Chapter Ten:

*****Shade's Point Of View*****

Freya's body was wavering. I didn't know how had longer I'd be able to keep up and let her do rest away from the pain. That's when I saw it. The stone tower. Silva roared. Which caused me to smile. He may only be a land dragon but he was still a dragon. He felt the power of The Spirit Flame from here.

Astor let's out a relieved sigh. He cared for Freya. That was all I could ever ask for. She needed the care. She needed the gentleness that he could give her. In time she could heal from what happened and possibly have a family again. I know that she had Niko. But the poor boy didn't know how to help her. Even being locked away in her mind for so long I could tell that. Just by her memories.

Women in white robes stepped out as Silva stopped in a rush. Astor dismount and carefully pulls is down onto his arms. One woman takes a step closer and her eyes soften at the sight of Freya.

"Hello Shade." My eyebrows draw together. She could tell that I was present instead of Freya.

"We've been execpting you. Myra had a vision of Hell Fire."

"You can help them then?" The woman smiles softly.

"The Spirit Flame can heal her. Follow me." I groan and Freya's wrist grows uncomfortably hot and and burns as if someone had poured boiling water over it. I let out a clipped hissing noise.

I was slipping. I didn't have the energy to keep this up.

*******Astor's Point Of View******

My eyes widen as Freya goes limp in my arms. I look down. Shade had passed out. I had no idea how she held out so long. Freya was drenched in sweat and her body was shivering. Somehow she managed to look paler than she already was.

I growl as we begin walking up a stone stair case. This was taking to long. Aro growls inside my head. His anger was pushing through to the surface. The women had me surrounded from all sides. But none of them seemed to be as panicked as I was. I wanted to hit something.

"A-As-stor?" I glance down and Freya was squeezing her eyes shut. The sound of her shaky voice broke my heart. I lean down and let my lips brush her forehead.

'I'll rip their throat out for hurting her!' Aro snarled and I knew him well enough to know he was probably pacing back and forth.

"Your mate will be just fine." I look up at the back of the woman's head that was leading the way. Her hair is a strange pale orange color that came down to her hips. She didn't look older than twenty. But with her being a witch there was really no telling how old she really was.

As we reached the landing Freya let's out a strangled scream.

"Place her in the Dragon." I raise an eyebrow at the woman. She points down at the floor and I notice The life size craving of a dragon. I inhale a deep breath and step forward. The dragon began to glow. I gently lay her in the center and slowly back away. I began pacing myself never taking my eyes off her.

The flames grew steadily. They were beautiful. Pure metallic silver. The almost seemed to shine and they climbed level with Freya's body. They slowly crawled up her skin. I crinkle my nose alittle as I realize that they are burning away her clothing. I clear my throat and avert my eyes. I don't think that my mate would like it very much if it were to look at her naked body with out her permission.

Plus she struck me as the type that may even try to stab my eyes out...and I do mean literally. I could here soft laughter beside me. I glance to the woman with the strange orange hair. As she looks at me I realize that her eyes are the same color.

"Forgive me. Your thoughts are very loud." Both my eyebrows shoot up. She could hear my thoughts? That was a rare gift. I clear my throat. Clearly I would have to watch what I thought around her.

"It's done. We will clean her up and then once she's dressed you can see her." She chuckles again.

"I'm going to go outside for a moment."

I made my way outside in a hurry. Once outside I inhale several deep breaths to steady my nerves. She was gonna be okay. But It seems that she was far more vulnerable than I thought she was gonna be.

'She is strong. But recklessly.' I laugh at Aro's comment. He wasn't wrong. But I doubt that we would be able to change that.

Looking around I noticed that this place didn't have any guards. Were they not afraid of someone attacking them? Freya didn't want to come here...or she wouldn't have waited so long. Why wouldn't she want to come here.

"Because her mother is buried here." What? I turn and it was the same woman as before.

She smiles gently.

"My name is Aradia. Dragon-bornes when they pass on from this world...they are buried here among the Dragons." My heart sank. So that would mean that they couldn't be buried with their loved ones.

"I understand the tradition but shouldn't they be allowed to be buried with their loved ones?" Aradia sighs and frowns.

"Maybe. But it was an agreement made with the first dragon and the first dragon-borne. The fact that Freya is the last of her kind is devastating."

"She will have children. She won't be the last." The woman smirks and raises an eyebrow at me.

"Yes but with a wolf mate..your traits will be stronger and she could have no children that are dragon-borne. Do you know what it means to be dragon-borne?" Confusion settles over me.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean?" Aradia laughs lightly and looks up at the sky for moment before turning her eyes back to me.

"The child would be born with a patch of scales some where on their body. They will eventually fade. But they reappear when they are needed. It's almost like a mark. To show that they have inherited the dragon." I've never heard of that. But I suppose that's normal since I've never been around a Dragon-borne until now.

"It sounds beautiful." Aradia gives me a shocked look and then her eyes sadden.

"Not everyone thought this way. When it first started happening the children were being slaughtered. They called them monsters. The Order of The Spirit Flame had to step in and take them. Having them live here for a time. Until the outside world accepted them...but it only turned out that most accepted them because of the power that the dragon-borne possessed."

I let out a low warning growl.

"What does that mean?" Aradia's expression becomes dark.

"Do you honestly think that Freya's father loved her mother the way he had people believing?" A pit formed in my stomach. What?!