The Dragon King's Dark Angel

Prologue

Book 1 of the Red Thorn Series

King Atreyu

    "Where did Boris take the traitor?" I roared in a total fit of rage.  I gave my first in command specific instructions on where I wanted him to take the traitor, but neither of them were anywhere in sight.

    "I'm sorry, my king, but I have not seen Boris," Israel anxiously answered.

    "I want Boris and the traitor found NOW!" I yelled followed by a growl that was loud enough to rattle the metal bars holding the prisoners in their cells.

    Throughout the dungeon came the sounds of whimpering and heavy breathing, as the prisoners feared what I might do next.  Most of them had already felt my wrath, and they didn't want to experience that again.

    I ran my fingers through my long, jet black hair and released a sigh of frustration before storming out of the dungeon.  Betrayal and deceit were two of the things that I refused to tolerate from anybody within my kingdom.

    There's a reason why I was feared and known as the most ferocious King to rule over the Red Thorn Kingdom.  I was forced to take the throne shortly after my eighteenth birthday when my parents were slayed by a large group of dragon hunters.

    Enraged by the cruel slaying, I immediately launched an attack on those hunters and took the entire group out with ease.  Ever since then, I have ruled over my kingdom with a no bullshit attitude, and the other kingdoms spread across the land knew better than to mess with me.

    However, that didn't stop some of them from trying, but they always failed.  Never had anybody been able to fully infiltrate my kingdom without me catching on to them right away.

    I had a keen eye for suspicious behavior, and I was always quick to spot traitors and outsiders.  It didn't matter if they were in their dragon forms or human forms, nobody was able to pull a fast one on me.

    In my dragon form, I actually looked somewhat friendly, but it was just a ruse to make other dragons and foes think I was harmless.  Little did they know, my flames were powerful enough to torch any structure within seconds, and when it came to the flesh of any other creature, I could turn them into a crisp in no time.

    When I was younger and first shifted into my dragon form, all the girls went crazy over my pretty blue dragon and my stunning gold eyes.  On the top of my dragon's head was a tall golden feather.  It symbolized the royal blood that flowed through my veins, and it served as a reminder to all other dragons in the Red Thorn Kingdom that I was superior in all ways.

    My dragon had a mouth full of sharp teeth that could tear through almost anything, and I had long talons that were razor sharp.  My tail was long with a trail of spikes that ran down the length of it and ended in the form of a ball that was covered in sharp spikes.  

    In my human form, I stood over seven feet tall, and I was built like an ox with muscles bulging all over my body.  I was a strong, skilled fighter, and I didn't hesitate to use my skills anytime it was necessary.

    It had been six years since I took the throne, and I had yet to lose a battle.  I was known for using brute force during my attacks.  If I attacked in my dragon form, it was game over right away.  

    Not getting the chance to find my mate and Queen before taking the throne had turned me into somebody I no longer recognized.  I used to be compassionate, but losing my parents in such an awful manner and not having my mate to lean on for support caused me to become cold and distant.

    After so many years of not finding my mate during my journeys to other kingdoms, I had given up.  I no longer dreamed about what she might look like, and I never felt any hope of running across her in the future.  I assumed it was my destiny to be alone, and eventually I accepted it by becoming the fiercest dragon in all the land.

Genevieve

    I never felt like I belonged in the depths of hell.  When all of my siblings and classmates were torturing the dark souls, I always felt the urge to help those souls hide.  Unfortunately, my attempts to help them always failed, and I ended up getting bullied and teased about it.

    Needless to say, I hated life in the underground.  There was always magma flowing everywhere, and the hot temperatures were unbearable, even for a dark angel like me.  I never understood how the other dark angels could so easily endure the heat down there, nor did I ever try to ask anyone.

    It did not help that I didn't look like your typical dark angel either.  All of the other dark angels had black hair and black wings, but my hair was dark red and my wings started out red then faded to a dull black color.  Also, my wingspan was significantly wider than the rest of the dark angel's wing spans.

    Another difference between me and the other dark angels was the color of our eyes.  All of their eyes were either red or black, but mine were the beautiful color of an amethyst.

    The one characteristic I did share with my fellow dark angels was our pale skin.  Every one of us were milky white with perfect, hourglass figures.

    I remained underground and followed the rules of our leader until I couldn't take the bullshit any longer.  At that point, I started secretly devising a plan for my escape from the evil that surrounded me.

    It took several weeks for me to finally get the courage to implement my plan.  When that time came, I filled a backpack up with my favorite articles of clothing, a hairbrush and a few ponytail holders.  

    That was one thing I never left my bedroom without.  It stayed so damn hot in the underground, I had to keep my long, red hair pulled back.  I usually put it in a braid, but this day I put it in a bun on the back of my head to help disguise myself.  I also wore black leggings and a hooded black sweater to hide my red hair and to cast a shadow over my face.

    With my small backpack hanging off my left shoulder, I quietly snuck through the underground maze.  After weeks of studying the maze and drawing up my own personal map, I was able to easily find my way though it in record time.

    It was my first time leaving the underground, and I was excited to see the sun and smell the fresh air that I had heard other dark angels speak of.  The difference between me and them was that they were complaining about the brightness, whereas, I knew it was gonna be something special.

    When I reached the end of the maze, I started my ascent up the long stairway that led to the world above me.  My heart was racing with excitement, while my palms began to sweat from nervousness.  I knew if anybody caught me trying to escape, there would be hell to pay, and that was a fact.

    As I got closer to the small opening at the top of the stairway, I could see the light above me getting brighter.  I found myself feeling even more intrigued about what I would find on the other side, and that motivated me to climb the stairs even faster.

    By the time I reached the top, I was running at full speed.  I could have used my wings and flew up there, but the noise from my wings flapping would have definitely caught somebody's attention.

    The light was so bright that I couldn't even attempt to look out for any danger, but I also couldn't remain where I was and risk getting caught.  While squinting my eyes against the light, I climbed through the small opening, then I blinked my eyes several times until they fully adjusted to the light.

    It was then that I looked around me in awe.  I appeared to be on what I assumed was a beach.  I had no clue if I was looking at an ocean, lake or pond, but the water glistened under the sunrays, and it was a beautiful sight to see.

    Curious to know what the water would feel like, I walked over to it and dipped my toes in.  The water was surprisingly warm, and I felt the urge to get my whole body in it, so I tossed my backpack to the side.  After that, I walked further into the body of water and enjoyed the way air bubbles slid up the length of my body between my clothes and skin.

    I had felt water on me before, but it was always in the form of a shower.  We didn't have bathtubs underground, and the bodies of water were scalding hot so they could be used to torture the dark souls.

    Eventually, I submerged my entire body and spent some time moving my arms and legs in a way that made me glide through the water.  I was having fun for the first time in my life, and I was excited to explore more of this intriguing world.

    With that thought in mind, I left the water and retrieved my backpack, then I headed toward the forest.  I walked through the towering trees eating whatever berries I could find for what felt like days, then a large mountain appeared before my eyes.  

    I was curious to find out what was causing smoke to rise from the top of it, so I expanded my wings and flew up toward it.  I was hovering above what appeared to be a large bowl of bubbling magma, when I suddenly felt something wrap and tighten around my right ankle.

    A second later, I was taken by surprise when I was yanked down to the ground by a rope.  I landed on the hard surface below me with a third, then out of nowhere the wind got knocked out of me as I was kicked in the stomach several times in a row.  My eyes immediately filled with tears of pain making it impossible for me to see my attacker.

    The next thing I knew, the boot that was inflicting pain to my abdomen made contact with the side of my head.  Instantly, little black spots appeared in my vision, then I lost consciousness altogether.