XANDRIUS: CLAIMED BY THE DRAGON LORD

"What does it say, Morgana?" I almost couldn't hear my sister's question over the blood that was rushing in my head. This cannot be. "Well what does it say?" My younger sister asked again, her voice laced with impatience, "Or do I need to get in there and look at the bloody test myself?" I shut my eyes, trying to hold back the nausea. My head was whirling with numerous thoughts This cannot just be "Morgana..." My sisters were outside the bathroom waiting for me to give them the verdict. But how do I go out there, look them in the eyes and tell them that I'm pregnant? That I'm carrying the child of the Dragon King? The Ruthless dragon king who I have no idea where he is? Who might be dead, for all I know. How do I say this? Especially when I had found my mate barely a few hours ago? What have I done? ************* The day's first rays of light filtered through the ivy-covered curtains of our bookstore as I neatly arranged the books In rows on their shelves, humming a happy little song. Not that I was exactly happy to be doing this. This was supposed to be Rowena's duty. My youngest sister is the one who just enjoys being in the company of books, so she considers it a huge pleasure to handle this section of our quaint little store. But since she was away, writing some sort of exams, I had no choice but to fill in. With a sigh, I adjusted the leather-bound tome I held in my hands and glanced at the dusty old clock on the wall. Rowena was supposed to be back any moment soon. I have been here for three hours, doing something that she could have easily done in mere minutes. And I was sure that once she came back she would not be satisfied with my work. There would be something about the way the books weren't arranged alphabetically, or according to their colors or sizes. How someone can be so obsessed with books. Ugh. And she got that from our father. I placed the last book in my hand on the last space I could find as the doorbell tinkled and I turned to see my younger sister Elowen, standing by the door. Her eyes darted around the room, her face covered in white floor, and the delicious aroma of freshly baked pastries hit my nostrils. She raised her eyebrows, "Rowena isn't back yet?" I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm afraid not." I dusted my palm on my black skirt and picked up the empty cartons. "Well there's no one here. So I need you, we have a small issue downstairs." I frowned, "What kind of issue?" Her eyes sparkled "The delicious kind of issue. The store is jam-packed with customers, and Lyanna's nowhere to be found. So, I thought maybe you could lend me a hand with the hungry mob?" I smiled, "Of course, I'll be down in a moment. I'm not surprised...it is a good season." "Exactly," she winked and spun around singing as she hurried back downstairs. I turned around, to stare at my work and for a moment I had to admire the magical glow of the emerald runes etched into the wood. Dad had found so much pride in this store and it was no wonder. The store itself was magic. With a final glance around the cozy bookstore, I straightened my dress, adjusted the pendant around my neck, and made my way downstairs. I was barely downstairs when the vibrant aroma of sweet pastries and lively chatter filled the air. The place was bustling and I loved it. Elowen handed me a white apron as I approached the small kitchen, and I put it on, before snatching up my note pad from the table. "Ready for action, Morgana?" "Ever ready..." I whispered, picking up a tray. "Well, I hope your waist is too, because it's gonna hear it. Now get out there. Go Go Go!!! A hungry mob is an upcoming angry mob." I laughed and stepped out onto the crowded floor. The store was more filled up than I could imagine. There was barely space for me to move around. Elowen must have arranged some of the chairs in the parking room for some of them. I smiled, loving this. Ever since our parents died, we have tried our best, our very best to build this store into what it is today. My dad loved this store. It was his baby, his pride. And looking around now, the place filled with Elves, werewolves and witches...I felt pride bubbling up in me. He would have loved this. He would have really loved this. A man who was highly fascinated by the supernatural Creatures even though he was just a human A fascination that brought us to Mystarland to begin with. With my notepad in hand, I darted from table to table, taking orders from our customers, "One triple-chocolate brownie for you, Mr. Thorne? And how about you, Sparkles, would you like that with extra frosting and sprinkles?" The couple smiled, "You got it Morgana. Thank you." I jotted down their order, then moved to the other table, where I also took down some others with a smile. "Hey Momo!!" I chuckled, turning to the table behind me, where a bunch of werewolves were seated, away from the others. "Hello, Fred." I greeted subtly scanning their faces, and my shoulders sagged when I didn't see who I was expecting to see. "You searching for Thorian, Lover girl?" Marcus asked and whistled. "Have any of you heard from him? I haven't seen him since the past five days and I'm getting worried." They exchanged glances, a strange look on their faces but shook their heads. "Uhm, Thorian is fine." Fred said between coughs, making me frown. "Are you sure?" "Of course. He just has a business he should be taking care of." Why were they acting so strangely? And what business did he have that he couldn't tell me first? It's so unlike Thorian to stay away for so long. He's one of our most frequent customers, although he claims he only comes here daily just so he could get to be with me. "Hmmmm. I'm glad he's okay, because I was getting a bit worried. Do you know what's wrong though?" "Oh I'm sure everything is perfectly fine where he is," Lucian said grinning, "but worry not. You will see him soon " I shook my head and hurried back to the kitchen, trying to comprehend their strange act. I hurried back to the kitchen, where Elowen was busy mixing Flours. "How's it going?" She asked and I chuckled. "Very busy," I replied, filling up a tray with the orders. As I deftly took and served orders, the crowd slowly reduced....and I even had to sigh in relief when I saw more empty tables in the store. My legs and waist were starting to ache. The door opened, and Elion, my elf friend walked in with a grin, his eyes twinkling as always with mischief. "Well, well, Morgana," he said with a playful glint in his eye. "I see your little haven is bursting at the seams today." "You have no idea, Elion. It's been quite the morning. Where have you been hiding?" Elion leaned, his voice lowered. "I've been at the inn, eavesdropping on some rather interesting gossip." I laughed. Elion's passion was gossiping. He knows about every single thing going on in the city. "Gossip, you say? What is it this time?" "One of the city gates has been destroyed, Morgana. They say it was dragon fire." I paused, the plates of pastries momentarily forgotten. "Dragon fire? That's impossible.No one has heard from the dragons in decades. Why would they suddenly attack the city gates?" Elion's eyes darkened with concern. "I have no idea. But honestly, do the dragons ever have a reason to do something? " The dragons were known to be the strongest and cruelest creatures in the land. Which was why they lived very separately in their own caves, and they very rarely came out in the midst of others. So rarely that since I was born I have never seen one. "This is bad." "The elders are very worried to be honest. They think the dragons want to start a war." I shook my head in disbelief. "A war? It seems hard to believe. Mysteryland has been peaceful for so long. Why would the dragons jeopardize that now?" Elion shrugged, "Who can tell the minds of dragons, Morgana? They've always been a mystery, and this might be their way of reminding everyone of their power." I furrowed my brow, "Well, whatever their reasons, I hope it doesn't lead to conflict. We have enough chaos in our lives already." Elion nodded in agreement. "Indeed, my friend. Let's just hope for the best and keep our little haven safe from whatever storms may come our way." With a sigh, I returned to the counter while Elion stuffed his mouth with some cake. As the night grew darker, and the customers all left, my sister and I started closing down the store. Just as we were about to finish, the chime of the shop's bell signaled another arrival. I turned toward the entrance, a smile forming on my lips, when I saw him, Thorian. My boyfriend. "Thorian, you came!" I exclaimed, ignoring Elowen's groan. I embraced him with a giggle. He managed a faint smile, though something in his expression seemed off. "Morgana, can we talk in private?" I frowned, surprised at the tone of his voice. "Okay, but I was really worried about you. Why didn't you reach out to me? You knew I would worry." "Come on Morgana, stop being so clingy. You aren't a child. You know more than anyone that I don't owe you an explanation when my movements are concerned…don't you?" I worried my lip with my teeth before responding, "yes, you are right and I'm sorry." "And didn't you hear me earlier? I said, "Let's talk in private." I nodded, removing my apron, "go ahead let me ask my sister to go on without me." He spun around without another word and I turned to see my sister glaring at me. "I have no idea what you see in that douche bag," she mumbled snatching the apron from my hand "Thorian isn't a douchebag, Elowen." "Have you seen the way he treats you? The way he talks to you? Oh come on Morgana. How many times will I try to tell you this?" "Go home Elowen. Rowena should be back soon." She doesn't understand, and I don't expect her to. Thorian loves me and I know that. Just a few mishaps doesn't change that. No love on earth is perfect. I followed Thorian to a more secluded part of the store. Once we were alone, he took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the ground. "Morgana, there's something I need to tell you. It's very important and I know you are smart enough to understand." My heart quickened "What is it, Thorian? You know you can tell me anything." He looked up, his eyes heavy with sorrow. "I've found my mate, Morgana. She's a fellow werewolf," I staggered back, stunned in silence by the revelation. A lump fell in my throat as a sudden chill ran through me. "Your mate? But... " "Yeah," Thorian whispered. I know I shouldn't be surprised. Werewolves find mates, they have mates. "So what are you going to do?" I asked... holding my breath. Thorian hesitated before finally saying, "I need to be with her, Morgana. We can't fight the bond between mates." Tears welled up in my eyes as I struggled to find words. "Thorian we talked about this. We did, didn't we? You promised me that a mate bond would not come between us. You promised me you would not..." The tears were already falling and I had no idea when my quivering hands grabbed the hem of his shirt. "I can't...I'm sorry. That was before I felt this, but the mate bond is something I cannot fight. It's too strong," I bit my lip hard, dropping my hands from his shirt and wrapped them around myself. My heart kept thudding painfully in my chest, and it felt like every breath of air I took in only ignited the pain more. "I don't want to lose you completely, Morgana. I can't. I love you. So I thought of something, we could solve this .." I raised my eyes at him, "How?" "We could still be together," he took my hands in his, "You could be my mistress. We won't lose each other...you can still have me and..." "What on earth are you saying?" Because I'm sure my ears were deceiving me. "I'm saying that we cannot get married publicly or be together. But you can be my mistress in private. And give birth to my pups."