Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66196 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66196 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“Oh yes he does, Paladin—you are his rival.” A cruel smile curls the corners of Kraven’s thin lips. “He fears you because of your Holy Warrior status and because of the ‘Celestial Fire’ inside you. He thinks you’ll depose him and take his throne.”
“You’re lying!” Alaric growls but I can see by his eyes that he’s not sure.
“No I’m not—not that you’re going to get a chance to find out. Because I’m going to take what I came for. With The Heart of the Eclipse, I can rule both Nocturna and Solaris!”
He starts to go into the room where the Collection is housed…but then he turns back to me.
“But you know, first I think I’ll finish something I started a long time ago,” he remarks. He comes over to me and pushes the silver strands of the net that covers me to one side, baring the side of my neck. “I think I’ll Drain you, my dear Blood-Partner,” he says, his fangs flashing as they grow longer, getting ready to attack. “Taking your magic and your blood will be a fitting end to all this, don’t you think?”
“Don’t you fucking touch her!” Alaric roars and I can see him throwing himself against the cuffs that bind him, doing everything he can to get to me.
But it’s too late. As Kraven’s long fangs pierce my throat, I can feel my magic along with my life’s blood being sucked away—drawn into him as he begins the Draining.
I try to fight, but I can’t even move. The Net of Stillness has me wrapped up tight and all I can do is stand there as he sucks and swallows
He’s draining me dry and there’s nothing I can do about it.
30
Alaric
The cuffs around my wrists are cold as ice as I fight with them. I can’t let this happen to my Mistress! She’s just standing there, helpless, with the silver net wrapped around her and that fucking Kraven sucking her dry! I know this is her nightmare—I could see the fear and pain in her eyes when she told me what he’d tried to do to her last time she was with him. Yet now I’m watching him do it again and I can’t do anything about it.
Can’t do anything about it? Think again!
I hear the low, rumbling voice in my ears and inside my head at the same time. It seems to be coming from deep inside me. At the same time my Celestial Fire is rising higher and harder and faster than it ever has in my life. What the fuck is happening to me?
Me! I am happening! the voice inside me shouts—it comes out of my mouth too—in a roar and I see Kraven jerk his fangs out of Sylvanna’s neck. He stares at me, his mouth hanging open, all stained with her blood.
I stare back at him. Something is happening to me—something huge I didn’t even know was there, (though I admit I suspected) has awakened.
I don’t know what woke it—was it my fear for my Mistress, my fury at her attacker…or maybe the overwhelming pleasure she gave me when she fucked me? Whatever it was, it woke something powerful within me that’s not willing to go back to sleep.
Break the bonds, it tells me.
“I can’t,” I say. “They’re made from unbreakable silver.”
Nothing is unbreakable for a Drake!
Suddenly, my body is changing. I can feel my wrists growing thicker until they burst the thin silver bands around them. My neck grows thicker too, until the Collar of Control bursts off. Then it gets longer and suddenly my head is much higher so that I’m towering over the room. I feel the top of my head brushing the vaulted ceiling and my body is taking up much more space. I look down and see that I’m covered in gold and red scales.
Then my back starts itching—right over my shoulder blades. Before I know it, two wings have burst out of me and are beating the air, causing a miniature hurricane.
Kraven’s eyes have been getting wider and wider. He stares at me in horror and then starts backing away from Sylvanna, who’s still frozen in place by that fucking net.
“I didn’t know!” he babbles, holding up his hands in front of him. “Please, how could I know? There hasn’t been a Drake Shifter in the world for over a century!”
“You fucker! You’re going to pay for hurting her!”
The voice coming from inside me is also coming out of my mouth in a deep, inhuman roar. I feel myself at one with the beast I have become. I flex my fingers and reach for him, catching him in one huge, clawed hand.
“No! No, please!” he begs, struggling weakly in my grip. He looks so puny, flailing frantically. But his fangs are still stained with my beloved’s blood—he cannot be allowed to live.