It's disturbing. We've been in this prison for at least 4 days now and still we've seen no one.

We fall asleep and there is food and water in each of our cells when we wake up but I don't know who brings it. Well, I'm not entirely sure if sticky red paste actually constitutes as food but it seems to keep me satiated.

"Jaxon?"

I readjust my position against the wall, moving closer to the bars. "Yeah baby what is it?"

"Do you think they're going to kill us?"

The fear in his voice makes my chest tighten. "No one is going to touch you Ash. I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it," I growl.

He is quiet for a few moments. Then his tentative voice reaches my ears again. "Jax I'm scared," he whimpers.

My eyes start to water and I grit my teeth in frustration. "I know baby," I murmur.

I want to bang my head against the wall until everything goes numb. He does not deserve any more pain, Azazel growls.

"Can you tell me another story?"

I take a deep breath, wiping my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose. "Of course, which one do you want to hear this time?"

"I like the ones about Sayan and Kilano," he says in a quiet voice.

I smile. "I thought I already told all of them."

"I've heard a lot but you haven't told me how they met yet."

"Okay, you ready?" I ask.

"Yeah."

I lift my hand, sucking in a deep breath as flames dance at my fingertips. I flick my wrist and the fire leaps from my palm.

"How can you still do this?" I hear Ash ask.

I tug a little at the freezing metal collar around my neck. "I'm not really sure," I murmur.

"I wish I could do it," he mutters.

"I'll teach you how when we get out of here," I tell him.

I concentrate on the fire again, moving the matching flames in Ash's cell as well.

"In the beginning there were seven gods, the most powerful of which were the twins Zahra and Kilano. Zahra was the goddess of life and Kilano the god of fire and ashes. Together they created the dragons."

Two figures appear in the flames, standing side by side with crowns atop their heads.

A small smile creeps onto my face as the flames move with the story.

"Kilano and Zahra ruled over the dragons until they were cursed by the witches. Then Kilano found himself falling in love with one of the dragon shifters they created. He desperately wanted to be with her so he took the form of a human, and relinquished his crown to his sister who in turn, gave it to her mortal mate.

"Kilano knew it was unwise, but he, like so many immortals, found the dragon shifters to be teeming with foreign beauty—they were completely entranced by the idea of mortality.

"Kilano knew better than the others that a god could not be with a mortal, but she was too beautiful and kind for him to resist. And in return, she loved him with everything she had. She wanted to show him her love and devotion—but what could you give a god? What could she give him that he didn't already have?"

My fingers twitch and the woman vanishes in a shower of sparks. The tiniest of flames lingers in her place, carefully picked up by the male figure. "And so she gave him a child.

"He hid his pain well, returning to the gods with his daughter in his arms as though nothing had happened. They all knew he was changed, they simply didn't know how much.

"But then they realized he had been broken completely when he would no longer allow his sister to extend the life of her mate. He told her it was time for the mortal's life to finally end for good and forced her to become goddess of the dead so she could remain with her mate.

"Kilano took back his crown but he wasn't the same king as he has been before. He devoted himself wholly to his daughter, using her as a distraction from the pain of losing her mother. This devotion led him to another god—Sayan.

"The god of the water seemed an unlikely friend to the god of fire but they shared many pains and misfortunes. Sayan too had lost a mortal mate who wanted to give him a child. He too, devoted himself to the son she gave him.

"Their children loved to play in the clouds and they greatly enjoyed sparring with one another. The more time they spent together, the more they seemed to become brother and sister. And the more time the gods spent together, the fonder they grew of one another until the looks that passed between them could only be described as love."

I feel my throat tighten a little. "One day, while their children were chasing each other through the forest, Sayan asked if Kilano had ever loved anyone as he had loved the mortal."

I blink hard a few times, tearing my eyes away from the fire. "Kilano said 'yes, I have loved only one other, though I believe I may love him more'. Sayan was silent for a moment. He carefully put his words together before allowing them to leave his lips: 'It is said we cannot die, but I believe I surely will if I cannot be your mate'.

"And Kilano replied 'my love, it would be an honor to have you by my side'."

I close my eyes, letting the flames die as I hug my knees to my chest.

"Do you think it's true?"

"What?" I ask, my voice muffled by my arm.

"The stories of the gods, do you think they're true?"

"Yes," I reply.

"Really?"

I shrug a little to myself. "Kilano's daughter would have been my great great grandmother so the stories may have been changed a little but it would be difficult to create a completely new myth with so few of generations," I sigh.

"So that's how your family can have ancient dragons," I hear him murmur.

"What do you mean?"

"According to legend, only dragons that are descendants of the gods can have a reincarnated spirit. So that would explain how both you and your mother have ancient dragons," he explains.

"So if we had children then they could have an ancient dragon too?"

He laughs and the sound brings a smile to my lips. "Jax you are aware that we're both male right?"

I roll my eyes a little. "Yes I know that but we could still have children, the witch that helped Angel and Zella is probably the most powerful witch in existence; she could easily help us."

His silence makes me frown. "Ash?"

He mumbles something so quiet I can't make out a single word. "Baby I can't hear you."

"I don't want children," he finally says a little louder.

I chew my cheek. "Why not?"

"It scares me," he admits and I feel a sharp pain in my fingertips. I glance down at my hand and realize he must be scratching at the stone.

"Ash baby I would never make you do something you don't want to. Besides, we basically already have a daughter," I add with a small smile.

"I miss her," he murmurs.

"Me too." As much as the little devil freaks me out, it's unsettling to not have her rubbing up against my hand every few minutes.

I sigh. "We'll see her again soon, I promise."

******

My eyes snap open at the sound of a door slamming shut. I sit up with a groan, gritting my teeth against the ache in my muscles.

I crane my head to see outside the bars of the cell. I barely catch a glimpse of a figure moving down the hall. I flick my wrist and flames illuminate the end of the hall for just a moment.

I quickly cover my ears with a hiss at the sound of the piercing scream but a second later and the light vanishes along with the voice.

"Damn it," I growl, slamming my fist against the bars.

"Jax do you see that?"

"What?"

"There's someone in the cell,"

I drag my gaze towards the cell across the stone pathway. The one across from me is empty, but the vague outline of a man lays near the door of the cell across from Ash.

His bloodied and bruised body is still, only his chest moves. It barely rises and falls, letting out wheezing breaths.

My eyes wander over the cuts and bruises and terrible wounds completely covering his barely clad body with wide eyes. That's when I notice the massive dark shadows stretching out behind him.

"Ash is that—"

"It's an angel," he finishes, his voice shaking.

I swallow hard, letting myself fall against the wall. "Are they really as bad as the stories?"

"They're worse, so much worse," he whimpers.

"So you've met one?" I ask carefully.

"A few times," he mumbles.

The underlying agony in his voice makes we want to slit my own throat. What do you think they did?

Angels are brutal warriors. They would rape and kill and burn everyone that stood against them, Azazel murmurs.

Everyone? I echo, my heart pounding in my chest.

They do not limit their torture to grown men.

Dozens of images of what they could have done to Ash fill my mind and I close my eyes and furiously shake my head. No no no please stop!

Jaxon take a deep breath, the cold iron is going to mess with your mind. You need to keep it together as long as possible for Ash's sake, Azazel says in a soft voice.

What?

The collar, it scratches your neck every time you move. The more cold iron there is in your blood, the more you are going to feel its effects. I know it is difficult but you need to stay strong now so it will be easier later on.

Okay, I mutter, running my finger along the metal starting to grow slick with blood.

I snap out of my conversation with my dragon at the harsh sound of the door banging open. I hear several pairs of footsteps this time.

I struggle to stay balanced on my feet as anxiety and fury course through my body. I give up trying to stand and sit down on the stone floor in defeat.

A few minutes pass and I can finally see someone. My fingernails curl into my palm when I realize none of them have wings. So somehow they are strong enough to break an angel and lock him away. Fantastic.

"Don't bother setting anything on fire, we have plenty more guards and if you refuse to cooperate then your stay here will quickly become miserable for you and your mate," a stern voice warns.

I frown when I realize it belonged to a woman. A moment passes and I finally see her.

She is walking down the hall, escorted by four guards. They line up in front of the cell with their hands behind their backs.

"Calm down boys," the woman sighs.

Their posture changes almost instantly. Their shoulders slump and they lean against the wall.

The woman looks at me. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions Jaxon?"

"Excuse me?" I find myself saying.

"My name is Aurelia. I will answer the questions you have about what is going on but first I'd like you to answer a few I have for you," she says.

My eyebrow shoots up. "You're kidding right?"

"I know you must be confused and you rightfully don't trust me but we only want to understand . . ."

I ignore her. My only focus is the guard moving towards Ash's cell. His lip curls upward as he leans against the bars. "Well aren't you a pretty little thing," he drawls and I growl as I stand.

"I swear to the gods I'll fucking kill you if you touch him," I snarl.

The guard merely looks amused. He throws me a smirk before unlocking the door.

Tell me when.

It's silent for a moment and I clench my jaw as I try to quell the panic coursing through me.

Now.

My eyes flare red as I raise my hand. The guard's bone-chilling scream pierces my ears and I hear a thud as he collapses outside the cell, writhing and squirming as the fire tears through his veins.

I lean on my elbows against the barred door, my arms hanging out of the cell. I watch the man die with a smirk on my lips. It takes several minutes for his screams to fade; all that's left is a torched corpse and the reek of burning flesh.

I glance over at the woman. "If you want me to cooperate then I'd really appreciate it if no one else tried to touch my mate," I tell her with a low growl.

She purses her lips. "I doubt anyone will try again," she remarks before turning to the remaining guards who didn't even flinch when the man fell. "One of you idiots get rid of his body and make sure everyone understands that no one is to touch the king's mate."

She looks back at me with a smile. "Now Jaxon, what can you tell me about the witch queen Syrra?"

********

Sorry for the long wait guys! I'm trying to be a little more consistent and even between my books and unfortunately that means I update slower :/

What POV do you guys want for the next chapter??