Just a warning, there is some (gay) smut in this one and it's kind of a long chapter. It's been a while so I thought you guys deserved it :)

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I can barely keep my face from showing any emotion. It's like walking into a nightmare.

The smell of blood is so strong I have to fight the urge to cover my nose and just breathe through my mouth.

Ash holds Jax's body, sobbing hysterically as he tries to keep his mate from injuring himself further. He struggles to keep him still as both are completely covered in blood.

"Immobilize him," I mutter.

The guards open the cell and I watch with a clenched jaw as they have to forcefully remove Ash in order to restrain the dragon king. He screams and thrashes, managing to land a few solid hits on the guards before they throw him back in.

They make sure Jaxon cannot move before locking the cell door once again. I step up to the bars, my hand resting on the cold metal. "A healer is going to come by. Let them help, you understand?"

He looks up at me with wide eyes. "I wish I could understand you," he mumbles, sniffing hard as he turns his attention back to his mate.

I've seen some terrible things in my time, but nothing like this. I've never seen someone do something so vicious to themselves.

Jaxon's face is hardly recognizable and it seems the only thing keeping him alive is his mate's hands frantically covering his neck to staunch the bleeding.

An irritated sigh escapes my lips as I move away from the prisoners. "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."

********

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Dorin! Where's Dorin?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Because he blinded and nearly killed the dragon king!" I snap. "He had no business going down there!"

Nyla bows her head, rubbing her temples with a low groan. "I understand you don't like him but he is a valuable asset—"

"He's nothing but a narcissistic dumbass with tiny wings!"

Her shoulders drop in exhaustion as she stands. "Again with the tiny wings," she mutters under her breath. "Aura please, I don't like him either but there is nothing I can do."

"You can tell me where he is and I'll take care of it myself."

"Need I remind you that the last time you decided to take care of something yourself, you lost your rank?"

"That was different," I hiss through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps," she sighs. "Don't worry about Dorin right now, I'll deal with him. You need to figure out how to fix the mess he made with the dragon king once he's healed."

"His name is Jaxon."

"Jaxon," she corrects with a half-smile. She tilts her head and peers at me, raising an eyebrow. "You're starting to go soft."

"I blame you."

"Me? What did I do?"

"You keep giving me difficult tasks—like gathering information from two dragons who care more about each other than any mates I've ever seen."

She sighs heavily. "I know this is still difficult but you need to understand that our race depends on the information we get from these situations. It is the only way to ensure our survival.

"We are not looking to build friendships. We want them to fear us and this is the simplest way to ensure that. We know how to destroy each kingdom in case something catastrophic happens and their leaders are too afraid to risk warring with us as a result," she explains.

"It's wrong," I growl. "I understood with the corrupt ones that definitely deserved to be scared shitless but this is just a boy!"

"Aura he is the son of the most powerful queen in history—he is a full-fledged, mated dragon whose strength isn't diminished by cold iron. He should frighten you more than the entirety of the dragon race."

I take a deep breath, running my hands through my hair. "Okay fine. What am I supposed to do while I wait for the healers to take care of Jaxon?" I mumble.

"Well there's nothing you can do until he regains his strength and the poison in his blood is depleted, so in the meantime, the High Lord requested to speak with you—he didn't sound very pleased so you should go now."

"Fantastic," I grumble. "Do I at least get a kiss before I go?"

She scowls, shoving me towards the door. "You are just determined to get me into trouble aren't you?" she mutters.

"So that's a no then?"

"Get out!"

I groan, reluctantly stepping out of her office. I can't help the tiny smirk on my lips when she slams the door shut. "Angry little Lord," I murmur to myself as I clasp my hands behind my back and follow the guards down the hallway.

"Where are you headed sir?"

"The High Lord," I reply.

"But he is training right now—"

"He will take a break to see me."

The guard dips his head. "Very well."

As soon as we step outside, both guards roll their shoulders and unfurl their massive wings. My thoughts veer back to Dorin for just a moment and I shake my head with a small curse.

A warrior's wings are too big to allow for much movement indoors, it is why they keep them tucked away. Dorin should be ashamed of his tiny ones but instead, he displays them proudly like the perverse little man he is.

His small faction has given angels a terrible reputation. We are fearsome warriors and brutal killers, yes, but we do not rape and pillage and burn—we do not hurt innocent creatures merely for entertainment or the sickening thrill of it.

Angels like him were killed when I was a child. Angels with small wings were marked by a nasty scar on their faces and cast out to die. If they managed to survive then they were allowed to return on rare occasions but ever since one managed to become High Lord, our culture and way of life have gone to complete shit.

Just like a witch has a dæmon, an angel has its wings. The wings reflect the soul—small wings meant a damaged one. And Dorian and the High Lord's wings are too small to even allow them to fly.

"Aurelia!"

I lift my chin, meeting his gaze. "High Lord," I mumble, bowing my head.

He smirks. "How good of you to finally answer my request."

I bite my tongue and offer up a small smile. "Why did you want to see me?" I ask in a painfully polite voice.

His smirk widens as he glances over at me for a moment before returning to fuss with his crossbow. "I'm removing you from the prison. You will no longer be questioning the dragon king."

"Excuse me?" I ask, barely maintaining my respectful tone.

"You heard me. You give the prisoners too much information and you're too soft on them. I am putting Dorin in charge of the interrogations from now on. The guards have orders to detain you if you even attempt to go into the prison," he replies.

My blood boils. "I have produced results time and time again. My methods work and they have kept the leaders fearful of us without inciting a need for vengeance. Dorin's ways are cruel and obnoxious—he's going to start a war!" I seethe.

"Good. Then we'll be able to get rid of the scum that lives beneath the clouds."

I gape at him. "The wolves tried to wipe everyone out and you saw what happened there. A single dragon nearly killed off their entire species in retaliation! How could you possibly suggest something so ludicrous?"

"Watch your mouth Aurelia or I will have you forcefully removed from my kingdom."

I press my lips into a thin line. He wasn't even upset. His voice was sardonic and his tone was purely arrogant. He merely thought of it as a game, one in which he toyed with those beneath him for no reason other than his own pleasure.

I turn sharply on my heel, the guards following beside me as I mutter curses under my breath. "Stupid small winged little bitch," I hiss.

My nails dig into my palms as I clench my fists. I shake my head, unable to hold back my growl.

"Sir?"

My gaze flicks upward as a guard jogs over. "What is it?" I ask.

"Lord Nyla asked that I bring this to you right away," she says, handing me a black box.

"Thank you," I say with a frown.

I open the box to reveal a gleaming purple stone the size of a pebble. I carefully pull out the tiny scrap of paper beneath it. My lips curl into a smirk at the elegant scrawl. "Guess I get that kiss after all."

*****

She is shaking by the time she collapses, her breath coming out as ragged gasps. I gently brush away the hair plastered to her sweaty face and kiss her temple.

"You have to teach me how to do that," she mumbles breathlessly.

I chuckle, curling an arm around her waist as she leans back against my chest. "So you can go do it to someone else? I don't think so," I growl playfully, pressing my lips onto her neck.

"Of course not, you're the only one," she replies.

My hand slides up to her chest and I bite my lip at the sound she makes in response. "Someone as gorgeous as you is bound to have other suitors."

She quickly shakes her head, her mouth falling open as I let my other hand slip between her legs. "No—I promise it's—ah!" She gasps, squeezing her eyes shut and dropping her head back onto my shoulder.

"What's that sweetheart? I didn't quite catch what you said," I tease, using my fingers to coax another moan from her lips.

She clutches at the blanket beneath us, her breath coming out in short pants now. "I . . . promise—" She slaps a hand over her mouth to stifle a cry as my fingers move deeper and faster.

"Come on Nyla you can tell me," I whisper. I slow for a moment to let her answer, planting open-mouthed kisses along her jaw.

"I promise it's only you," she finally manages to say.

"May I?" I ask, gently kissing her neck.

My hand finds hers and I intertwine our fingers, noting that her entire body is shaking with anticipation. She nods quickly.

I grin, letting my fangs scrape across her skin. Her immediate moan forces a growl past my lips.

"Please Aura I wa—" her words are lost in her gasp as my fangs sink into her neck.

Her hand grips mine tightly, squeezing harder as warm blood flows onto my tongue. Her body shudders when I start to kiss the tender flesh.

My tongue flicks over the wound and I smirk at the beautiful sound of her breathy moan. "Aura please—it's too much, no—ah!" She cries out as I suck gently on the bite.

I drink until I'm satiated, listening to Nyla's soft moans echo through the room. She is fully exhausted when I pull away.

"Are you okay?" I ask gently.

She nods slowly, blinking lazily. "I'm perfect," she mumbles.

I smile with a shake of my head. "Yes you are," I sigh.

I wrap my arms around her, tugging up a blanket when she starts to shiver. I lean backwards into the headboard and let my gaze drift over Nyla's face.

"So what did the High Lord want?" She suddenly asks.

My nose wrinkles. "Do we really have to talk about him now?"

She smiles, fiddling with the blanket. "You seemed upset after you met with him. I wanted to wait until after you had calmed down to ask what happened."

"Well, I'm definitely more relaxed now thanks to you," I murmur.

She shudders as I press my lips onto the scar on her neck. "Stop trying to distract me."

"But this is so much more fun," I whine.

"Aura please I need a break," she murmurs weakly.

"Okay," I say, kissing her jaw lightly. "I'll give you a few days but guess what happens once you've recovered?"

She grins. "I'm all yours."

*****

My head snaps up at the sound of a knock. I stay silent, remembering that this is Nyla's room.

"Sir? It's Kalen."

"Come in," I say quietly.

The guard steps inside, carefully closing the door behind him. His gaze flicks to Nyla sleeping beside me for a moment but he says nothing.

"What is it?"

"You asked that I let you know when the healers were finished."

My eyes widen. "How could they be finished? It's hardly been a full day?"

The guard shrugs his shoulders. "The damage was severe, there wasn't much they could do," he replies.

"Damn it. Alright wait in the hall I will be there in a moment."

"I told the other guards to leave so the hallway is empty."

I smile a little. "Thank you Kalen."

He bows his head before stepping out of the room. I slowly slide out from under the covers, wincing a little when Nyla starts to stir.

I slip into my clothes and tie my hair back. My bare feet are silent on the stone floor as I creep out of Nyla's room, taking great care not to wake her.

"Okay let's go," I mutter, motioning for Kalen to lead.

"You are aware that the High Lord gave us orders to imprison you if you attempted to see the dragons?"

I smirk. "He's foolish to believe he has more power than I do," I sneer making him laugh lightly.

He takes me to the prison where I simply give the guard a nod and he allows me through the heavy iron doors. I quickly cover my nose when I am met with the scent of fresh blood.

"What's going on?" I demand from one of the prison guards.

"Dorin is interrogating the dragon king's mate," he replies and I growl.

I storm down the hall to see the man holding his white-bladed dagger against Jaxon's throat. His malicious grin isn't nearly as horrifying as the sheer terror on Ash's face.

"What the fuck did you do?" I spit.

"I made the little girl more cooperative. Ash will tell you anything if it'll help his mate," he jeers, yanking open the cell door and shoving Jaxon's unconscious body inside.

I clench my jaw. It looks like the healers could scarcely repair the damage to his face and left both dragons with nasty scars around their eyes. My gaze can't move away from the open gashes covering both of them and the pools of blood on the floor. "Why would you do this? You didn't need to hurt them they would have told you what you wanted to know!" I growl.

"My way works and produces results that's why the High Lord placed me here. This ain't your job anymore because your methods are pathetic and weak." His sneer made the last of my self-control snap.

I grip the neck of his armor and slam him hard against the wall. My eyes turn red and I bare my fangs, relishing the reek of his fear. "Call me pathetic one more time, I fucking dare you."

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Lol I know for some of you that was some pretty light smut but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway.

Next chapter will either be Jada or Kaine so go ahead and vote below :)

Jada

Kaine