The Lycan’s Curse
Chapter 6

Cassius

The door to my office opens, revealing Dominic behind it, the look in his eyes showing it's urgent. While others believe he's still solely my bodyguard, when I'm king, he'll be taking on the role of my advisor first and foremost. He's one of the few I trust and his

appearance like this wouldn't be for nothing. "What happened?"

"Several Lycan reported seeing a dragon fly over their camps. At first it seemed to be nonsense. We haven't seen a dragon shifter in centuries. But then we received another and another claim of it. Some local Lycan also noted a large fire burning in northern North Dakota."

"Northern North Dakota? Where the rumors place an unsupported supposedly unpacked group of shifters living?" I question and he nods. "It's too long a drive if we want to replace what happened and follow the dragon, mitigate any other potential exposure. It will be faster to fly."

"I have the plane ready and waiting," he replies, and I grab my jacket before following him out the doors. My father will take his time on responding to this, giving us the advantage of getting there first.

The flight is short, and we land, heading to the space where the fire was reported. The scent of shifters is thick in the air, and I move quickly towards the camp. The fire is a distance from where it is but I'm certain it was caused by a dragon shifter. The burn pattern is too precise to be anything but intentional. Why a dragon shifter having hidden for centuries would suddenly decide to break law and risk exposure, is something I want an answer to now.

A large group of men are outside of a cabin arguing loudly, covering our approach until we're on top of them. I can tell from one breath that they are a mixture of species, proving that this was in fact a mixed group that rumor had lived peacefully together for ages. "Who is in charge here?" I question, silencing the group with a loud whistle when they all start demanding to know who I am. "I am Crown Prince Cassius and I wish to speak to whomever is in charge."

"Torin would be the second longest here. He's inside and won't let us in to finish them off," a shorter man said, his voice a pure snarl of fury.

The door opens and a larger bear shifter comes out of the space but remains in front of the door to keep the others out. "I will not allow you to behave as a lynch mob. I am no more in favor of them remaining or healing than any of you, but even unpacked, it is not up to us to decide their fate. It can be however, the Crown Prince's choice."

"Would someone please explain what happened today? Why there are reports of a dragon being seen flying over the Lycan camps, a ring of dragon fire burnt into the forest, and from the smell of it, two bear shifters dying from it inside?" I demand as Dominic stands just behind me to the side.

"We have lived peacefully together for many years, some of us, longer than you have been alive, Prince Cassius," Torin says meeting my gaze unlike the others. "A little over eight months ago, a young wolf shifter asked for refuge amongst us." I stop him at that news, my gaze meeting Dominic's as a soft hint of sweetness I've only once before smelt settles on top of the others smells, overriding even the scent of burning flesh. "This wolf shifter, her name is Larissa, isn't it?" "No," Torin says and if it weren't for the others, I would have believed him.

"I do not ask because we have been requested to return her to her pack to accept the mate bond that is killing the repulsive eldest son of the alpha. The opposite in fact. I have had searchers looking for her to ensure her safety. If she is here..." "Forgive me, Your Highness," Torin states stopping me, but I allow it, "but she is not here, not any longer. Earlier today, we were working in the greenhouse, labor that Larissa is simply not suited for. We did not realize that she had taken a walk in the woods until it was too late. The two inside have never accepted Larissa into our camp. They disliked her upon her arrival and over the months, it unfortunately grew worse.

"Today while we were working, they attacked her. Both are impressively strong bearen and their combined strength against Larissa was...catastrophic. We barely heard her first cry and by the time the second sounded, she was gravely injured. Kai, the dragon that was seen, has treated her as a treasured part since she arrived. He was furious to see the damage they inflicted, were still inflicting, and set the fire to stop them. In the process, they were both badly injured."

A wave of fury radiates outward from my Lycan and I have to fight to stop him from overtaking for once. Something that I have never experienced.

"From the bits of Larissa, we were able to see through the fire, I would not doubt that nearly every bone in her body was broken. She does not heal as a shiften should, there is no chance that she would survive the attack. Kai left with her, heading north, I suspect to ease her passing," Torin finished, his voice thicker with emotions and for once, I was thankful to be hollow. The anger was something I could control, pain such as he was experiencing, the anguish in his eyes is something I don't wish to ever experience. "Please, take kindly on him for losing something that he greatly valued. Most shiften that lose something like that tend to not think before they react."

"I agree and I have no intentions of allowing any harm to come to him. The only reports of his sighting were from Lycans. Humans that might have seen him would likely believe him to be an exceptionally large bird," I state calming the group. "Should we replace him, and he wishes to return, there will be no attempts to stop him. As for the two that perpetrated this attack, attacking an innocent defenseless shiften, one known to not be able to protect herself, I see no punishment fitting but for death."

The four guards that we brought step forward giving me a nod, then move towards the cabin. Torin stepped aside and they returned shortly with two women, nearly six feet tall chained. Their burnt flesh still sizzled with the lingering dragon fire, but nothing would be given to ease their discomfort.

"Where is the nearest council?" I ask Dominic.

"An hour away just beyond the border."

I turn to the guards instructing them, "Take the prisoners to the council, there they will have their charges read and the punishment swiftly executed."

The shorter that I have to look at the two the better. Disgust fills me, not at their scent but knowing how little they care of anything weaker than them. Today is one time that I truly wish I were a fully hollow being, that not even the negative parts could touch me. With the charges and punishment written and sealed, I hand it over to the guards and turn back to the group. "I wish there were a better end to Larissa's story. That we had found her before today, as I would have given her my protection with what she had suffered in the past. I would like to see that she is properly laid to rest, somewhere sacred. Does anyone know where Kai might have taken her?"

"To the dragon's old lands is the only thing I can think of that would lie north of here that would mean anything to Kai," Torin states and I nod, heading to Larissa's cabin he indicates to get something appropriate for her.

The sweet scent wraps around me tighter, waking my Lycan entirely and he howls in misery knowing it will soon fade without her here. The few items she had fit into the two bags, and I take it all with me, wanting as much as her scent as I can get. Each mile the plane erases between us and the spot where Kai might be fills me with more disgust and anger. My fist slams onto the arm rest pulling Dominic's gaze over to me.

"We tried our best to replace her Cassius. No one ever believed the rumors that this group lived here."

"That trash will survive now. If she dies before he does, he'll recover." The words seethe out of me, and if I were anywhere near him, I would instantly end his life.

"And for what? What could those two shifters have against her from the moment they met? Other than the fact that she was a pretty girl, small, weak, in need of protection which I'm sure the men gave...if that is all it took for them to do something like this then death is the only appropriate punishment," Dominic states but it does little to soothe the anger flowing through me.

The moment the plane lands Larissa's weakening scent hits me, and I hurry towards the cave near the waterfall. A blast of fire erupts from the entrance just as I'm about to move into it, and I spot the giant form in the space. The glowing purple eyes marred by scars are filled with a pain I can't imagine, and its wings lay against the ground surrounding something.

I don't need to guess to know what it is. Larissa, his treasure, and even if it means that I cannot claim her as I'd hoped, I won't let her die if there's a chance.

"Kai..." I pull back as he sends another wave of fire my way.

"I don't think he's likely to listen to reason. He's too far into his grief to let her body go yet. Eventually he'll tire and then we can make our move," Dominic suggests. "She's still alive, barely, but listen," I state seeing Dominic's eyes widen when he hears it as well. The faintest beat of her heart under the rumble.

"Kai," I call into the cave, "my name is Crown Prince Cassius, and I am only here to help. I give you my word upon the sovereign crown of that. No one else knows where you are at this moment, and I have already pardoned your potential exposure. You have nothing to fear from us entering the cave and everything to gain."

"What can you give me that would mean anything to me?" a voice demands a moment later and I turn into the opening, my hands raised as I meet the man and not the beast. Like Lycan, their shifts do not tear their clothes from their bodies, but absorb them, showing off the same scars as on his face earlier flow down underneath his shirt.

"Larissa, her life. She's fading and if there is any chance to save her, you have to let me do this now," I state, hoping that my blood won't pass my curse along to her.

"Do what?" Kai questions, as he cradles Larissa's broken body to his chest.

"Royal Lycan blood can heal. A magic created to prove one was a royal when many sought the crown as the camps united. Only those with royal blood would dare risk the most precious being to them. It can heal anything, any poison, any injury, and demise, as long as it's drank with a still beating heart."

"You swear it?" Kai demands and I nod, meeting his gaze and he releases Larissa enough that I can reach her. "If she dies because of this, I will kill you, royalty or not."

"I understand, she's special to you, but I swear it is the only thing that might save her life now," I state before sinking my teeth into my wrist to let the blood drip into her mouth.

The first touch of it has her heartbeat sounding louder and I let it drip until the wound heals, checking to see how much it's done. Her chest rises and falls a bit steadier, but her limbs remain limp when I lift her arm and it immediately falls back down in response. "It wasn't enough."

"Her body's paralyzed to stop the pain," Kai says, nodding towards the bottle. "It doesn't affect the heart, brain, or lungs, but stops all feeling in arms and legs, bones..."

"You fed her dragon saliva in the water. That would explain the non-reaction in them." It will take some time for that to work out of her system. Lycan blood may heal but it wouldn't overpower something that was non-fatal until last. First it would heal her organs, then her bones, and then her muscles, the final would be to expel anything not natural in her makeup. "Her bones need to be set before they begin to heal incorrectly. We can't do that here, there's not enough light and she'll need somewhere comfortable to rest once it's done. I have a private residence not far from here. No one is aware of it, and you can stay there with Larissa until she's well."

"The others from our camp..." Kai says as he lifts her, following me and Dominic to the cave entrance.

"Are safe other than the two women. I imagine by now, they are dead by council," I explain as we reach the plane.

It's barely a thirty-minute trip to my place and we quickly work to set Larissa's bones correctly, bandaging them to remain as they barely begin to knit together by the time we land.

"I've never seen anyone heal that slowly," Dominic says as I get items from the kitchen to store my blood.

"Neither have I, but as long as she is healing, it means she's still alive. We won't be able to remain for long, but my blood will last for several days."

"Why didn't you tell him that royal Lycan blood will only heal those they allow it to? If not, someone would have gladly bled your father long before now," Dominic asks, the corner of his mouth ticking upwards.

"Perhaps because I didn't want to end up barbeque. You know mates are jealous, dragons were the worst. Even if he hasn't claimed her, he's bonded to her and any perceived threat that someone else may like or care about them and it's lights out. The only reason they went practically extinct is because it included fathers over their daughters, refusing to allow them to go to a mate."

"Or mothers that refused to allow their sons to care more about their mates than them, leading them to kill too many of them at which time their fathers retaliated."

I nod filling several vials with my blood before heading back to the bedroom where Larissa now lies. The amount of blood I've lost is minimal, a good sleep and it will be as though it never happened. One more round now should help to expedite the recovery of the worst of her injuries. I don't know how long it will take to fully heal her though, not after seeing how little the first of it did. That much blood given to any other shiften with her injuries should have been successful in healing them entirely. That it didn't begin to even start on the bones is strange.

"I will have to get back to the palace to head off any potential searches for you," I inform Kai as the blood drips into Larissa's mouth. Her translucent skin begins to pinken, and I feel it safe to leave for the day. "There are five vials in the kitchen. If she at all looks to be falling backwards, give her another today, then two a day for the next two. I will come back, if possible, on Thursday. If I for any reason I cannot make it, Dominic will come with more vials. If two do not seem to be working, then give her as much as you think necessary, and I will ensure you have more."

"Why are you doing this?" Kai asks, his hand brushing against Larissa's cheek before his attention turns over to us. "She's nothing to you."

"Shortly after Larissa left her pack, I arrived on my tour. It was evident that no one there was close to her, not enough to know that she'd been missing for two weeks before they began to search for her. We then discovered that the alpha's eldest son not only rejected her being his mate, but also encouraged his friends to attempt to assault her, and when that did not succeed in getting her to leave before her birthday, kill her. I swore as we left him there to die a slow painful death that should I replace Larissa I would ensure her safety. The alpha of her pack told us briefly of her history, and I was not going to allow that to happen again. We did not search the woods to replace your camp, to replace her before this could happen. That is on me, and I will do whatever I must to rectify that. You need not worry that you may lose your new mate," I add, pulling his attention back to me once more.

"No...I love her yes, but as a daughter. Dragons are..."

"Exceptionally protective and jealous creatures," Dominic states and Kai nods.

"We are very alike then. When our Lycan chooses that which is most treasured to them, they will kill long before they allow anything to harm them. My direct line is next to the phone downstairs. Dominic's is below it. If anything happens, call one of us immediately. You will be safe here. If you wish to send word to anyone at your camp, I will see it gets there as well."

"Just tell them that there's hope," Kai says, his arm beginning to shift and my brow lifts as he tears off a scale without a flinch. "Add this to it, Torin will know it's mine and believe it."

I nod before we head back to the palace where I replace my father bellowing for me. There's no rush in my movements to meet him and I slide into my seat at the dinner table, smiling at Mother. Angering and infuriating my father is something my Lycan enjoys and after being so near Larissa's sweet scent atop of his fury at what happened to her, I'm willing to bet he'll be anxious for a run tonight.

"What the hell did you do?" Father demands as I take a bite of the tender beef in front of us.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Father."

"You sent two bear shifters to be executed by the council? For what crimes? You cannot just overstep me..."

"Their crimes were noted and proven. Two nearly six-foot tall, hundred-year-old bearen females attacked a far weaker, immensely smaller, eighteen-year-old wolfen. A wolfen known to be easily hurt and slow to heal with no aggravation beyond residing in the same unpacked camp, accepted by every other member of said camp. They were caught and stopped by the rest of the members of the camp, as they broke nearly every bone in her body."

"Is it true there was a dragon shifter that lived there? Was seen?" Mother asks, her eyes wide staring into mine and I can read the rest of her questions-was the girl Larissa.

"Yes, he separated the bearen from their attack with fire, burning them in the process, and then left with the girl. It seems exceedingly impossible that she could survive such a horrific attack. The others at the camp said that the dragon shifter was highly protective of the young wolf, a fatherly adoration for her, and an unprovoked attack such as this should not be his death sentence. As the only reports of him being seen were by Lycans, I have already pardoned him. I will not see one of the only remaining dragon shifters die should he be found."

"You insubordinate, arrogant, worthless fool!" Father shouts riling my Lycan entirely. "How dare you!"

"In three months' time, I will be king. There is no loophole that will allow you to continue to be king. It is time you accept that I will rule as I see fit, not as you do. Unless of course you'd wish to kill me at which time the crown will go to a non-royal, perhaps even a dragon shifter as we now know at least one survived," I add sending him fuming from the room.

"Oh Cassius, you should not have done that," Mother says, but the smile and twinkle in her eyes says she doesn't mind. Her smile fades after a moment, reaching over for my hand. "I am sorry about the girl. It was the one you'd hoped to replace, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was Larissa, and as we speak, the dragon shifter is watching over her somewhere safe." I lift my sleeve, where the single drop of blood mars the perfect white. "She does not heal as quickly as a shiften should, but I am certain that given time, it will work. My only fear is that it may pass along my curse of not feeling to her."

"The curse was placed on your father, passed down to you by that alone. Your blood should not harm her," Mother assures me, and I nod before heading out to the woods, to feel the surge as my Lycan bursts free.