The man standing in the doorway was watching Drake with a cold gaze. His ice-blue eyes could have frozen even an ocean of lava. A short strand of silvery-white ash hair was hanging over his forehead.

That man named Wrenn was a cold white mirror reflecting back to Drake every ounce of the hate he emitted. When he spoke, the man's voice was strong and manly, even though it sent icy waves that could stop your blood from flowing inside your veins. "Hello, brother! Long time, no see."

Drake wished it was longer, forever preferably. His jaws clenched, his fists tightened and his eyes sparkled red.

Seeing Drake's eerie look, Wrenn started laughing. The power and coldness released by his amusement were laying heavy on the room. "It seems you are still a feeble weakling yet unable to fully connect with his dragon. You are a disgrace to the family and you shall forever be a loser."

Drake managed to release his fists and jaws, trying to relax and be his usual detached self. He smiled sarcastically and giggled. "Oh, you shouldn't have bothered yourself to come here and state the obvious. You have already pointed that out every time you could. Now do us both a favor and crawl back to the palace and enjoy the life that was meant for me."

But the man entered the room unscathed by Drake's words. It was like he was just a bug for that man, not worthy to be taken into account. Wrenn started strolling through the room, touching the rose petals scattered everywhere. He picked one up, caressed it slowly, almost lovingly, and then it got covered with a fine layer of ice. Wrenn left it on the windowsill. "It seems you were preparing for a romantic date. Can I know who is the unlucky loser?"

The answer came a little too quickly. "That is none of your concern!"

Wrenn sat down in a chair, the icy blue gaze still stabbing Drake with sharp daggers. "That may be so unless she is the gifted young woman I have been looking for more than a year now."

Drake had to remove any doubt. His brother had to return to the palace convinced that the woman he was looking for was not here. He had no reason to hide the name because Wrenn could have found it elsewhere, and then this lie would have raised suspicions.

"The person who is living here is named Hope and she is nobody. The woman is solely for my entertainment, testing her endurance to my torture techniques. You already know that I love that, and not only physical torment. She is powerless and already submitted to my will and confessed her love. Is that the kind of woman you are looking for?"

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Wrenn's confidence started to dwindle seeing how carefree Drake was. Maybe he was wrong in coming here and giving hints to his brother regarding his endeavors. When Wrenn was almost considering leaving this wretched place, he noticed a frowning on Drake's face which seemed untroubled till now.

The Fire Dragon's inner voice reached Drake. "For the first time, I sensed Hope. She is scared of you."

"What? Why? Where is she?" Drake shouted inwardly.

"Hope is just outside, sitting a step away from the opened door, leaning on the wall and crying. She is going to run away. Stop her now!"

Drake managed to show Wrenn a huge polite smile before storming out of the room. "I enjoyed your visit. You can drop by anytime you want. Bye!"

That didn't fool Wrenn, but Drake didn't care. Hope was the single important thing in his life and she was afraid of him. Why now?

Drake followed the dragon's instructions till he saw her running away in the rain. He followed her, running as fast as he could, and even if he was faster than any normal man, he couldn't reach her. Then Drake let go of a heartbreaking cry, "Hope!"

The woman stopped, and he finally caught up with her. The man grabbed her wrist and turned her so she could face him. He reached to touch her face, but she stepped away, yanking her hand out of his grasp.

"Why are you afraid of me?" Drake whispered.

"Why do you care? I am just a toy for you to torture and torment. Wasn't that what you wanted? To be afraid of you? Yes, I am afraid that you will shatter my heart into even smaller pieces than it already is."

The man realized she had heard everything. He was the one to be blamed for how things were between them. Drake never knew how to express his feelings and at that moment he was sure she was right. He could mess things up even worse, but he didn't want to let her go, he was selfish this way.

When Drake grabbed her wrist again, her nails elongated and she scratched his arm. Blood was falling from his wound and the rain made it flow even faster, changing its color from dark red into pink. But the man didn't care. "You can make me bleed as hard as you want till you feel better, but don't go. Give me another chance. Please!"

Hope never heard him say that word before. She was speechless, and she snapped out of her nightmare. Watching his gorgeous face with droplets of water streaming down his white cheeks, Hope knew she couldn't leave, but this was his last chance. The man hugged her tightly and all her fears went away.

A tall man with silvery hair and ice blue eyes was watching them from the cover of the castle. Wrenn was staying at the window, playing with the ice shard containing the rose petal. He smiled seeing his big brother holding that woman in his arms. Wrenn never thought he would be killing two birds with one stone. He will get the Aegis and hurt his brother in the process. This was magnificent!