The Clash Of Drakkon: Book Four Of The Drakkon Series

Chapter Twenty-Three

Alessandra Drakkon

Queen of the Drakkon Empire

He had been biting me for weeks now, every surge, every drop of venom was whittling away who I was and replacing it with who he wanted me to be. He would go through periods of biting me every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and withholding it, when he withheld it was the worst. I knew I was addicted, but I no longer cared, the venom no longer brought me pain but peace, it was when he withheld the venom from me that brought pain now, it reminded me of how I used to feel on Earth when I wasn't eating the proper diet I needed to survive.

The muscle aches and cramps, being hot one minute and cold the next, I would vomit everything in my stomach repeatedly, and during all this time of withdrawal from his venom, he would be there, caring for me, cleaning me up, but not giving me what I wanted until he deemed that I had suffered enough. At first, he only kept me locked inside my rooms, but soon he seemed to become just as addicted to my presence as I was to his venom, I would often wake up in strange places, generally sprawled across him in some way, him always gently stroking my arm, hair, or back, in comforting gestures to me, but I was sure was a way to reassure himself that I was still there.

This was one of the first times I had woken up in his throne room though, I was already shivering from withdrawal symptoms and the cold metal of his throne touching my legs and back didn't help anything. I was sprawled across his lap, his arms cradling me gently to his chest, I whimper as a full body muscle spasm wracks pain through my system, he shushes me and strokes my hair gently. "Bite me, please." I was giving in, this was the first time I had asked for his bite, the first time I had asked for the release the venom gave me.

I could tell he was surprised by my words by the slight halt to his soothing strokes through my hair, but in another moment, he had resumed his gentle strokes. "I will pet, don't worry. I am so glad you finally asked me, but if you want my bite, first you have to do something for me." I pulled my face away from his chest to look up at him, desperate to know what I had to do, to get his bite, to experience the sweet relief his venom brought me from this living hell.

"What do I-I h-have to do?" Shivers wracked my body as I asked him what I needed to do, this was the first time he had ever asked me to do something to get his bite, but this was also the first time I had willingly asked for it.

"Kill this girl, end her life and I'll give you what you want, what you crave." I stare at him in confusion, until he gently turns my head to look at the girl trembling on her knees before us.

"W-what?" My mind was foggy with pain, I wasn't quite sure I was understanding what he was asking of me.

"You heard me pet, kill this girl, and I'll give you, my bite." I stare at the girl trembling on the floor before us, in my mind I could see myself moving, standing from the throne, and strolling over to her, tilting her chin up and slashing her throat. Grabbing her head and snapping her neck, feeding from her dying body, replacing the food I lost earlier when I was throwing up. It would be so easy, so simple to do it, and yet a part of me still knew it was wrong.

"What has she done to deserve this?" My voice was strong, clear, I could feel my mind become mine again as a part of me pushed through the fog and surfaced, showing him that the old me wasn't truly gone.

"Nothing, she is here so that you can prove your loyalty to me. Show me your devotion, my perfect little Queen. Kill her and I'll bite you." The simple word bite triggered the memory of the relief the venom brought me, it fogged my mind again and the old me was dragged below the surface again.

Before I can even register it, I was standing up, and walking over to her, just like in my mind, what I had imagined doing before, I stop myself a mere two steps from her, my mind cloudy and confused but knowing this was wrong, that I didn't want to do this. I dug my claws into the palms of my hands, deeply drawing blood and causing me sharp pain, pain that cleared my head from the fog again. "No, I won't kill her. She doesn't deserve to die." His laughter echoes around the empty room, his slow claps startle me.