Chapter 218
Elowen POV
Victory tasted like ash in my mouth.
At first, it was goddamn glorious. The battlefield had become our playground, our retribution. Vaela’s blood magic was sloppy and desperate. Her snarling curses bounced off my shield like flies. My dragon form raged through the sky like vengeance wrapped in scales and stardust, breathing green and purple fire that devoured cultists and mages alike.
Lyssira’s voice echoed in my mind, bold and proud. “We were born for this. They’re falling. Push harder. End it.”
And we did. Gods, we did. Bram was a tidal wave of muscle and fury, roaring through enemy lines like a bear possessed. Lachlan was a walking hurricane, slamming trees and roots through mage barriers with elemental rage. Daxon, my black wolf, had gone full Talon, fur soaked in blood, eyes glowing like twin eclipses as he tore through their strongest like they were paper dolls.
Ashrian fought like vengeance incarnate, blades spinning like wind and shadow. And Vaelrix, my emerald dragon, soared beside me, fire trailing his wings as he carved through vampire ranks with a roar that shook the skies.
We were winning. I laughed mid flight, cocky and wild with adrenaline. “Come on, bitches! Is that all you’ve got?!”
The battlefield suddenly began to tremble. Then the world… shifted. I looked down just in time to see blood magic screech from the
ground. I tried to swerve, but not in time.
Chains of blood, dozens of them, shot up like serpents from hell, glowing crimson and lined with barbed hooks. They wrapped around my
dragon body mid air, yanking me down like a divine wasp swatted from the heavens.
“NO!” Lyssira shrieked. “FLY, GODDAMN YOU!”
Too late. The chains burned.
Agony licked my scales like acid. My scream tore through the sky as the ground rushed up to meet me. I crashed with a sickening thud
that shook the earth. The chains pulsed with malevolence, burning into my flesh and holding me down, tighter with every struggle.
My mates screamed my name.Taya’s voice shattered through the chaos. “ELOWEN!!”
I tried to shift. Tried to rise. But the blood goddess had come to play. A voice curled through my mind like a dagger laced in honey and poison. “You shine so bright, little chosen. Let’s see how long you last.”
Lyssira snarled, fighting inside my mind, but even she couldn’t break free. We were caged.
Ashrian got to me first, falling to his knees, slashing at the chains with blades glowing red hot.
Nothing. Lachlan poured pure sunfire through his palms, shouting ancient words in Gaelic, screaming my name through clenched teeth.
Chapter 218
The chains drank his magic and hissed in pleasure.
Daxon shifted back and slammed his fists into the ground beside me. “NO, NO NO NO.”
Vaelrix’s wings shielded me from more incoming strikes, roaring like a god of war, his fire turning the sky white.
And still, the chains held.
“Don’t touch her!” Bram bellowed, swinging a blood soaked axe at another wave of incoming attackers. “GET HER OUT!”
Taya was sobbing, her body glowing, magic flaring uncontrollably. “LET ME HELP HER! PLEASE!”
But we all knew it. This wasn’t just a trap. This was a god level snatch.
Alpha Draven’s face was pale as he looked down at me, sweat beading on his brow. I met his gaze. Nodded once.
“DO IT,” I growled through the pain. “GET THEM OUT. NOW.”
“No,” Daxon snarled. “Fuck no, I’m not leaving!”
“You have to!” I screamed, my voice cracking. “SAVE THEM. SAVE OUR PEOPLE!”
“I can’t!” Ashrian’s voice broke.
“You will,” I said, tears sliding down my cheeks as the chains dug deeper. “You must. Or this was all for nothing.”
Draven closed his eyes for a single heartbeat… then barked the retreat order like it was killing him.
And it was. Everyone hesitated. My mates… my people… trembling, broken, refusing.
Daxon dropped to his knees beside me, his voice wrecked. “I’ll tear down the fucking world to find you. I swear it. No one touches what’s
mine. No one.” He presses his forehead to mine, his scent all comfort and rage. “Don’t die, baby. Stay alive for me.”
Ashrian knelt next, his eyes blazing red, fangs gritted. “They can chain your body, not your mind. I’ll find you in the shadows. I always
do.” He kissed my hand like it’s sacred. “I’ll slit every throat between us. And I won’t stop.”
Lachlan placed both hands on my cheeks, his voice shaking with barely controlled magic.“Mo ghrá… I’ll speak with the old gods, with the
elements, with death itself if I have to. Ye hear me? Ye stay strong. We’ll bring ye home.” His tears feml onto my skin like rain from the
earth itself.
Bram was trembling with fury, covered in blood, his voice thick and low. “I should’ve protected you better. That’s on me.” He grabbed my
wrist and pressed a kiss to the inside. “But I’ll fix it. I promise. No matter what it takes.”
Vaelrix knelt last, his dragon eyes molten gold, his voice rumbling deep. “Our bond is fire, Elowen. You can’t burn without me.” He
Chapter 218
brushed a strand of hair from my face, whispering, “I’ll rare cities. Just wait for me. Please.”
And then they were gone. Ripped from me. But their promises? Those stayed. Burned into my fucking bones.
One by one, they were dragged, shoved, screamed through the portal. Kicking. Crying.
Taya turned back as she vanished, tears burning like fire down her cheeks. “I’ll come for you,” she sobbed. “I swear, El…”
And then they were gone. The battlefield was quiet now. Just me.
Naked, trembling, my skin torn and burnt, chains still holding me down like a fucking lamb for the slaughter. A cold laugh rang out
through the courtyard.
“Ah, a voice purred. The dragon falls.”
Lucien. And beside him, in all her red-smeared, smug as fuck glory, stood Vaela. “Poor little chosen,” she said, crouching down to my
level. “Didn’t anyone tell you? Every god bleeds.”
Magical chains clanked behind her, heavy and pulsing with black light. They were meant for me. Lucien grinned like the bastard he was. “We’ll break you, Elowen Skye. Tear you down until there’s nothing left but ash and obedience.”
And then… she spoke. Raelith. In my head.
“You’re mine now, chosen. Let’s see if you bleed red… or gold.”
They wrapped the chains around my neck, my arms, and my ankles. My body screamed. Lyssira wailed. My soul… cracked. As the final shackle locked into place and the blood magic surged like lava through my veins, one word echoed in my mind.
“Fight.”
I passed out with that word on my lips.
