I'm The Dragon King's Slave

Chapter Ten: My Courtesan

As the dust settles from my life threatening duel, Alarik pulls me into his arms in front of everyone.
"By royal decree, I claim this woman as my royal courtesan." He announces.
"As in, your royal mistress?" I gasp. Alarik nods, avoiding my gaze, and instead addressing his subjects.
"Yes. A woman like an equal to my queen. Mine to treasure and bed whenever I please. My paramour."
"Your WHAT?!" Celeste shrieks.
"You all heard me." Alarik says. Celeste fumes as Alarik lifts me from the fighting pit and drags me away from the crowd.

He's doing this to protect me. I know that. But still... His grip is hot and hard over my arm, pulling me back to the forest with little effort.
"Alarik, what were you thinking?" I demand.
"That I had no other choice. This was–" Alarik halts in his tracks when someone appears in our path.
"Ah, my king. So, Lavena will be your royal courtesan?" The High Priest asks. His elderly face now on display.
"High Priest. I didn't realize you heard that." Alarik says in shock. The priest cocks his head, an unreadable, unsettling expression on his face.
"Tell me, what brought about this decision, Your Grace?" He asks. Alarik's grip on me tightens.

"Even with my upcoming wedding, I can't deny. I crave this woman." Alarik threads his hand around my waist and my mark thrums with his unease. Is he trying to convince the priest this is genuine?
"My queen will not satisfy my appetites, but my courtesan is more than willing." Alarik continues. Celeste and the other dragons catch up to us. Surrounded, Alarik bends me back and leans in, his mouth so close to mine.
"Aren't you willing, my pet?" He asks. I feel the priest's eyes on me, as well as Celeste's and the royal court's. But most of all, I feel Alarik. His intensity. His desire. He whispers into my mouth.
"Show them how much you crave me, too." I look around at the gawking dragons and gulp, bring my lips to his, capturing them in a quick kiss. The moment we separate, Alarik grabs my wrist and pulls me back to his tent at a furious pace.

When we're safely hidden behind the canvas of the tent, Alarik sets me down onto the bed. I back away from him.
"Alarik, this is crazy." I laugh.
"It was the only way to keep you from being killed." He says angrily, "Why did you jump into that pit?" Alarik's wrathful eyes pierce me in the darkness and I feel a pang of guilt.
"I had to. I couldn't let Lillian die like that." Alarik paces, running a hand through his hair.
"If you'd given me a second to think, I could have saved her without risking–"
"You can't save everyone all by yourself, Alarik." I cut in.
"Neither can you!" He shoots back. Before I'm able to respond, the entrance to the tent blows open with black fury as Celeste storms inside.
"You made that pathetic fucktoy your royal courtesan? In front of everyone?" She yells, hands balled into angry fists.
"Don't talk about her that way." Alarik demands.
"You forget that I have far more power than you, Alarik." Celeste scoffs, "I know what you did to Xander." Alarik pales at Celeste's words. She strides up to him, and to my shock... Alarik backs up.
"You killed your best friend. You murdered him." She spits.
"That's not true. Alarik didn't want to." I say.
"I don't believe that for a second." Celeste scoffs, "He had the power to stop the fight without taking Xander's life. She rounds on Alarik again, backing him into the corner of the tent.
"You enjoyed it, didn't you? Watching him die?" She asks.
"No, I–"
"You bathed in his blood, laughed as he died." Celeste continues, giving Alarik no chance to speak, "He was your friend, Alarik! He was like your brother! You disloyal, traitorous murderer!" Celeste raises her hand to strike Alarik. To my shock, he doesn't move. She's breaking him. Celeste's hand flies through the air, her nails like knives. I dart forward to catch her hand, but I'm too slow. Celeste's hand makes contact with Alarik's face. I har his skin rip. As I push Celsete aside, I see blood trickle down his jaw. But the hurt in his eyes is worse.
"Now for your little whore." Celeste starts.
"You won't touch her." Alarik growls.
"What are you going to do to stop me?" She demands, "Don't forget, I know your secret. I'll torture Lavena however I see fit. In here, in front of others–"
"You're forgetting I just named her my paramour." Alarik cuts her off. He looks up, still shaking in anger, but beginning to heal.
"In her new position, Lavena is no longer a slave. She has a much higher station. And I am still your king." Celeste's eyes widen.
"But I can expose you. You killed Xander!" She exclaims.
"No one will believe you right now. They'll assume you're making the accusation to get revenge on Lavena." A hint of a smirk plays on Alarik's lips. Celeste's jaw drops, completely lost for words.
"You should leave now." I say, moving beside Alarik, "Have a nice night."
"What did you say?" She gasps. Celeste lunges for me, but Alarik stops with a dangerous glare.
"I believe she said have a nice night. You'd do well to return the polite gesture and get the hell out." Celeste grits her teeth, looking from Alarik to me. But after a long, tense moment, she sweeps out of the tent.

Finally alone, I exhale and Alarik's shoulders ease.
"Did you really mean what you said?" I ask, "As a courtesan I'll be of a higher status?" Alarik nods.
"Yes. Celeste is still a dragon and will be queen, but you'll have far more power and status than you did before." He sighs, casting his eyes down, "It also means you'll have to play your part as myparamour. Sit on my lap, eat from my place, allow me to touch you in public." My heart skips a beat.
"That sound doable. I think I'll manage." Alarik lets out a low laugh.
"Good. It's a small price compared to dying in a duel with a dragon."
"Right..." I remember what Alarik said about our bond. About the tether causing
each other pain.
"I'm sorry. If I died in that fighting pit, you could have too."
"Do you really believe that's why I'm upset?" Alarik asks.
"What?" I look up at Alarik. He stares at me, his sharp features glinting in the candlelight.
"Do you really think I was afraid for my own life?" He asks.
"No." I shake my head, "I shouldn't have said that." With inhuman speed and strength, Alarik takes my face in his hands.
"You should know by now that you are my only concern." His eyes, as deep and churning as the depths of the sea, bare into mine.
"Alarik–" He drags his thumb over my bottom lip, parting it for him.
"I can't lose you, Lavena." Alarik pulls me in, pressing his scorching mouth to mine.
"I've lost too much for this wretched life of mine. Far too much." My tongue dances with his in a breathless kiss. Taking a few steps backward, I melt back onto the mattress and Alarik climbs on top of me.
"I can't lose you, too. I can't." He says as his kiss drifts down to my neck and his hands glide over the curves of my body. I feel where his hands long to go. Where he longs to tear the fabric and feel me. The loud noises of the dragons outside make him hesitate, eyes glancing toward the tent opening. Then, he pulls away, facing the far wall of the tent and bowing his head.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
"I'm fine." A fatigued laugh escapes him and I think I hear something else in it.
"Alarik... when you said you'd already lost too much in your life... were you talking about your future?" I ask, "Because of your curse?"
"No. It's not that." He rubs his forehead. My small distance from him on the bed seems to grow.
"I know you don't want to talk about it, but–"
"It won't do any good." Alarik stops me.
"I don't believe that." Alairk sighs, gripping the sheets beneath him.
"I was talking about my brother. My twin. I was... responsible for his death." So Alarik was a twin and lost his brother. Just like me. My heart sinks as I sense the full weight of his pain. His shoulders shake.
"I was forced to kill him in a battle I didn't want to fight." Alarik goes on.
"You couldn't walk away?" I ask.
"I din't know. Maybe I could have done things differently. Maybe I could have saved him." Alarik sets his jaw and buries his hands in his hair.
"But I didn't. He died, and it was the last loss my mother could handle. She already lost my father because of the curse. When she lost my brother... she killed herself." Oh my god.
"In a very short time, I lost everyone." Alarik continues, "I killed my family. My own death won't compare to that pain." He thinks he's responsible for their deaths? A long, painful silence falls over the room and I can feel that he doesn't want to talk about this anymore.
"We should get some sleep." I say quietly. Alarik blinks at my words and rises off of the bed, heading for a plush chair in the corner. I don't fight him on it as he settles into the chair on the opposite side of the tent. As the fog of sleep takes me, a strange dream surfaces...

My bare feet slick on the damp rock floor of an underground tunnel. I take in the thick air, the cool breeze. This isn't just a dream. It feels real.
"Lavena." I freeze as a commanding deepp voice echoes my name down the black tunnel. What was that?
"Lavena, Lavena, Lavena," The echoing voice says my naim again. Louder.
"Wh-Who are you?" I call out. Rather than answer, the voice calls my name again. Closer. I take a few careful steps back, then increase my speed, sprinting away from the source of the sound.

The cave seems to go on forever. I think it may never end when suddenly I see a figure in the distance.
"Running away won't do." The young man walks up to me with a patient smile.
"Hello, Lavena. I'm Mikhail." He introduces himself.
"What is this?" I demand, "What kind of dream is this?"
"This is real." Mikhail says, "I real and human, same as you."
"How is that possible?" I ask, "This is a dream but it feels like–" I start to back away, my heart pounding.
"I told you. Running away won't do." He says again.
"Why should I listen to anything you have to say?" I ask.
"Because I summoned you here." Mikhail replies, "I am in control of this world." I freeze in my tracks. The young man walks toward me, his face calm and stoic.
"Listen, I am the leader of a small group of humans who can harness magic." He says.
"That's possible?" I gasp. He nods.
"Yes. And our goal is to restore freedom to the human race." I can barely believe what I'm hearing. The young man steps closer.
"Until now, we didn't have enough power to execute our plans. Now until you landed in the Old Palace."
"Me?" I ask.
"Yes, Lavena. You are the key. The key to our freedom."