Cursed Blood

That night, I slept like I'd never slept before. My head hit the pillow and I was out, worn from my day of studying with Lillian. Not only did I learn plenty, but I began to realize that I enjoyed her company, and Janora was a highly clever woman. They were both kind to me despite my blood and helped me with everything I needed until I was burnt out of energy.

Sleep well, Storm-Cloud, Kai whispered in my head as I dozed off, settling in by the door for my protection. A smile rose to my lips as I began to drift into the land of dreams, though my mind was quiet as I slept. Peaceful, nothing to disturb me.

Until I felt a cold breeze on my arms, a strand of hair blown into my face. The windows to the outside were opposite of the door, and I always left them closed.

My eyes remained closed as my heart pounded, my mind racing to find a way to figure out what was happening to me. Kai was asleep, but a telepathic blast to wake him up would also alert whoever was in my room if they were Darkblood or similar to Elijah. I exhaled softly, trying not to stir as I mapped out a plan.

One that might've worked had a clawed hand not wrapped around my shoulder.

Whoever it was gently rolled me onto my back, their eyes on my face. The ghost of a hand brushed the hair out of my eyes, and there was a deep purr above me. Tears nearly sprang into my eyes as I panicked, fighting back my Darkblood form.

"Sweet, sweet angel..," a voice whispered, "your peace is too fragile. My poor love."

Hot breath brushed against my bare neck and I repressed a shiver, the claws piercing through my skin and drawing blood as whoever it was leaned forward.

"You should get ready to run, love."

With that, the pressure on my shoulder and the breath on my neck was gone. I flew upright, chest heaving as blood trickled down from five gaping cuts in my shoulder. I choked on the pain, doubling over as it felt like fire on my skin.

However, once the feeling of fire passed, I noticed the dampness of blood was gone as well. I was panting and glanced down to see the wounds were closed, scars in their place. It looked like someone had shoved my shoulder through the entire healing process within seconds -- the scars were gnarly and rather ugly, but they also seemed to be fading.

I swallowed, feeling fangs press against my lips. My eyes widened and I reached for my lower back, but there were no tail or wings. There was also no pressure on my head, which meant no horns.

I partially turned? I wondered, sliding out of bed. Several things were knocked over, so I took the time to search the room and fix it up, carefully moving to not wake the dragon. Once my room was back in place, I glanced toward my nightstand where the files I'd been given were hidden.

My heart pounded as I reached for the drawer, hesitantly pulling it open.

"Thank the gods," I whispered under my breath, flipping through the intact pages. With everything in it's place, I was ready to head back to sleep.

Until suddenly, someone screamed.

Kai's eyes burst open, the dragon propping himself up instantly. He stared at me, sweating in my tank top and shorts, my hands shaking. I ran to close the window, locking it up tight before glancing toward the door of my bedroom where Kai was sitting.

"We need to go see who's out there," I hissed, trying to shove the dragon out of the way.

It's dangerous, Storm-Cloud. The guards will take care of it, the dragon countered, using his head to nudge me back into the room. I tripped, falling onto the ground as Kai remained stoically in front of my door.

I glared, growling. The fangs in my mouth ached for a fight, and adrenaline pumped through my veins.

I will not let someone die tonight, I thought, no matter what someone tells me about running away.

"If you don't let me through, Kai, I'll find a different way," I warned, staring at the dragon. He held my gaze, trying to find an ounce of regret or weakness, but I was dead set.

You will get hurt out there, Storm-Cloud, the dragon told me, his purple eyes soft and sad as he dropped his head down to me, leaning his forehead into mine. You are not yet the strongest you can be.

"I may never be," I replief softly, "I may never get to the bottom of this. But I know that I need to help whoever is out there, Kai. They're in pain."

The large reptilian oaf exhaled hot breath onto my face before shifting, giving me enough room to slip by him.

If you get in trouble, come back to this room. No one will touch you while you are in here, the dragon ordered me, watching me with a keen eye as I slipped out the door, into the hallway. It was dead silent, with the castle holding a ghostly stillness. No one else had stirred, but I was certain I'd heard a real scream. I swallowed my fear, allowing more of my form to creep out. Horns sprouted from my temples, but wings and a tail thankfully were nowhere to be seen. Running around in a full Darkblood form could either make me a target, or a suspect. Allowing more of my more powerful blood allowed my vision to sharpen, and I managed to climb the staircase in the foyer without much trouble.

But someone else was a little less lucky.

I heard a thump behind me, on the bottom stair, and saw a shadow fall. While I had made it up the stairs no problem, someone else had tripped.

I was already being followed.

My eyes widened as the shadow flew at me, clearly abandoning the idea of an ambush. I shrieked, pulling myself onto the banister. Balance that was still new to me kicked in as I wobbled on the thin surface, the shadowy attacker falling to the stairs. I gulped, sliding down the railing until I reached even ground. The attacker followed, and through a window, moonlight bounced off a dagger in their hands.

My worry melted away as wings sprouted from my back and a tail that sprung spikes appeared as well. Furthermore, I could feel my fingernails lengthen and sharpen into claws, and my eyes twitched as things brightened.

There's even more to the form than I knew, I realized, brushing my claws against the palm of my hand. How much more is there?

The attacker, or rather an assassin seemingly, paused as my black wings fluttered in the moonlight.

Smirking, I felt my confidence increase. "You should leave this place now, before I force you to," I warned, watching the assassin curse under their breath.

Whoever it was had a second wind of confidence and scoffed, pulling out a second blade. "I cannot leave them alive. But for the sake of the gods, why do you meddle in this, Gray One? You could easily let us fight it out before your rule," the assassin spat, their voice raspy. I couldn't tell anything from the scratchy tone, and continued to stare them down with my wings ready for anything.

"What do you mean?" I demanded, keeping an eye on the shining blades.

"Let us weaklings fight our battle," the assassin said, "the stronger blood will come out on top and win the war; then you can be named their Queen."

I frowned, puzzling over the words.

They always told me it was up to me to stop the fighting for them.

But this person believes I should let them fight it out because I'm too good or something?

A loyal worker or a cunning ruler.

I gulped, my body relaxing against my will. I wanted to stay loyal and to fight, but something within me knew it wasn't my job to stop the assassin.

Shame flooded through me, because one part of me truly believed it.

Truly believed that they weren't worth it anymore.