Chapter 0007

—Ten years earlier—

“Stop chewing on your fingernails, Visenya,” Sarai scolded.

Visenya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Are we almost there? Why can’t we ever ride a single horse instead of a carriage? This takes forever.”

“In a hurry to see your lover boy?” Caspian teased.

Visenya shoved her elbow into Caspian’s bicep. “Shut up.”

“The Dragon Empire is right over the hill there. We will be there soon,” her father answered, mid-yawn.

“I wonder what type of food they’ll serve at tomorrow’s banquet. Roasted human?” Caspian laughed at his corny joke.

Visenya laughed mockingly. “You just crack yourself up, don’t you? Dragons don’t eat humans, Cas.”

“That’s still up for debate,” Caspian rebutted.

“Whatever… I can’t wait for tomorrow. They always throw the most exquisite banquets and balls. I bet this one will top the one they had a few years ago,” Visenya sighed, staring out the window of the carriage in a dreamlike state.

“And now that Lucian is eighteen, he’ll be able to find his mate, and perhaps get that stick out of his ass,” Caspian snickered.

"Complement," Visenya corrected.

"What?" Caspian questioned.

"They don't refer to them as their mate; they call them their complement," Visenya explained.

“Ah yes, because they complete one another to ultimate perfection. Sounds like something an egotistical dragon would come up with,” Caspian remarked dryly.

“I think it’s kind of romantic.” Visenya replied, a wistful smile playing on her lips.

“That’s because you’re a girl,” Caspian muttered under his breath.

Visenya always treaded lightly with Caspian when it came to the subject of mates. He had found his wolf the previous year and had learned the moment he first shifted that his mate had perished. The way he described it was as if a part of himself had been stripped of all light and replaced with a harrowing void.

Visenya’s heart broke all over again, remembering the pain she saw in Caspian’s distraught blue eyes. It made her anxious about the fate of her own mate. She had just turned sixteen and would have her first shift on the following full moon, which was only a couple of weeks away.

Perhaps Caspian was right, and she did think like a naive girl. But as a Lycan, she couldn’t wait to find her mate. She had heard that the love and connection between mates was like pure magic, something she had dreamed of since childhood. She wanted it for herself, badly.

******

"Oh, fuck yes… just like that, you dirty whore," Lucian moaned.

A slave woman sucked him earnestly, eager to please the young Dragon Lord. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and fucked her mouth aggressively. The woman was used to Lucian’s demanding libido, which is why she was his favorite slave. She took his large, throbbing cock deep into her mouth until her eyes spilled tears, caused by the head of his penis hitting the back of her throat.

“Don’t let me interrupt your fun!” Cheyenne barged through the door of Lucian’s lair and plopped herself on top of his bed.

“I’m a little busy right now, cousin,” Lucian groaned.

“Mmm, I want to play with her next.” Cheyenne stared at the naked woman lustfully.

Lucian grunted aloud as he shot his load down her throat. She swallowed his release, enhancing his orgasm even more. When he was finished, he fixed himself back into his pants and rested his head back into the chair.

“Go and wait for me in my bedchamber,” Cheyenne told the slave woman.

“Yes, master.” The slave threw on her flimsy clothing and ran off.

"What was so important that you had to interrupt my blow job?" Lucian inquired, his curiosity piqued.

“The royal mutts have arrived, and your father wants you to join him on the terrace to greet them for tea,” Cheyenne added with a smirk. “I proposed that a bowl of water and a chew toy would be more to their preference, but I don’t think uncle liked my suggestion very much.”

Lucian chuckled as he ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it over. Cheyenne was not just his cousin, but his best friend, and they had always shared the same sense of humor and supercilious attitude. Dragons ruled the world, and with good reason. All other races were practically at their mercy, which only added to their inflated self-image and god complex that they all seemed to inherit at birth. Every other race was simply inferior in their eyes.

Vampires had the gift or curse of immortality, depending on how you looked at it, but they needed blood to survive and couldn’t step foot into the light of day without combusting. Sure, they had super strength, speed, and the ability to regenerate when they fed, but they were no match against a dragon.

Lycans weren’t as pathetic in their eyes. They had the ability to mind-link with each other, which proved to be useful when danger lurked. They had incredible strength, speed, and endurance while in their wolf forms. Not to mention the ability to heal from just about any wound. Still... no match against a dragon.

Then there were the humans, who were at the bottom of the barrel. No special powers or strengths, and that’s why they had been enslaved for centuries. Every so often, one would turn out to be the beloved of a vampire or the mate of a Lycan, and yes, even a dragon’s complement. They might even live out the rest of their days free with their fated one if they are accepted.

Lucian dressed in appropriate attire and made his way to the terrace. He had barely left the depths of his lair when he was suddenly hit with a strange feeling that he’d never felt before. He could feel his blood running hotter like molten lava. Sweat beads dripped from his forehead, and his heartbeat sped up significantly.

When he reached the door leading to the terrace, an unfamiliar sensation washed over him, akin to intoxication. The door loomed before him like a barrier, separating him from an enigmatic force stirring his primal instincts.

The moment he stepped outside, his gaze was drawn to Visenya, who seemed to be enveloped in a radiant aura reminiscent of the sun itself. It was as though he had stumbled into a dream, where time slowed to a crawl and every detail of her being was magnified. Her hair cascaded in mesmerizing waves, swaying gently in the breeze, while her entrancing eyes locked with his, igniting an intense connection that transcended time and space. Sensing the fire swirling in his eyes, he quickly blinked it away.

Visenya was a bit bewildered by Lucian’s odd behavior. Initially, his face wore a soft and inviting expression, which was rather unusual for him, considering his usual serious demeanor. She even thought she saw fire swirling in his eyes, prompting her curiosity. However, as quickly as it appeared, the fire vanished, and his soft expression was quickly replaced by an unwelcoming scowl.

“Lucian, have a seat,” his father said, breaking the awkward tension between them.

Lucian complied, taking a seat across from Visenya. His eyes remained fixed on her, but the scowl vanished, replaced once again by the familiar deadpan stare Visenya had grown accustomed to.

“Hello, Lucian,” she greeted with a small yet beautiful smile.

Lucian didn’t say a word in return. He only sat there, burning a hole through her with his cold, empty eyes as their fathers continued to talk amongst themselves. Her smile quickly faded, and her eyes fell to her lap as she anxiously fidgeted with the fabric of her dress.

She hadn’t seen Lucian for a couple of years, and thought that time may have softened him up a bit. Even his father, Emperor Caden, was a little more polite. It was common for dragons not to place much emphasis on manners with other species. They honestly believed that they owed it to no one but their own, and Lucian had always been smug since they were children.

Visenya kept her head down, avoiding all eye contact with him and wanted nothing more than to leave the terrace altogether. Right before she could ask her mother’s permission to be excused, Lucian beat her to the punch by storming off back into the castle, slamming the door behind him. Her father and Emperor Caden were only momentarily disrupted by Lucian’s loud exit. Visenya breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to see her mother giving her a strange look of her own.

“What?” Visenya asked, confused by her mother’s expression.

Sarai just shook her head and looked down at her pregnant belly as if she were trying to work out something in her troubled mind. Then she went right back to listening to the men’s conversation with an uneasy expression on her face.

Lucian went back to his lair where he paced back and forth for the next half hour or so. He had heard all the stories of what it’s like to discover your complement and his response to Visenya’s presence matched every detail. Had there been some kind of mistake? Maybe he was just feeling tired and woozy?

There was no way that he could be fated to a Lycan. It was literally impossible. He couldn’t help but feel like this was worse than being fated to a human. He had always hoped his complement would be another dragon, and knew that he would have to deal with it if she turned out to be a human, but a Lycan? Would his father even allow him to carry out the unification ritual with her?

He had to be certain that Visenya was his complement before he continued to overthink unnecessary scenarios. He knew one way of testing it and called for a few of his most seductive slaves. When they entered his lair, he ordered them all to undress and to begin playing with one another. He stood there watching them do things that would usually get him fired up in seconds, and that’s when he knew that Visenya was indeed his fated one.

Just the thought of touching another woman that wasn’t her had repulsed him and made his cock softer than a sack of cotton. He kicked them all out of his lair and slouched back in his chair, contemplating his current predicament.