Guardian of the Blood Dragon's

I stood before Drake like a statue. His anger was a quiet roar compared to yesterday. His eyes where still that dark raging blue and his lips where set in a pressed thin line. Black disheveled hair gave away the stress that emanated off his being. Nicklos warned me before entering that his mood was touchy and sensitive. The room that we shared, once filled with love, was now filled with intense anger. I could feel his rage blowing through me like a high wind.

"A bit of advice Aria, his Majesty is not everything he makes himself out to be. There is a more darker twist that he doesn't show you because he loves and respects you. So I would advise you not to push his buttons while you still have his favor." I wondered what he meant by 'his Majesty is not everything he makes himself out to be'. But I couldn't bring myself to pity his mood either. After our conversation earlier, I was still rather upset with him. Not to mention that I kept him away for his own good. I even offered another solution to have a different escort and he didn't accept it, so what was I suppose to do in this situation?

"I am rather disappointed Aria. You disobeyed me." His tone was calm and cool. His eyes where locked on mine as he spoke. I assumed it was to instill fear, but I only felt an empty void much like the one I felt when I learned Nicklos was in fact alive.

"What would you rather me do then your Highness? Not go to these meetings? Instead of focusing on what I did, why don't you hear what I have to report?" I replied, matching his tone. Nicklos elbowed me in the side and I hissed in pain. I spun my head around to glare at him and he gave me a warning look. I huffed at him before turning his head back towards Drake. He watched our silent argument quietly, observing.

"Very well Aria. If I find what you have to say to be useful I may lighten your punishment. But if it does not satisfy me, I will only worsen it. So choose your next words wisely." I swore his eyes turned darker as he finished his sentence, almost like his body was warning me of the danger I had really sunken my way into. This was a man I had never seen before. He wasn't like the warm and gentle dragon I had met two weeks ago. No longer was he encouraging or loving, this man was dark and twisted. There was no compassion in his eyes as he glared two holes into my head.

I wasn't afraid that he would hurt me in any way, but one thing was for sure, I wouldn't like the punishment he would give me if I failed to satisfy his request. Unfortunately my big mouth and stubborn attitude would only worse his anger when I continued, because he genuinely did not scare me. This man didn't make me beg for death like Drakos did. Even if he did end up wanting to, at least he would be ending the last 15 years of suffering and abuse received.

"It seems that Drakos is harboring his mindless zombie's down in the mine. From the way Jaden and Maya described them, they where mindless muscled brutes that could carry crates and crates full of iron and gold. What's even more weird is the men that seem to be guarding them. They don't wear any kind of identification of rank at all. Even a petty Assassin would still have a small skull silver pendant to signify his rank. They all wear the same silver band with engravings on their hands as well. They got testy when Jaden and Maya had tried to approach them as well." I finished speaking and cast a glance at Nicklos, who in returned nodded that I had told the truth.

Again, I felt the sting of my heart return at full blast. Was he now just doing this to hurt me on purpose? Where had the talk of trust gone that we shared so much of yesterday? Has everything up till yesterday truly meant nothing, or was he lashing out because I took his well being into consideration? This was truly petty and I wanted nothing to do with it anymore. If he was going to act this way then I would sever what ever this was between us. I don't have the time, nor the luxury to look into his petty mood. People's lives where at stake, and the only thing keeping it in balance was me. If I had just so much as let myself get caught by Drakos, what ever he had planned would end this war in no time. That I was certain.

"Do you have any speculation as to why they are harvesting from the mine?" I felt bitter with his detached tone. Already missing the warmth they once possessed. But to answer his question, I still had not a clue. There was no rhyme or reason to it at this time. I had to buy as much time for them to gather information as possible. Drake's mood was indeed dangerous and I didn't want them to face his wrath if he so much as thought of them a disturbance or problem.

"I do not have an idea at this time. Today was just to gauge their patterns so they could slip in and out undetected. We've never gone against each other before so it's best to evaluate before jumping in." Nicklos gave an approving nod, satisfied with my reply. But Drake's pursed lips gave me a dreading feeling. Was he not satisfied by my answer? This was more information than he had before, so why was he still sitting on this? I could feel my frustration building under the surface of my poker face. This side of him was so infuriating. If he wanted ugly, I could just get as ugly. They didn't call me the Grim Reaper for nothing. Finally he nodded slowly and leaned against his desk.

"Your answer pleases me for now. I will refrain from punishment for now, but the next time you disobey my orders I will not be so light on you." Again, the dangerous edge returned and I mentally shook under his intense gaze. Was this his true self? Was the loving one all just an act? Why spend so much time on a female he barely knew? Was he just that bored he thought that I could be played with as a toy? I've never felt more used and disgusted with myself. How could he treat me one way, and then turn into a cold blooded ass the next?

"May I ask why it bothers you so much that I take your health into consideration your Majesty? Why is it that once I care for you, you come at my like a tyrant?" Nicklos stiffened at my side. Clearly what I said should have offended Drake. I hoped it would, because the minute he laid a finger on me to cause me harm, I would be done. I already had one evil tyrant take control of me once, I wouldn't allow it again. I didn't care how important I was. I would not be used. But to my surprise, Drake's eyes actually softened and a small smile broke out. It didn't make me feel any better about his attitude and I felt uneasy with his gaze.

"Nicklos please leave us. I would like to talk alone with my mate." The dangerous edge had receded, but I still felt like I needed to be cautious. Any wrong word would have him at my throat in a heart beat. With Nicklos's reluctance, my worries where confirmed. I felt like there was another show being put on, and I was at the center. I was but a puppet, and Drake was the Master. "I don't plan on hurting her Nicklos so you can leave. She may be pissing me off but she is still the most important person in my life. Rest assured I won't harm her." Nicklos hesitated once again. He sighed shakily before reluctantly slinking out the door. With a final glance over his shoulder, he disappeared, quietly closing the door behind him.

When the door securely closed, Drake gestured towards the chair across the table from him. His eyes flashed to not disobey him. As much as I really didn't want to be close to him, I listened any way. I think I pushed him enough for one day, and I would hate to think what he would do if I continued to not listen to him. With his comment towards Nicklos on the way out, made me wonder what he was really like.

"Aria, I don't like to act this way. But unfortunately I have been to easy on you these last few weeks. I need you to understand that even though we are courting, I am still your leader. I don't do these things to push you away, but I want you safe. I have ever means of keeping you safe as well. So when I say I want to join you on your meetings, its not because I want to control you. We are going against a man, whose whole family has spent their entire lives trying to get rid of our kind. So I won't deny that I am a little over protective. Especially since you are the last of Blood Dragon kind. It was my sworn duty to protect them once and I failed miserably against the hands of Malfathicus." He spoke so cold and bitterly. Every word bit into my flesh as he continued to tell his terrible story.

"Let me tell you a little bit about your father. Obviously you know now that he was what we called the King of the Dragons. A god amongst us if you will. Blood Dragons are well known for their blood magic and it's a powerful one at that. If he so much as wanted to, he could explode a mountain with just a snap of his fingers." Drake snapped his fingers to make a point. "He was revered as the greatest Dragon. He was compassionate, but also extremely stubborn." He gave me a pointed look before continuing.

"It goes with out saying that his power came from the amount of blood that he would harvest. The more blood, the more powerful he became. Of course it came with it's draw backs. The stronger the spell, the more damage it would do to his body. So exploding a mountain, could also shatter him as well. He had to be careful with how much blood he would use and the rate he would use it. So when it came time to battle, we ultimately lost. I mean friends, family, our home. Everything. Above everything else, he was the last sworn Blood Dragon. We only survived through him. I spent nearly 300 years nursing him back to health before he took off." I watched his face fall in to a grimace. Like it was his fault my father had left.

"I spent years trying to find him, only to come up empty handed each time. It wasn't until it was already to late that I found him. You two where long gone by then. I learned through his death, that he had found his predestined mate and wanted to spend the rest of his days with you two and his doting wife. I thought you two had died along side them, and thus we lost the last of the Blood Dragons. in history. Of course that was until we found you. But with how you are acting now, it feels like a repeat in history. A history I would rather leave behind. I don't want to make the same mistakes I did before, and you have a lot of your father in you. So I do apologize if I make it seem like I am a tyrant, but it is my duty as the Guardian of the Blood Dragons to keep you safe."

I sat quietly pondering everything he said. I could feel his resentment of himself, his disappointment, and his grief. I never realized the burden it must have been to try and tend to a wild dragon beast. To protect something with so much power, just to fail. I understood his actions entirely now, and felt extremely guilty for causing such a problem for him. But something about what he told me really bothered me.

"So you are like....super old then?" I asked timidly. Of course I knew the answer, but the fact that I had sex with a 300 year old dude didn't sit well with me in the slightest. I could feel the cringe crawl over my body and seized my chest tightly.

"Ah, I see that bothers you. Yes I am 327 to be exact. Your father was much older than myself. I want to say there was a 600 year age gap?" I heard the amusement with his words and I paled. He chuckled at my response, clearly enjoying my distress. "I can tell you have more questions. Please ask them, you deserve to know everything." He said changing the topic. I was grateful for the switch in topic, but I was still appalled that a 327 year old Dragon, managed to rock my world not only once, but three times.

"If my father was so powerful, had did three generations of tyrants manage to beat him twice?" Drake's amusement fled with the question. His body slightly stiffened under my gaze and he sighed. The question bothered him, but I had to know.

"We aren't exactly sure how they managed to win the first war. For some reason Malfathicus was a strong being of magic. He was a more powerful opponent than we had expected, because unlike your father, he didn't have to worry about his magic supply running short. He only managed to get a win over us, because he didn't bring as many soldiers with him, which unfortunately rendered the blood dragons useless. We treated when the King was the only one left and fled to the highest mountain we could find. It is in uncharted territory just off the map." Drake explained. It made sense, if they where to live in uncharted and dangerous areas. No human would dare tread upon their domain, and it made discovering them near impossible.

"So how did my father die?" I asked quietly. He gave me a pitiful smile.

"I can only assume that once he met your mother, he ever consumed blood after that and made himself useless. He must have thought that if he kept his head low, he wouldn't be discovered and would live peacefully. When Drakos discovered him, he was weak and feeble, not even an ounce of the great and mighty dragon he use to be. Seeing as he was of no use, he killed everyone that surrounded the Celestea Village. At first I thought he just wanted him dead because he was of magical inheritance. But now that isn't the case. There is something evil he is definitely plotting and you are the key. Anything else out of what I told you, is out of my knowledge." So my father sacrificed his power, just so he could be with my mother.

I thought I loved my old man before, but I really cherished him now. It must have been difficult to fight out the urges to murder, just so he could be with his family. In the end, it would eventually kill him, but given that his wife was human I think he had already made the decision he would die at her side. What a hopeless romantic.

"I do appreciate you telling me about my father your Majesty, but that doesn't change my concern for your health. If you push yourself to hard to protect us, what will you do when it comes down to a battle? You are already working too hard on protecting both your Kingdom and my Aunts, why add two dragons on top of it? I am not asking because I want you to not worry about me, but I am asking that you find another means for protection. I hate seeing you so worn out all the time, and I can tell it affecting you whether you deny it or not." He abruptly rose from his chair and walked around the table to stand in front of me, a smile on his face.

"I do appreciate your concern Princess, but I promise you that after 327 years I know my limit. If it becomes to much to manage I'll just rearrange my workload so it is more manageable. Because after all, regardless of this relationship, you are the most important thing in my life. I can't let Drakos kill off the last surviving Blood Dragons. Nor can I let him have my mate." He placed his lips against my forehead. I hated this conflicting feeling I felt when he kissed me. A part of him wanted to bury my head in his chest and embrace the warmth he was once again giving to me. But yet another part screamed at me that Nicklos had told me something weird and I needed to be cautious of this man. I would have to hunt him down later and demand to know what he was talking about.

As long as I stayed in the castle until I left for the meeting, Drake couldn't keep me locked up. So I would have to find a way to separate myself from him and buy myself some time to drill Nicklos. Of course a part of me wondered if he spoke those words out of jealousy. After all he was my first love, and it must be hard watching some other man take your woman away from you. Not once did he ever try to steal me back or beg for me either, so all my emotions where conflicted and bouncing off each other with uncertainty.

What kind of weird world was I living in? Why couldn't it just go back to the old days where Sebastion and I where playing mercenaries and hunting for ways to take down Drakos's guild?