M O R G A N

The soft sound of a wood cracklingly fire draws me out of a deep, dreamless slumber. I move my hand and feel the empty space next to me. Where was Erik? Opening my eyes, I realise that I'm not lying in my bed. Instead, I'm lying in a huge four-poster bed that I have never seen in my life.

The room was clean and well-furnished. Large tapestries covered the wall, dimly illuminated by the soft flames of the fire.

It was eerily medieval, and I couldn't remember how I'd got here for the life of me.

I pushed back the heavy crimson blanket and sat up in bed, propping myself against the soft goose-feathered satin pillows.

My jeans, sweater, and walking boots were gone. Someone had undressed me and swapped my clothes with a ridiculously frilly white linen nightdress.

I grimaced at the lace and ribbons and glanced about the room for my clothes. There was nowhere to be seen. I pressed my fingers to my temples and tried remembering what had happened.

Hazy memories of Erik filled my head. I'd kissed him goodbye as he slept, then snuck downstairs to meet Poppy.

Poppy was waiting for me in the bar, and we had left the pub together. I couldn't remember what happened next. There was a blank space in my memory.

How did I get here, and more importantly, where was Poppy?

I slipped out of bed and winced at the coldness of the room. Despite the fire, the room was freezing cold. I crept across the room to the door and touched the cold brass door handle. I turned the handle slowly and pushed the door open a crack. The light from my room spilt out into a dark, windowless hall.

I tiptoed out into the empty hall and whispered, "Poppy?"

The whisper echoed down the hall into the nothingness.

"Erik?" I called out.

I don't know why I called out his name. I knew he wasn't here.

I took a few cautious steps into the hall, and a voice called out, "My lady, I see you are awake."

I turned around to see who was speaking, but I couldn't make out anyone in the dark.

"Where's Poppy?" I called out.

"Your companion is dining downstairs. Would you like to join her?" The male voice asked.

"Yes, I would like to see you here," I replied.

A candlelight appeared at the end of the hall, held by a tall blonde man with dark reddy brown eyes. He was tall and lean, with a wolfish expression on his face.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"The Lord of this castle," he replied. "But you can call me Henry."

I stared at Henry, wondering who he was. I thought about asking questions but realised that I didn't want to risk upsetting my host in case he should stop me from seeing Poppy.

So I followed him through the winding hallways, then down a narrow staircase and into an expansive open foyer. The walls were decorated with thousands of swords and spears neatly arranged into decorative swirls.

My footsteps faltered as I looked at the spectacle.

Henry stopped, too, and gestured at the weapons mounted on the wall.

"It's impressive, huh? When I took over the castle, I had my men collect every blade and spear from the surrounding battlefields."

"There are so many," I replied.

"Yes, many lives were lost. But none of the weaponry you see here belonged to a vampire. They are all swords belonging to our enemies, the dragon army," Henry said.

A cold icy shiver ran down my spine. This was the slaughter Erik had spoken to me about. This was what haunted his dreams and kept him awake at night.

"Come, let's get some food into you," Henry said.

"I'm guessing you're not a dragon," I said.

"Gods no. Thanks to your sacrifice, the dragons are long gone," Henry smiled.

"My sacrifice?" I replied.

"Yes, the sacrifice you made that ended the four-hundred-year war. Don't you remember?" Henry asked.

"No, I had an accident and lost my memory," I explained.

"I shall refresh your memory," Henry said, patting my arm lightly. "Four years ago, this castle belonged to the Storm Dragon King, Erik. His family had been at war with Prince Dante for centuries. King Erik kidnaps Prince Dante's wife intending to use her as a lure to kill Prince Dante. A terrible battle ensued but was quickly ended when you showed up and used your magic to banish the dragons from our land."

"I banished the dragons," I repeated unsteadily.

"Yes, and in doing so, you accidentally banished yourself. Prince Dante asked me to locate and return you, our saviour, back home," Henry said.

"Saviour," I whispered, staring at the thousands of dead dragons' blades hanging from the walls. "I feel more like a traitor."

Henry placed a cold hand on my shoulder and squeezed it softly.

"You shouldn't. No vampire or dragon has been slain in battle for the past four years. By exiling the dragons, you have restored peace to our world," he said.

This still didn't make me feel any better. Nor did it explain why I had taken the vampires' side to begin with.

Before I could ask another question, Henry slid his hand around my waist and gently guided me down the hall and through a grand set of oak doors.

We walked through into a large candlelit dining hall. An entire banquet of fifty people lay on the table. However, only one guest was sitting at the table. Poppy.

She was dressed in a deep pink ball gown and sat before a golden plate filled with bloody raw meat.

Poppy grabbed the raw meat with her hands, ignoring the silver cutlery. Streaks of blood stained the sleeves and collar of her ball gown. She shovelled the meat into her mouth without acknowledging me.

"Poppy?" I called to her.

She did not look up.

Henry breathed deeply and said lowly, "It's good you brought her to me now. Another day and her mind would be completely lost."

I gazed back at him and tilted my head.

"Are you the shapeshifter who did this?" I asked.

Henry looked half-reproachful and replied, "I had to find a way to bring you back home. And as promised, I will fix Poppy."

"How? Erik said it was impossible to save a dragon once it's been bitten by a vampire."

"I can't turn her back into a dragon, but I can turn her into a vampire. It may not be the solution you were hoping for, but it's better than her becoming a living corpse," he replied.

I stared back at Poppy, who was mindlessly chewing on a bright red lump of flesh.

"If Poppy became a vampire, she could never return to the village. She would need to stay here," I explained.

Henry rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, she could stay here in this castle - with us," he suggested.

"What do you mean by 'us'?" I replied.

Henry's fingers bit into my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"If you were to join my court, then you and Poppy could live here in the castle under my protection," he said sweetly. "I would take good care of both of you and ensure that your every want and need was met."

"What's the catch? I know you are not doing this out of the goodness of your heart," I asked.

"Think of it as a symbiotic relationship. Your presence in my court would boost my reputation and political punch. In return, I can protect you and allow you the freedom that Dante's court would not allow," he explained.

I kept a poker face. This was a dangerous situation, and I couldn't risk upsetting Henry and have him not save Poppy. I did not intend to stay in his castle or be a pawn in his political games. I was tired of my power being used to further the questionable ambitions of Kings, Princes, and Lords.

However, I needed to pay the part to save Poppy, so I thoughtfully considered his proposal.

"Would this freedom allow me to return to the dragon village?" I asked sweetly.

A darkness flickered across Henry's face, and for a moment, I thought he might lose his composure. But he continued to play the game and swallowed down whatever anger or irritation had bubbled inside him.

"I presume you would want to visit your mate. King Erik. The man who is the architect of all our misery," Henry replied.

"I want the freedom to see my family. Whether you like it or not, the dragons have been my family for the past four years, and I want to ensure they are okay," I replied.

A ghost of a smile crossed Henry's face. It was a cruel smile sadistic that he quickly transformed into a worried pensive grimace.

"I have no objection to you returning to the village. I'm even happy to show you where the portal between our two worlds is hidden. However, I should warn you that Erik is aware of your betrayal. He confronted me as I left. He announced that he never wanted to see you again, and if he did, then he would kill you on sight for your betrayal," Henry explained.

"Erik said that he would kill me?" I repeated.

Henry nodded.

I took a deep breath. Erik wouldn't abandon me. Henry was playing mind games to try and manipulate me. I felt like burning his soul, but I needed to play along - or at least, until Poppy was better.

I turned away from Henry, pretending to shed a few tears. I dabbed my eyes with my lace sleeves and then turned to face Henry.

"I guess I don't have a choice. I would be grateful for your assistance," I smiled.

He smiled back, and I got the sense he didn't fully believe me. He was a manipulator, and he knew I was playing him. However, he was either too polite or scared to point it out. He didn't know that I had forgotten most of my powers.

"I hope to make you very happy here," Henry said, walking past me towards Poppy.

"What will you do to save her?" I called out after him.

"I will make her my wife," he replied.