Page 30 of Dragon King's Cursed Mate

Dain breathed a sigh of relief when the ruins came into view. He was sure they hadn’t been followed. Malakar likely couldn’t assemble another troop of dragon shifters in time.

The dragons landed in the courtyard. Everyone stood around in a circle watching, in awe. The prisoners slid off the dragon’s backs, a couple of them barely alive. Jasmine, Lily, and others rushed over to tend to them.

When they arrived, Dain immediately asked for Seraphina.

“The oracle has not yet returned,” Jasmine said. “Remember that she’s slipping through shadows and not flying.”

“How did you know she traveled through shadows?” he asked.

“She told me. We talk a lot. She said she’d return that way if the two of you got separated.”

The prisoners who were able to eat were fed. Jasmine added some herbs that would help calm them. Valon began helping the ones who were barely hanging on when Seraphina arrived.

She nodded to Dain. “I saw what had been done to them,” she said and knelt next to the prisoners to help Valon heal.

Seraphina and Valon worked together to heal the men and women who had endured unspeakable torture at Malakar’s hands. Their bodies would mend, but it would take longer for their souls to heal.

Ethan, the oldest of the group, and the one who had suffered the most, said, “We knew you would come for us. When we joined you, you promised that you would protect us.”

“It was everyone,” Dain said.

“And we are grateful to everyone,” Ethan said. “Something has to be done soon. Malakar is using the prisoners to perform experiments on. He’s trying to make an army of indestructible, human foot soldiers. He wants an army that can defeat dragon shifters.”

“How?” Dain asked.

Sarah, Ethan’s wife, answered. “His so-called scientists have mixed up some solution that contains elements from the ground with magic. They inject the concoction into the humans. The ones who die are just thrown into a bonfire.” She sighed and wiped a tear from her face. “They don’t even get a decent burial. The ones who survive are put through several trials to see if their stamina and strength have improved any. Then the scientists go back and make changes, and the whole thing starts all over again.”

Rage exploded inside of Dain. He clenched his jaw and his hands formed tight fists. The heat was so intense that he thought his body was going to explode into a million pieces. A red haze appeared in his eyes, and he had to fight the urge to return to Wyrmhaven and destroy Malakar.

Seraphina sensed his anger and put her hand on his chest, calming his heart and making the red veil disappear.

“Were any of you injected?” Seraphina asked gently.

“No,” Elizabeth said. “They were torturing us to try to force us to tell Malakar where the king and the oracle were hiding.”

Dain closed his eyes and tried to swallow his anger. He’d seen the burns and cuts on the prisoners.

Ethan stood and bowed to Dain. “My Lord King, Oracle, none of us told him about the ruins. We refused to speak.”

Dain looked at Seraphina. She nodded. She’d been able to see the truth when she touched them while healing them.

“I’m sorry that you had to go through that because of me,” Dain said. “Your pain and the pain of all the others will be avenged, and I will take back my throne from that evil monster.” He looked around at the people they just rescued. “I know you’re tired so get some rest. You are honored for your bravery and your strength.”

Everyone stood and went to their tents. Valon and Seraphina quickly healed the injuries the warrior suffered. Luckily, none of them had been killed or even seriously hurt. It had been a long night and everyone quickly disappeared into their tents.

Seraphina sat next to Dain on the steps of the temple and sighed. “That was an adventure.”

Dain put his arm around her. “Yes, it was, but something good came of it. When we rescued our people, we showed Malakar that his army was not invincible, and you retrieved the scrolls. Where are they?”

“I’ve hidden them. I needed to help with the healing before I could read them. I also need to get some sleep. As I often remind myself, although I am the Oracle, I’m also human and need rest if my brain is going to function properly. Plus, I imagine trying to interpret them will use energy—which I don’t have a lot of right now.”

She laid her head against his arm and fell asleep. He picked her up, took her to her tent, and laid down with her on her cot, holding her close. As he closed his eyes, he could see their souls twining together like vines. He also felt something else, much darker, pull at the very core of his existence. He knew that loving her could mean losing himself.

13

Seraphina

Although Seraphina was asleep, she felt Dain’s presence as he held her close to him. It was the first time in a long time that she felt complete. While his love for her wasn’t spoken, she could feel it as their souls became one. She felt the emptiness when he left her tent to go to his own. She wanted to reach out to him and beg him to stay with her all night.

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