Sorry guys updates are gonna be super slow for the next two weeks cause I'm taking finals and then I have to do stuff for graduation but after that I will be updating fairly regularly and often :)

Thanks for the patience and support you guys! You're amazing!! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

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"What do you want with Syrra?" I ask, moving closer to the bars so I can see the woman.

She turns to me with a cold smile that makes my heart pound in my chest. "We have heard rumors that she recently regained the ability to access her full power and we are concerned."

"Oh," I mumble.

She laughs lightly. "We're not evil Ash, we are simply willing to go to great lengths to keep the world safe," she tells me with a wide grin that reveals a pair of long white fangs.

I don't like her, I murmur.

You don't? Jax snorts.

There's something off about her.

What?

I don't know. I just don't like her, I growl in frustration.

You just think she's pretty, don't you? Jax mutters in annoyance.

What! Where did you get that idea? I scoff.

You're a terrible liar.

I growl. Okay fine I think she's pretty but that's not the point! I only recognize fragments of her scent—I can't even distinguish the parts though so she's not a hybrid, it's like she's a completely new species or something.

"Boys it's rude to exclude people from a conversation that concerns them."

My eyes widen as I look back at her. "What?" I manage to get out.

"Let's be respectful please," she growls. Her eyes flare blood red but a moment later they fade to a brilliant teal that seems to glow in the dim light of the prison.

"What are you?" Jaxon demands.

She grins, glancing between the cells. "Be patient your majesty, if you answer my questions then I will answer yours—well, I'll answer what I can anyway," she chuckles.

"Ask," he growls.

She clicks her tongue with a harsh glare. "I thought I told you to be respectful?"

"I'm stuck in a prison right now and I've been separated from my mate for several days so I apologize if my manners are lacking but I'm not exactly in a great mood at the moment," he snarls.

She purses her lips and narrows her eyes at him. "Fine. I want to know if the rumors true? Did Syrra restore her power?"

"Her cousin gave her the cure to the curse. She said it will take a while for her power to fully return."

The woman smiles at my mate. "See that wasn't so hard. Who is her cousin?"

"Her name is Jada," I mutter.

She looks at me in surprise. "Syrra's cousin is the fertility witch?" she asks.

"She can do a lot more than that. She's the reason Syrra lost her power in the first place," Jaxon says.

"Do you think she is more powerful than Syrra then?"

"I'm not entirely sure how that kind of power works so I don't know. I'm a dragon, not a witch, I don't know that much about magic."

My lip curls into a tiny smirk when she nods. You're a good liar, I chuckle.

Yeah well you're not so I'm begging you to stay quiet. I don't want anything to happen to you, he replies.

Okay I'll keep my mouth shut.

"Tell me about your family Jaxon," she says and I feel my heart skip a beat.

"What about my family?" He growls.

"What's your brother's relationship with the witch queen? He is around her an awful lot," she replies with a small smile.

"I'm not answering any questions about my family until you tell me who you are and why the hell you took my mate and I hostage?" Jaxon snarls, banging on the cell bars so hard it makes me flinch.

Her eyebrow quirks upward. "It's funny, you're known for your mind around here. You're said to have an impressive amount of patience—even more than your grandfather when he was the dragon king. But all I see is Fury," she sneers.

"You'd see a lot more patience if you at least told us where we are!" He snaps.

The woman's eyes flare blood red again. Then her lip curls upward in a smirk. "You're in the territory of the angels Jaxon, and I decide how long you stay here so you should show me some respect," she growls in a dangerously low voice, her fangs flashing in the light.

"But you're not an angel," I mumble.

Her gaze flicks toward me again. "Oh I'm an angel, I'm just a breed no one's ever seen before."

"Why are you holding us captive?" Jaxon demands.

"I already told you. We're concerned about the safety of the world."

"That doesn't explain why you felt the need to poison us and throw us into a prison! If you wanted to ask us questions why didn't you just pay us a visit like normal people do!"

She blinks lazily at him, looking quite annoyed. She glances pointedly at the angel lying still in the cell behind her. "That man is in there because he stole a warrior's weapon, but higher ranking men have been beaten and imprisoned for far less and suffered far worse fates. Those men were angels, you are not," she growls, "your life means nothing to me. Do not raise your voice at me again."

Jaxon please be careful, I beg.

I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you, just take a deep breath.

If they hurt you then it'll hurt me too so please be careful!

"I'm finished for today, would you like to ask anymore questions?" The woman's voice was soft again and it only made my anxiety worsen.

"If you're not going to let us go then can you put my mate and I in the same cell?" Jaxon asks. I can tell he's trying to hold back a growl but it still manages to seep into his words.

The woman looks between us, narrowing her gaze a little. "I will see what I can do," she murmurs before standing and leaving, the guards following close behind her.

I quickly release the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "I don't know what the hell she is, but she's terrifying as fuck," I mumble.

"Are you okay?" Jaxon asks in a soft voice.

"No I'm confused, I thought—" I bite my cheek.

"What?"

"I don't understand. That woman said we're in angel territory but those guards didn't look like angels and neither did she."

"Can angels hide their wings?" Jax asks.

"Yeah but angels have silver eyes and all the ones I've ever seen are covered in runes—not tattoos like the witches' but runes that are actually carved into their skin," I tell him.

"I didn't see any of that."

"Yeah me neither."

"Do you think maybe she was the only one?"

I shrug to myself, settling with my back against the wall. "I doubt it but what else could they be? Angels are extremely territorial and too proud, there's no way they'd let another species live alongside them."

He hums under his breath but doesn't say anything else for several minutes. Then he lets out a heavy sigh. "Is this something they do a lot? Kidnap people?"

"Among other things," I mumble. "They like to cause problems and start conflict. It's how they stay in control."

"So what—they control everything then?"

"Not just everything, everyone."

My eyes snap toward the hallway. The man standing there has a nasty smirk on his face. He looks exactly like the angels I'm used to: glowing silver eyes, scarred runes covering his skin, massive white wings folded behind his shoulders.

His pale armor perfectly matches his hair—and the snow-white blade of the dagger he twirls around in his hand. I instantly recognize the golden runes and dragon head hilt.

"Did you miss me Ash?" He chuckles.

My chest is rising and falling but I can't breathe. It's freezing but I can feel the sweat dripping down my forehead. My mind is screaming for me to run but I can't move my legs.

"What are y—" My voice falters. "What—I thought—"

"You thought I was dead huh?" His smirk grows wider. "A whimpering little dragon ain't enough to kill me."

Did he hurt you?

Jaxon no don't do anything please I—

I squeeze my eyes shut when I hear him growl and bang against the bars.

"You hurt my mate you son of a bitch!"

"The fire is such a neat little trick but you dragons use it too much."

I glance up to see the man stepping out of the flames, completely unscathed. The runes on his skin were glowing as he shook the ash from his wings.

He suddenly disappears from view and I start to panic at the sound of a click. I hear Jaxon's familiar growl followed by a harsh yelp and a sharp pain in my neck.

I swear my heart stops beating when I feel blood trickling down from my throat. My neck quickly turns numb and it spreads down to my fingertips. My mind starts to go blank but I take a deep breath and shake my head.

The poison doesn't work on me anymore, I remind myself.

It works on Jaxon, Cassie says.

I swallow hard. Jaxon?

The silence is deafening. My stomach turns and there are tears on my cheeks.

"Now Ash you remember the rules don't you?"

My lip trembles. "Yes," I mumble with a broken rasp.

"Yes what?"

I squeeze my eyes shut, burying my face into my hands. "Yes master," I choke out.

I can practically hear his smirk. "That's a good girl," he sneers. "Here's your mate."

My head snaps up at the sound of the door creaking open. "Jaxon!" A tiny gasp escapes my lips when his body lands hard on the floor in front of me.

I wince at the immediate pain that blooms in my face from the impact.

The door slams shut and the click of the lock echoes in my ears. "Keep behaving and you'll be rewarded. Any more problems and you'll answer to me, you understand?"

"Yes," I murmur.

He bangs on the cell door making me flinch. "Yes master," I stammer, the word leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

"Good girl," he chuckles.

I shiver, my skin crawling. I try to shake him from my mind as I creep over to look at my mate. I carefully roll him over and gently place his head in my lap.

My fingers tenderly touch the wound from the dagger. It's not deep, not even enough to make it scar but just far enough in the skin that the poison got into his blood.

I slowly press my lips against his forehead, my tears falling onto his face. My thumb brushes across his cheek as I let out a shaky breath.

It's going to be a long night.

Better get comfortable, this is not a safe place for what's going to happen to him, my dragon mumbles.

It starts with a fever. Then it turns to severe dehydration. Then the fever breaks and the worst begins: convulsions and hallucinations. And then finally, delirium sets in. 

It can last for hours or for days. I can only hope his body is strong enough to expel the poison before I have to somehow find a way to tie him down so he doesn't kill himself.

"Gods help us," I whimper, my voice breaking. "Please."

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So I have no idea what POV to pick next so go ahead and vote on whatever. It's probably gonna be a while before the next update but that just means more time to figure out the next POV right??

Lol I hope you guys enjoyed it! It definitely wasn't edited so I hope it turned out okay :)