Covered In Darkness (Manxman|| #lgbtq)

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

         Arin, second born Prince of the Black Dragon Clan sneered at the Blood King.

"He was of no use to us. He serves a better purpose now".

"And how so? He could have been used as leverage!" Jean-Claude the self-proclaimed Blood King of the Blood Takers snarled. His fangs glistening under the low light of the chandelier.

"Because I know my brother. He'll be too wrapped up in having Ian back. Pathetic really. Loving someone that much" Arin picks at his nail he was so bored. Jean-Claude is a boring man.

"You better hope this works dragon! I will sit on Cyn's throne before the moon reaches its peak" bloody hell! Arin was tired of hearing the vampire.

"Do not question me! Leave vampire, leave my home. I will place my brother's crown on your head within the month" Arin snarled.

"You better! Your other attempt of taking the Darkened Plane was futile before" Jean-Claude jibed at the gates knowing full well that the dragon inside heard him. "Second born" he added.

Ah yes, second born. Always second to Cyn. Their parents loved him more. The future king of the Black Dragon Clan. And the bastard had the audacity to pity him. When their father scolded Arin, Cyn would try and cheer him up. When mother banned him from the pantry Cyn would sneak him some of the berries and grains he liked.

Should have killed him while I had the chance. Arin thought. Regretting pulling his brother from that lake, Cyn was nine and Arin was eight. Arin still didn't understand why. Maybe it was the sliver of brotherly affection he felt on seeing Cyn so vulnerable. Even at that age he despised the boy.

Their clan was a mere twenty men women and children. Only their parents were able to produce two younglings within such a short time. Usually it took dragon mates roughly around three or four thousand years before a next conception. Nature's way of preserving the balance he guessed.

The next blatant attempt at cleaving his brother's head from his body failed miserably. The plan was fool proof. Well executed. Those Wendigos had felled the entire front lines and were going in for the kill.

He had an Elven sword crafted with the intention to protect and spelled to stop a heart, Ian's specifically.

He would have killed Ian, if only for a few minutes. Cyn would have been so grief stricken he would not have seen the blade until it was too late.

What Arin didn't expect was for Cyn to go on a rampage. Arin knew that if he had tried then Cyn would have killed him. So from his perch he did the next best thing. He casted a spell, it was all smoke and mirrors but it did what he wanted it to do. Make Cyn believe that Ian was truly gone, both in life and body.

Arin smirked remembering the broken dragon roaring and wailing for his mate. Reveling that he brought the mighty king Cyn to his knees.

Vexing that Ian had enough strength to cast that protection spell.

Arin sighed again. If only he had wiped the world of Cyn when they were children. Then he wouldn't feel this way. Inadequate in front of his brother. Always second.

Arin still winces at these nasty thoughts in his head.

Ever since he was a child he was imprisoned in this dark pocket of evil. Inside himself.

***

Annubisa sat on her throne taking a big gulp from her chalice. It takes a lot to possess a man-and a dragon at that.

Arin.

She was taken by him. The way he'd look up at Cyn. Wishing her siblings eons ago shared this kind of bond with her. And love.

The secret is to get them from the cradle. They're so trusting. Their defenses to evil next to nonexistent. Arin was not her target. It was queen Rye. The dragon queen of great beauty and elegance.

Annubisa scoffed. Beauty and elegance my foot. She thought. The one that stole Yanick from her. The dragon king was supposed to be hers. She guessed it was fate.

Rye batted those green eyes at him and he was gone. So in love that he stopped following the subtle prompts for him to find her. Yanick was supposed to have found her crypt buried deep in the Carpathian Mountains she was entombed in. He would have revived her body and they would have been mated. A power couple.

But every time she breached his mind Rye was always foremost in his thoughts. So much so that not even a forth night passed before they were bonded. She became his royal consort and he forgot all about the whispering in his mind.

Possessing Arin got Annubisa all the information she needed to bring Rye to her knees. One by one Annubisa captured the members of the Black Dragon Clan and harvested their scales and blood.

Ah yes, dragon blood, so potent. One chalice was equal to about twenty-five humans drained dry. Such power and strength. And their scales, so beautiful and expensive to come across. Capturing a dragon is no easy feat. It took brute strength, powerful spells and great planning.

But after crowning Cyn as king, Rye and Yanick went to Yodenhyn. It was a dragon haven of sorts for dragons who wanted to live in peace. Its location is a well-guarded secret and it is protected by powerful magic. White magic. Even Arin can't find it if he is possessed by her, her dark aura would be seen as a threat.

Her hope is that with the fall of Cyn, Rye and Yanick would return and Annubisa would finally have her chance at revenge.

Keeping that whelp Ian was both an advantage and a disadvantage to Arin. He brought out some kind of resistance in the dragon she never felt before. He was questioning the thoughts she planted in his mind for the first time, he felt pity for those he slaughtered. She had to get rid of him.

Hopefully his return to Cyn would disrupt the Plane long enough for her to sneak in and get what she wanted.

"My love" gods! How she hated this man. Plastering on a smile bright enough to blind him she turned to the Vampire that revived her body.

"Jean-Claude! My dear, how did it go with the dragon?" she feigned interest.

"It's going love, by the forth night I would be King of The Darkened Plane and you would be my Queen" she gave him the most star struck look she could muster, mentally barfing, mind you, as if she needed to be queen of anything, Annubisa is the Goddess of Death, but she had to admit being back in her original body limited her means now. Before she could have traveled anywhere she wanted upon the winds, but now she is shackled to this body and the only reason she has not torn Jean-Claude's throat out is because he has the man-power and the riches to get her places.

"I'm tired, I will retire to bed now Jean as I waited upon your return to me" she gave him a lingering peck on the cheek and he smiled dreamily at her.

Oh how she hated this. Hated waiting on a man. That blasted priest and his helpers. She cursed their names for thousands of years. If it weren't for those meddlers she'd never have been in this predicament.