The Innocent Mate Of A Dragon

Chapter 7: Protecting

Scorch's POV

Next Morning

I woke up slowly and my mate did as well. I shifted into my human form. "Hey, we should probably get going Princess," I suggested.

She made an adorable pout. "But Scorch, it's too early, isn't it?" My mate smiled at me then stood up. "I'm gonna get some berries."

I growl lowly. "No. I told you yesterday it’s too dangerous to leave the cave. There are species that live here that aren’t as evolved as us. They’d kill you with no thought. Don’t forget few dragons here might kill you on sight. I would have killed you if you weren't my-" I cut myself off, I rather not tell her that she’s my mate. I did yesterday, but I'm 100% sure she didn't hear me.

I felt off but I wasn’t sure what was causing it. I didn’t give the thought much attention because I was staring at my mate.

She glared at me. "I do what I want, is that understood?" Her expression softens into a smile. "Really, I can handle myself. The berries are right around the corner, and I can tell poison from not poison." I was too focused on how adorable she was to protest quickly enough. When I did open my mouth to say something she was gone. I shifted back into my dragon and paced around the cave slowly to think about how much I don't want to take my mate back to The Enchanted Kingdom.

I heard a lot more footsteps than usual. It could have been a crowd of goblins, but it wasn’t likely. It smelled like elves and a lot of them.

I let out a loud roar when a group of elven guards attacked me. I'm usually more alert but my guard was down. I realized they were coming too late. I almost slipped away but there were a lot of them.

They used their magic to enhance their weapons. I was about to let out a roar of fire to kill them or at least send them running since my mate was still around, but one said. "Carissa!" Was that my mate? Was her name Carissa? Hearing it made me purr slightly so it had to be her. I was sure when the elven woman yelled. "Princess Carissa!" Goddess, I'm a jerk I never asked for her name... and after two days.

I didn't let fire ascend. I didn't want my mate to believe I was a monster by killing her friend and the guards who came to protect her. After all, they thought she was in danger and came to bring her back so that's no reason for them to die. I wasn't fighting back at all anymore. I was strapped down with a water net laced in poison. My mouth was still opened until I was muffled. One guard hopped on my back.

The woman looked at me. "She was here, I can sense her mana." She dropped to her knees with her head hung then she raised It to look at me with tears in her eyes. "You killed her! Didn't you?! Damn monsters…” She sniffled. “She was just a naïve girl!" She started crying. She must have been close to Carissa... "I shouldn't have let her out my sight... I wanted to save her I wanted to be her knight..."

I snarled at her assumption that I murdered my mate. I would attempt to speak but my mouth was muzzled. "De-wing him!! Watch him suffer! Then kill him...," she demanded. I wasn't going to let myself die or get de-winged. I might have not had a choice anymore because the poisonous net was making my scales sizzle... I couldn't move I was basically paralyzed. My fire could melt this muzzle off and break the net, but I would have to kill them... I needed to make a decision, and fast.

Carissa's POV

I finished making a basket made of twigs. While I was making it, I couldn't stop wishing I didn't have to go back. Then I start filling the basket with berries as I hear my name being yelled. Wait, Bailey? Oh no... Scorch! I run till I got back to the cave and my eyes widened at the sight and I drop my basket the berries spill. I ran to Bailey and tackle her. "Bailey!" I yelled. Okay I know I should have run to Scorch and yelled at Bailey to let him go cause he's different and all that, but ugh I missed her, give me five seconds. I didn’t think they’d hurt him now that they see I’m okay.

Bailey gasped and slowly stopped crying; she was pinned down now. She looked up at me surprised. "You really think I'm gonna let myself get eaten by a dragon?" You trained me better than that." I smirked. "Plus, Dragon's don't actually eat elves... I don’t think..."

Bailey laughed slightly. "Did I? What I remember is me trying to train, but instead you were running off ditching our sparring sessions."

The next thing I knew Scorch was roaring loudly in pain against the muzzle as his wings were being cut Into. I immediately stood up when I realized that they were still trying to harm him. "Stop. Your princess demands you to let my friend go." Bailey and the guards looked at me in shock. The guards listened and got off of him then backed away. I walked to him and let him free and healed the cut on his wings. I felt so embarrassed for the misunderstanding.

The guards got back on their horses and Bailey grabbed me. "We won't hurt him but you gotta come back. If you don’t, he'll kill you and he might kill us all. We need to get out of here." She warned me. I held back a laugh at how ridiculous she sounded. Although I didn't want to go, I knew my responsibilities and I'm not that difficult. So, I got on one of the horses holding onto a guard. Scorch snarled loud I guess he didn't want me to go so soon even though he knew this was our last morning together. I waved to him until I was far enough away not to see him.

--

Bailey whispered to a guard, "We'll send a group to come back and kill him," but Carissa didn't hear.

--

Arrival at the Castle

I waited outside my father's office while a guard told him everything. I looked at all the pictures I had taken yesterday and realized I didn’t have any of Scorch. I guess I didn’t need them because how could I forget about him?

I walked into my father’s office when the guard left and told me he was ready for me. "What is wrong with you? I told you not to go to the dark forest the day before yesterday! And what do you do?! You go the very same day and then defend a dragon! That would have been one less dragon to worry about!"

"He's my friend Father..." I mutter annoyed.

"Friend?!" He goes to his private library and pulls out a couple of history books and put them on his desk. He opened them and I look at the pictures of Elves burnt to a crisp by dragons. Just pictures of brutally murdered elves, what dragons did to my people. I didn't want to see anymore.

He showed me one more picture that caused my eyes to widen, it was my mother. He looked at me with a sad expression. "Your mother... She was murdered by a dragon...." He panted. "It was terrible... the dragon flew her high then dropped her from hundreds of feet up." He put his hands to his face.

I looked away. “I know she did but just because one dragon is a murder doesn’t mean they all are. Father, I’m fine I swear. Can I go to my room?”

Father exhaled. “You don’t usually cause me too much real trouble, Carissa. I think you need something to keep you busy. Why don’t you focus on magic for a little while? You received another invitation to be evaluated for the top upcoming sorcerers and sorceresses.”

I loved magic but it wasn’t a focus of mine. “I’ll think about it.” Those rankings mainly consisted of mages since their magic is a lot broader than elf magic.

“Don’t go anywhere without Bailey.” He said as I walked to the door. “Don’t go back to The Dark Forest.”

The next two days I listened to him. Bailey would drive me around while we listened to the radio and we’d go into the nearest town or small city.

We were in the enchanted forest because I insisted that we’d go for a hike on the trail. “Why can’t you binge tv shows like a regular person?” Bailey asked. “Why do you have to hike and ride horses?” She caught me when I almost tripped. “Be careful.

I laughed. “There are tons of regular people who choose to be active in their free time. I have a lot of energy I need to burn off. If you want, we can watch a movie tonight.”

Bailey pulled out her phone when it vibrated. “Dammit, my little sister needs me. She says it’s an emergency, so we have to go back.”

I looked towards The Dark Forest. “You should go straight there then. I’ll find my own way back.”

“Do you want me to call a guard to drive down and get you? Or you could come with me. My family loves you and I’m sure my little sister would want to see you.” She insisted.

I shook my head. “It’s a family emergency so you should go by yourself. Since we’re not finishing our hike, I’d rather walk.”

“Okay and I’m holding you to what you said about watching a movie tonight.” She said before she walked toward where her car was parked.

I waited a while of her being gone before I started walking towards the border. I couldn’t help myself. It was like some invisible force was pulling me there. I avoided the small amount of border control on our side and crossed over. I had to walk a little while. I saw a dragon and ducked because I didn’t want to alert them by me being here. I had to avoid a few more creatures before I got to Scorch’s cave.

I waited around for an hour until I heard something. I walked to the back of the cave when I heard a dragon land outside of it. I ducked down behind some rocked. “What are you doing back? I know you’re here princess.”

I poked my head out and smiled when I saw that it was Scorch. “I couldn’t help myself.”

Scorch chuckled. “I guess it’s fine for now.”

It lasted a lot longer than “now” For the next two weeks whenever I could get away from Baily I met up with Scorch. He might have had to defend me from a few creatures, but I was safe with him. We met up about five times and Each time I felt even closer to him.

“We need to take a picture together.” I said. “This is the sixth time we’ve seen each other, and we haven’t gotten one picture together.” I kept forgetting all the other times.

Scorch shrugged. “Why do we need a picture together? I’ve seen you take pictures of me which you never asked for.”

“I took pictures of you in your dragon form and not with me in them so that’s different. Sorry for not asking, but I knew you saw me and they’re personally for me.” I pulled my phone out. “Ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready,” he gave permission, and I took a few really nice pictures of us together.

Later that night I was in my bed with Bailey watching a movie in our pajamas. “I look forward to our movie nights,” Bailey said. “It’s a nice change from trying to keep up with you all day. I guess the pay is good,” she joked.

I rolled my eyes. “You love trying to keep up with me.”

Bailey laughed. “Yeah, I go but I don’t love how you can never pay attention to the movies we watch. It’s disrespectful to the actors and director,” she joked.

I laughed. “I can’t help it. It can get so boring sometimes and you know I’m bored easily.” I looked at the door when I heard a knock. “Come in,” I called out.

The door opened and it was a guard. “Your father would like to see you, Carissa.”

I got out of my bed and followed the guard to my father's offer and walked in. “Yes?”

My father was sitting at his desk. “Why do you disobey me, Carissa?”

I kept a straight face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

My father gestured for me to come closer. I walked to his desk and looked down. There were photos of me and Scorch together. “I have poof so stop acting like you haven’t been going into The Dark Forest.”

“You had someone follow me?” The pictures were of earlier today.

“Only for a couple of days because a guard saw you at the border three ago days Carissa. Do you not care about the hundreds who have died by the hand of dragons? We are royalty who need to protect our people. You shouldn’t be making friends with the enemy. They act like civil people at first but they’re blood-lusting monsters, Carissa.” He pointed at Scorch in the photograph “Even this one, this one might be the worst.”

“You say that like you know him, but you don’t.”

“I do. I would never forget someone who did such a horrible thing. Looking at these photos I can tell.” He sighed. “He’s who murdered your mother..."

My eyes water widened in shock. "What… No, he wouldn't!" I yelled in denial.

My father sighed. "Carissa, he killed her. I was there. That was the dragon I mean he was a lot younger back then but that's him. I’ve shown you what dragons have done, and you didn’t care. He took your mother away from you, an innocent amazing woman. Do you care now?"

I rushed out of my dad’s office and Bailey was there. “Hey, Princess Carissa wait, what happened?”

I shook my head and tears fell to the ground. “Bailey not right now.”

Bailey wouldn’t stop. “Carissa you can talk to me, we’re best friends, aren’t we? Let me be here for you.”

I ignored her and rushed out of the castle sobbing then I hopped on my horse. My father had never lied to me before, so I trusted him, but this didn't feel real... I needed to find him and find out the truth, but the guards stopped me. They wouldn’t allow me to leave because of my father’s orders.

I got off my horse and I felt so defeated. I walked to Bailey, and she hugged me while I cried. We went back to my room, and I explained everything to her. “I knew we couldn’t trust any dragon, Carissa we can only really trust each other.” I was starting to believe that.

The next week I didn’t leave Bailey’s side. I tried to forget about Scorch, but it wasn’t easy without knowing if he did it or not.

I had to know if Scorch did it so one night I sneaked out.

I rode my horse into the dark forest and ran back into the cave. He wasn’t there so I waited around for a while. “Hey?” He said to me when he arrived. “I didn’t think you’d come back so soon.” He looked happy to see me, but this wasn’t going to be a happy conversation. I started to cry. He was in his human form. I run right into his chest, and he held me tightly to him. "What's wrong Carissa?" Him saying my name for the first time sounded so perfect to my ears. He sounded so caring for someone who could be a murderer.

"Have you ever killed any elves before?" I asked with a shaky voice and wanted the answer to be no.

He closed his eyes tight and hugged me tighter. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I have. I'm in the forest a lot... Elves come just to kill us... we have a law Carissa, and I was defending myself."

I push away from him and sobbed. I was trembling and my hands were shaking. "How many? When?! When was the first time??" I'm 17, my mother was murdered when I was five, so it was 12 years ago.

"Just a few, I think. The first time I was young, seven... I didn't even understand fully what I was doing. My father pushed me to finish the elven woman off... He was different then."

My clenched my fists because that would make him 19 now and he looked about that age I suppose. Everything just made sense. He killed my mother... "That elven woman was my mother…" I was frozen in place but suddenly I turned away and ran.

"Carissa wait!" I heard, but I don't stop. He killed my mother who was an innocent, and I couldn’t be okay with that. I was running so fast I don't know where I was going. Suddenly everything went black.