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Then, with a sound like a thunderclap, my dragon released another blast of purple energy. This time, the beam was even more intense, filling the entire room with its radiance. Marcus didn't even have time to scream before the blast hit him, sending him flying back against the wall. He hit it hard and slumped down, wisps of smoke rising from his motionless form.
For a moment, everything was silent. I stood there, my mind reeling, unable to fully process what I'd just witnessed. My dragon, this tiny creature I'd believed to be defective or powerless, had just taken down a centuries-old vampire. Twice.
I looked down at my dragon, which now sat calmly at my feet as if it hadn't just displayed power beyond anything we'd seen from the other hatchlings. Its purple eyes met mine, and I saw in them not just intelligence, but a deep, unwavering loyalty.
Valeria approached cautiously, her gaze flicking between me, my dragon, and the unconscious Marcus on the floor. Her expression was a mixture of awe and wariness.
"I've never seen anything like that," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Your little one is full of surprises."
27
OSSIAN
I’d watched as Aria had left the dining hall quickly after dinner. Something was up, and I also wasn’t too pleased that Marcus, Lionel, and William had opted not to join everyone for dinner. Valeria had noticed as well and had left not long after dinner began, leaving me alone with all the others. She’d said she wanted to rest, but I had a feeling she wanted to keep a watchful eye on the other vampires, much like myself. But we weren’t both needed for that right now. A sense of unease settled in my gut, a feeling I'd learned to trust over my long existence. Something was wrong, and not just with Aria’s swift departure not long after the wolf’s.
No, this felt like something more sinister.
The memory of our encounter – her pulse against my lips, the taste of her blood, the unexpected intensity of the experience – still lingered. It had awakened something in me, stirred feelings I hadn't experienced since... No, I couldn't allow myself to think of that. Not now.
I rose and followed after her, the hair rising on the back of my neck.
Before I even reached the human hall, Valeria’s voice cut through the air.
“Back off! She’s protected!”
My chest tightened, and I found myself moving, vampire speed propelling me towards Aria’s room.
The scent of Aria's fear hit me like a physical blow as I reached Aria’s door. I was prepared to tear Marcus limb from limb for daring to threaten her. But the scene that greeted me was far from what I expected.
Marcus lay motionless on the floor, wisps of smoke rising from his unmoving form. Aria stood there, her face a mixture of shock and awe, with her tiny dragon sitting calmly at her feet. The air crackled with residual energy, and I could taste the power on my tongue – a power unlike anything I'd encountered in my centuries of existence. Not even the same as the power of the other dragons. This was something bigger.
For a moment, I stood frozen, my mind struggling to process what I was seeing. So her dragon had defended her? That was what the scene looked like.
Valeria was now by Aria, watching Marcus carefully, but there was no need, considering he was not moving a muscle.
Before I could fully gather my thoughts, Zephyr and Lydia came racing down the hallway, their dragons close behind.
"What happened here?" Zephyr demanded.
Lydia moved immediately to Aria's side, her water dragon sniffing cautiously at Aria's smaller one. "Are you alright? We heard a commotion..."
More of our group began to flood the hall, drawn by the noise and crowding around her doorway. Their voices rose in a myriad of questions and exclamations, adding to the chaos of themoment. I found myself moving closer to Aria, an inexplicable need to ensure her safety overriding my usual detachment.
Suddenly, Eirian appeared, his regal bearing parting the crowd like a knife through butter. "Silence!" he commanded, his voice laced with draconic power. The hallway fell quiet instantly as he pushed his way into the bedroom.
Eirian knelt beside Marcus, his face a mask of concentration as he checked the vampire's vital signs. After a tense moment, he looked up. "He's alive, but barely." His gaze swept over us before landing on Valeria. "Go get help from other Dracarians in the dining hall. Now."
Valeria nodded, disappearing in a blur of vampire speed.
Eirian's attention then turned to Aria and her dragon. "What happened here?" he demanded, his tone softer but no less intense.
“Marcus tried to attack me,” Aria said quietly, her gaze dropping to her dragon. “My dragon protected me. It... it used some kind of energy blast. Twice. Marcus’s dragon attacked him as well.”
As she spoke, I couldn't help but reflect on the irony of the situation. I, who had fed from Aria not long ago, was now here ready to defend her against another vampire. The complexity of my feelings towards her – protectiveness, admiration, and something deeper that I dared not name – was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
So much for trying to shut it down, at the mere thought of her being in danger, I’d rushed in. Then again, I’d granted her my protection, and Marcus had broken that law of ours.
Eirian's eyebrows shot up, genuine surprise breaking through his usual composed demeanor. "Energy blast? Despite the magical warding as well?” His gaze fell on Aria's dragon, which met his stare unflinchingly. "Impressive," he murmured. “And his own dragon attacked him?”
