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Chapter 26: Avani
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
CooperWhat do you think of Naremyn?
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The Dark Protector Chapter 27: Merethyl
As he lifts us into the sky, I sigh. “So, you don’t like Naremyn either, huh?” I say to Avani. “Or at least, you don’t trust him? Probably good instincts.” I say and lay down on Avani’s back. I really love riding on him. The air up here is so clean and clear, the sky seems so much closer. Of course, Avani doesn’t answer me. Even if he did, I don’t speak dragon. It’s an ancient language, older even than the elves. So I lay there, thinking of our next steps. Avani said he had other places where we could search, coordinates he got from Ishir. I wonder how the tiger knows about these places. And I wonder if we’re going to one right now. I didn’t ask Avani where we were going, but he keeps insisting that he’s with me, so I trust that. I need to find Yhendorn. I need to find him before Naremyn tries to take over our troupe. I have no doubt that he’ll try to do that while I’m out looking for Yhendorn. And if it takes too long, Yhendorn will have to fight for his position once more. As t
The Dark Protector Chapter 28: Avani
I about lose my shit when I show up on top of the mountain. Merethyl is gone and these hunters arrive telling me to give myself up. When I see her climb up the mountainside in my peripheral vision, I feel like I can breathe again. The moment the leader tells them to get me, Merethyl and I are in motion. I realize we’ve fought together before, but it’s like we’ve been fighting together for years. I go for the leader, and she goes for the minions. I see Mere take the first one by surprise. She throws him off the mountain. By then, I’ve jumped on the leader. He has weapons and if he is here, knowing what I am, then it is likely that they will be able to hurt me. I grab hold of his gun with one hand, swinging him around so he’s facing away from me before grabbing him by the throat. I look to make sure the Mere is okay before extending my claws and ripping the leaders throat out. I take the gun out of his hand as he falls to the ground, and I aim it at the guy that just turned from Mere
The Dark Protector Chapter 29: Merethyl
I hear the humans tell us to put our hands up. My senses aren’t as good as Avani’s especially at night, but one thing I do know, is that he is protective. There’s no way he has any intention of turning himself or me in to these hunters. I don’t know what he’s going to do, but I know I need to be ready. I turn my focus on the hunters, just as Avani shivers beside me, his body growing in an instant with his shift. The trees around him are leveled as he takes his dragon form and the shots ring out. They come from everywhere and I throw my hands up, trying to divert as many as possible as Avani swings around, his tail slashing through the air, taking out a large number of hunters. “Lower your wing!” I shout at him. I need to be able to see and he’s too large to see around. It was different when we were inside. I knew where he and I were in relation to the room and the walls. Outside, the area is much too large for me to manage blind. He has moved his large body in front of me, but I see
The Dark Protector Chapter 30: Avani
I begin racing after the hunters and those bastard scientists that are doing experiments on shifters, trying to create who knows what kind of creature. I’m still distracted by Merethyl moving me with her element. She shouldn’t have been able to do that. I’m a fucking dragon. I know I was in flight, but her ability to maneuver me mid-flight caught me off guard. For a moment, I thought she had decided to take advantage of the situation and claim me. She could have. She might have, if she had continued on the way she was. I had roared my fury at her and got her simple ‘sorry’ in response. Seriously? The woman has no clue how much strength she has and how much power she truly has over me. I almost couldn’t wait to get away from her, needing this time to calm myself. Of course, now that I’m away from her, I want to get back to her. Fucking mate bond. I hear cars starting in the distance and I realize the hunters and scientists raced to their cars, thinking they could out run me. Not a ch
The Dark Protector Chapter 31: Merethyl
After Avani left to go after the hunters, I had an easy time getting everyone out. There was no one here to fight me and I realized he did that on purpose. Always so protective. I want to believe that it’s because I mean something to him, but he’s called the Dark Protector for a reason. And that reason has nothing to do with me. When I hear him roar, I go rushing out of the laboratory. I was healing some of the shifters and was nearly done. I know Avani enough to know that when he roars, he’s pissed. I’m shocked when I walk outside and see him confronting a shifter, rather than fighting a hunter. The shifter, a leopard Avani called him, realizes that Avani outranks him, or whatever it is in the animal kingdom, and he defers to him. When Avani says the leopard can’t kill one of the scientists, I know he has a plan. I also know that he’s on the verge of shifting and tearing this entire place apart. I put my hand on his arm, pushing calm into him until I feel him respond. I turn and l
The Dark Protector Chapter 32: Avani
I don’t know why I didn’t want Merethyl to know that I had let those humans burn alive, but something about her seeing my darker side didn’t sit well with me. I trusted her to watch over the scientist while I doused the flame. I made sure none of them had escaped before I pulled the fire back, keeping it from catching on the surrounding trees and brush. When I returned, I heard Mere talking about the goal of the Chief. He wants to kill the dragons. Of course he does, we’re the reason his arenas are being destroyed. However, the idea of him building an army makes me uneasy. What sort of army? I glance at Mere. What if they make her brother into one of these creatures. I know her well enough to know that she’d never be able to kill him and she’d never forgive me if I did. But if he became a killing machine, working for the Chief, I’d have no choice. I walk over to Mere, seeing that she’s nearly done healing the shifters that are left. “G’day sir.” One of the shifters bows his head to
The Dark Protector Chapter 33: Merethyl
Mates? I’m mated to a dragon? How is this possible? Wait, I've heard about mate bonds in the shifter community. Is this why I’m so drawn to him? Is this why he smells so good to me? Avani said that there was a time when dragons and elves were mates. That was centuries before my time. Our most recent history was a time when elves forced dragons by claiming them. Then they abused that power. My parents always made it clear to both me and Yhendorn that we should never abuse our power. We should never forget who we are and what we stand for. And what we stand for is our people and others who can’t stand for themselves. I look around at the shifters that I helped to free, the ones that I’ve recently healed. This is what my power is for. I don’t want to become someone like Naremyn who seeks power for the sake of having power. “Merethyl.” His deep voice resonates in my body. At least now I understand why. I don’t face him. “I can’t be mated to you, Avani. I can’t.” “And yet, you are, Mer
The Dark Protector Chapter 34: Avani
I didn’t like Merethyl saying she couldn’t be my mate. It felt like a rejection, something I’ve never experienced in my two centuries of life. No one has ever turned me down. No one has ever said no to me. When I realize that she’s afraid of abusing the power that claiming me would give her, something in me settles. Not only is she not rejecting me because I’m her mate, but knowing that she doesn't want to be one of those people that abuses power means a lot to me. While I’m surprised, I guess I shouldn’t be. Whatever or whoever in the universe creates mate bonds, they do it for a reason. We’re supposed to be two halves of a whole, or two beings that, once connected become whole. Or some bullshit like that. Tana spouted off about how great it was, but I wasn’t listening. I didn’t believe her, I didn’t understand. But I do now, much better than I did then. The dragon in me needs to know that she understands that she’s mine. While I settled, the feeling of rejection is still there. An
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The Dark Protector Epilogue 2: Avani
After Enki was born, Merethyl and I spent one more week together, letting Merethyl readjust to the loss of dragon DNA in her system. I had noticed it after Gaia’s birth, but I’m noticing it even more now, her body is absorbing dragon DNA every time she gets pregnant. She still had some dragon tendencies after Gaia, and now, after delivering Enki, she has even more. Her ability to cdonnect to me mentally, sift through my memories and thoughts, is nearly as strong as mine. It doesn’t bother me that she has the abilities that she has, it’s more that I’m worried about the long term effect of her body taking on the dragon DNA. Once things are settled with this assassin, I'll be taking her to visit the doctor. When we get back to the elf lands, I know I can’t stay long. I’ve been out of the hunt for two months and Ancalagon is still missing. But, when we arrive and my little girl, now nearly 8 months old, comes toddling out of the castle, her arms raised to me, I refuse to leave without sp
The Dark Protector Epilogue 1: Merethyl
Four months later We still haven’t found Ancalagon. I’ve searched with Avani periodically, but between our daughter needing her mother and my belly starting to grow with our son, I’ve stayed home more than I’ve gone out with him. A few months ago, Ishir started finding shifters that had been murdered. At first, it was a rare occurrence, one in the first month. We assumed that it was some sort of lucky hunter kill. Then there were three more in the month after that, then more. Lately, it feels like Avani and Ishir are finding a dead shifter or supernatural every few days. Not only that, but the ones they are finding now are apex predators or leaders of their supernatural groups. Avani had told me that they had found a high priestess of a coven along with a very powerful warlock. Avani has refused to allow me to leave the pack lands in the last month and has asked Kenna and Bajaro to guard us. Kenna is happy to stay here. She wants to protect her mate, even though Yhendorn doesn’t lik
The Dark Protector Chapter 75: Avani
Being loved and cared for by my mate goes a long way to making me feel better. I’m still distraught, still angry that I can’t find my son, but at least now I feel like I have the strength to start again. I fly Merethyl to Cedric’s pack lands. I already knew that Zephyr wouldn’t be here. She hasn’t stopped and unlike me, she doesn’t have a rider to care for her. I know Mere thinks that Ishir is her mate, but without being claimed, the draw to her son, the need to protect him, will be stronger than the draw to her mate. When we arrive, I pull Mere into my lap. She is all that is keeping me sane, having to be here, listening to this when I should be out searching for my son. I know this meeting is important, but I’m struggling with this feeling of helplessness and weakness. ‘You’re not weak,’ Mere says in my mind. ‘Or helpless, and they may be able to help us. It’s good that we’re here.’ Kaylani begins telling us that the most recent dragons that they have found are hybrids, all of th
The Dark Protector Chapter 74: Merethyl
Zephyr told us that she had left Ancalagon with the mountain goat shifters, while she went into town. She was oddly vague about where she was or why she was gone, but it doesn’t matter. Ancalagon should have been safe. He’s nearly a year old now. When she had returned, Zephyr said she could smell death and the paralytic. The hunters had killed all the goats and paralyzed Ancalagon so they could take him. Zephyr had been frantically searching for a day, when she finally gave her dragon’s call, knowing she needed help. We began searching immediately, Avani tearing apart every hunter’s lair and laboratory that we could find. He had contacted Ishir to get more intel, but he wasn’t able to tell us much. He gave us a few more laboratories, but most of them had been destroyed when Kaylani, Cedric and Ishir had hunted them down, rescuing the dragons. I had to split my time, hunting for Ancalagon and taking care of my newborn. I love my time with Gaia, but I worry about my mate every moment
The Dark Protector Chapter 73: Avani
I walk Merethyl to the stage that is set up for the event. As his only living relative, she will be leading the coronation ceremony for Yhendorn. She looks gorgeous as always, but dressed as she is right now, the royal blood in her is much more obvious. She was meant to be a queen. I’m just the lucky dragon that gets to claim her as MY queen. She stands beside Yhendorn, who also looks regal in his dress robes. Merethyl begins speaking in elvish. I don’t understand the words, but I understand the intent as I sift through her mind and feel the words she’s speaking. A peace settles over the people, an acceptance of their new King. I look out over the elves, watching as they begin to sing and chant in Elvish. I look behind us at where Kenna is laying, being here for her mate in her dragon form. The air around us begins to feel magical and I look over at Bajaro. She’s holding Gaia and I swear, my daughter looks like she’s paying attention. Maybe she is, both Mere and I have the earth as
The Dark Protector Chapter 72: Merethyl
After Avani dropped me and Gaia off on the mountain and went to get me some clothes, it wasn’t long before I hear an eagle’s call. I look up to see Shiv and it’s only a moment later when I hear Bajaro in her hyena form and Kayid in his fox form yipping as they run up the side of the mountain. As soon as she gets to the top, Bajaro shifts and walks toward me. “Please tell me you’re going to let me hold that little one.” I walk to her, putting Gaia into her arms. She immediately starts to purr, gently rubbing her face over Gaia’s. “Bajaro, meet Gaia,” I say, stroking my daughter’s hair. “She’s beautiful. She smells like you and the earth dragon,” Bajaro says quietly. I can tell that Avani was right. She will want to be a surrogate mother to Gaia and will protect our daughter with her life. “Speaking of the earth dragon, where is he?” Kayid asks. “He went to get me some clothes.” I say, watching as Bajaro begins humming a strange tune that I’ve never heard. It’s a gentle but hauntin
The Dark Protector Chapter 71: Avani
We stay in our cave for another week after Gaia is born. We carefully take her out every day, making sure she has fresh air. Merethyl lays her in the grass and then will use her element to grow flowers around her. My mate is back to normal now. As much as I loved having her desire for me run as deeply as mine does for her, there’s a reason she’s my mate. I need the balance that she gives me. So, I'm glad she's back to normal again. “We need to head back to the elf lands, love,” I tell her. “I know. I’m just enjoying this time, with only the three of us. But Yhendorn has waited long enough to take over as king and it’s time to introduce our daughter to my family and to your son.” “I wanted to discuss something with you before we return,” I tell her. “What’s that?” “You know that the Chief’s son is still out there. I need to help hunt him now that you’re back to your normal self. I don’t know how you feel about me leaving…” “No! I won’t let you go alone. What if something happened
The Dark Protector Chapter 70: Merethyl
I love being in our cave of treasures. I can feel the metals singing to me, calling to me. I feel their differences, their density and weight making their song different. The gemstones also have their own feel to them. I’ve found a couple that I like, that seem to speak to me louder than the others. But mostly, I love having my mate here with me. I can’t get enough of him. There will never be enough of him. He is everything, the world is nothing without him, my mind, my body, my soul are incomplete, empty without his touch, his caress, his presence in my mind. I’m just starting to wake when I feel the first pain. I look down, my stomach large and swollen. As I watch, I see the muscles in my stomach contract, sending another shooting pain up my side. I look around. Avani isn’t here. Our child, I need to protect our child. I rub my stomach, cooing at our daughter. I can feel her mental presence in my body. She is agitated and irritable. She wants out. “Not yet, baby girl,” I coo at h
The Dark Protector Chapter 69: Merethyl
The scent of evergreen and cinnamon fills my nose. I’m so drawn to the scent that I try to burrow myself deeper into the warmth where the scent is emanating. I hear voices, men’s voices, speaking around me. There’s a deep rumbling sound and it reverberates in my body, making me hum. Then I hear a female voice. My eyes flash open and I snarl. “MINE!” I snap at the beautiful woman that is standing too close to my mate. That’s who I smell, who I feel inside me, in my mind, in my soul. My mate. I feel him begin to purr behind me and my body calms, relaxing back against him. His hand touches my face, moving the hair away from me. I lean back against him, rubbing myself against him. “Merethyl, do you know where you are?” “With you, my mate, my love, my life.” “Yes, you are with me. Do you know where WE are?” I open my eyes again and the beautiful woman is still here. I growl at her. “I don’t want your mate, Merethyl. I’m here to help you. Do you know who I am?” “The water dragon.”
