Chapter 202: I make them crave me

Azura’s POV

I stormed at her, feeling the fierce rush of having the upper hand.

My fists tightened as I fist-bumped them together, completely ready to give her a natural makeover.

But then I heard it, a strange switching sound coming from right behind me.

I twirled deliberately on my heel to see what was creeping up behind my back.

Just then, the confident smirk died instantly on my face, and my entire body froze into blocks of ice as soon as my eyes made direct contact with the source of the noise.

It was it, the very thing that started all this chaos.

A dark, swirling black portal. It started as a tiny opening in the air, then widened bit by bit, spinning with dark smoke all around it.

The first thing that came to mind was those terrifying creatures with black eyes and dead, dry skin.

No, this cannot be happening again. I wanted to turn away from it, to see what was happening where I had left the imposter, to know if she had a hand in it.

But before I could turn fully around, I felt an invisible force hit me.

It slammed into me so hard that I flew up into the air and landed far away from her.

I cried out in pain as my body made hard contact with the ground.

Still lying flat on the floor, I heard heavy footsteps stomping on the dirt in a fast motion.

I raised my head and saw Amanda making her way toward the portal, and Isadora too.

No, they cannot escape. I have to stop them.

I looked over at the corner to see Torin, but he was lying completely knocked out.

I desperately needed to do something. I tried to stand up, but a massive wave of pain washed over my entire body, making me shriek out in agony.

I moved my gaze back to Amanda. She was already entering the portal, with Isadora following just four steps behind her.

"Someone stop them, please," I whispered, feeling completely helpless at the moment.

Just as Isadora was about to step through, someone tackled her down to the ground.

As soon as this happened, the portal started shrinking.

Little by little, it dwindled until it disappeared into the air, into nothingness.

Isadora looked up at the person, ready to chant some deadly spells, but she was knocked out cold with one heavy punch.

I glanced over to see who the warrior was, but to my absolute shock, it was a lady.

"Aunt Ellisa?" I gasped out in immense surprise, as I gawked at her.

*****************

Liona’s POV

I sat at the window nook and wore an absorbed look as my eyes scanned the book in my hand.

Everything else that existed in my room disappeared. I couldn’t even remember how long I had been here.

Then a loud knock interrupted my quiet time. I tore my gaze away from the book and shifted it to the door as another loud bang rang out.

"Who is it?" I sighed, closing the book and standing up from the window nook.

"It’s Faey, my lady," the servant answered patiently.

"What do you want, Faey?" I asked as I dropped myself onto the mattress, my arms spread wide while staring at the flowered ceiling of my room.

"Your mother and father called for your presence, my lady."

What now? I just want my quietness.

"I will be right there," I dismissed her.

"Yes, my lady."

I heard her footsteps fade away from the door. I exhaled, stood up, straightened my dress, and marched to the door.

When I got to the chamber where my parents were, I heard voices coming from the inside. Which meant they had guests.

I grasped and twisted the doorknob; it creaked open. I stepped inside. My gaze landed on my parents first.

"Father, Mother, you called for me?" I said respectfully.

"Yes, my dear. You see, we have a gentle guest who seems to have an interest in you," my father remarked as his gentle gaze rested on me.

I froze as my body drowned in a cold sweat, my hands shaking.

What? This was what I was scared of. I didn’t want to be married to anyone other than him.

Wait... whaaat?

"Liona?" My mother’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I let out a breath.

"Father, Mother, I do not wish to get married to any man, for my heart belongs to another," I spouted without thinking, refusing to glance at the so-called gentleman.

That alone should tell him that I am of no interest to him. He doesn’t intrigue me, so he might as well fade away from here.

"What nonsense are you saying, young lady?" my father groaned with furrowed brows.

"I found my mate, and I was planning to introduce you two to him," my hazel eyes dropped to my hands, which were twirling my dress.

"And he won’t be happy if he comes to know about this."

Blink, blink.

My parents stared at me speechlessly. But my mother was the first to break the silence.

"You found your mate?" she beamed as she stood, strode towards me, and pulled me for a hug.

"Oh Goddess, my daughter found her mate!"

An affectionate curve found my lips. I wrapped my arms around her, not bothered about revealing my mate just yet.

But would they still let me go if they found out he’s a dragon? The king himself.

Hah... I just hope things go well.

She pulled back, her sight softening on my face. Then she turned to the guests, whom I refused to acknowledge, and pleaded,

"We apologize for false hopes, and we will definitely compensate your family for the embarrassment, my lord."

There was silence; no reply came from the so-called guest.

My father was quiet, but his hazel eyes didn’t miss a thing.

Then the silence broke.

A deep, familiar voice spread wide in the room.

"I won’t leave until I have what I’m here for."

I froze instantly. Without a second thought, I spun around to confirm. And there he was.

Relaxing comfortably on the armchair, his legs crossed together.

What is he doing here? Where are his horns and tattoos? Why can’t I feel the mate bond? Was it all fake? Was I fooled?

The questions ran helter-skelter in my head.

"Look, son, we can’t force our only child into marriage. And since she claims to have found her mate, I suggest we cancel any other arrangement we had," my father muttered calmly.

Son? Humph. Father will be in extreme shock if he finds out that the young man is old enough to be his grandfather.

I felt someone’s gaze on me and shifted mine to meet it.

His grey eyes were looking at me like I was the only thing that mattered right now.

And I had a lot of questions swimming in my mind.

"Can I talk to him alone, Father?" I moved my gaze to my father, giving him a reassuring look that said, I’ve got things under control.

My father exhaled, stood up, and pulled my mother with him.

"You two talk and let us know what you’ve decided."

I nodded. "Thank you, Father."

The door closed behind them, and just immediately, the energy in the room shifted.

The mate bond swirled out, wrapping every part of me.

I twirled deliberately to face him. And he was on his feet just a few inches away from me, his horns and tattoos back like they never left.

How was he doing that?

"Long time no see, my queen." He took my hand and pressed his lips to the back of my palm.

My face went hot. I felt the blush spread across my cheeks. I looked away, suddenly fascinated by a crack in the stone wall.

Then reality hit me. What was he doing here?

I pulled my hand back, stepping away from his sudden warmth.

My chest heaved as I tried to process the shock, my fingers twisting into the fabric of my dress.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice sounding incredibly flustered under his heavy gaze.

"And what is all this?"

I waved my hand aggressively around his face, trying to make sense of his changing features and the way he had fooled my parents.

He didn’t look bothered at all by my panic.

A calm, highly amused expression crossed his face as he locked his grey eyes onto mine.

"Well, I am here to seek your hand in marriage. Is that not obvious?"

I paused, my jaw dropping slightly. My mouth opened to argue, but absolutely no words came out.

My brain felt like it was spinning in circles, completely stuck on his smooth reply.

Before I could even find my tongue, he beat me to speaking.

"Besides, you told your parents you had a mate," he continued, stepping a little closer with a small, knowing tilt of his lips.

"So why don’t you introduce them to me?"

I stared right back at him, my eyes narrowing as my defensive instincts kicked into gear.

"Hold on. I only said that because I thought it was someone else."

He tilted his head sideways, examining my face with deep curiosity.

"That means you do not want to just be with anyone else."

"I said it to escape marriage," I snapped, quickly crossing my arms over my chest to build a barrier between us.

"That does not mean I want to get married to you right away."

He didn’t stay back. He walked closer, his heavy footsteps making no sound against the floor as his steady grey eyes trapped my gaze.

"You do not?" he murmured, his deep voice sending a sudden shiver straight down my spine.

He took another step, closing the remaining space between us until I could feel the heat radiating off his body.

"You do not?" he repeated, his tone dropping even softer, turning into a low, hypnotic whisper that made my knees feel slightly weak.

I forced myself to hold my ground, gripping my own arms tightly so I wouldn’t take a cowardly step backward.

I raised a finger, pointing it directly at his skin to keep him from getting any closer.

"You have not answered my question. What is this? And what happened to your horns? Your tattoos? Why did they disappear? What did you do? Including the bond"

He stopped, looking down at his own inked skin for a brief second before focusing his eyes back on me.

"Just like werewolves have their human form and their wolf form," he explained calmly, his voice completely smooth.

"A dragon also has a human form and a dragon form."

My brows furrowed as I tried to follow his logic.

"If you have your dragon form and human form, then what do you call this form? The one with the horns and the tattoos?"

He smiled, a beautiful, dazzling curve that made my heart skip a dangerous beat.

"That is my human form."

"Then why did they disappear just a few minutes ago?" I asked, completely confused by how he could just wash away his most defining features.

He showed an incredible amount of patience, keeping his gaze steady as he spoke.

"Because I wanted them to. I can either have my horns visible or not. I chose to make them disappear. If I am coming to your pack, I need to look more human. It would not do to cause unnecessary attention."

"What about the..."

He cut me off immediately. "I blocked it from you. I wanted to surprise you."

I nodded slowly, processing the weight of his words.

Wow. They actually get to choose. Normal human appearance, half-dragon with horns and markings, or a full, soaring dragon.

Dragon people are truly so powerful; it is terrifying.

"Well, since you are the one seeking my hand in marriage," I said out loud, lifting my chin to show him I wasn’t entirely intimidated by his secret abilities.

"And since you are my fated mate... I cannot just send you back."

He nodded once, accepting my statement with an incredibly smug look.

"No. You cannot send me back without coming with me."

I lifted my chin even higher, refusing to let him think he had won this battle so easily.

"But that does not mean I will accept you easily. If you want to win a girl, you need to court her. You have to do the job of making me fall for you. Or get out of my face."

Satisfied with my terms, I turned around, fully intending to march straight to the door and leave him alone in the room.

But I didn’t even make it a single step.

His large hand caught my waist from behind, his grip firm and completely unyielding.

With one swift movement, he pulled me straight back against his solid frame. My back hit his broad chest with a soft thud, and my breath hitched as his arms locked me against his body.

He bent his head down, his lips moving right against the sensitive skin of my ear.

His breath was incredibly warm, sending a fierce, electric jolt through my entire body.

"Are you sure you are ready for me to court you?" he whispered, his deep voice vibrating right against my skin. "Because I do not just court women... I make them want me."

He paused, his voice dropping even lower, turning into a rough, dark growl that made my heart race frantically against my ribs.

"I make them crave me."