Declaration
“Ikneelbeforenoone,”I growl, the suggestion absurd. Still, I take her hand in mine, the act strangely intimate. She leans forward and presses a kiss to the bruised and bloodied cuts on my right hand, her lips soft and warm against my battered flesh.
“My strong red dragon,” she whispers, her voice like a caress, her fluttering lashes casting shadows over her cheeks.
With deliberate care, I slide her human mating band onto her delicate finger, marveling at how impossibly small it seems against my hand. A surge of joy blooms within our sacred bond, fierce and undeniable.
“Rough and spiky,” she murmurs, holding out her hand to admire the diamond band, its jagged edges reflecting the moltenglow from the magma veins streaking the walls. “Just like you, Dracoth.” Her eyes snap to mine, alight with joy. “I love it.”
Her words send my heart soaring, her approval igniting a desire that burns brighter than the molten rivers of Scarn. I’ve passed her humantest.She is mine forever—not that she ever truly had a choice.
“Good,” I rumble, my eyes blazing with crimson intensity, unable to suppress the pride swelling within me.
Princesa laughs, turning her hand, tilting the ring to catch every glint of light, almost vibrating with excitement.
“Gods, I wish my parents were here to see this. I’d love to see the look on their faces—imagine it. Their only daughter, married to a giant red alien warlord.” She pauses, catching herself, her expression softening. “No offense.”
I feel no offense, only unease. The image of my own mother flashes, unbidden, churning my guts with sudden anxiety. Ruthlessly, I crush the thought like an enemy beneath my heel.
“They would show pride at such a fine match. The same emotion that beats in my heart,” I state, tapping my aching fist against my chest.
“You don’t know my mother like I do,” Princesa scoffs, her expression shifting to narrow-eyed contempt. “Sour-faced old prune,” she mutters darkly under her breath.
I study her, feeling an unexpected pang of kinship. Like me, Princesa has no true connection with her family. A shame, perhaps, but irrelevant. Together, we will forge our own destiny.
The crowd grows restless—many watching with awe, others growing distracted, discussing amongst themselves. A surge of anxious energy curls my lip at what comes next—a bold proclamation. Perhaps tempting fate. Yet glory was never won by tame hearts.
I lift my hand, signaling to the two hunters stationed at the cavern’s edge. They nod, vanishing into the dark tunnels to retrieve my next offering.
“I have another gift for you, my Mortakin-Kis,” I say, unable to suppress the flicker of a smile.
“Oh, really?” Princesa arches an eyebrow, her grin wicked. “Well, I do enjoy some... gifts.” Her gaze slowly sweeps over the glittering remnants of the shattered diamond scattered across the cavern floor. “Wait, shouldn’t we have some servants collect this? Must be a billion carats just lying around.” Her silver eyes gleam with sudden greed, reflecting the twinkling shards. “I mean, with this, we could be billionaires, Dracoth!” she exclaims, awe lighting up her features.
Ah. So that’s why she wanted the ring. Diamonds must hold immense value on Earth, but here, amongst the advanced species of the universe, they’re as worthless as dust.
“Petty baubles, nothing more,” I growl, sweeping my arm dismissively over the sparkling debris.
Her face falls instantly, anger flaring in her eyes as if I’d crushed all her dreams with one mighty hand. “What do you mean?” she demands, her voice rising with indignation. “Theymustbe worth something, for fuck’s sake!”
“Nothing,” I reply with finality.
“Nothing...” she echoes in a groan, slumping forward as her shoulders sag. “Typical. Why am I not surprised?” She shakes her head, disdain dripping from her voice, each word as bitter as unripened zarberries. “A wedding ring that’s basically a Ring Pop!”
Ring Pop?
“This is why I offered Elerium instead,” I grumble, my frown deepening at her ungrateful display.
“Oh, of course! Elerium! Why didn’t I accept the mysterious, alien material I know absolutelynothingabout?” she snaps,throwing her hands in the hazy air as though summoning Arawnoth himself to deliver justice.
Her materialism irks me, a detestable remnant of her shallow human upbringing. In time, she will learn such desires are trivial. That all will be provided, that only power and glory matter—the true riches of life.
“It’s okay, Todd,” Princesa coos, patting the sleepy, clacking cyloillar affectionately, as though it were somehow aware of the conversation. “Daddy Dracoth just wants us to live homeless on the streets, eating from garbage cans. That’s how much he loves us,” she sighs dramatically, her tone dripping with sarcasm, though whether she’s mocking me or entirely sincere is impossible to tell.
I’m left utterly perplexed and grateful for the distraction as the hunters return. A team of them struggles to haul the immense, lifeless sneachir between them. The colossal beast, once a towering predator, is now a charred ruin, stripped of most of its scales and flesh, exposing blackened skeleton beneath. Its remains are a testament to my divine fury—the fate awaiting all who oppose me.
Gasps ripple through the crowd as awe floods their faces, their eyes darting between me and the monstrous carcass. My chest swells with pride, my heart racing as I relive the battle in my mind’s eye. None but I could have achieved such a feat, alone and unarmed.
Such a glorious triumph.
