Bride of th Dragon King -Now published through Lulu.com. Sample only!!!

Chapter Eighteen: Shadows

"So! I came her looking for the dragon who killed my daughter!", he exclaimed, "BUT INSTEAD I FIND A DRAGON'S WHORE!" He then pulled out a dagger from it's sheath.

"Stop! What are you doing!", she cried, "Despite everything, I still love you father!  Please, I'm with child!  If it's a part of me, then it's a part of you!  It's your grandchild, part of your royal blood!"

"That thing!  Growing inside of you is neither a baby, nor my grandchild!", he exclaimed, "If you think I'm going to let some ungodly abomination, some beastly parasite, sit on my throne.  Then as my daughter you really are dead to me! As far as I'm concerned, my daughter died the night that foul creature snatched her from my castle!" He then had his arm raise, with the dagger pointing down at her. Her now teary eyes widened. In both shock, and horror, it took her a while to process just what was happening. She was unable to react before the blade came down upon her.

Elsbeth screamed in pain as he stabbed her.  The baby?  All she cared about was her baby. Everything felt as though time itself was slowing down. Elsbeth fell to the ground, as she was slowly dying. She looked up at her father, tears in her eyes. His expression was cold.

"NO!", roared Constantine, even though he was in human form.  At that moment, he had walked into the cavern with the Queen.   The King was shocked to see his wife.  She was screaming and crying at him.  Why was she with the royal blacksmith?  Constantine's eyes turned blood red.

"YOU BASTARD!", Constantine cried. His face was enraged. Terrified, the King realized it was actually the dragon, who had taken the blacksmith's form. He Grabbed the King by the throat, and threw him against the cavern's wall. The King was knocked unconscious, causing him to drop the dagger.  The Queen then ran two her dying daughter.  She began to cry, and then cradled daughter.

"Elsbeth!", she cried, "What has he done to you?"  The Queen then ripped part of the lining of her dress, and pressed it against the wound. She was trying to stop the bleeding.

"M-mother.", said Elsbeth in a faint voice.

"Shh!", said the Queen, "Don't say anything, you need to save your strength."  Tears were streaming down her mother's face. Constantine soon joined the Queen at Elsbeth's side. He was crying profusely as he watched Elsbeth become even weaker. Now both of them were holding Elsbeth

"Constantine.", said Elsbeth, "The, the baby. Please don't let my baby die." She reached up and gently touched his cheek.

"Elsbeth.", cried Constantine, "I have the power to save only one of you. With as much power as it will take, it would kill the baby if I save you. The only way I could save the baby would be to rip is out of you. That would kill you. If I could save you both I would, but I can't lose you Elsbeth. I won't. We can always have more children." Elsbeth continued to cry.

"No!", she cried, "You know that I have already communicated with her. Just because she hasn't been born yet, doesn't mean that she isn't alive. You don't have the connection with her that I have. You haven't seen who she is, or the beautiful young woman that she will become. Please, save her!"

"Elsbeth!", cried the Queen, "I have you back in my life. Please let him save you instead." Elsbeth then turned her attention towards her mother.

"Mother?", Elsbeth began to ask, "If, if it were you? Knowing me the way you know me now, which one of us would you want to save. Yourself, or me, your unborn child." The Queen continued to cry.

"You.", she replied, "I would want to save you." Elsbeth then looked at Constantine. She had never seen him, nor any man, cry as much as he was crying at that moment. She placed her hand on the side of his face.