Captive Fire (5 page)

Drakon nodded. “Yes.”

Ryuu sighed and rolled over, using his robe to wipe
them clean. He turned off the light when he tossed the garment to the floor.
“Sleep, then, Drakon,” he murmured, pulling the silk blanket over them both. He
settled against his lover’s body and let the night claim him.

****

Drakon waited until he felt Ryuu slip back into sleep.
Then he let the tears come. He’d found his mate, the dream of every dragon
shifter. The moment Ryuu’s teeth touched his skin, he’d known. He’d felt the
change deep within his body as his instincts recognized the possibility of the
bond. His scent mutated slightly. He knew Ryuu noticed that part of it, but the
prince obviously did not understand why Drakon suddenly smelled so sweet. If
Drakon bit Ryuu, it would initiate the rest of the bond.

And he is my mortal enemy. He’s not of the dragon-kin,
Drakon reminded himself, shuddering silently with the
pain of his knowledge. They could never truly be one, because the soul bond
that linked mates together happened only between the kin, between dragons of
equal strength and fortitude. Since dragons were so rare that less than one
usually appeared in each generation, and only in certain bloodlines, those who
were lucky enough to find mates were the rarest of them all.
Though
the reality that I am his slave is even worse than enduring a half-bond with a
human.

Ryuu moved, sighing in his sleep. Drakon closed his
eyes.
It doesn’t matter. I knew I would die here, and likely sooner rather
than later,
he thought fatalistically. He’d hoped he could locate the rebel
who had been feeding his people information from within the citadel, the
self-named “Desert Dragon,” but now that he was here, he realized that would be
next to impossible. He would have liked to thank the man for everything he’d
done so far to stop the emperor’s mad invasions, but locating him would be
tantamount to suicide for the rebel. The citadel was a military fortress. The
punishment for treason was surely swift and fatal.

It doesn’t matter,
he told himself as Ryuu shifted again, throwing an arm around Drakon.
I
will do what I can.
He stroked a palm down the prince’s arm, quieting him.
He would sabotage Emperor Midian’s plans to conquer his people, hopefully kill
the sadistic bastard. Then maybe Drakon could die with dignity. All he wanted
to do was save his people and have them understand that even black dragons have
honor.
And before I die, I will have had
the succor of a lover’s body. That is a gift I didn’t anticipate. I can’t ask for
more
.
He huddled into
Ryuu’s warmth, hating that he needed the comfort as exhaustion dragged him into
sleep.

****

Doors banged open, jerking Drakon awake.

“Sire!
Your father is coming,” a woman’s voice hissed.

Metal chains fell across Drakon’s legs, and his eyes
snapped open. He blinked, surprised to see morning sunlight streaming down from
the crystals in the ceiling.

A woman
wearing polished leather armor stood over him. Her
light brown hair was shorn close to her skull and she had a scar that ran from
her right temple to her jaw. When their eyes met, she scowled and shifted her
gaze to the other man in the bed.
“Sire!
You must wake
up.”

“Svana?”
The sleep-clogged voice of the prince shivered like
silk over Drakon’s skin. “What are you doing here? I thought I locked the
doors.”

“You did, but it is morning and there is trouble
afoot. Chain your slave,” she said, pivoting to face the door. “The emperor
comes.”

Ryuu tensed.
“How long?”

“Five minutes at the most,” another guard near the
door said tersely.

Ryuu cursed and threw back the silk covers. “Drakon,
give me your hands,” he said, picking up the silver chains.

Drakon rubbed his face, still sleepy. “What’s
happening?”

“Your hands!”
Ryuu had unraveled the links and now held open a set
of manacles.

Drakon thought of arguing, but if the emperor was
indeed on his way, fighting with the man who’d shown him kindness and comfort
wasn’t the way he wanted to meet his ultimate adversary. Silent, he held out
his arms. Ryuu hurriedly snapped the cuffs shut and pressed his finger to the
key pad. Light flared as the manacles read his genetic code. Now only Ryuu
would be able to remove them. They were looser than Drakon had expected, but
the cold, familiar weight of restraints made his gut twist. He hadn’t realized
how much he’d appreciated not being chained up.

Ryuu pressed his lips together as their fingers
tangled. Then he reached up and looped the end of the chains around a hook
above the bed. Drakon hadn’t even realized it was there. The prince frowned,
pressed a stud, and the hook ratcheted into the wall to effectively imprison
Drakon.

“There’s a chamber pot under the nightstand,” Ryuu
muttered, running his hands through his hair as he hurriedly pulled on a robe.
“Just in case.”

Drakon didn’t think Ryuu realized he’d pulled on the
green robe he’d worn last night.
Not that it matters,
he thought
bitterly.
Both robes are his. I own nothing but my skin.

Drakon had tried to cover himself while Ryuu had
donned his robe, but he couldn’t even kick the blankets over his legs. One
sharp glance from Ryuu curtailed his attempts at modesty.

“He comes,” the male guard by the door said,
stiffening.

“Of course he does, Zinan,” Ryuu said, pouring a glass
of water and arranging
himself
near the table. He
affected a casual pose, sipping at his drink.

Drakon licked his dry lips. Ryuu spared him one last
sad glance before his face slid into a neutral expression.
“At
attention, Svana.
Zinan.”

The guards snapped their fists to their chests and
stood on either side of the door. When the boom of a fist sounded on the other
side, Ryuu nodded. Svana stepped forward and slid open a panel at eye height.

“It is the emperor, Sire,” she said formally.

“My father, hmm?
By all means, open the door for him, Svana.” Ryuu
sipped from his glass, but the liquid in the tumbler didn’t go down.

From what Drakon could see, he wasn’t drinking at all.
He affects a pose, to confuse his father.
Drakon approved. The more he saw of this man, the Arethuza prince he’d thought
would be his mortal enemy, the more he liked him.
Which is a good thing, since you are bonding
to him.

“Majesty,” Zinan said, bowing low. Svana followed
suit. A man of average height walked into the room, trailed by four stone-faced
guards. The emperor wore red pants with a red tunic and half-armor protecting
his chest, also red. His graying hair was brushed back from his forehead,
showing a lined face with cold, silver eyes just like Ryuu’s. His guards wore
full armor in a deep maroon shade.

All of them look like they bathed in blood.
Hatred flared through Drakon, and he lowered his eyes
so they wouldn’t see his loathing for them. The last thing he needed was to
draw attention to
himself
.

The emperor halted, well away from his son’s reach.
With military precision, the guards formed up around the ruler and settled into
a protective stance.

 
“Well, well, my
son. I see you have enjoyed yourself this past night,” the emperor said. His
voice conveyed equal parts disgust and approval as he glanced at the bed. His
cold gaze dismissed Drakon almost immediately.

Of course he thinks nothing of me,
Drakon mused. His stomach hurt from trying to swallow
his rage. This was the man who’d shattered centuries of peace and begun a
campaign to conquer the world. Decades of war had bathed Aiyana in blood, from
her deserts to the mountains, all because of one man’s obsession with ruling.
To
him I am not a person. I am a slave.
A nonentity.

“Did you not expect me to enjoy myself, Father?” Ryuu
asked languidly, sipping his drink again, almost contemptuously, it seemed to
Drakon. Some dark part of him approved of the prince’s little rebellion against
Emperor Midian’s arrogance, but another, saner, part wished Ryuu would not play
the hedonist so blatantly.
It must be the
bond,
he thought, disturbed.
I’m
worried about him.
He bit his lip.
I’d
heard that bonding happened almost immediately, but I thought it an
exaggeration.

The emperor waved his hand. “You refuse to give me an
heir of your body. I care not what you do with your slave at this point.” He
pinned his son with a glare. “However, I do care what you do with your loyalty
and time. You will attend me within the half hour. We have a new campaign that
must be completed today.”

Ryuu abruptly lost his relaxed pose.
“Another battle?
I thought you’d decided to keep the borders
stable for the next few months.” He carefully put his water on the table,
then
shoved it until the glass slid across the smooth
surface and fell over the far side. It shattered against the floor. No one even
flinched.

The emperor laughed. “That was when I was hoping for
you to take a concubine. I’d intended on giving you some time to relax with her
and get her with child.” His face hardened. “That time is no longer necessary,
is it, my son? You’ve chosen to squander your seed into the dirt.”

Ryuu clenched his fists behind his back. Drakon could
see his struggle for control, but to the emperor and his guards he would look
strong and unconcerned. “Why is my seed so important to you?” Ryuu asked.

The emperor’s eyes flashed. “It belongs to me! Do you
have any idea of what I had to do to claim your mother?
Her
bloodline?
I bought the right to that seed with my warriors’ blood and
unfair bargaining, and you refuse to cooperate!” He took a deep breath and
calmed slightly. “Since you are so stubborn, you will be in charge of capturing
your lovely cousins for me. It seems I will need a new queen sooner rather than
later, and I refuse to let that bloodline go to waste. You have fifteen minutes
to present yourself to me.” With those words, he pivoted and strode out of the chambers.

“Bastard!”
Ryuu burst out once the doors shut behind him.

“What is he talking about, Sire?” Zinan asked, slowly
relaxing from his rigid stance.

Ryuu tore off his robe and flung it to the ground. “My
mother bought her people’s freedom with her body. She agreed to marry my father
only if he left them alone.” He violently shoved his legs into black leather
pants. “The Mirai had to become subject to my father’s authority, of course,
but he let them live peacefully, at the foot of the Western Sea. But now she is
dying, as everyone knows. You would think that when we conquered the stars
between planets, we would also have conquered cancer, but no.”

“What does he hope to gain from her people?” Svana
asked, walking over and helping him buckle his armor across his torso.

“He thinks that some of her people can shift into
dragon form.” Ryuu made a disgusted sound. “It’s stupid, of course. There is no
such creature.” He twisted his shoulders and settled his weapons across his
chest. “But he wants a pet, don’t you see? He wants a pet dragon who he can
command to do his will.” He sighed and grabbed his sidearm. “Sometimes I think
the blood he’s spilled has infected his mind with insanity.”

Drakon stared as Ryuu stomped into his boots. The
emperor wanted his son to capture his cousins to serve as sex slaves? The
hatred he thought could grow no worse deepened. Emperor Midian was a truly
sadistic creature.

“I won’t do it,” Ryuu muttered, checking his weapons
one last time.

“You won’t be able to help all of the Mirai,” Svana
quietly pointed out.

“We will need to find a way to help my cousins
escape,” Ryuu said. “I can’t let two innocent girls become his slaves.” With
that, he glanced at Drakon,
then
grimaced. “I’m
sorry.”

Drakon took a deep breath. “Release me. I can help
you.”

Ryuu shook his head. “I can’t. You would die the
moment you left this room.” He looked at the nightstand,
then
lifted his gaze back to Drakon.

Don’t get
angry at him. It won’t help
, Drakon
told himself. Ryuu’s silver irises seemed to hold a thousand different
thoughts, none of which he could decipher. “I promise I will stay in your
chambers,” he said, wondering if he had to beg. “Please. Take off the chains.”
His voice broke despite his vow to remain calm.

Ryuu tightened his hands into fists. “My father’s
spies might come to see if you’re truly my slave.” His attention flicked to the
nightstand again before shifting back to Drakon.

“And you would leave me defenseless?” Drakon’s voice
shook. Frustrated, he rattled his chains. “I vow I will do nothing to harm you.
And you said there are no recording devices here.”