TAKEN BY THE DRAGON KING

Empty Spaces

*

Dracul pov.

I felt like I was floating, everything around me was sinking and flowing until I had no concept of time. Nothing had meaning and for the first time in years, I felt weightless.

I sighed, feeling the rise and fall of my chest. It didn’t hurt. Nothing hurt, nothing ached, and there was no fear holding me back.

There was no fear, no ache in my chest that told me that I had all of this responsibility. There was nothing that I had to worry about or keep in mind.

The weight of hundreds of years of leadership fell away until there was nothing left. I had forgotten what this felt like. I had forgotten the taste of freedom, the touch of peace.

I had forgotten what it felt like to be myself, unencumbered by the layers of leadership and stress that had enrobed me for so long.

First, it had been protecting my people from humans, humans who thought that they should fear and destroy us. That had been a long and bloody battle, and it had exhausted all of us.

Then, it had been fighting to consolidate my rulership and push aside those who would wage more war. The careful balance of peace had been challenging to maintain, difficult to handle.

And now, I was fighting for the life of my kingdom itself, the dank rot that was setting into our very land and destroying it from the inside out.

It had been nothing but an uphill battle since I became king. No, even before that. It had been nothing but wars and fighting and struggle for as long as I could remember.

But now, there was a chance to breathe. Now, there was a chance to exhale and just be. In this place, in this nowhere space, where I could just be.

This space, where I could just float and let my mind be, let it wander until I was finally able to rest. I had missed this feeling.

I had missed this sense of peace that overcame me and left me breathless. I had forgotten what it was like to just be.

But despite the peace, despite the comfort and the security that enveloped me, I felt like something was off.

In amongst this peace, this floating surety, I felt something tugging at my mind, pulling at the very edge of my vision.

There was something more. There was something that I had left unfinished. Was it my kingdom? Was it the weight of my people and the surety that I needed to help them?

No, it was more than that. I had already betrayed the trust of my people. I had already made a choice against their best interests.

I had already saved Elena.

Elena.

The thought struck me like a lightning bolt and it all came flooding back in.

She’d run away. She’d fled into the forest and I had gone after her. I had followed her, tracking her, my heart pounding with anxiety.

I had been so scared that I was going to lose her after I just risked everything to save her.

But I had made it in time. She was hurt, but alive and I had lost all sense of reason, all sense of self-control. I couldn’t remember the last time anger had seized me like that.

Five on one. The odds had not been in my favor, but I had taken them down, every single one of them. I remembered turning, feeling a burning pain in my side, and then nothing.

Nothing.

Blackness.

And now I was here.

Am I dead?

The thought sent a shudder of panic through me. I couldn’t be dead. Elena didn’t know her way back alone. I couldn’t be dead, because I might as well have signed her death warrant.

I pushed against the exhaustion, the floating weight that surrounded me.

Suddenly, it no longer felt comforting but stifling. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to pull away from its embrace. I shuddered, feeling nausea rise up inside of me.

I wanted out. I needed to get back to Elena. There was no way I could be dead.

I’d survived worse than this. I’d lived for hundreds of years. I wasn’t going to be beaten by a couple of rogue dragons on a hunt.

I was better than that.

Slowly, little by little, I pushed against the stifling, cloying heaviness that was all Consuming.

I pushed and pushed until I felt it start to give way.

I pushed and pushed, my body straining, my soul-shaking, until I felt it at ease, just a little.

I pushed myself up, taking a huge breath.

I gasped, and everything came rushing back.

Suddenly, I was surrounded by bright, blinding lights that clouded my vision. My side was burning like it was on fire. The pain thundered through my body and my head felt like it was filled with cotton wool.

“Dracul!” I heard a voice in the background.

Nothing was in focus and all I could feel was pain. But pain meant that I was alive. Pain meant that I was okay, I was here, I hadn’t lost myself to the darkness.

I felt a hand on my shoulder as my eyes focused on my surroundings. I blinked a few times, taking on the lights and books and paperwork that surrounded me.

I wasn’t in the forest anymore. I was in Gulliver’s office.

“Elena?” I said, my heart racing in my chest. If I was here, where was she?

I turned around frantically, wincing at the pull in my side.

“Dracul, I’m here.” I heard Elena’s voice, my eyes finally focusing enough to see her beside me. Her eyes were wide with worry and she looked like she hadn’t been sleeping.

“Never do that again!” I said, my voice weak from sleep. I wanted to grab her, to shake her, to make sure she understood how much danger she was in.

To make her understand that I couldn’t lose her. I didn’t want to lose her.

There were tears in her eyes and I immediately regretted my sharp words. Ignoring the ache in my side I leaned over and pulled her in.

She felt warm and solid in my arms and I shuddered in relief. She was safe. She was safe and she was here, and it was all I ever wanted.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, her voice cracking.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“It’s okay.” I mumbled, shuddering and pulling her closer, “It’s okay.”

She buried her head against my chest and I held her near. I stroked her hair, running my fingers through it.

My body felt like it was on fire, and I couldn’t remember feeling such pain before. But right now, I didn’t care.

Having Elena in my arms was so much more important.

She looked up at me and I took in her tear-stained face. I wanted to make her feel better. I wanted to wipe away all the fear and pain she had gone through.

I kissed her.

I pressed my lips against hers and pulled her in. Her eyes widened in surprise and I tangled my fingers through her hair.

She melted against me, her body molding to mine. I pulled her in, breathing in the scent of her.

I could still smell traces of the other dragons on her, the faintest tinge of blood, but she seemed unharmed.

I felt a possessive feeling push up inside of me, clouding my thoughts. I wanted her and I wanted her to know that she was mine, that I was here.

I needed to know that she was still safe, that she was here, that she wasn’t going anywhere.

She tumbled against me, bracing her hands on either side of me and taking much of her own weight.

I shivered. She was thinking about me, considering my needs in a way that most people neglected to do.

I pulled her on top of me anyway.

I could feel the hard lines of wood beneath me, but I didn’t care where we were. Right here and now, this was all that mattered.

I kissed her until I desperately needed to take in air. And then I kissed her more.

She moaned against me and I felt shivers move through my body. I grabbed her skin, sliding my hands up her skirts and gripping her tightly.

She was absolutely flawless. She was perfect in ways that I could never have imagined. I never wanted to let her go. Not for a single second.

Lost in the moment, I could think of nothing but her. Her skin felt so soft, and even though I was weakened from the fight, I knew I had the strength for this.

She gave me strength when I had none. She pulled it from the deepest reserves within me. She made me fight. She pushed me forwards.

Elena.

I groaned, rocking her against me, shivering at the friction through the fabric of my pants. I thought about how she had felt against my body and arousal shot through me.

I was so lost in the moment, that I didn’t bother to take in my surroundings. It was only when I heard the intake of breath that I realized we were not alone.