The Selection: Bride Of The Dark Dragon

LARA

He pursed his lips and now I wanted to slap him. But I needed the information more.

“What. Happened. To. Prim?!” I demanded, clenching my fists. My wounded hand was still hurting but I did not care.

“She is fine if that’s what you worried about. Alive and well. Treated like a queen,” he replied way too fast.

“And why is that?!” I narrowed my eyes since I knew he wasn’t telling me something important. It all felt like a trick again and now I knew better…

“Because she is going to be the next gerdian empress, Lara,” he sighed, giving up, “Xander Rust, the leader of the red dragons, is in love with her. He is to be announced the new emperor and the princess will become his wife on the same day. This will also help him to keep his throne and legalize his claim since most gerdians love their royal family. And now they will have it. Their children will be heirs…”

“Oh, good!” I smiled like an i***t he obviously thought that I was, and he looked at me strangely for the first time, “How well did you two plan everything! Just perfect! And everyone is happy, right?!”

His gaze shifted away but I continued, “Except for Demir who is going to be killed! And Primrose who is his sister and HATES Xander! And me! But who cares about us, right?! As long as you two get what you want!”

Gideon appeared next to me in no time, grasping my shoulders and shaking me vigorously. His glare told me that he was ready to do everything to make me shut up.

“You will be happy!” he almost shouted in my face, “Once we leave this place! Once you forget…”

“Forget?!” I interrupted his not impressive speech, rolling my eyes, “Do you really think that it is a possibility here?! I will NEVER forget how happy I WAS! HERE! WITH HIM!”

A slap stung my cheek and I covered it with my palm, tasting b***d in my mouth. I threw an angry gaze at him but saw that he was horrified with his own actions as well. At least there was a bit of sanity ib him.

“Lara, I…”

“Just leave me! I don’t want anything to do with you anymore!” tears rolled down my cheeks and I wiped them off my face quickly, because crying in front of him wasn’t an option. Not anymore.

“It’s fine,” he pulled me into an embrace from which I tried to get out desperately, but he was much taller and bigger than I was, so he made me stay in place as he whispered into my ear, “Everything will get back to normal. I’ll take you back home and over time you will find a way to forgive me. I’ll keep you safe, I’ll take care of you, I will give you whatever it is that you need, I’ll find a way! That’s a promise, Lara. I’ll make you happy!”

“You will only make me happy if you if you let Demir and me go,” I pronounced every word calmly and distinctively, “In any other case I will be hating you forever because you destroyed my life and killed my one and only soulmate. And THAT’S a promise, Gideon!”

“Soulmate?” he did not look happy at all, “This bond between the two of you will be gone the moment he dies! The mark will be gone and you will be free! You will see that I am right about it!”

“Is that what you’ve been telling yourself all the time?!” I snorted, not being able to deal with all that anymore, “Gideon, it’s called a soulmate for a reason! Even if you cut this mark out of my flesh, I will still love him! I will never forget him! He is a part of me as much as I am a part of him! If you hurt him, you will only be hurting me in the process.”

“Well, you seem fine now,” he smirked and looked at me with a challenge in his eyes. And I knew at once what he meant. They were torturing him and I didn’t feel it…

I returned him the slap with my wounded hand and felt how the stitches broke on the wound that he made. The b***d soaked through my bandages quickly and I hissed from the pain.

Gideon came to me, his cheek slightly red and swollen from my blow, and took my hand, looking at it with worry in his eyes. The anger was gone.

“I don’t understand,” he muttered, “Why don’t you heal?!”

“Maybe because you are torturing my soulmate?!” I pulled my arm out harshly. I was ready to feel any kind of pain just to avoid him touching me.

“Nonsense!” he spat, “It doesn’t work like that!”

“What would you know about it?! It’s not like you have someone like that!” I scoffed and he stepped away. His lips twitched and he clenched his feasts as he went for the balcony.

“Tonight is the Victory Feast,” he said without turning to look at me, “You and I are going together.”

“I think I’ll pass!” I scoffed, lowering myself into a chair as my head felt dizzy again.

“Not if you want to see your friend, the gerdian princess,” he stood on the rails and smirked at me as his wings spread behind his back, “Be ready in three hours.”

I took the nearest thing that I found that turned out to be a vase and threw it at him, however, it broke when it reached his feathers, they shined and seemed to be as strong as the best steel. He jumped down and in a second, I saw him taking up height as he flew somewhere far.

Dark smoked appeared right before I and Lisa stepped out. I prepared to a wave of hatred again but noticed that this time she had a bowl of water and a basket with medical supplies in her hands.

“I am fine,” I lied but she looked at me the way strict parents look at silly children.

“If you are not ready by the time he specified, people will be punished,” she explained coldly, “I need to patch you up, wash you, and dress you. Lives depend on it whether you like it or not.”

Just what was going on here?! What were they doing?

She worked in silence, redoing my broken stitches and changing the bandages.

“I think a dress with long sleeves will be appropriate tonight,” the maid stated plainly, “He ordered to throw away everything dark that you had, so now you are only left with the white dresses.”

“Not my biggest problem at the moment,” I muttered and she pressed on my arm painfully, making me screech slightly.

“Compared to others you don’t have troubles at all,” she stated bluntly and got up, “Time for a bath, my lady.”

I sighed and followed her, the nice and sunny girl in Lisa was gone. Probably as naïve and trusting one was gone in me…

She was braiding my hair when I finally decided to ask her what was bothering me all this time.

“How is Prim? Where is she?”

Lisa sighed and contemplated for a while whether to reply to me or not. But the good person in her won.

“She is in her old room. Locked and with the same bracelets that you are wearing now. Angry.”

“Xander Rust, did he…”, I swallowed a lump in my throat, “hurt her in any way?”

“I don’t think so,” she shook her head, “The princess is feisty. And he was busy now usurping the throne and fighting the small battles that occur here and there in the empire.”

“Good,” I mumbled, slightly relieved when the door behind us opened and Gideon walked into the wardrobe room we were at. He held a box in his hands and a dashing smile on his face. Yet Lisa and I greeted him with cold expressions.

“Lara, you look so beautiful!” he came closer, “So nice to see you in our colours again…”

“It’s not like I had a choice, right?!” I huffed, looking away.

“Anyway, I brought you a present,” he put the box in front of me, watching me expectantly. In the past, when he was bringing me anything, I clapped my hands like a child and jumped with joy. He was the only one who was giving me presents. But now I knew why. And didn’t want anything from him anymore.

“I don’t need it,” my reply sounded cold and firm.

“You don’t even know what that is!” he tried to reason with me.

“Regardless of what it is, I am not interested!”

Without saying anything else, he opened the box and I saw a huge and expensive diamond necklace in it. Clusters of big precious stones were arranged in flowers and leaves. If I were to put it on, it would probably cover my whole neck and chest, creating a beautiful effect. But I was not going to.

“What do you think now?” he smiled and took it in his hands as if to demonstrate it better.

“I think that you don’t know me at all, stepbrother,” I said dryly as Lisa put the last pin into my hair. Our eyes met just for a second and he dropped the jewellery back carelessly.

“Is this how you are going to play it?” he asked with a challenge.

“No,” I lifted my chin up high, “I am not planning to plan at all!”

“Are you so sure?!” he sneered, distorting his perfect angelic face and in just under a second he was next to Lisa, grabbing her by her neck and lifting her up in the air. She tried to scratch him but it was obviously not working and her legs were just twitching helplessly in the air.

“What are you doing?!” I screamed in horror, “Let her go!”

“Not until you learn how to behave!” he smirked coldly, “I am ready to forgive you a lot as it is. But you’ll have to behave, Lara!”

I froze for just a second and he squeezed her throat tighter, making her gurgle.

“Fine! Fine!” I yelled and grabbed the necklace, putting it on, “I get it!”

He dropped Lisa to the floor and I wanted to check on her when he caught me, “What do good girls say when they get presents.”

Our gazes locked and I gritted through my teeth, “Thank you, stepbrother.”

He didn’t look happy still but he forced a smile anyway, “Well, it’s a start. Just remember, Lara, that I still know you better than anyone. I know what you care about and how you will behave. That’s what helped us to win this war.”

He took the necklace and walked around me to help me put it on. The cold metal and stones seemed like a stranglehold, not letting me breathe properly. But from the corner of my eye, I saw Lisa getting back on her feet and her thankful gaze. And I felt a little bit better after that.

“Now,” Gideon offered me his hand, “Would you be so kind as to let me escort you to our victory celebrations.”

Without saying anything I put my hand in his and he led me out with a smug smile on his face. I never noticed that Deon could be so cruel… I wondered how many other things I didn’t notice about him before…

He brought me to the main hall, used for bigger events. This was where we once had the masquerade ball and this was where my and Demir’s engagement was supposed to be celebrated. I noticed that the flowers and ornaments prepared for it were still there, now used for a completely different occasion.

The huge doors opened before us and my lips parted in shock…