The Clash Of Drakkon: Book Four Of The Drakkon Series

Chapter Twenty-Two

Alessandra Drakkon

Queen of the Drakkon Empire

I lie there on the bed having been in agony for hours, but now I was at peace. A feeling of warmth and calm had enveloped me, it was bliss. To feel so calm and peaceful after living my life for so long in agony, from never knowing what was causing me to be in pain and weak on earth, to all the new struggles I inherited when I took my father's throne. It was nice to be away with the fear, the pressure to do the right thing, to be the perfect leader to my people. Back on Earth I had longed for people like me, for people that understood me, to not always be the sick girl every one pitied but didn't want to get close to just in case what I had was infectious. I had gotten that when I was taken to Draka, shown what was causing me so much pain, the proper diet for my species which was not human, but something else, an alien species. Not just one at that but two different types, a Drakkonian from my father's side and a Solveig from my mother's, heir to both empires.

It was a lot to handle the pressure to be perfect, the perfect Queen and ruler, to not make rash decisions even if at times I wanted to, but it also felt like I was becoming the person I had always been meant to be, strong, powerful, confident, a true leader, as much as it surprised me I thrived in a leadership position. And yet I also felt suffocated by it, to know that my every action was being watched and monitored, to know that a wrong move could start a war and endless bloodshed. It was a lot to bear for one person, especially if that person hadn't been shown how to bear the weight when growing up.

Every decision I had made in these recent months had been by instinct alone, by my own determination and perseverance, I thought I was doing well and yet people kept trying to kill me. First my own relatives when they thought I would take my father's riches away from them, my mother's people just for coming to their planet, then Cedric when I divorced him, then my own father for being the heir to his throne, and now this, kidnapped and brought to this planet where I would either die by Cyrian's hand or have to find a way out of this. The only problem was I didn't see a way out of this, I couldn't leave this castle, Cyrian was stronger than me, and now with the venom in my system a part of me didn't even want to leave anymore. A part of me wanted to stay and have this peace longer, experience this lack of worries for the rest of my life.

I knew it was foolish, I knew that was the venom manipulating me, and yet I couldn't help but let it, it broke down my every defense through hours of pain, it was only when I stopped fighting it that peace came to me, I also knew that meant the venom had invaded every part of me, he had tainted every part of me, his venom was changing me in who he wanted me to be. I didn't feel any less violent or blood thirsty, but I suppose he wanted me to be that way, he wanted me to be just as cruel as he was.

The problem was even though I knew that I should be mad at him, mad at him for kidnapping me, for biting me, for doing all of this to me, I just couldn't bring myself to, it was like my anger towards him had disappeared, like it was locked away from me, I knew it was still there, but I just couldn't feel it. I wonder if this is how my father felt with his emotions being manipulated? Though I knew his to be so gradual that he may not have even noticed, but this was targeted, allowing me to still feel anger but not towards Cyrian.

I lie there not quite feeling anything at peace with my thoughts, but slowly reality begins to sink in again, I know this is the venom wearing off, the high fading away, but I protest anyways, knowing I shouldn't want the venom clouding my thoughts, but yearning for the peace it gave me all the same. "No. No. No!" I shake my head, struggling against my bonds, to no avail.

The panic of being strapped down, the anger of being in this place even if my emotions won't allow me to be angry at Him, they still allowed me to be angry at every other Nisha. I had managed to squirm upwards, almost slipping out of my bonds that went over the bed horizontally, when my squirming makes me land a solid blow to the back of my skull against the headboard. My ears rings and I feel dazed as my vision dims, I can feel the heat of blood flowing from the wound, the wetness it brings, but no pain surprisingly enough.