, “He would notice if she suddenly drops dead.”

“He will become suspicious, fool. Don’t be an idiot.”

Ryder growled in displeasure, and suddenly the hands at my neck and wrists were gone. I dropped, stumbled, and clutching at my throat I gasped for air, reeling and trying desperately to find my feet.

I should run.

My thoughts were foggy, my body was aching, and I didn’t think I could run anymore even if I wanted to.

“Goddamn it.” Ryder snarled. He seems furious, just through his voice and the line of tension in his shoulder, you could predict it.

I scrambled back until my back hit the wall, my heart pounding in my chest, thundering until it was all I could hear.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

I wanted to scream, but I had a feeling that I would just put myself in more and more trouble if I did.

Ryder might act without thinking, without reasoning. At least if I kept quiet I had a chance.

After all, no one else would find me even if I screamed. This part of the castle seems very empty, and I doubted that even Dracul would be able to hear me here if I called out.

I was alone. I missed Katie so much.

“Then what I’m I supposed to do?” Ryder asked. “She will expose us Delan.”

“No, she won’t.” Delan said.

His voice was low and calm and somehow, I found the cool reason much more frightened than Ryder’s anger. Another figure approached me and crouched down.

“She isn’t going to talk.” He said quietly, dragging out the word slowly. “Because if she does she’s as good as dead.” He paused, “No, worse.”

I shivered, feeling ice move down my spine, leaving me cold and trembling.

He continued, “You are not going to tell anyone what you saw or what you heard.” There was a menace in his tone, and I didn’t want to know what would happen if I made him angry.

I sensed that he was a lot more dangerous than Ryder. He seemed to have more control of his emotions, but that just meant that he thought logically.

And often, that was so much more dangerous than someone who acted on instinct. I swallowed hard.

“You don’t even understand what you heard and you have no business meddling in our affairs.” He continued, making a point to look at me directly.

Somehow, I found out that I couldn’t look away. But unlike with Dracul, I wished I could.

“You are not one of us. You don’t understand our race and you are going to shut your mouth shut. Dracul didn’t need to hear about any of this. You don’t even know what you heard.”

I just nodded my head quickly. I wasn’t going to argue with them. Right now if I argued, I was so good as dead and I wasn’t that damn stupid. I was going to move forward and figure things out.

But for now, I wasn’t going to say anything that could get me killed. Then I would be of no help to anybody.

“Good he said, standing up slowly, Ryder she is going.” Delan said.

There was a lull of silence and I held my breath, waiting for Ryder to reply, waiting for my fate to be decided once and for all. Ryder finally broke the silence.

“Fine.” He snarled, “But if she says a word, I’m killing her myself.”