Chapter 35

*She was standing in a cell staring out, with her hands curled around the metal bars. Oh goddess, not this again. She hated seeing this dream and not being able to save him, but she could never wake up from it.*
*‘Please, Goddess, let her wake up,’ she begged silently, to no avail.*
*The sound of a door closing drew her attention. She growled when four guards came into view carrying a struggling, screaming female figure. One of them punched her in the face and the girl growled.*
*“DON’T TOUCH HER!”*
*The voice that came out of her mouth wasn’t hers. It was deeper and more hostile than she had ever been. It overflowed with power and made the guards falter. The girl managed to break free and she stumbled over to the cell door. She gripped the girl’s hands and raised her head. Sasha’s heart pounded harder when she found herself gazing at herself. Sasha raised her hand to cup her other self’s face.*
*“My queen, I am so sorry I failed you.”*
*Tears poured down her face. “Aiden, I am so sorry. I am so sorry I ever sent her to Terra Mysterium.”*
*She pressed her lips to his. She was yanked backwards and she yelled out angrily, clawing and lashing out the guards as they dragged her down the hallway.*
*“AIDEN! AIDEN! LET HIM GO!,” she screamed.*
*More guards came with another woman. Sasha growled when her mother lowered her cloak hood, with an enormous smirk on her face.*
*“You shouldn’t have come back here. You should have known your place, gecko!”*
*“You will not have her. She will always remain mine,” Sasha retorted.*
*Anastasia laughed. “You both die here today.”*
*Her mother threw a vial at her and it shattered, surrounding Sasha entirely. She stepped closer up to the bars.*
*“Sit down,” Anastasia ordered.*
*Her knees sank to the ground as she was forced to obey. She growled at the one woman that had made her life a living hell since she had met her mate. The guards opened her door to drag her to the surface of the building. They pushed her onto the ground and pulled her hair back to force her to watch her other self be locked into a stock up on a newly erected stage. Anastaisa knelt in front of her.*
*“You will watch her die and then you will take her place. You want to be with her so bad, you can do so in Hell!,” Anastasia spit. “How does it feel to know you caused her death and she caused yours?”*
*Sasha felt a presence in her mind stir to life. The her that was on the stage turned her head to stare down at the Sasha that was kneeling a few hundred yards from the stage. Anastasia laughed evilly as she moved back to give her a clear view of the stage.*
*“I love you, my king. I wish we had had more time. Thank you for everything.”*
*A man chuckled darkly as he stepped up behind her with a sharp sword.*
*‘Aiden, what do we do?,’ Mikhail asked.*
*Sasha sighed. ‘You protect her.’*
*Mikhail separated from her mind and she sagged towards the ground. She breathed out and a burst of fire came from her mouth, with a more intense ball of heat in the middle, protected by the rest of the flames. It reached the Sasha on the stage and the ball in the middle entered her body, before the rest of the flames died off. Her eyes widened and a single tear crept out of her eye. The man behind her raised the sword and brought it swinging down rapidly towards her neck. The blade melted as it touched her skin. Seconds later, a small explosion ignited on the stage, incinerating everything around her. It was the last thing the real Sasha saw before her vision went dark, fell to the side and her heart stopped.*
*“He will keep you safe, my love,” she whispered.*
*She heard a loud roar and felt the ground shake.*
*“AIDEN! NO! NO! PLEASE! I LOVE YOU!”*
*And then she, along with everything else was gone.*

She thrashed on the bed, screaming. She sat straight up, heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to pound straight out of her chest.
“AIDEN!”
“Shhh, baby, it was a dream. I’m right here.”
Hands ran over her body, sending electricity through her. She clung to him, sobbing.
“I love you. I am so sorry. I love you,” she cried.
He nuzzled into her neck, breathing deeply. “Shhh, baby. You’re safe. I’m right here. We’re okay. I promise you.”
“How do dragons die?”
He stared down at her. “What?”
“How do dragons die?” She grasped his face in her hands. “Please, tell me.”
He studied her face curiously. "We die when our fires go out."
"So, if your fires never die, you never die?"
"Technically."
"How does your fire get extinguished?"
"What's going on, baby?"
"Please, just tell me. I need to know."
"When our dragons sense that there are too many in the world, some will give up their place to make way for others. Some get tired of life and stop shifting and slowly waste away. When our mates die, they give up and their fires eventually die." He made her lay on his chest so he could comfort her better. "What's wrong, my queen?"
"Can.. can you give your fire to someone?"
He rubbed her back quietly for a few minutes, trying to decide on how to best answer her.
"We can.. but nobody has ever done it."
"Why?"
He sighed and laid his cheek on the top of her head. "We are one with our dragons, but also separate. In order for our dragons to be passed on to someone else, both sides have to be in agreement and that has never happened, or at least never known to have happened. "
"Why?"
"We are still part human and as you very well know, humans are selfish and greedy beings. They very rarely are willing to sacrifice their lives for another."
She pulled back to look into his eyes. "Are your dragons more important than your mates?"
"To most people, yes."
She laid her hand flat on his chest over his heart. "And for you?"
His heart sped up and he opened his mouth to reply. A loud knock sounded in the room.
"Who is it?," he called out with his eyes still trained on hers.
"Your Highness, Kalani would like to speak with her sister, before the ceremony. She has asked me to bring her for a small visit .
Sasha scrambled off of Aiden and wrapped a sheet around her. She ran to the door and pulled it open. Kalani stood next to Gregory and she looked pale. Sasha opened her arms and Kalani flew into them.
"What's wrong, Lani?"
"He's gonna die," she sniffled. "I felt it. I felt your pain."
Sasha glanced over her shoulder at Aiden who was watching with a worried look on his face. She rubbed her sister's back.
"Nobody is dying. Come, you can help me get ready for the ceremony."
She quickly dragged Kalani into the bathroom, before hugging her tight. They were forced to sink to the floor when Sasha’s legs gave out. A sob escaped from her and they let their tears fall freely.
"I know. I've been seeing his death. Over and over again and now the woman has a face."
"Who is it?"
"Me."
"Oh, Aja. Shhhh, we are going to figure this out. We got this."
She tightened her grip on her little sister. "I'm going to kill them all," she whispered. "I won't let this dream come true, you have to help me."
"Just tell me what you need me to do."
"We have to keep Tiffany and Carla away from the king. I need to take them out, but I can’t just kill them."
Kalani pulled back, grinning. "I thought you would never ask. I can’t wait to show that bitch who the fuck I am. Now, let's get you ready. The ceremony starts soon."
Sasha kissed her cheek and climbed to her feet. Kalani perched on the sink and began to chatter excitedly about the probability of being paired with Gregory. She was so busy chatting that she didn’t pay attention to how silent Sasha was. The men wrapped up their individual mates in their arms when they walked out and held them close.
“Baby, please, mate with me. I don’t think I can do this,” Aiden murmured in her ear.
She removed herself from his arms, before she gave in to his soft request. “We should go.”
Sasha took Kalani’s hand and led her to the ceremony hall while the men held a silent conversation behind them. They took their places beside Tiffany and a livid Sherri.
“Where in the hell were you two?,” she hissed. “This bitch has been getting on my nerves.”
Sasha patted her shoulder. “You’ll be okay.”
Aiden cleared his throat and everybody fell silent. He held out his hand to Jackson who passed him a sack.
“As you are all aware, Malcolm is still in a coma, so whoever is left will be partnered with him this week.” He shook the bag. “Gregory, please step forward and draw a name out of the bag.”
He eagerly moved forward to draw a name. He read the paper and he sighed. “Sasha.”
His hand closed around the paper in frustration as she moved to his side. Aiden shook the bag again.
“Shaun?”
Shaun moved forward and stuck his hand in the bag. “Sherri.”
The king nervously shook the bag, before reaching his hand into it. The air grew more tense while everyone waited impatiently for him to read the name off.
“Tiffany.”
“NO!,” Sasha cried out and her legs wobbled.
Gregory caught her as she collapsed. She looked up at him, panicked.
“Kalani, that means you are Malcolm’s mate this week. You are free to visit him if you wish,” Aiden said, his terse words clearly the reason behind his aggravation.
Kalani stepped forward. “Excuse me, your highness, I was wondering if there was a way I could remain close to someone while he is in the hospital.”
Sasha shot her a grateful look, before giving Aiden a hopeful one. He eyed her for a second.
“Of course, you can sleep in my wing.”
She curtsied. “Thank you, Your highness.”
“Of course.”
Sasha glanced at Tiffany and her heart sank when she saw the pure giddiness on her face. Sasha wrapped an arm around Gregory’s neck, leaning close.
“Tell Aiden not to be alone with Tiffany. She is evil,” she murmured almost too quiet to be heard.
He nodded and a few seconds later, there was a grunt. Sasha turned to look at Aiden and Gregory had to tighten his arm around her to keep her from lunging at Tiffany who was pressing herself against her mate. He unhooked Tiffany’s arms from around his neck and set her back a few feet.
“We will not be mating, so get that thought out of your head.”
Her cat that caught the canary smile came back. “Well see, Your Highness. We shall see.”