Creatures of War (Of Wings and War Book 2), page 1
Creatures of War
OF WINGS & WAR | BOOK TWO
REBECCA ETHINGTON
Text Copyright ©2022 by Rebecca Ethington
Characters, names, and related indicia are trademarks and © of Rebecca Ethington.
Publishing rights © Rebecca Ethington
All Rights Reserved.
Published by Imdalind Press
No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For Information regarding permission, write to:
Rebecca Ethington – permissions@ Rebecca Ethington.com
Production Management by Imdalind Press
Printed in USA
This Edition, June 2022, 2022
Contents
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Special Thanks From The Author
Also by Rebecca Ethington
About the Author
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Chapter
One
Smiles were meant to be warm and friendly. Yet, as I looked up at King Teodar Laskis the Third, his was anything but that. It stretched widely across his face, peeking through his graying dark beard. Gray eyes peeked through a wrinkled face as he stared at me, still waiting for my response.
His words echoed through me as I stared at the ancient-looking king, dressed in enough dark red silk to be worth a small fortune. The fabric hugged his massive frame, wrapped around his wide shoulders and draped over a chest that must have once been all muscles but definitely had softened over the years.
Some of his scales went further down his arms, further than I’d seen on other dragons. They were a deep yellow or maybe more gold. They seemed to capture the light rather than reflect it, glowing inwardly. It was almost pretty, would have been if those scales weren’t on the king.
Choose.
His words caused bile to rise in my throat. He wanted to make me choose between the three dragons I’d mated with. Rode on. Got to know. Began to love.
King Laskis’ creepy smile stretched further across his face as he leaned forward, clearly enjoying the show he’d orchestrated. The wings behind him ruffled, the holes in them practically glistening as the light behind him shone through. Again, I had to wonder if he could even fly with wings like that, or if his dragon form had more solid wings.
The tail at his back curled forward, again capturing the light and trapping it inside the thick scales, making them look like gems instead. Definitely gold. The king had to be a gold dragon.
“I suggest you don’t keep me waiting, Rayna.”
I bit back a grimace, hating that the way he said my name felt like he was scraping layers off my skin. His voice was gruff and practically crackled with each word. His power was strong, making my legs feel like jelly. I could see why he was king. He was overwhelming, even as he tried to force me to make such a heartbreaking decision.
Unable to respond, I pressed my lips together. Never in a million years could I choose. It felt wrong just thinking about it, like my soul was wavering, preparing itself to be shredded apart. I could only stare at the king, taking in his old age and the way his eyes seemed to look deeper into me, seeing more than I thought even existed in me.
And I didn’t like it. His smile twisted into something lewd, his eyes darkening the longer King Laskis stared at me. The word greed came to mind.
“You can’t make a rider choose,” Tanja spoke up, some emotion deepening her voice as she stared back at the king coolly. “You know better, Uncle.”
“Enough.” King Laskis rose to his feet and slowly approached us, still smiling and not looking away from me.
For an old man, he moved smoothly, resonating power with each step. He stopped at the top of the platform, not going down the steps but still looking down at all of us. I felt naked in front of him and it was a very mortifying feeling. I had to look down just to make sure my clothes were still on.
He continued his proclamation, “She will choose, and we’ll break the bonds from the other two. Her flying around on three dragons is preposterous when we can use the other two dragons with other riders more efficiently.”
“Even if they’re lying about all being connected to her, it is still something we need to investigate carefully. You could destroy them by doing this.” Tanja tried to argue.
“Enough!” King Laskis’ voice boomed around the room.
I curled into myself, a whimper escaping, and I hated the way his power tried to smother me. Goosebumps broke out on my skin, and it took everything in me not to try to rub them away. The guys all reacted inwardly, hating how I was feeling and hating even more that they couldn’t do anything about it. Those emotions were so clear between us that I practically tasted the spiciness of their emotions.
That was new. The strength of their emotions was definitely new.
“Rayna will choose her mate,” the king continued. “Or I can just break the bond between all three of them. If she isn’t willing to do her duty then I can just find others more than willing to.”
Again his eyes looked me over slowly. Even his tongue came out and licked his thin lips. I shuddered, looking away from him. There was a low growl from behind me, but it was quickly cut off. I could sense that the others were also picking up on the king’s actions toward me.
King Laskis came down the stairs slowly and approached me, stopping too close for comfort. I could smell him, something sour settling on my tongue. I fought to keep my nose from scrunching up in disgust. It wasn’t that he smelled terrible, but there was an underlying note to him that didn’t appease to me at all, not like how the scent of the guys always drew me closer to them. In fact, his scent only made me want to back away from him.
“It hasn’t been done before, but there are always possibilities. If she can connect to multiple dragons, then what is to say they cannot connect to other riders.” As he stared at me, his eyes darkened until they were practically black pits. “Do it, Rayna. Choose.”
“I-I can’t do that,” I whispered, the ache in my chest so deep that I clutched my shirt.
“My dear, I have no trouble choosing for you.” The king inched forward, dropping his voice. “And I have a feeling my choice would not be ideal for you. If these bonds do exist between you and those dragons, I will break them.”
“Why?” Tanja asked, a hardness slipping into her voice. She took a step closer to me, but King Laskis whipped his head to the right, bringing her to a stop as he glared at the rider, his eyes thinning into slits as his powers flared around him.
“Must I explain myself to you? You may be my niece, but do not push me. Everyone here must pull their weight. There is only one of Rayna with three dragons. That is ridiculous. Two of them will always be useless, with no dragon breath, while she rides the other. Fitting them to other riders will make them useful. There is only room for those useful here.”
The king finally looked behind me at my dragons. Something he saw only seemed to please him. He turned sharply and went back up to his throne, adjusting his wings to fit comfortably as he sat back down. His tail made a thumping sound as it tapped at the floor by his feet.
“So. Rayna, what is your choice?”
Chapter
Two
“I-I can’t do that,” I whispered. Even though I couldn’t see the guys, I felt them inching closer to me, their worry and anger thrumming through the bonds between us.
‘We can always run,’ Zilon sent to me.
‘And go where?’ Philit asked.
‘Away from this fucking creep,’ Landers responded.
Their thoughts relaxed me enough to clear my throat and try speaking again. Knowing they were on my side gave me more confidence as I said, “I can’t do that. Choosing is like cutting off my limbs, and I refuse to do that.”
King Laskis didn’t say anything for a very long time. Sweat formed along my hairline and dripped down my neck. “Not a wise decision.”
He waved his hand, the guards around us all growing alert.
I whipped my head around as they approached.
“Separate them.” King Laskis’s order felt heavy against my body.
“What?” Landers yelled out. “You can’t do that.”
The king only laughed as the guards grabbed at my dragons
“Let them go!” I tried to move to them, but a steel arm wrapped around me, pulling me back against their chest. A guard on me, or so I assumed. That only seemed to make it worse as Philit renewed his fight. And for a moment, I thought he was going to escape when he managed to get three guards down, but they practically jumped on him to keep him subdued.
“Calm down, Rayna,” Tanja said into my ear, her breath warm. I was fighting against her hard enough for her long black hair to get in my face.
My eyes burned with tears, blurring their images. I felt their yelling in my head even though their mouths weren’t moving. They were calling for me as desperately as I called for them. Fear slammed through me, freezing my lungs.
“I can’t pick, and you can’t do this!” I yelled out, trying to be heard over the king’s laughter.
I tried to kick out and get free of Tanja, but she was too strong as she began pulling me away from the guys and out of the room.
They were forced to remain where they were with weapons drawn on them. Their eyes were big and round as they stared back at me. The bond between us felt the strain too, pulling tight. I was about to crumble at any moment.
“Let me go,” I cried out, trying to push her away.
“Rayna. Stop.”
I pushed harder, making sure to kick. She only lifted me up off the ground, having no issues keeping me in her grip.
“Rayna! Enough!” The sharp bark of Captain Corniz’s command forced me into submission as I stilled, making it easier for Tanja to take me away.
A whimper escaped me as my mouth shut. Tears burned as they fell, and I tried to blink them furiously away, but it didn’t work. Tanja had my arms locked in my side.
She sighed and finally put me down. We were farther down the hall, away from the throne room. Guards ran from the other direction, the sounds of their feet echoing off the marble floor. The guards darted into the room, hands at their side. Some of them were dragons, their wings pressed tightly against their bodies.
“Rayna, you need to take a deep breath and think for a moment. What you just did was treason. You never go against the king, not so openly like that. If you continue to act like this, it will only get worse for you and those boys.”
That got my attention, and I finally met her gaze.
“Yes. Think about them. All of you are at the mercy of King Laskis. Right now, all you can do is keep your head down and do what you’re told. Survive.” Tanja was frowning hard. She sighed and reached over, wiping my hair from my face.
“H-He’s your u-uncle; he’ll listen to y-you,” I got out with a small stutter as I tried to get my emotions under control.
“I wish, but Uncle Laskis is a greedy bastard. He’s someone I’d rather not deal with, but my position with him is what it is unfortunately.”
I gasped as she called the king that.
Tanja forced out a chuckle. “I only speak the truth, and no one is around to hear anyway.” She tapped her ear, letting me know she could hear that we were alone.
“What’s going to happen?” I asked. For a moment, the bond between me and the guys seemed to shimmer, their irritation reaching me.
“I know my uncle well enough to know that he’s enjoying himself right now. He won’t do anything just yet. So do as you're told and stay away from your guys. Don’t get them in trouble. He will punish them given the chance. Don’t give it to him.”
‘Are you okay?’ Zilon’s question fluttered through my head.
‘Yes.’
‘Good,’ Philit responded. ‘Behave for now.’
Philit’s order was enough to settle my nerves and listen to the sound advice Tanja was giving me. If they were telling me to behave, then they had to be okay. Right?
“Okay, so what next?” I asked.
Tanja stared at me for a moment before giving me a sharp nod. “Good girl. You’re lucky actually in the timing that you arrived. Classes start tomorrow, but the ceremony is only a couple hours away. The academy accepts students twice a year, and you’re in time for the winter session.”
“Ceremony?”
“The Welcoming Ceremony. Here is what’s going to happen: you’ll prepare for classes, go to the ceremony, keep your head down, and attend classes in the morning. Keep doing as you’re supposed to. And Rayna, you need to listen to King Laskis. Do as he asks.”
“No! I can’t choose. I refuse.”
Tanja sighed. “Rayna, shut up. I may be kind, but I will not accept disrespect from you for much longer. Listen to what I have to say if you want to remain with your guys.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to fight another wave of sadness that seemed to be bubbling under the surface. I wanted to be with Philit, Zilon, and Landers. Not with Tanja. Not dealing with this separation before we really had a chance to figure out what this bond between us was.
“Remember, I am a rider, Rayna. I know exactly how impossible it is to break such a strong bond. The king, in theory, knows this too. But he has never had a rider.”
That got my attention.
“It’s true,” Tanja said, reading the disbelief in my expression. “Play along with him for now. While he has always been riderless, he is still the most powerful, and he got there on his own. He doesn’t truly understand the bond that sits between you and those guys.” Tanja pointed at my chest, where my heart was. “He can’t break it, even if he tries. So wait him out for now.”
“I won’t lose them?”
“No. You won’t.” The strength of Tanja’s assurance was enough for me to reluctantly go along with what she was saying.
She was right. If I did keep throwing a fit, I could put the others in danger. That was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Okay, I’ll go along with this for now but don’t expect me to do anything that will put my bond with the guys in jeopardy.”
“I would never ask any rider to do that,” Tanja said in a soft voice, smiling again. She grabbed my hand and tugged me down the hall. “Now, we need to get you prepped for the ceremony or you’ll be late.”
“What does this prepping entail exactly?” I asked.
Tanja only laughed, never answering my question.
Chapter
Three
Tanja led me through big, long hallways, passing others who were more than happy to step to the side and wait until we passed before they went about their days. I couldn’t stop my eyes from roaming around, taking in all the intricate details. Dragon designs were etched into every pillar. Dragons flying through the sky, lying on rocks, roaring to the stars, or relaxing in water. All of them were so carefully carved that I couldn’t stop looking at them.
“Keep doing that, and you’ll run into a pillar,” Tanja said as she chuckled.
I looked forward, just in time to stop before I slammed into one.
“This is our stop,” Tanja said, turning us so we faced nice looking steps that went up to big, heavy-looking double doors.
“What is this?” I asked.
“Go in and get cleaned.” Tanja reached over and squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll see you later.”
She turned to leave me there.
“Wait,” I said, getting her attention. “Any tips?”
