Chapter 97

Anila’s POV

“He’s here,” I whispered, staring at the shadows. They followed my gaze to the shadowy region; Zach furrowing his brows together.

“In the shadows?” Zach asked, looking at me like I had just lost my mind.

I nodded.

“Yes,” I answered. “He’s hiding himself.”

“He’s being a fucking coward is what he’s being,” Zach hissed, glaring at the shadows. “A real man would show himself.”

I folded my arms around my body as I waited for Jaxon’s response. Soon, the shadows grew closer, and Jaxon’s image became clearer. I looked at Zach who had lost all signs of fight and he now looked small in comparison. I knew he wasn’t really expecting to be face to face with the Dragon King himself and now that he was, he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

I put my hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring smile.

“He’s not going to hurt any of us,” I assured him.

“Maybe he won’t hurt you,” Zach murmured.

“He won’t hurt you either,” I promised.

“Why did you bring them?” Jaxon finally spoke after what felt like an eternity of awkward silence. He was eyeing the two men standing by side like he was expecting a fight to break out.

“You’d be delusional if you thought we were going to have her walk here alone,” Zach said through his teeth, that fight returning to him quickly.

“I just wanted to spend a little more time with them before I left,” I answered honestly. “I’m not sure how long we are going to be gone for.”

“If you hurt her—” Zach started to seethe.

“I have no intentions of doing so,” Jaxon said, cutting him off. “Your mate is safe, wolf.”

“Just watch yourself,” Zach demanded.

“Zach, please,” I said, turning to face him. “I can’t do this without your support. I need to know that you’re going to be okay when I’m gone.”

His eyes finally tore from Jaxon’s, and he looked down at me. At first, I thought he was going to argue, but then he sighed, and his gaze softened.

“I support you,” he finally said. “Just come back to us safely.”

I nodded and I then wrapped my arms around him to hug him tightly. After a moment, I pulled apart, but not before Zach’s lips were on mine and he possessively kissed me. I wasn’t really expecting the kiss, but I also didn’t fight him. I knew he needed this just as badly as I did, and I was obliged to his silent command.

When I pulled apart, breathless and rosy-cheeked, I turned to Harley and hugged him next. Harley’s hug was tender and loving as he lifted me into his arms and kept me close to his chest. When I looked up at him, his lips also conquered my mouth, but it was different. It wasn’t possessive and needy, it was caring and filled with a little uncertainty. I could tell he was scared and trying hard not to show it.

“Be safe, Anila,” he whispered against my lips.

I smiled at him and then nodded.

“Keep Xaden safe,” I told him.

“You have my word.”

He put me down on the ground and straightened myself out before turning back to Jaxon who was trying hard not to watch us, but I could tell he was annoyed by the look on his face. I walked over to him with a rapidly beating heart and I looked up at him.

“Ready?” I asked him.

“Yup,” he murmured. Then he took my arm in his and glared back at the other two. “Gentlemen.”

“What exactly do you want with her?” Harley suddenly asked before we could walk away.

Jaxon draped a protective arm around my shoulders and corked an eyebrow at them both, making my entire face heat.

“That’s our business,” Jaxon said, his voice dropping low and making my stomach flip inside out. “Don’t worry… I’ll make sure she’s plenty satisfied.”

I knew Jaxon was just trying to get a rise out of them, but I wasn’t sure why. Both Harley and Zach looked furious, and Zach let out a low growl of warning.

It made Jaxon laugh as he spun me around and started to walk away. It took everything I had not to run back to them, but I had to keep reminding myself that I was doing this for Xaden.

I was expecting to find a car outside the pack lines, but there wasn’t. Instead, we walked to the nearby town, which was only about 20 minutes away. We walked mainly in silence; he told me he wasn’t going to tell me what the plan was until we reached our destination, so I figured now wasn’t a good time to ask him anything about it.

It was like a ghost town; there wasn’t even a car that passed for miles. All the businesses were either closed or run down. We reached a church that looked as if it hadn’t been used in years and I was surprised when Jaxon walked around the building and toward the back door.

“A church?” I asked, raising my brows. It was the first time I had spoken since leaving the pack land.

“It’s the gateway,” he explained. “It was the safest location.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and followed him through the backdoor. It was dark and he didn’t bother turning on a light. We walked down a short hallway and then he opened another door, leading us into the church’s basement.

“Is this where you kill me and chop my body up?” I asked, only half teasing because this was beyond creepy.

He didn’t bother responding, which scared me even more. We walked through the dark basement until we reached the back wall. There was a large bookshelf against the wall that he stopped in front of. I raised my brows as I watched him, wondering what he was doing. Then, he started to push the bookshelf out of the way and my mouth fell open when I saw an elevator against the wall.

“What the—”

Before I could finish that question, he pressed a few buttons on the keypad and then put his finger on the scanner. The elevator came to life and the doors opened. He took my hand without saying and word and guided me into the elevator.

My entire body was trembling, and I found myself closing my eyes just as the doors shut. I felt the elevator going downward and I’m not sure how long it took before they opened again. But it felt like it took an eternity for them to open again and release us.

I’m honestly not sure what I was expecting. Maybe I was expecting some kind of crazy church dungeon or something. But I certainly didn’t think that we’d be stepping into this gorgeous study, but here we were, in an amazingly gorgeous study, lit by candlelight. It looked like a typical office but under the ground.

We were in the underground city, just like Harley and Damien had explained.

“Where are we?” I asked in amazement as I looked around the office, noticing the antique wooden desk, the bookshelves that held many tombs, the chandelier that hung in the center of the room that was filled with candlesticks, the mini bar on the far side of the room and a couple of doors that I wasn’t sure where they lead to, but I was kind of eager to find out. I had never known a place like this could exist under the ground and I wondered how bit it expanded outside of this study.

“Dragon Valley,” he answered simply, turning to face me. “This is my office inside my Dragon Castle. I will show you the rest later.”

He told me as he went over to his desk and took a seat. I watched him curiously as he turned on his computer. My mouth fell open.

“You have computers?” I asked him, suddenly feeling relieved that maybe I could keep up with my schoolwork while I was here.

“It’s powered by magic,” he explained. “Most of our electricity is powered by magic. It’s the easiest solution. Don’t you think?”

I nodded.

“Why do you have candles for lighting then?” I asked, peeking up at the chandelier.

He shrugged.

“I like the rustic touch it brings,” he explained. “And plus, regular light bulbs hurt my eyes.”

I couldn’t really argue with that.

“It’s pretty in here…” I told him.

He typed out something on his computer; I’m not sure how long I stood there, but I started to feel awkward in his presence. He was typing out something that took him a bit to finish but once he did, he looked up at him and studied me.

“Why exactly did you bring me here?” I asked him, finally asking the question I’d been dying to know.

He gave me a lopsided grin as he continued to study me with his eyes.

“Because I’m about to give you an offer you won’t be able to refuse,” he answered, his voice dark and demanding. It sent a chill up my spine and I swallowed hard at his words.

“What are you? A mob boss?” I teased.

He smirked.

“Not exactly,” he answered. “Just a king who wants what’s best for his people.”

“And what’s that exactly?”

“Every good King needs a queen to rule by his side and to produce an heir that would take over leadership if something were to happen to said king.”

“Okay?” I said, still not following.

The corner of his lips twitched as he stifled a smile.

“Which is where you come in, Anila,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “I’ll save your wolf… but first, I need you to be my queen.”