His Mate: The Dragon King

Chapter ten

After Alaric had returned to his cave that night, it had been difficult sleeping on an empty stomach and the next day, he had broken free some gold from his coffin. He had cursed Ramiel to hell and back for not burying him as a king. He didn’t even bother to bury him with any treasure, how was he expecting him to survive when he eventually wakes up? However, he came to a saddening truth, Ramiel didn’t plan for him to wake up at all.

He returned to the human realm the next day and was able to find a pawn shop after being conned twice by some guys he trusted. He could have beaten them to death, but he had settled on scaring them and getting his gold back. When he eventually pawned them, he was surprised at the papers handed to him as money. He almost thought the manager had conned him as well until someone confirmed that it was real money.

Heaven forbid, living in the human realm now is so difficult, he had kept singing to himself while he tried to make do with what he could understand on his own. Eventually, he figured out that the looking-glass thingy was a moving beast that humans use now instead of horses. He had gone into the nearest restaurant, hoping to be served a good meal, but to his surprise, he was thrown out of the shop for looking dirty.

He cursed and it was only the fear of the Almighty that stopped him from killing the humans and burning down the restaurant for the insult. Eventually, he was able to get some roadside food and had been surviving on that. But he knew he needed to work on his appearance now. It was obvious the humans would never take him seriously if he kept walking around in his tattered robe.

He saw a clothing shop and entered but to his surprise, he couldn’t understand the pattern of the clothes there. He knew it was how the humans dress now but alas, he could not bring himself to dress like that and so walked out when he was told by the attendant that he would not find what he was looking for there. Fortunately, the attendant was kind enough to point him to a costume shop where he had marveled on seeing a nice robe upon entering.

“May I help you, young man?” An old man walked out from the inner room and smiled at him.

Alaric stared at the man and thought about the grievances he had passed through for the past days and blurted out the first words that came to his mind. “You, be my servant.”

The old man stared at him in shock. “Excuse me young man, but did I hear you correctly.”

“You heard me perfectly. Become my servant and I shall pay you handsomely.” With that, he revealed the wads of cash he has been carrying around with him for days. He hated having to look after the money and thinking about what to eat. He would gladly pass that responsibility to anybody, even an old man. He dumped the wads of cash on the coffee table and went to lay on the chaise longue in the shop. “Now, I shall need to take my bath. I haven’t in days, or should I say years. But you needed not concern yourself with that.” He put his feet up and rested his head, closing his eyes. Oh, he has missed relaxing like this.

“Excuse me, young man,” the man’s voice made him open his eyes. “While your offer is tempting but I have already come of age that I can’t tend to a young man such as yourself. Even to manage this shop is getting too much on me. So, if you can just take your money and go.” With that, he placed the money on Alaric’s torso and started dragging him up.

Alaric could sense the strength failing from the man and made it easier for him by getting up himself. The money flowing on the floor. “But I do not know what to do. No one attends to me.”

“Such is life my boy, if there is no one to tend to you, then you tend to yourself.”

“But I have never wondered about these mindless duties before. It is very draining to have to do everything myself now.” Alaric said as the man pushed him to the door and went back to pick up his money for him. Alaric didn’t know what to do to buy the man over and he has never begged anyone in his life before.

“I am sorry to hear that young man. But, there is nothing I can do for you,” the man said and walked to him to hand the money to him. “Please, take care of yourself.” And with a final shove, he closed the door on Alaric’s shocked face.

Alaric sighed and glanced around him, wondering what to do now. He had offered to employ the man because among all the people he had been meeting, the man was the only one he sensed good intentions from, and now, even he threw him out. He was still thinking about what to do with himself now when a familiar scent was carried by the breeze. His eyes widened and he turned sharply, his heart beating loudly in his chest as he quickly pocketed the money inside his robe and walked off briskly in search of the scent.

He didn’t walk for long when he saw her. She was walking in the company of another woman who looked the same age as her. She looked so beautiful, her deep brown hair flowing around her as she smiled beautifully to whatever her companion was saying. Alaric could hear his heart beating, fluttering with each step she took. “Mariah,” he whispered her name, loving how beautiful she looked under the afternoon sun and once again he confirmed it to himself, if it was on a normal circumstance, he would have accepted her without batting an eye.

Silently, he followed her, watching at how easily she blended with the humans and how easily she could access all the places that were off limit to him. He decided to wait around, to confront her when it would just be the two of them.

***

“So what do you want to have?” Naomi asked Mariah as she flipped through the menu.

Mariah sighed and glanced out the glass window. This was the first time she was allowed to step outside for the past days and it was only because she threw a heavy tantrum about it. Both Asher and her father had refused to let her wander around in the woods or even go anywhere alone. She has missed the outside sun, the calming breeze but she knows she has missed something else. A certain golden-eyed man with long white hair. She has not seen him in her dream again and while she knows she can’t meet him for fear of her life, she was still dying with unanswered questions and what she will give to just see him and have a normal conversation with him.

“Mariah?” Naomi called now after not getting a respond.

Mariah sighed and turned to her with a soft smile, “sorry. I zoned out.”

“I noticed. So, mind telling me what is going on?”

Mariah closed her eyes and exhaled. Neither Asher nor her had let Naomi in on what was happening. Irene had seen a vision once more about the white clad armored people. Till date, no one knows what their deal was and where they could have come from. All in all, it was making her more confused than ever because she really cannot understand what their purpose would be and the only person who might even get an inkling idea wants to kill her on sight.

Not getting an answer, Naomi sighed. “Well, I believe that you will tell me when you are ready.” She smiled.

Mariah returned the smile. “Thank you.”

“Now, what do you want?”

“Anything sweet. I am really lacking it in my life right now.” She exhaled and picked up her menu.

Naomi stared at her with a sad look and then reached across the table to touch her hand. “You will find him, Mariah. I know you will. The blood moon is in three weeks’ time, Asher told me. And I strongly believe that you are going to find him that day. Trust me.” She winked.

Mariah chuckled and just nodded for good measure. A certain peerless face appeared in her mind and she sighed. If only.

By evening, she said goodbye to Naomi and of course, didn’t obey Asher in teleporting straight home and decided to have a quick run in the woods under the moonlight to clear her mind. As soon as she got to the woods, she glanced around to be sure there was no one around and started undressing. She had only pulled off her top when she sensed a presence behind her and turned sharply only for her breath to cut in her throat as different scenarios flashed in her mind.