Second Chance with the Dragon King

Chapter Four

Elizabeth's POV

I stared at his profile, now turned resolutely toward the windsheild. My hand slid over my lap toward the handle of the door.

"Uhm. . . I'm not sure. . ."

I eyed the speedometer. If I hurled myself out of the car right now, I'd more than likely die on impact.

"You're now the former Luna of one of the biggest packs on the west coast. You didn't simply reject your mate and walk away, a mate that has tons of influence and is extremely well known, I might add. You rejected your mate and ran through the woods in the middle of the night, jumped into the road in front of a speeding car and got in said car with a complete stranger. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that whatever your reason for leaving wasn't as simple as you say. Am I wrong?"

My shoulders sagged. "No, you're not wrong," I whispered.

"I thought so. Whatever he's done, it was bad. Really bad. Wrong?"

I flinched. "No. But where are you taking me?"

"Draganan." He didn't look at me as he answered.

My breath whosshed out in a gasp. Did I hear him right? No, I must have misheard that.

"What?"

"I'll take you back to Draganan with me."

No mistake. He actually said Draganan.

The place of the Dragon King— Rígan.

The king who ruled over humans, wolves, vampires, elves, fairies and every other creature we knew of. Of course I'd never set foot within the walls, but we'd all heard recounts from those who had. A castle as old as the royal family themselves, inside a city that was both modern and ancient simaltaneously. Some said there was a tangible taste of magic in the air. And though Draganan itself was a huge city, outsiders were strictly forbidden frrom entering without a written invitation from the king Rígan himself.

And here I was catching a ride from a stranger who was willing to take me there.

"You can't. I mean, it's not allowed," I finally spoke.

"Trust me. It won't be a problem."

"Won't be a problem." I repeated the words dubiously. "Why is that?"

He shrugged. "Because I'm the king's second in command. Or I suppose you would say his 'beta.'"

"You're. . . you're Nicholai Cavell?" I gasped.

"The one and only. Huh. I'm surprised you know my name. I tend to get overlooked in comparison with the king." He laughed once.

"Well, I was Luna," I reminded him. "It was my job to know the names of important people. But how couold I not know who you are anyway? You're the most powerful man besides the king."

This time he laughed for real. "I'm glad you think so. A lot of people see me as the kings dog. The guy who runs his errands."

My brows creased over my eyes. "That's absurd. I bet they only say that out of resentment of your position."

"I like to think so," he grinned. "In any case, it was very fortunate for you that I was off running an errand tonight."

I wonder what kind of errand it was. . . then I decided I didn't really want to know. An errand for the king wouldn't be something as simple as paperwork. Trrying to be subtle about it, I peeked at Nicholai again, really taking him in this time. His seat was pushed all the way back as far from the gas pedal as possible and still it looked like his legs needed more room. He wore nothing but a plain black tee and black pants— not jeans or sweats, but the kind of pants that allowed you to move easily in any given situation. His dark hair and dark stubble, coupled with the glow of his eyes, gave him a truly unnerving aura. Dangerous. Yes, he was dangerous.

It was quiet for a time while I pondered about the fact that I was one, sitting in a vehicle with Nicholai Cavell and two, on my way to Draganan, when Nicholai spoke again.

"We're about ten minutes away. Before we get there, can I ask you something?"

"Okay."

He turned off the main road between two towering willows. The ashphalt became dirt and gravel but the car sped along as smoothly as before.

"If my memory is correct, you've been Luna of the Black Forest pack for a few years now. How come you're still human?"

Pain spasmed across my face and I flinched visibly now into the seat. Nicholai watched me with a mix of concern and confusion.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to. . ."

"It's okay," I said slowly after a minute. "I understand why you'd ask."

The memory of my failed transformation wasn't something I liked to think about, for a myriad of reasons. But I cleared my throat and tried to answer his question without showing how effected I was by it.

"We did. . . try. My body rejected the venom. And then we tried again. . ."

I shuddered. The memory of the pain was still so vivid after all this time. The way Liam's venom had burned through my viens, had lit me on fire from the inside. The ice baths that had done nothing, the way I'd clawed at my arms, my legs, my face to rid myself of the fiery torture and had only succeeded in ending up a bloody mess. The way I'd screamed until my ears popped and blood vessels had burst in my eyes. The endless hours of begging him to kill me, to put an end to it.

That wasn't the worst of it, though, the physical pain in my body.

Being human, it was not only a desire, but expected of me, to become what my mate was. It was something that thousands upon thousands of humans had done for centuries. Your mate didn't just inject you with their venom, but with a piece of their soul, binding you forever. True mates, the way it was supposed to be.

Underneath the pain coursing through me, my soul had rejected Liams. Not quietley, or quickly. There were no words I could find to accurately describe the pain of it. Even the word 'pain' was an extremely mild term to use. Looking back, which I tried not to do, I imagined the equivalent to be being ripped apart, cell by cell, over the course a million years. A million years of agony in a twenty four hour period.

Nicholai's gaze was on my face, analyzing. "How many—?"

"Times? Three." My voice was barely above a whisper.

His eyebrows shot up but he didn't say a word. He didn't have to. I knew perfectly well what he was thinking; the same I had thought on repeat all these years.

What is wrong with me? Why couldn't I complete the transformation with my mate like so many, many others had? I could feel the bond as clearly as he could. So why was I still human?

I had no answer. Neither did Liam, nor any of the doctors, witches, soothsayers or anyone else he had brought in. And then, like a hundred other times before, back in my past life, a tiny, whispered voice gave me the probable answer.

I'm still human because Liam and I were never meant to be.