Chapter Six: Dreams, Dungeons and Propositions

Aiera's POV

"You're awake."

My eyes flutter open to meet the beautiful, verdant green eyes of my smiling mate hovering over me in bed. I blink once to make sure I'm not dreaming.

"Of course you aren't? I must have worn you out after our wedding night if you still thing you are dreaming." His lips pull up in a kind smile.

Tears well up to the surface. Relief like I've never felt before envelopes me. I wrap my hands around his neck and sob. Words begin to tumble out if my mouth.

"I thought I lost you for good. I had a dream that I rejected you and stole the blade of Astar and went to the Eastern Kingdom and got stabbed by the Razar and-"

"Shhh, mate. It's fine." He soothes me, stroking down my hair.

"It's alright. You're safe. It was just a dream. No one is going to hurt you and I'll never let you go." He pulls me tighter to his body. I revel in the warmth of his body and the scent of pine that envelopes me which tells me that this is real. That he is real.

"You promise?" I have calmed down a bit now but tears still streak down my face.

"Of course I do." He kisses the tears away from my face.

I hold him tighter. "Please never leave me."

"I promise I won't." He reassures me and all is right in the world.

Kael starts fading before my eyes.

"Kael, don't go!" I am desperate now to gain hold of him.

He offers a sad smile. "But I didn't leave you, my heart, you did." He vanishes and then, darkness.

I feel myself getting pulled from the deep darkness vortex I was floating in only to open unseeing eyes with everything around me, numb. Tremors wrack my body. I hear muffled voices that sound distant.

"There's...no guarantee.... she'll survive." I hear.

What is going on? Why can't I see anything.

Someone growls, "fix it .... or else...."

These are the last words I hear before everything fades back to nothingness.

I don't know for how long I am under, floating in a black see until my eyes finally flutter open. The bright light forces them back closed again.

"You're awake. It took you long enough." The deep voice I hear cause my eyes to snap open. My gaze flits around until the finally land on the source of the voice.

We are in a dark room with what looks like silver and iron bars. I am lying down on a pile of straw like an animal while the my tormentor is seated at the far end of the dungeon on what looks like a small throne. He looks every inch the cruel monarch.

He seats cross legged with his obsidian colored hair cascading down to his waist, not a hair out if place. His ruby red eyes gleam in the dark room.

What kind of monster stabs someone who offers them a sought after magical weapon and throws them in the dungeon to rot then sits there like there is not a care in the world?

White-hot fury bubbles within me.

"You!" I snarl.

Instinctively, my body jacks my upwards, my arms stretched out in search of a weapon against the asshat that frickin stabbed me.

"Don't get up on my account." He says dryly.

"You stabbed me." I fume.

"I did." He confirms.

"How's the pain?" He asks. I have vaguely aware of the throbbing pain in my abdomen but my adrenaline filled rage numbs most of it. Like he cares about my pain. He shouldn't have frickin stabbed me in the first place. I ignore his question and ask the one that prevalent on my mind.

"Why?" I grit out through clenched teeth.

"I was testing the weapon you gave me. Call it a final test of your loyalty." His gaze on me turns sinister.

"The weapon isn't real." The air is suddenly thick with power. I struggle to breathe. The sliver of fear runs through me makes me painfully aware of how dangerous this man is. But I don't care. He has already done his worst.

"What are you talking about? It is real. I stole it myself." I narrow my eyes at him.

"No it's not. If it was you should already be dead by now." His mouth is pulled downward in a frown that seems odd on his beautiful face. He looks at me like I'm a creature he has never met before.

"Dead?" I sputter.

"It was a gamble. If the dagger was real, I would have eliminated my enemies mate and if it wasn't, I would know you're lying and end you either way." He shrugs like he did not just casually provide two scenerios where my life ends.

Once again, I am reminded of how much of a crazy psychopath this man truly is.

I just realize something. I eye him warily and ask. "So why am I still alive."

"Good question. I wondered about that myself. You clearly proved my first theory right and then you didn't." He cocks his head to the side and gives me that piercing gaze again.

"What are you?"

"Pardon?" I bristle. I don't know why I reacted like that. That's not even close to the least insult anyone has ever offered me.

"You don't smell like a wolf or any shifter I have encountered. In fact you don't have a scent at all. Not to mention, your body rejected my blood which should have healed you. Besides, the stab I gave you was meant to be lethal. Blade of Astar or not. So, what are you."

A small pang of shame causes my throat to choke up. "I don't know." I mumble.

"You don't know or you won't tell me?" I sense the veiled threat behind his question.

"I don't know okay. I'm a mutt." I yell.

I expect the usual disgust I often experience but I see no such reaction. If anything, he just looks more curious.

"So you are a hybrid." He says thoughtfully, not necessarily to me.

There is a long stretch of silence for a while. I hold my breath the entire time. Not sure how this news would impact my current situation.

"I've decided." He says.

"You obviously don't have any options. So, for the simple purpose of amusing me," I roll my eyes inwardly at the thought of being this pomped up asshole's entertainment.

"I'll give you an offer." I eye him warily. Last time he stretched out a hand of generosity towards me, I ended up getting stabbed and thrown in a dungeon.

He grins at my wary expression. "Oh don't look at me like that, I promise this offer will not lead to you getting stabbed." He pauses in thought. I didn't know the vampire King read minds.

"At least not by me anyway, for now." That means things could change.

At this point I'll just play along. It's not like I have a choice anyway.

"What deal is it?" I sigh.

"Interesting. Few that have spoken to me that way are alive. Do you have no fear for me or are you just too dull to realize the power I yield.

My eyes flash at the insult. "I'm well aware." I snap.

"I just choose not to constantly cower in fear of you and like I pointed out, the worst you could do is kill me."

"How very wrong of you. There are worst things than death I assure you." His words send a shiver down my spine. I ignore it.

"Are you going to tell me what this deal is or not?" I glare at him. I'm starting to get even more irritable. Now that the adrenaline is no longer pumping through my veins, the pain in my abdomen is becoming pronounced.

"Very well, it's very simple really." He stands up and walks towards my hay bed, tipping my jaw up to meet his blood red eyes. His fangs drop down, my heart rate picks up at his proximity. Partly from his fangs but if I want to be honest with myself, from how I can see every detail of his gorgeous face.

"I want you to become my beloved. In terms you would understand, I want you to be my mate."

What the hell did he just say?