Seraphis loomed over Loren, her clawed hand tightening around Loren's arm. “You are mine now, princess,” she growled, her voice dripping with possessiveness. Loren’s calm demeanor finally cracked as fear flashed in her eyes. She looked to Kaelen, her voice trembling with desperation.
"Kaelen, please… save me."
Kaelen blinked, caught off guard. Loren, always composed, was begging him for help. It seemed absurd—Loren, of all people, reduced to this. Yet, something primal stirred within him. He stepped forward, his voice firm but controlled.
“She belongs to me, Sera.”
Seraphis froze, her fiery gaze locking onto Kaelen. For a moment, he feared she might lash out, but instead, a strange pride flickered across her face. She released Loren, her claws retracting, and smiled, her eyes gleaming.
“My bonded has good taste in princesses,” Seraphis purred. “May I share her?”
Kaelen felt a sudden wave of discomfort. Red Dot had trained him to be ruthless, decisive, but this situation was utterly beyond anything he’d prepared for. A wild dragon-girl wanting to “share” Loren? It was all too much. He could barely process what the last few days had thrown at him—this week had felt like a lifetime, and it was still only Thursday.
He glanced at his phone: 10:00 PM.
"Sure," Kaelen said cautiously, still trying to get a handle on the situation. "But no harming her."
Seraphis grinned, eyes gleaming with excitement. “I must retrieve my hoard, princess. Contact my brother.”
Kaelen stiffened at the mention of Zagoth. He caught Loren's alarmed expression—her eyes screamed, This is a terrible idea.
Thinking quickly, Kaelen shook his head. "Ask Valerian. He’s probably in the dining room, drinking blood. And there's plenty of meat."
Seraphis’s eyes widened in delight, and before he could say anything else, she dashed off toward the dining room.
Loren immediately stepped toward Kaelen, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. Kaelen, who had never been one for physical affection, felt an unexpected warmth in the gesture. He didn’t realize how much he liked being hugged until this moment.
But the moment didn’t last long.
"Kaelen," Loren whispered, pulling back slightly but still clinging to him. "There are stories my father used to tell me about dragons and princesses. When dragons capture princesses, they force them to count their hoard, organize it, clean their lairs. They become slaves."
Kaelen tilted his head, glancing at Loren with mild confusion. He couldn’t help but think about her current role. "Loren, you practically do that now," he said dryly. "You’re a maid."
"A maid gets paid, Kaelen. A slave doesn’t," she corrected, her voice laced with concern. "And a slave is punished if they fail."
That distinction weighed heavier in his mind than he expected. Kaelen still wasn’t fully sure how to handle this, but one thing was clear—he wasn’t going to let Loren end up as anyone’s slave.
They made their way toward the dining room, where Valerian’s smooth voice drifted from within.
"Either we liquidate or reshape her hoard," Valerian was saying on his phone, "most of it is gold she’s dug out of mountains over the years."
Kaelen entered the room, finding Seraphis devouring an obscene amount of meat, her face and hands coated in gore. Yet, somehow, her frilled dress remained perfectly clean—a detail that struck Kaelen as absurd.
Despite everything, one detail kept bothering him: Seraphis’s bare feet. It felt wrong. He needed to do something about it, something normal in this whirlwind of chaos.
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“We’re leaving for the mall,” Kaelen announced, catching both Loren and Seraphis off guard. “Sera, we’re getting you some shoes.”
Instantly, Seraphis jumped up, eager to follow. Loren, ever attentive, grabbed a napkin and gently cleaned Seraphis’s face and hands. Seraphis purred with contentment.
"You've trained your princess well, bonded," Seraphis said approvingly. "What is your true name?"
Kaelen hesitated for a beat. "Kaelen Valrath."
Seraphis's gaze intensified, a knowing smile curling her lips. "Kaelen Drakov," she corrected, her voice rich with ancient knowledge.
The name sent a shock through him.
"Dragons," Seraphis continued with a smirk, "can only speak a person’s true name."
Kaelen felt the weight of Seraphis’s gaze on him, her fiery eyes still holding that unsettling knowledge as she spoke his true name. He swallowed hard, but something in him decided to take control of the situation. Without a word, he reached for her hand, her claws folding gently into his palm, and guided her toward the door. Loren followed closely, quiet but watchful.
Kaelen led them outside to his sleek black Audi, parked near the front of Valerian’s sprawling estate. Seraphis glanced at the car with curiosity, but didn’t question it as she got into the backseat, her wild nature oddly contained for the moment. Loren slid into the passenger seat, still on edge after the encounter.
Kaelen started the car, the hum of the engine a calming rhythm in the back of his mind. As he pulled out of Ravenwood’s heavily guarded entrance, he took a familiar route: down Blackstone Boulevard, passing the row of mansions owned by Ravenwood’s elite, then merging onto Crescent Avenue, a road that connected to the city center. From there, he took the fast lane onto the Ravetham Freeway, his Audi weaving through the late-night traffic as they headed toward the outskirts of the city. The mall they were going to was located near the docks, just past the industrial district. Finally, the towering, illuminated sign for "Silvercrest Plaza" came into view.
Silvercrest Plaza’s architecture was a blend of old-world grandeur and sleek, modern design. The main building’s façade was adorned with intricate stone carvings, while the rest of the structure boasted glass walls that reflected the glittering city lights. The mall had five floors, each catering to a different clientele, and its most notable feature was the colossal silver tree sculpture in the center of the atrium, its branches spreading out like veins across the ceiling.
As Kaelen parked the car, the three of them exited and walked toward the massive entrance, passing fountains that sprayed water in rhythmic patterns, and a host of neon signs advertising the various high-end stores inside. The moment they stepped into the center of the mall, Kaelen noticed the familiar sight of Jason and his team lounging near the tree sculpture, completely oblivious to Kaelen's presence.
But their peace didn’t last long.
A random woman from the crowd suddenly pointed at Kaelen and screamed, “Hey! Aren’t you Kaelen Valrath? The one who tried to kill Cygnus last night?”
The sound of his name echoed through the mall, and within seconds, the lively atmosphere came to a standstill. Shoppers and storekeepers alike froze, eyes locking onto him with a mixture of curiosity and fear. Kaelen felt a wave of tension crash over him as the air grew thick with the weight of their stares.
Seraphis, however, didn’t hesitate. With a wicked grin, she let out a low growl before blowing a blast of pink fire from her mouth straight at the woman. The flames engulfed her instantly, leaving nothing but the scent of charred flesh. Screams erupted from every corner of the mall, and people began to run in a frantic panic, knocking over displays and pushing past each other in their desperation to escape.
Loren acted swiftly. She drew her wand and whispered an incantation, her magic wrapping around the burnt corpse of the woman. Within moments, the flames were doused, and the woman’s body began to restore itself, flesh knitting back together until she was alive, albeit naked and terrified. The moment she regained consciousness, she screamed again and bolted out of sight, leaving Kaelen, Loren, and Seraphis standing alone in the chaos.
Kaelen scanned the area for Jason, but now, with all the commotion, there was no sign of him. The urgency in the situation hit him. If they didn’t hurry, Seraphis would cause another disaster.
“Loren, we need to get her shoes now,” Kaelen said through gritted teeth, trying to keep the situation under control.
Loren nodded, her sharp eyes scanning the shops. Within minutes, they found a store specializing in gothic and alternative fashion. Loren led them inside, and after a brief search, she pulled out a pair of steel-toed punk boots, outrageous in design with spikes jutting out from the sides, but sturdy enough to handle Seraphis’s unusual feet.
Seraphis slid her feet into the boots, her claws retracting just enough to avoid tearing them apart. They fit perfectly, and Seraphis seemed delighted by the aggressive look of the boots. Without wasting time, they made the purchase and hurried back out toward the car.
As they stepped outside, Kaelen could see police officers questioning people about the incident. They needed to be stealthy. Kaelen kept his head low, guiding Seraphis and Loren back to his Audi. They slipped inside without drawing any attention, and Kaelen quickly started the car, pulling away from the mall and heading back toward Valerian’s mansion.