CHAPTER 10:
He moves his plate away, "Your ability to teleport, the same way I got from A to B. I borrowed the powers of the long lost heir to the ancient Leviathan throne. I would get a lot of money if I supposedly saved you from a certain kidnapping and in exchange, I'll let you live. Change the order of this fucked up world." I blink, okay—totally different throne.
I look at all of him, "What?" I ask, scowling.
He studies me, "Ah, you were so young, you wouldn't remember, but after generations of research, this will make history, but will be written the right way, your majesty. It took me a long time to figure it out, but once I looked back at our ancient books that hadn't been eradicated, I found something very interesting. Even peculiar if I were to use the human British accent of yours." He says slowly.
I just stare at him blankly, "You are literally just sprouting gibberish right now. I have no idea what you're even on about." I tell him, raising an eyebrow.
He leans forward, pulling out a dagger, "Silver should hurt you, yet it does nothing." He says, pushing it flat against the skin of my neck. I stare up into his eyes, before hearing a small creak outside and in that same second, glass shatters before Noris is shot back with...an arrow protruding out of his neck. The blood gurgles down as the front door of the cabin opens.
I snap my eyes to Creed's menacing expression as he moves his bow back on his shoulder.
I move my tied-up hands in a 'what the fuck' gesture, "I was not done talking, Creed."
He gives me a deadpanned look, "Oh, I'm sorry, do you want me to turn back time so he can be close enough to hurt you more than he already has?" He questions me, unsheathing his dagger, about to slice the rope but I burn it in seconds as I stare at him. He switches the light on in the cabin as it gets darker outside, shocking me when he tilts my head to the side.
I look up at him, "It's healed, werewolf, remember." I tell him, looking back at Noris.
He grabs my shoulder, "You don't need to look." He whispers, stepping forward before one of his arms circle my shoulder, the other around my waist, "Let's get out of here, alright." He says down to me.
"I've seen dead bodies before and I want to look around. See if he has files or anything. Before burning the evidence. How did you know I was here?" I ask him, moving the chair and glancing around the room, his towering form forced me to look around him while he just gives me a determined, concentrated look.
"I knew something was off when you were nowhere to be seen for a full day, and conveniently, neither was this bitch." He points at the dead Noris.
"He didn't deny going after girls with my appearance. This place is secret, far enough from the school and I can practically feel Rakon pacing out there in the landing." I tell him, kicking down another room and finding an office, "How long have you been here?" I ask him when he follows me inside, struggling to fit in the door and making me crack a smile at that.
He stares at me, "Okay, what the fuck, Celeste?"
I blink and look at him, "Thanks?" I pose as a question.
His nostrils flare, "Are you freaking kidding me? He held a dagger to your throat, slammed a fucking bat against your head and ate dinner in front of you like a psychopath, he's connected to other murders, and to Jensen and you're as calm as if you took a stroll through the woods!" He snaps.
I just stare at him, holding a file box in my hands, "Not my first time getting kidnapped and I could have boiled his blood if I wanted. He's a low life, but had more to say. It was getting interesting before you snapped that bow of yours." I mumble, waving him off as I pull off the lid.
He looks constipated as he stares me down, "What are you doing?" He asks me, roughly.
"Creed, thank you for shooting him right when I may have gotten more information from him, kindly help me look through files so we can understand more about the bastard you just shot down to—I don't know—maybe inform the school he's dead based on self-defence after being connected to other murders so his was a well-deserved one. Damage control, have you heard of it, love?" I ask him handing him a box and tapping it with a wink his way.
His eyes blink once at me.
I grab three more and open the next one when he drops the box in his hands harshly and I jump, closing my eyes in irritation, "Werewolves' hearing is heightened, dragon rider." I grit out.
He spins me to face him, "Do you fucking understand what just happened?" He snaps, shaking me.
My eyes widen as I look at all of him, his fingers were trembling, "Hey, calm down. I know exactly what jus happened, I'm telling you I've been through worse. We need information on him and he just revealed himself by targeting me, alright? It's okay. We're fine." I reassure him, he clenches his jaw before pulling me back into his chest, his hand against the nape of my neck as he tilts his down. I slowly wrap my arms around his neck, before he straightens and I shriek when I'm lifted off the floor. I stare at his arrows, slowly picking up one before sliding it back in. He even at twin swords in his gear.
"Are you wearing a bloody cape?" I blur out.
"It's a cloak." He scoffs, squeezing me tighter against him.
"The weapons are fancy, kind of makes me want to steal them." I mumble, the smell of him—night and fresh air making me inhale, "Did you hear him? Did you...listen?" I ask him slowly.
He slowly lowers me down, "Leviathan." He whispers.
"I've never heard of it." I tell him, searching his eyes. Maybe he knew about whatever that was.
His thumb brushes against the small of my back and I raise an eyebrow, same way Taylor...and Earl did, "That day in training when Rowan punched me, you were harsh on Taylor...and then with Professor Mason, they both liked the small of my back. Am I sensing a pattern?" I ask with a small smile as he looks to the ceiling and mutters something in a different language. I see the number of daggers clinging to a belt of his insanely sexy gear, I pull out two even ones and swirl them, "Now these are so mine." I smirk.
His hands intertwine at my back, "You'll have to win them from me." He says down to me. I pout before sheathing them.
"Stealing them sounds way more fun. Now, will you look through files with me before the body begins decomposing and I smell more than blood in here?" I ask him.
"Impossible." He mutters, shaking his head, "We'll head to a hidden hot pool afterwards, to clean this up." His voice holds bossiness and authority that I actually really liked. What the fudge sticks?
I nod absentmindedly before turning to the files again, "Did you bring a backpack?" I ask him, pulling out a few files and handing them to him. He sighs above me, grabbing them softly from me. He grabs me by the waist at the same moment I was about to move to the wardrobe in the corner.
"Creed." I whine.
"Look at me, are you alright?" He asks me, levelling my eyes to his.
I pull a dried up red curl, my blood staining my hair, "It's this that's making you think I'm not okay, isn't it?" I ask him.
"That kind of hit is strong enough to have hurt you." He stares at it, surveying it like a soldier surveys their wounds.
"Werewolf healing, and alpha blood helps," I tell him, shrugging in his arms.
He purses his lips, eyebrows furrowed, "We should be leaving." He grumbles.
"Just give me a minute." I ask of him, pointing to the wardrobe. He tenses, but nods, reluctantly letting me go. I step towards the wardrobe and open it, squatting down, I knock on the floor in the middle. I lean in before punching through the wood. He's behind me in a second.
"Celeste." He warns, even scolds.
"What?" I ask, pulling my arm out.
"I could have done that." He grits out.
"You think I care about delicate skin?" I snort, grabbing a package inside, but I pause when I hear the hissing of something far above.
I snap my eyes to Creed, his eyes on the window, he grabs my arm and stands us up, "Shit, we have company." He curses, I grab the folders before hearing at least fifteen footfalls, then Creed hisses before we hear the roars of dragons fighting above the trees.
"Run! RUN!" Creed roars at me as he pulls me through the back door the instant I see a masked, geared up assassin with a bow aimed for my face. He misses as Creed pulls me out. I let go of his hand and start running next to him through the trees, an explosion surfaces behind me and I grit my teeth.
"Damnit." I growl out, knowing that was the house.
I dodge an arrow aimed for my body as Creed fires three behind us, "Give me those daggers!" I yell at him. He grits his teeth before grabbing my arm and pulls me left, for the stream.
"Duck!" He orders before three masked figures drop in front of us. I grab his dagger and throw it at the far right end one, it slams head first before I rip off the bow and fire two arrows against the next two. Creed growls, unsheathing his twin swords and fights against six assassins moving with speed in the dark. I duck against the two ripping their swords out for me and giggling, I teleport to one fighting Creed and wrap my legs around his neck, snapping it as I spin down in a move I perfected long ago. I throw him against my two, pulling out the daggers in the assassin and slicing the throat of the one about to impale me.
I twist around, spinning my head around, before I slam my foot against the biggest one. He's thrown through the air and lands on a broken branch stabbing through his stomach. Creed stares at me when I throw the two daggers in the heads of the last two he was fighting.
He stares at me, I grab his hand, "Come on, slow poke." I tell him, running for the roars of the dragons above us, "Where is Rakon?" I ask him.
"You can fucking fight." He seethes behind me, grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers before we're running in sync out to the open field.
"Wow, you're really only getting that." I laugh.
He pulls on his bow, and whistles before I watch his dragon crunch the neck of another dragon. It drops against a mountain of...four more dead, enemy dragons. I stare wide-eyed at the massive bonfire Rakon made of them, "Holy...lord." I whisper, "Who are they?" I breathe out.
"Rakon!" Creed yells out before his dragon lands down in front of us, a black shadow with obsidian eyes as he straightens in triumph, Creed leads me to him, Rakon lowers his head down and Creed mounts me, before getting behind me and I realise this will be the first time I ride on a dragon. Giddiness flutters against my abdomen before Creed snaps something in another language and I hitch my breath.
It's like being on a rollercoaster with no straps to keep me in, or when an airplane first takes off, arrowed for the sky. Only Creeds arms on either side of me before we're in the air, keeping me flush against all of him while I grip his wrist tight, he turns his hand up and intertwines our fingers, "Breathe." He says with his head sliding in against my good side, cheek tucked against mine.
"You mean try not to throw up!" I call out when the wind slams against us full throttle.
"Yes." He smiles against me. Before his dragon throws his head back and roars.
Creed snaps his eyes behind us, "Rakon, dive. Into the storm." He orders, right when we freecall into a thunderstorm. I squeeze my eyes shut when three other enemy dragons roar behind us and the whooshing of wings and more roars break against my ears. This was going to be a dogfight now.
"Can your arrows break down a dragon?" I ask him.
"No." He calls out, concentrating and let's go of my hand before we're flying down over a magma volcano gurgling with flames. I raise my hand to it and close my eyes, "Focus, you got this." He whispers against me.
"Shut up, Creed." I order.
He chuckles against me before I manipulate magma. The volcano erupts and explodes against one dragon who's rider instantly burns to death, but the dragon, the two headed beast dives like a bullet and I scream when Rakon turns, and it barrels into us.
"HOLD ON!" Creed roars as gravity no longer defines us and Rakon spins. Creed loses grip, but I teleport to Creed, grab him and teleport him on top of Rakon, his dragon who was about to lose it when he almost loses his rider before I teleport on top of a two headed dragon and with all my might I pull on the reins and force it's entire body to let go of Rakon.
"CELESTE!" Creed's voice—I've never, ever heard that tone of voice from him. More panicked, being that frightened could shatter the world and rip the axis of it in two when I grab the death sword from the sheath and slam it between the head of the two headed dragon I couldn't even believe I was on right now. Ripping it out, I teleport on top of the one that Rakon wasn't currently using his talons to cut through the belly of the deep brown dragon. I slice the head of the rider on the one I'm on before stabbing it into the one I'm on before it can tip me over the edge.
I teleport back against Creed, "CELESTE!" He roars before choking on his own saliva when I press back against him and Rakon's movements show that even a dragon can be as shocked as his rider.
I grunt, "Get us...out of here." I breathe out.
Rakon dives.
The second we land, I drop to the ground before Creed could stop it and hold my stomach, "Fuck, that was not fun." I grunt out, moaning a sickness where bile threatens to release from me.
"What the fucking hell was that? You just—you fucking just—you fucking scare the shit out of me, woman! Celeste fucking Caesar, are you fucking insane? What the fucking fuck was that? Killing dragons like they're nothing! Are YOU SOME SORT OF FUCKING TITAN?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FUCKING TERRIFIED I WAS?! DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING DO THAT TO ME AGAIN!" He roars at me, grabs me and shakes me roughly.
"Stop! I'm gonna puke!" I growl. Shoving off of him and dropping on my back while Rakon breathes heavy above us. Huffing out his anger with more politeness and silence than his rider is doing right now.
"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?" He keeps shouting.
I hold my head, "Stop, Creed. Stop." I beg, pleading.
He drops on his knees and tackles me.
I close my eyes against him while he presses his forehead tightly to mine on the grass. I still at the cold air, but it was welcoming against the overwhelming heat generated from adrenaline pumping like a train on a track in my bloodstream. I take deep breaths, pausing when chapped lips brush mine, but it's not a kiss, it's him panting against me.
I groan, "Your bloody dagger is digging into my bladder."
I snap my eyes open, his eyes look bloodshot but he cracks up laughing and soon after, I join him. Giggling, my shoulders shaking, "Fucking woman." He coughs out, I wrap my arms around his neck.
"I did all that shit in bare feet." I breathe out, giggling against him.
"Can't fight, my ass." He groans out.
"Oh, to all other eyes, I still can't fight." I instruct, lifting my head from his neck with him under me, his bow, arrow and swords beside us before he lifts his head up and presses his forehead against mine, he breathes through his nose.
"You can teleport." He whispers, struggling to breathe as his chest rises and falls rapidly under me and I stare into his eyes. Ember ones that were intense and enriched with some emotion I couldn't place, before I slowly look above him and...witness the most memorable sunrise I've ever seen.
"Oh..." I trail off as I stare at it, mesmerised.
He doesn't look, "...can see it in your eyes." He whispers, his thumb strokes my cheek.
Before I wince and grab his dagger in annoyance, "That was getting annoying," I mumble, he chuckles. Before I'm dropping back against him and puffing out breath against his neck as he pulls me on top of him, dropping his head back before my eyes widen when his left leg moves up between mine and he's just against everything.
I drop my chin on the ring holding his cloak, "You're welcome." I mumble.
He lifts his head up, giving me an incredulous look. Before he drops it back down on the grass. His dragon reacts the same way, puffing out smoke before facing the sunrise, closing its eyes like a cat while Creed is a log under me, hands pressing into my lower back and flushing me against his cold uniform. I didn't mind though, just stared at the sunrise.
"You're missing out on a jaw dropping view," I mention.
His eyes have been closed for the past twenty minutes and he only moved once, his leg drifted higher between mine, I almost shiver. This dude is tormenting me right now.
He doesn't say anything. I poke lightly at his prominent jawline and sharp cheekbones, "Creed, you in there, buddy? Wakey, sleeping beauty." I tell him.
"You're going to give me two more hours, Celeste. Two. More. Hours." He emphasises, not opening his eyes.
"There's water down below and you with your leg pushing between mine makes me want to pee." I grit out.
"Fucking hold it then. I ain't moving, neither are you." He mumbles, eyes closed.
"But, Creed!" I whine, "I'm busting." I grumble.
"Think of something else." He breathes out, rubbing my back.
"Do you have a phone?" I whisper.
"No." He sighs out.
"Then how are we supposed to communicate with others, genius?" I whisper-yell.
He points to his dragon, "That thing over there has communication with the dragons in my elite. Now, shut up and get fucking comfortable. Five more minutes. Then you can teleport down to those cleansing hot pools and pee all you like." He mumbles, cupping the back of my head and dropping back down on the grass, running his fingers loosely in my hair, while his other hand massages my lower back.
"You're being oddly affectionate, and you do not need to put cleansing 'hot pools and peeing all I like' in the same sentence. I've been knocked out for hours, then fought assassins after you killed the killer too early, then killed two dragons in a consecutive fashion. You should, not be grumpy because I need to release urine." I grumble. His dragon snorts beside us while Creed cracks a smirk before he lets go.
"You have five minutes to teleport down there, relieve yourself, then get back up here. Five minutes starting now."
"Bossy bitch." I mutter as I get off him.
He grabs my waist and snaps me back down, staring up at me with a smirk, "What was that?"
"Thank you." I squeak out.
"Yeah, I thought so. Hurry up." He mumbles, closing his eyes again.
I huff and stomp over him before teleporting down and finding a private stream to quickly remove it and use the heat of a flame ring around me to dry off. I removed the blood too, before teleporting back up and I drop down. He grabs me, "I said five minutes, not fucking fifteen minutes."
"Do I smell better?"
"Rainwater." He muses, smiling slowly at me.
"So why are you complaining?" I question, he pulls me back into the same position as before, his leg moves back up between mine. I fold my arms on his burly chest and stare at the sun as it rises further up in the sky. His leg stops once it lightly jolts me higher against him and he's reached the bloody apex between my legs.
He chuckles against me when I glare at him, "Do you need to do that?"
"To calm myself down and show you I'm pissed. Oh yeah, I need to do that." He says, eyes only for me while his hands slide around me. I feel my eyes droop as I stare at the mountains upon mountains ahead of me.
"You can fight against multiple trained killers, you can sure as heck train in combat." He was clearly wanting to choose this as our first aspect of conversation. I prop my hand on my chin and lean it on his suit. My curls frame my face, he brushes up a finger and moves the bulky strand behind my ear, "Look at me, how is it you can fight like me and still make everyone else believe you can't fight?" He asks me, wanting to know and badly.
I shrug my shoulders, "I want a bath now." I mumble.
"Celeste." He warns.
I trail my eyes to his, "Because I don't need combat training, I've fought enough. I don't want it anymore. I have the skills I need to fight with you, I have the ability to take your bladder-digging daggers from you and enough to give Rowan more blue balls." I tell him, he chuckles and smiles wide up at me, it reaches his eyes and transforms his entire face.
"Crazy fucking woman." He whispers.
"Stop swearing. It's bad for your demeanour." I tap his nose. He pulls my hand behind his head and drops against it. I raise an eyebrow but let him, struggling to keep my eyes open, I scrap my arms against the grass and hug his neck, closing my eyes and leaning my forehead on his cheek, he hugs me tighter, arms banded around me tighter, "Thanks for saving my life."
"Thanks for saving mine." He murmurs against my nose, nudging my head a little. I frown before we move our heads side to side against each other, getting comfortable. The strain in my muscles were turning numb. He rubs my back, up and down against the jumpsuit before his fingers move my hair aside.
I groan, "Let me nap." I grumble, my hand curved against his neck.
"Just checking," He sighs against me, before his forehead presses back against mine. And for two hours, we don't move an inch. For two joyful hours, I'm the warmest, most comfortable girl in the world, until he asks, "How did you defeat two dragons in less than ten minutes?" He asks me, sighing again, but he holds me like he'll never let go.
I groan, "Creed. Five more minutes." I whisper.
"Celeste." He whispers against my forehead.
I frown and look at him with squinting eyes, his knuckles brush over my cheek. I slump against his arm and turn over, "Five more minutes." I breathe out, using his bicep as my pillow, he drags my body against him: my back to his chest.
"I won't tell anyone at the academy, so long as you tell me." He pleads above me.
"Because I'm a werewolf. We're built with Titan strength and superiority complexes like no other." I giggle against him when he pokes my side at my teasing words. He twirls me to face him and I hmm, dropping my head on his shoulder and taking another breath.
"You scared me. I've been thrown off from Rakon many times, dropped at heights far greater than that, but watching you fall is a different story. So is seeing you twenty metres from me, then all of a sudden in my face, pulling me onto my dragon and then teleporting on the other one like some energised fucking goddess out of nowhere." He explains to me, gesturing up to a now storm-less blue sky.
I groan out, "Can't you just be happy we're both breathing right now and not contaminants of the lava infestation to your left right now?" I ask him. Sitting up and grunting at the strain in all my muscles.
"Celeste." He scolds, but I see he's biting back laughter and smirk at him, pointing at him too, he grabs my finger and pulls me under him. I laugh when my hair flys around me before he brushes it off like removing a wedding veil on a bride. And right there, right above me is a man who cares dearly.
I sigh, cupping his cheeks, "Like I said, I have training and that all felt instinctual." I whisper.
"Where did you get the training from?" He asks me, caging me in from above me.
I raise an eyebrow before teleporting him on his back a metre from where we were, closer to his dragon while I straddle him and tilt my head at him like a predator to her prey, his hands flattened on both sides of his head and cuffed by my own hands, "No more questions." I say slowly.
He rolls his lips in as he struggles to hide his smile. I roll my eyes, "Of course you're turned on by a girl who can easily knock you on your arse." I tell him, forcing his hands higher above his head, it forces my head to level above his.
He doesn't struggle against me, I'm surprised when I see the reddening of his prominent cheeks and at his ears, "You're usually so talkative, where's that voice of yours, love?" I murmur down to him, feeling confidence in my skin. I let go of his hands and slowly, he tilts up, his forehead presses against mine. It made my skin tingle when he always presses his head deeper into mine, closer.
I sigh, "We should get back to the Academy." I tell him, smiling when he groans and drops against the grass. I curve off of him, "Rakon! Wake up, cutie."
Creed chuckles behind me, standing up and grabbing his weapons from the grass.
I step onto Rakon's wing and climb on him. I giggle when I see he's not irritated. I walk between his protruding scales before stepping onto the saddle. Creed mounts behind me before grabbing my hips and pulling them against his. I screech when Rakon dives before my eyes roam the view down below. It was...indescribable. Feeling Rakon's meaty neck move under the black saddle and the muscular arms keeping me steady.
I gasp at the view of the castle, "I want your dragon." I whisper.
He chuckles against me from behind, "I think what you want more of right now is food." He whispers as we lower down to the field that had a group of people standing there, waiting. Three dragons on the field. Rakon lands and Creed breathes slow behind me. When I move, he curls his arms tighter around me, moving Rakon, directing him to the side as I stare at Athena's worried expression, one that transforms into something else as she reads my mind.
"It was fucking Noris!" She loses her composure.
Headmaster Hale spins to her, "What?"
Rowan stares between me and Creed, as does the Legion team members and Credence and Lucian share a shocked look. Creed doesn't let me move. I still when I see Genevieve with Elrond not far behind her. She smiles at me with tears in her eyes, "You're okay." She gasps out.
I reach my hand out to her, still unable to move, "Yeah, he saved me." I tell her, I tell them as Creed directs Rakon and we're walking.
I look at him, "Where are we going? I was talking." I argue.
He nods forward, "We're getting closer to the castle where you don't have to walk far to get some rest." He explains, logically. I give him a side eye, but he doesn't budge as they all follow behind us. I still as students who were walking by, stop to watch. It was quite a view riding on the back of a dragon and not just any dragon, but on the back of the most elitist dragon rider in the school and possibly the realm. I step down first. Landing in a squatting position before Genevieve runs for me and embraces me tight.
"Word has it there was fifteen enemy assassins and five enemy dragons. You and Rakon fought them alone whilst protecting her?" Rowan immediately questions.
I look over Genevieve's shoulder at the professor's and teachers, "Yes, he and Rakon were magnificent." I answer before Creed does. Rakon makes a departure roar before lifting up in the air and leading the other dragons with him in a spiral flight plan.
Creed's eyes were on me like a hawk. Athena steps up and embraces me after Genevieve steps back. I catch Serenity and three other males, including Taylor watching by the benches outside, "What happened?" Headmaster Hale asks us.
I look to Creed, "Professor Noris knocked me out, he didn't deny that he was in alliance and concordance with Jensen. He was involved in those murders with those girls and he was going to do the same to me. He'd knocked me out at the school, Creed tracked us down and in self-defence, he stopped him from hurting me and anyone else but we were ambushed and the cabin he kept in in was destroyed before we were attacked. Creed fought our way out and so did, Rakon. I owe them both my life." I explain, sincere and devoted.
Rowan studies Creed, "You took down fifteen of those assassins, with a lethality I found to be a surprise when we saw the damage and heard the battle with the dragons in that storm." He sounded suspicious but had no proof. I turn to Athena, she nods to me.
"I'm going to help her get cleaned up. Creed, thank you." Athena bows her head to him, sincere and true.
Creed looks to her, he returns the gesture, before those ember eyes penetrate my green ones, "Get some rest." He's promising to see me later.
I nod, "Thank you again." I turn away from the lot of them and walk with Athena and Genevieve on my other side.
Athena moves in the same walk I do, "Wait." Rowan orders.
Athena stills and turns to him as I do, Rowan eyes me closely, "You're certain you didn't kill anyone?" He stares deep into my eyes, trying to determine the truth.
I gesture to myself, "Not guys that size." I tell him. Creed folds his arms and eyes me before shaking his head and looking at the sky for a second.
"That's enough, Professor Rowan." Athena mutters, gesturing me up the steps.