His Stolen Mate

Chapter 17: Answers. Finally.

~Anika's P.O. V~

    He knows what I am, but I thought I was only a myth here. Do the other gods know about Viper being The Amethyst Dragon? If so, does that mean I belong up there with The Moon Goddess? I hoped not. She made me feel pain beyond my own limit of pain. That in itself was unexpected, training with my masters, my pain tolerance was high. But, I did as he asked. I set him down and backed up, arms raised if he tried something funny.

"Thank you." He cleared his throat, "What I am about to tell you is a long forgotten memory. If I may, Princess Anika?" I was confused by what he meant. "I want to show you your past, if you'll allow." I looked to my dad, Whitney and his father. All nodded their heads for their approval.

"Fine. Any sign of funny business and you'll wish you hadn't messed with this woman." I stared at him with slit eyes and a fuming anger.

"You have my word." He held out his hand for me. I took it begrudgingly. Before I could blink, we were teleported elsewhere. I looked around and saw volcanoes spewing lava, the oceans steaming from the heat. It was almost too much to bear. Until I saw... Me? I was fighting with another dragon, a wolf and a what was that? It was massive, made of rock and secreted magma. "This is your beginning. You were just hatched a few months ago. The first dragon made of gems and jewels. I raised you from an egg. I gave you the name Nallan. Little did I know that you would be a powerful dragon." He paused and looked at me, his eyes filled with sorrow before going back to being wrathful. "The Fae made their own abomination to counter you. The believed you to be a bad omen. That creature? You know his soul very well." I had to look back at it. And he was right. I recognized it, or rather him now.

"Bastian." 

"Correct. Keep focus." I looked back at the battle and the where. This wasn't Earth, this was hell. Or it looked pretty close to how the bible described it. I saw myself roar and bite into the neck of the giant Bastian. The wolf clamped down on it's leg. There were no Vampyres around that I could see. It was a two on one battle. The dragon in front of me opened it's mouth and shot out a beam of light, crystalizing the arm and upper body. Using her wings, she flung the forward, spewing shards of herself into Bastian's head. The lava was created by me, I felt the same magic here as I did a month ago. The wolf howled in pain as Bastian's other arm caught it, I stood in horror as I watched the wolf die, seeing it's body torn apart and thrown everywhere. She became furious, her body glowed more, lights danced on her. It wasn't until now that I noticed a man on her back. He flung white lightning strike at Bastian, making him stumble backwards. 

    It was then that she took her chance, the other dragon kept firing light into it. I saw my past self gleaming, the brightness was so intense I had to cover my eyes, even that wasn't enough. When I opened my eyes again, I saw crystal forming everywhere, Bastian frozen in it. Before I could celebrate her victory in my mind, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she fell from the skies.

"Nallan!" The man cried out. She was barely conscious enough to make sure he didn't get hurt. "Nallan answer me! Answer me, damn you!" I saw her transform into her human self. She was gorgeous. Long wavy light brown hair and tanned skin. I couldn't tell what her eyes looked like, I only saw that her mouth was filling with blood. She was dying. 

"My... master... Help me up?" He lifted her up and walked her to the edge where there was only sky. "You... You have to let me go." She looked at him. Her eyes were glowing teal like Viper's does. 

"What? No! I will save you! You'll be all right!" He was crying. The other dragon with another rider landed. She used her strength to push him away. 

"Master... I will be reborn again... In the world of mortals. I did what I had to here in the heavens. I saved... Every-o-one..." She coughed up blood and stepped backwards. I couldn't help myself, I tried to run to her, to save her, then I saw a smile on her face. She was looking right at me. "We fought... For love..." She fell from the side, I ran to the edge looking in horror. But, then, she turned into a glowing orb of purple light. Like a star falling from the heavens. The man also came over, falling to his knees.

"Nallan!" He shouted. He was begging for her to return to him. After several moments of screaming her name over again. He said something that shocked me. "I promise. I will find you again. I shall tell the mortals of the Tales of The Violaceous Dragon." That's an old word for Amethyst. 

    Without warning, I saw time speed up, the heavens looked more like heaven than hell. Bastian had grown into a crumbling mess like an old fortress. That is until an odd looking man approached the thing. I had to look away. He was stark naked with a branchy crown on his head and his skin color was green. I also heard fluttering of wings. Looking back to him, I saw his hand being placed on Bastian. Bastian began being repaired and before I knew it, there was an old man crouched on the ground. 

"My lord." Bastian said.

"Raise." This other beings voice was raspy but high pitched for a man. Bastian rose to his feet. "There is a new problem, my divine creation. Vladimir, a being known in the Mortal realm as a Vampyre has just issued a challenge to us. Go. Kill him and his ilk."  Wait. Vladimir? Matthew's father?! This must have been when Vampyers were created. So, they are the youngest out of all the supernatural in the world. 

"Yes, my lord." Bastian stood there and watched this being leave him. Once out of ear shot I heard the old man speak once more. "If I am alive, then that abomination of a dragon is dead. Godsdamnit! I need to kill her myself! I shall have to wait. When I sense her again, I will make her pay with her life." He headed in the direction the winged being went, then we were back in my room. Everyone was surprised when we returned.

"You see? I have been searching for you, Na-Anika. But not as a lover or father figure." He gestures to my dad and Whitney. "But as your rider and your master." His eyes became very intense before softening. "Never did I imagine you would be her, Princess. I only sensed you and your brother when she made her move. Your father." He looked at my dad with a rage in his words, "Was supposed to inform me if he had any offspring for him to keep his mortal title." I stepped away from him and gave him my own glare of doom.

"He hid us away because we are hybrids." I was ready to fight him again. Past master or not. No one, no one tells Anika Penelope Aradace-Butler what to do or who to be. 

"I see. Anika Penelope Aradace-Butler is your full name then?" My eyes went wide. I hadn't even told dad that I was hyphenating my last name to where his would come first. 

"How di-" He tapped his head a couple of times. Right. He's a god. Of course, gods can read thoughts. Damn him! Damn the gods!

"Do you really want to go there, girl?" The same intensity came back into his eyes before flaring into a wrathful look. Viper was ready to come out and give him a fight.

"You all have caused nothing but pain and sorrow for my family." I said through gritted teeth. "That stupid law where hybrids are to be put to death at birth! Mates! And worst of all... Creating that psychedelic bastard named Bastian! You are all screwed in the heads!" I was one toe away from crossing that thin line. Before I could make my declaration, a hand was wrapped around my mouth, black and red wings covered me. I felt a chest behind me. Dad had intervened. 

"Forgive her, my God. She has been feeling unwell as of late and she will be given due punishment for challenging you." He said.

"Let her make the challenge, Nathaniel. I will make no promises as to her coming back to you." He looked directly at me and spoke in my mind. You do this, princess, I will have no choice to bring you back to me as only my dragon. The master you once feared me to be. Cruel and unyielding. Viper hissed and retreated to the back of my mind. He meant it. I would be stuck in dragon form only to be his slave. I backed down and bowed my head. That's better. If you wish to defeat Bastian, you will have to train as both your wolf form and your dragon form. You and your brother. I believe you 2 will be the ones to fully defeat Bastian. "I will take my leave. You have young dragons to train." In a flash of lightning, he was gone. My heart sped up as I thought about both of their proposals. A slave to her or to him if I do not claim a title down here in the mortal world.