The Exiled Dragon
Barely

Creed

Odessa was visibly shaking. I grabbed her, pulling her to my chest, not letting her see the blood still flow from Fluffy's body. My own heart ached. Seeing the pet, more like family over the past many years, lay in front of me.

My dragon didn't care for the sentiment. He was enraged. Growls were leaving my chest, thinking of the vampires that were after my mate. They had become closer. My mind had forgotten everything the past few days with my rut. The only concentration was on my Fawn and now we had been pushed back to reality. I still feel my body not fully complete with my rut, but I'd be damn I'd just make love to her after seeing this.

My dragon pushed my physical body's urge to mate with her again, now only worrying about what to do next. We had been on our own, hiding away in caves and now we had nowhere to go, nowhere I could take her. Vampires have caught her scent and will follow us to the ends of the world.

"What do we do?" she sobbed. "Should we..." her voice stopped as we heard light footsteps approaching down the narrow, rocky passage. I growled, pushing her behind me. Her fingers holding onto my long hair, I felt the grip tighten around my braids.

"Ho, dragon," the lighthearted voice said with uncertainty. "It is I, Orion and Willa. We have come..." Orion stopped at the mouth of the cave. His fist was tightened while his own mate stood behind him. "Too late, shit." Odessa poked her head around my body, running to Willa.

"They found us." My body relaxed, enough for my dragon to let Odessa run to Willa as she embraced her. Willa's wings fluttered, only for them to dip lower.

"It smells like," her voice shook.

"Blood," Orion step towards me, eyeing me carefully before rounding the bed, looking at our pet. "Your pet?" he questioned. I nodded, still not wanting to use my voice for anyone but my mate.

"They killed him," Willa sobbed silently. Approaching Willa, she handed Odessa back to me, her tense body calmed once again as I held her in my arms.

"He isn't dead, just nearly," Orion muttered to himself. "He's about to give up, however. His aura is flickering." Willa kneeled beside her mate, brushing the one patch of hair that did not contain its blood. "Sing for him, Darling?" Willa's voice croaked, but a soft gentle hum came from her throat. Twitches in Fluffy's toes had Odessa twitch the edge of her lips.

"He's alive?" Her face continued to rub my hairy chest.

"Like I said, barely." Several more footsteps ran down the cave. "Brenden, Fionn take their pet to the Tamed Stables. Careful now, you might get dirty." Two large, redheaded faes came in, picking up Fluffy, who let out a groan. "The Stable Master will take care of him," Willa spoke quietly. "He's like a veterinarian of sorts. It's his own power to understand the magical creatures of this realm and know how to heal them."

Not knowing what a veterinarian was, Odessa rubbed my cheek. "They are going to fix him, like a healer." Odessa always knew when I had questions. My forehead touched hers.

"I've ordered your pet to stay alive, for the both of you. It's the siren heritage that lets me control some creatures," she explained to Odessa.

Orion led us out of the cave, ordering several soldiers to strip the cave of all of its belongings, burning them. The evilness could be smelled through his nose and the remanent of their evil aura had put Orion in a mood I had never seen. His light skin turned dark, his wings fluttering with black swirls in the veins of his wings.

"What do we do now? I don't want to put you our your country in danger," Odessa spoke as I carried her, more for my comfort than hers. Odessa may have shifted, but such a strong lineage that I have, coming from two Alpha lines, hindered Odessa's growth. She was tiny and human, two obstacles going against her. Her dragon could fly, but her control over her dragon was limited. Her magic had still not come through well enough to let her dragon's breath be used as a defense to help her win a brawl. Mine being fire, I had a strong feeling hers could be ice since we were to complement each other.

"You will stay with us in the palace. There will be more guards placed at your doors, and we will scout our territory more thoroughly." Orion pushed open the double doors to a sitting room. "I'm not sure how they would have snuck by my soldiers, we have a powerful defense system." The room was blinding, even with the light sources setting on the opposite side of the kingdom.

"I miss our cave," Odessa whispered in my ear. "I just want this all to be over so we can go back." Gripping her tighter I sat her down on the couch beside me. Her arm was still holding onto mine. There was no place for her to feel protected other than with me, which made my dragon purr. However, I couldn't be with her every minute of the day. I had to keep her away from danger. My heart is torn.

The whisps danced inside that came from an open window, sitting around Odessa and I. "That's a good sign," Orion sat opposite of us holding onto Willa's hand. "The whisps like you, Odessa, just like any other mated couple. As much as many shifters replace them annoying, my people replace them an omen of good luck."

Odessa said nothing, her body glued to mine. "I need more information, Odessa." Odessa's head perked up. "I need to know exactly what vampire is after you." Shaking her head, her hands trembled. "The Duke, that's all I know."

"Yes, but which one?" Orion pressed. "There are several and depending on which one can help us narrow down who we need to replace." Odessa squirmed. I never told her what his name was after I killed Enoch. There was never a reason to. I didn't want to hurt her more, since she had mostly forgotten.

"Mortus," my voice radiated anger. "Duke Mortus."

"I'm sorry to bring it up. Sadie mentioned a Duke, but she did not specify which." I growled. How could she forget something so important? Then again, Orion wasn't there when Sadie told Odessa that Duke Mortus was looking for her. Princess Sadie is still young, but when my mate is at risk, it is a piece of information that should have been said.

"He can talk?!" Willa's voice shrieked. Orion smiled, rubbing his mate's hand.

"Of course he can, he's mated to his true mate. Have you not noticed the scars have healed on both of them?" Willa huffed, crossing her arms as her breasts rose. Orion, taking a quick glance, pecked her cheek.

"The scars might be gone physically, but my mind can't remove the memories." I pulled my fawn to my lap, putting her head into my neck, my dragon purring to calm her racing heart. "There are more humans still stuck there. Just as I have said, I've been selfish about not trying to go after them. I'm a terrible person, living in my bubble." Willa shook her head frantically.

"No, no, no, you cannot blame yourself. You took the first chance you could, you ran, you survived. Humans are no match for the vampires, for any supernatural. Sadie and Seth have already warned the Queen of Vamparia of the lies, now we have a name. Unfortunately, the Queen has relied on his funds to aid the kingdom. It seems that the Duke is doing this to his advantage like he is trying to take over the throne.

"Well, that's shitty," Annan walked in. His mate, who was a vampire, set down a set of small sandwiches. Odessa paled, her body scooting farther away from her. She smiled sadly, stepping back towards Annan.

"I won't hurt you," she spoke softly. "Not all of us are evil.” Her voice held grace, a softness you would hear from a mother speaking to a fledgling that knew it would be in trouble. Odessa peeked at her with one of her amethyst eyes. "I was experimented on by witches recently, trying to use my blood to enhance their powers. They thought since I wasn't with the rogues, my blood would suffice better, but they found something much more powerful." Her eyes landed on

me.

"The dragon's blood, it's enhancing their dark magic," Annan rubbed his mate's hand, kissing it gently. "This is Juliet. She has prepared your room and will show you the way once you have eaten." Odessa relaxed, seeing that no one else in the room was upset at Juliet's presence.

"Your highnesses," a guard strode into the room, holding a spear. "We have elves at the front gate, a whole squadron. They are here to aid us in protecting the dragons." Orion's smirk played on his face.

"Ah, yes, bring in the leaders so we can speak with them." Odessa nibbled on the small sandwich that held nothing but vegetables. I growled in frustration that the king wouldn't give us some sort of meat. This would not help Odessa's dragon and she was going to need her strength if she needed to fly away during a fight. There was only one of me, and I didn't completely trust a fae army against a few hundred vampires high on black magic.

"Um, I'm sorry, but is there some meat? Like red meat, I could have?" Odessa's eyes glanced up at me. Smiling, I rubbed my nose to hers. She was such a suitable mate, she read me better than any other. "Oh, of course! I forgot," Willa blushed. Juliet left the room in a hurry.

"You don't have to cook it," Odessa spoke louder for the first time, hoping Juliet would have heard her down the hallway. I chuckled, having her curl back up into my lap.

I didn't want Odessa to fight. I wanted her wings to be strong so she could fly high above any scuffle is there was to be one near her. My strength was enough for the both of us, and my Fawn's dragon was not built to fight. Her dragon was still underweight, but her dragon was more slender than most. Her pearled beast was a peaceful animal not meant to attack. Once her dragon strengthens, I believe she will radiate the magic the dragons have been deprived of for hundreds of years. Her features are soft, the wings covered in feathers were of a dove or an angel. I never wanted to see a drop of blood land on those feathers, but the situation before us may have my wishes flung away.

I could never leave her side. There will be a time when I will have to replace my father and make sure he doesn't destroy a tribe of unknowing members. However, bringing her with me, and the state my father could be in, would be difficult. He could attack her in his rage. Many thoughts to think about keeping my mate safe.

"Orion," I spoke. The room's eyes landed on me. "Do you know the general temperament of griffons?" Orion laid back in his seat, scratching his white stubble on his chin.

"I've never seen one, nor my father before me." Annan walked to a nearby shelf, his fingers pawing at each book's spine. "Ah, here. I've read about them before. They have been deemed a fairy tale in a fairy tale world," he chuckled to himself. "That makes no sense," Willa laughed. Annan's fingers flipped through the pages.

"Griffons are powerful creatures, both physically and in magic. Griffons are said to surpass even dragons in their strength. They are lonely creatures, not staying with a pack, tribe, or group. Their mates, far between and only a hundred or so, lived at a time until, finally, they could no longer replace mates. They died slowly because they only craved the comfort of their mates. The weaker ones eventually died, no longer searching, dying of depression."

"That's so sad." Willa gripped her skirt. "But why would you need to know about a griffon suddenly?"

"Creed's father is a griffon," Odessa spoke to me. "He's alive. The magic has broken that was cast on him, having him forget about Creed's mother, and now Creed is worried he is going to kill an entire tribe of innocent dragons because once he realizes his mate is gone..."

"Holy shit, that's amazing!" Orion glared at Annan. "I'm just saying, I would love to meet the bloke, not the whole killing an entire tribe part," he muttered.

"Creed needs to stop him. We just don't know when the magic will break. Supposedly, it will slowly fall away after our mating, since Creed is connected to his father by blood."

"It will be quick," Amora wandered into the room, her head bowed. "The black magic placed on me broke just ten hours after Nicholas and I mated. I remember everything." Amora gripped her chest. I wanted to go comfort her, but Nicholas wasn't far behind.

"Amora and I met shortly after I arrived at the tribe. The elders and Adam didn't want to get rid of me since I was a powerful warrior and it would prove to be beneficial. The cruelest part was Amora had figured out Adam wasn't her mate, only to be cast with more of the memory dust," Nicholas rubbed Amora's shoulders.

"I also remember the mating," she spat. "Adam was cruel. Now I will live with it the rest of my days," Nicholas held her tightly, his dragon radiating its anger. I picked up Odessa. We both clung to Amora, feeling her heavy sobs.

"It will take time, my mate," Nicholas breathed into her neck as our dragons comforted her. "But I will seek revenge," Nicholas' eyes met mine. "We both will." My dragon wholeheartedly agreed. We would rip Adam to pieces, let him feel each claw detach from his body, have him feel each sinew pull away from his gut.

"He will be destroyed," I growled. "And the tribe will be enlightened of his and the elder's evil."