Chapter 4

He's crazy, the Griffin King is really, really crazy.

Does he expect me just to bow down to him with no questions asked?

If he wants someone who is quiet and submissive then he has the wrong woman. I am neither of those things, and i will never bow to him of anyone else.

I say nothing back to him, just stare at him in shock, did he just kiss me gently after threatening to whip me raw?

What was wrong with him? He couldn't really expect threatening me into submission work, I am of Dragon blood, I was given fire by the great dragon mother, and i will not give my fire to him. Not now. Not ever.

What did he want from me because i will never agree to be his wife, no matter how many times he threatens to hurt me.

I recoil when he throws me over his shoulder and kick and punch, trying my best to fight back, but it was more difficult with my arms bound the way that they were.

I was as good as useless in this condition, and he knew it.

I wasn't a threat, not to anyone, not like this.

He growled when I attempted to throw myself backwards, tightening his hold on me. It was a warning to behave, but i wasn't going to listen, I am not the kind of woman to just roll over and let a man make all my decisions for me. He will NEVER have me.

I won't allow it.

I will destroy him before i let him anywhere near my virtue.

“I will not ask for your obedience again Lucinda, you may be new, but you will be treated like all the other women.” Dieter threatened as he walked into the castle, the messenger left outside.

I guess he wasn't needed anymore, not now that he had delivered me. That was his only purpose for the moment and because of my own stupidity, he had succeeded.

I flop down onto his shoulder, my entire body shaking in fear and anger, no man has ever treated me like this before, where I come from women are respected, some are even leaders with their own views and beliefs. Everything here seemed so surreal.

Back home i was going to be Queen. I would have ruled over the Dragon Kingdom.

What could i possibly be here? A slave. Perhaps that is what he wants, a woman he can just use and dispose of whenever he pleases.

Perhaps he wanted me as some sort of revenge against my people. I'm doomed either way.

But i won't give up, not yet.

“What do you want from me?" I ask, trying to stop my body from trembling. "My father won't pay anything to get me back, or give you what you want.” I whisper, knowing my father would rather fight than give up. "He'll come for me."

“I already have what I want." He laughs, he adjusts my position on his soulder so that i was nearly upside down. “I don’t need to ransom you because it is you that I wanted to begin with.”

He wanted me?

“Why?” I ask, fearful of the answer.

This is some kind of sick joke, I am certain of it.

“Because you are going to be my wife.” He says coldly, almost no emotion in his voice.

Why would Dieter, King of the Griffin’s want me for a wife?

He could any women from his own race, and they would gladly be his, so why me? Why did he want someone who clearly didn't want him back?

I wasn't anything special and i wasn't the key to my Kingdom. My brother would become king in my absense. Or maybe that was it, he thinks that my absence will make the dragon tribe vulnerable. if that is what he thinks he is more foolish than I thought. My kingdom will be fine without me, it is I who needs them no more than ever.

We enter a large hallway where I am placed onto my knees on the floor, other women around me in the same position, their heads bowed in submission. Not even one of them looking up to see who had just walked in. They were afraid. Men stood either at the side of them or behind them, as though guarding and protecting them, though I doubted it was anything like that. It was more to keep them in line.

Women seem to be classed as a lesser species here, perhaps that is why we are on our knees. It was a sadistic way of showing us we belong beneath the men, but i will not accept it.

I will not allow these monsters to destroy my fire.

When I tried to stand to show my anger and defiance, the other women gasped and Dieter pushed me back down to the floor with a growl, warning me. I was unsure whether or not to do it again.

Whilst I wanted to fight back, I noticed the iron whip in Dieter’s hand, in fact all the men held whips to keep the women in line.

They were all sick. I wanted to kill them all.

“Seems like you have your hands full my king.” One of the men laughed, looking down at me in a mixture of disgust and amusement.

“You might be right, Maxen.” Laughed the king, though his eyes were dark as he looked down at me.

The way he looked at me was terrifying, it was like i was an object to be owned, not a person of flesh, blood and fire.

Maxen was just a little bit smaller than the king, and I guessed by the way he spoke so freely he was the second in command, he had light brown hair and blue eyes, wearing the same shade of black with a silver pin on the left of his chest.

The young woman at his feet was beautiful, though I couldn’t see her eyes, her strawberry blonde hair was covering most of her face as she kept her head down.

Her body shook and trembled, it was as though she was waiting for her next punishment to come. Do they all live with this fear?

“I always am.” Maxen laughed once more, the sound irritating my ears.

I wanted to wipe that smile off his face with my fist.

“She sure is a black-haired beauty.” Said another one of his men, his eyes a deep crimson and like all of them, he was larger than the average dragon back home.

Were all Griffin's this big? I hoped not. I's never have a chance to escape if that was the case.

Dieter nodded, smiling down at me. “I couldn’t agree more, Yonder.”

“Why the hell are you speaking about me like I’m not even here?!” I snarl, smoke coming out of my mouth as I spoke. “I have ears.”

I heard the crack of the whip before I felt the excruciating pain spread across my back like a fire, my screams filled the hallway when he struck me again, causing me to fall forward onto my stomach; tears falling from my eyes before I could stop them.

By the mother in the sky, this was horrible.

It hurt so bad, it was like a heavy wave of fire sweeping across my back, leaving nothing but destruction.

The other women looked at me in pity, knowing from experience how much pain I was in. Did they really do this regular?

I just couldn’t stay here, I had to get home. Griffins were barbaric.

“Not so feisty now.” Maxen scoffed and I had the urge to tear him apart right there and then.

The problem was I couldn’t move.

I could barely even lift my head.

“She’ll learn like all the others did.” Dieter assured them as I bled on the floor, clearly displeased with my attitude.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled with him either.

What did he expect? I wasn’t going to be taken by force and bend to his every whim. I wasn’t that type of person, my dragon wouldn’t allow me to be so weak. We were better than that.

Though right now I couldn’t contact my Dragon to shift, not when I had been so severely wounded with iron.

I growl when King Dieter lifted me into his arms, the pain in my back excruciating, he gave me a look of warning as the others laughed, though thankfully he didn’t whip me again.

He throws me over his shoulder and says his goodbyes to the others, turning towards the stairs and carrying me up two flights. Griffin's were clearly strong, he didn’t even break a sweat as we reached the top floor. He turned to the right and followed the hallway to a large set of black doors, quickly taking us inside