I'm The Dragon King's Slave

Chapter Fifteen: Unburnt

    "What is this?" Killian demands, "Some kind of fucking trick?!"
    "It's power," I reply.
    "It is." Alarik nods, moving away from his brother, "Power you should fear, Killian." Alarik finds a tattered blanket on the ground nearby and pulls it around my body, keeping an arm around my shoulders.
    "Power I should fear, huh?" Killian's grimace slowly melts into a sinister smile. He closes the gap between the three of us and grabs my arm.
    "Is that what you call this?" He holds my arm up to the light, the bandage burned away to reveal my Dragon's Mark. Oh no.
    "That's– that's nothing, it's a tattoo," I say quickly.
    "A tattoo that glows? And protects you from fire that should have melted the flesh from your bones?" Killian shakes his head, "No. I know exactly what this is." His eyes turn to his brother as he glares eye to eye with him, "And I know exactly who gave this to you." Blood pounds in my ears as Killian glares eye-to-eye with Alarik, sadistic pleasure plain on his face.
    "To think, brother. The answer to your downfall was here the whole time. Right in front of me." Killian squeezes my arm tighter, pulling me to him. Alarik's body tenses as Killian's mouth hovers near my neck.
    "Get away from her." Alarik's eyes blaze a furious blue as he lunges for Killian, tackling him to the ground. Killian is strong, but Alarik is stronger. He punches his twin brother again, and again, and again. Alarik's arm is around Killian's throat. When I see an opening, I bring my fist down hard on Killian's skull. Alarik's arms relax as Killian slumps forward, then goes limp on the floor, giving Alarik and me a second to escape. Alarik grabs my hand as I hold the blanket tightly around me.
    "Run. Now."

    We sprint from the cell, Alarik's firm grip like a beacon in the dark.
    "GET THEM!" Killian's voice screams from far behind us. His bellow alerts dozens of guards and they pour out into the hall, their furious faces shifting as they grow in size.
    "Alarik," I gasp, "how are we–"
    "Come on!" He yells, practically dragging me through the torrent of shifting enemy dragons. I finally see the door at the end of the tunnel: our one and only path to freedom.
    "We're not going to make it!" I exclaim as I glance over my shoulder and see a stampede of dragons quickly advancing on us.
    "We will." Alarik says quickly, "Just jump when I tell you to."
    "Jump? But–" I don't get a chance to finish my thought as Alarik begins to darken and shift, his draconic eyes flashing blue as he kicks the door down. We rush out, but skid to a stop when I realize we're on the edge of a sheer mountain cliff. Without a second thought, Alarik lets go of my hand and jumps off of it.
    "JUMP!" He yells. Suddenly, Alarik transforms, his sleek, powerful dragon back perfectly poised to catch me mid-air. Behind me, Killian's enormous deadly red dragon rampages through the hall, pushing his guards aside, his mouth open, and his fangs craving my blood. I rush forward, ready to jump, but freeze when Alarik roars. There's an edge in it. Frustration... or horror. Before I can move again to jump, Killian is upon me, his massive sword-like fangs hurling straight for me. I put my hand up to shield myself, but it's no use. A huge fang slices right through the dip in my fingers.
    "AH!" I shriek and close my eyes, waiting for the worst: for the sickening crunch as he crushes my whole body... but it doesn't come. When I open my eyes, I find Alarik's jaws clamped against Killian's, stopping him from killing me.
    "Alarik!" I gasp, staggering back, clutching my hand as my blood drips into the snow, away from the two dragons. Then, Alarik shoves Killian and takes me in his mouth, diving off the cliff and flying away as I clutch his fangs, trying hard not to get swallowed.

    After a while of flying, Alarik spots a small crevice in a snow-capped cliffside. Alarik lands and spits me out.
    "We should be safe here." He says. Through the mouth of the cave, I watch iridescent lights dance in the sky like nothing I've ever seen.
    "Wow," I gasp as I clutch the thin blanket tightly around me, trying not to shiver. Alarik turns me to face him, gripping my shoulders.
    "Are you okay?" His eyes roam me, looking for injuries.
    "I'm okay." I nod, looking down at my hand and realizing the bleeding has stopped. Alarik nods, but shakes his head, eyes bearing into mine in pure wonder.
    "I can't believe it. You– you were caught in his flames. You should have–"
    "I should have died." I finish Alarik's sentence for him with a nod, "I know."
    "My god, Lavena..." Alarik's hand skates down my blackened Dragon's Mark.
    "Maybe it was a genetic mutation." I joke, "Maybe there's just something in my blood that makes me–"
    "I don't care what it was." Alarik cuts me off, pulling me into a bruising hug, holding me fast to his body as he buries his face in my shoulder.
    "I don't care. The only thing I care about is that you're safe." He mutters. I feel his broad arms shake as he holds me, "For a second... I really thought I lost you, Lavena. I thought..."
    "Alarik," I sigh, holding him close. After a long moment, Alarik loosens his hold on me, looking down at his mark on my arm.
    "Whatever this new power of yours is... it won't protect us from Killian knowing about this now. He'll try to expose you to get to me." I remember what Killian called me.
    "Alarik, what did he mean when he called me your 'missing scale'?" I ask curiously. At my question, Alarik turns away. He walks to the mouth of the cave, watching the lights dance over the endless mountain peaks.
    "Every dragon has a weak spot." He explains, "A literal, physical, weak spot. One missing scale, where they can be stabbed and killed."
    "That sounds inconvenient." I laugh lightly.
    "It's a threat." Alarik nods, "That's why it remains a secret, even between family members." Alarik turns back to me, his eyes glinting in the dim cave light, "A dragon can only repeal his missing scale to the one he trusts most in this world." Alarikt takes a step toward me, then another, slowly backing me up against the stone cavern. Alarik's voice is low as he speaks to me.
    "He only reveals his missing scale to the one he cares about. The one he can't stop thinking about." My breath catches as Alarik takes my hand in his. He softly slides it up his body.
    "Can I show you mine, Lavena?" My mouth opens and closes as I take in his words. As much as I want to say yes, as much as I want Alarik to open up to me... my mind thinks back to the golden dagger Mikhail gifted me, telling me how I would have to kill him.
    "No," I say slowly, pulling my hand away. Alarik nods slowly and looks away, clearly hurt.
    "Please, Alarik." I reach for him, "It's not because it doesn't mean anything to me. It's just that that knowledge... it scares me." Alarik nods, but doesn't meet my eyes.
    "And you think it doesn't scare me?" He asks. Alarik slams his hand into the cave wall, shaking it as he stares at me, confessing something I can't dare to believe.
    "The way I feel about you... it terrifies me." He states.
    "The way you... feel about me?" I repeat.
    "Yes." Alarik nods, "You are my weak spot, Lavena." With that, Alarik steps forward and sweeps me into a crushing kiss, his lips steady and earnest against mine. I can't help it. I can't hold back. I melt against him, his words ringing in my ears.