TAKEN BY THE DRAGON KING

Last Resort

***

Elena pov

“What?” I stammered.

Dracul’s words felt like a punch to the gut. I had expected him to feel frustrated. I had expected anger. But I was not expecting this.

I wasn’t expecting this loss of trust, this coldness from him.

“You heard me.” He said quietly.

There was a heaviness in the way he spoke, a weight to his words that I had not heard before. I felt a jump in my stomach at the way he looked at me.

Only hours ago, his gaze had been so warm on mine. I had been the one angry at him, feeling the fury of uncertainty.

Now, he felt as betrayed as had. Maybe even worse, from the way he was looking at me.

But it was more than that. There was a focus on him. He wasn’t going to wait around, and I knew that. He was going to charge straight in, no two ways about it.

I shuddered and shook my head, “Dracul, I know you’re mad, but I didn’t hide this from you. I didn’t get two seconds to talk to you in private!”

He shook his head and I could tell that he was done listening.

He turned, pushing open the door handle, “I’m going.” He said.

He didn’t wait for me to speak, didn’t give me much of a chance to answer him, to find my voice.

He just left, walking out into the dark night and leaving me in the dust. I rushed after him, my lungs burning as I tried to catch up with his long strides.

“Dracul, what are you doing? You can’t go rushing in there!” I said, my voice cracking.

He had just been in a major fight, because of me. He wasn’t in any shape to take on

Ryder and Delan. And what if there were more of them? What if they were not the only ones in on this plan?

How many people could Dracul take on in one go? And he was injured, so that pulled the numbers down harder and further.

I felt sick just thinking about it. He was putting himself in so much danger.

“Leave me.” He said curtly as he swept towards where his carriage was parked. I could see the driver dozing in his seat obviously used to be ready at a moment’s notice.

“Dracul, it’s a suicide,” I said again, pleading with him to see the reason to stay.

My heart was flip-flopping in my chest, aching and thundering against my chest as I stared at him.

He didn’t look back towards me. He didn’t seem to give a damn what I thought.

“If this kingdom is going down, I will go down with the crown on my head!” He snapped, his voice hard, “I will not let my kingdom go to ruins with anyone else at the helm.”

He didn’t wait for my answer, jumping into the carriage and slamming the door behind himself.

“Go!” He called to the driver, who was awake by now.

With a snap of the reigns, the carriage was off, and I was left standing there, wondering what I was supposed to do.

Dracul was determined. He didn’t seem to care if this killed him, but he seems adamant that he was going to confront these men and do it now.

Delan and Ryder had been big men, who looked like skilled enough fighters. Dracul was in no shape to fight people like that. He was in no position to successfully take them on and survive.

He wasn’t thinking clearly.

I felt a shiver of fear as I watched him ride away into the darkness.

He was angry at me, but it was more than that. I was confident enough that he would see reason, but right now, he had been betrayed by his men. He had been turned on.

He was injured and angry and determined to make things right.

His kingdom was crumbling at his feet and he was following it, happy to go down with a sinking ship wrapped up in his duty.

But he needed backup. He needed good men he could trust. He needed others to go with him, fight for him, fight with him.

He couldn’t win this on his own and I didn’t want to see him die trying.

Even if Dracul was ready for death, I wasn’t ready to see him go. I had only just found him.

I had only just felt the touch of his hands on my body, the kiss of his lips against my neck.

I had only just felt the strength of his embrace as he pushed up against me, thrusting within. My legs were still weak from last night, trembling faintly.

I could still feel the swollen head between my thighs, even as I watched him ride away, disappear right before my eyes.

I knew this. I felt this. I didn’t want to let him go.

I wanted to kiss him again, thread my fingers through his hair, grip onto him tight and feel his rising and falling breath against my skin.

I wanted him closer. I wanted him here.

I couldn’t bear to have him away from my arms and in harm’s way.

I have to find a way to save him. My heart was pounding in my chest and I looked around frantically. I didn’t know this place. I didn’t know where any carriages were. No one had to listen to me.

I knew I was safe here, safer than in the castle. But I also knew that I needed to find reinforcements and catch up with Dracul. I had to make this work.

I wracked my brain, for someone who knew the area, knew Dracul, could potentially help me find him and get back. Gulliver.

It hit me like a tonne of bricks and I immediately hated the idea.

But it was the only idea I had. He was the only person I knew here. The only person who might be able to help.

I turned on my heels and ran. I didn’t have a lot of time. The sooner I got moving, the better everything would be for Dracul and for me.

I didn’t know where Gulliver was, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me.

“Gulliver!” I called out as I approached the buildings, looking around, “Gulliver, where are you?”

I had no idea if he would listen to me. I had no idea if he was at all interested in what I had to say. He had saved me, but maybe that was just because he needed me.

Was he angry at me as much as he was at Dracul? Would he care if Dracul was in trouble? I didn’t know.

I didn’t know, but I had to try. I ran through the halls, between buildings, knocking on doors.

The whole place felt pretty deserted. There were a few servants and such, but I didn’t see anyone else, not really. No one who would know where Gulliver was.

No one could get me back up and find me a carriage. Or a horse. I didn’t know the way, but I could ride. If I got directions, maybe I would stand a chance.

I wasn’t much of a backup option, but I was better than no one. Having me was better than Dracul going completely solo.

My heart pounded as I ran through the hallways, looking for something, anything, that would help me get to Dracul.

I needed Gulliver Or someone else who could help me. But if all else failed, I needed to at least get there alone.

I felt a sickening jolt in my stomach every time I thought about Dracul going off on his own. He was still injured. He wasn’t ready for a huge fight like that.

Yes, he was tough and strong. Yes, I knew he had the strength to make it through in a fight. But right now, unprepared and unsure, wasn’t the best move.

I hadn’t thought that Dracul was such a rash person, but maybe this hit a sore spot. Maybe this was just too emotional for him. Maybe the trigger was just too intense. I didn’t know.

All I knew was that Dracul was in danger. He couldn’t do this alone.

“Gulliver!” I called again, my voice echoing through the halls.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“Keep your voice down!” I heard a hiss from a room to my left. I turned around to see

Gulliver poked his head out of the doorway. He was glaring at me and I had never felt so relieved to see someone in my life.

“Gulliver, I need your help.” The words tumbled out before I could think too deeply about what I was saying.

“My help?” Gulliver said. There was a look of surprise on his face, and uncertainty.

He wasn’t being blatantly hostile, but maybe that was because I had caught him by surprise.

I held my breath. He had to say yes. Everything was riding on this.