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Chapter Text

Caden awoke to a lonely bed that morning. He knew it the moment he was met with nothing but sheets on the other side of the bed. He closed his eyes once more and was seriously debating sleeping in until the early evening. Iolaire seemed eager enough to go with that plan. It was more excited for a night of flying with Raziel rather than anything else.

But their plans to laze around all day were ruined the moment Rose barged into his and Valerius’ shared quarters,

“Caden! God, you’re still sleeping?” Caden didn’t reply and immediately put a pillow over his head to get her off his back. He heard Rose sigh before his pillow was abruptly pulled off of his head. He groaned in response but still hadn’t moved from his fetal position on the bed. He tightly grasped his thick, cooling blanket in fear that it was her next victim.

There were soft footsteps before Caden heard the shuffling of the curtains and then a beam of sunlight flashed unto his face. He winced in response and tried to hide underneath his blanket when Rose snatched it from him. Ultimately accepting his fate, he laid in defeat and decided to just stare absentmindedly at the ceiling,

“Caden, honestly, it’s almost 11 am, you need to get up. You have an event at the Central Plaza today, remember? One of your publicity stunts, and Wally said this one’s important.” She then went on to ramble about how it would be beneficial for both him and the City of Reach, so that they would further trust him in being able to accomplish his duties as their new King, alongside Valerius of course.

“You shouldn’t have had access to my room, Rose. How did you get in?” He managed to say, his voice still thick with the drowsiness. Rose simply rolled her eyes, or at least Caden imagined she did because he felt her gaze on him.

“Caden-“

Caden suddenly sat up and raised his palm to stop her from speaking, “Alright, I know. Just give me… an hour…?”

“30 minutes, take it or leave it.” Rose crossed her arms over her chest and he sighed and closed his eyes. Once she didn’t hear his response, she threatened, “Tell me you’ll be ready by 30 or I’ll make it 15 minutes.”

“You’d think being king, you’d have some sort of freedom to choose my own schedules.” Caden muttered under his breath,

“What was that?” Rose said with a sharp tone. Caden chuckled and slowly stood up from his bed before guiding her out the door,

“I said, I’ll meet you in the dining hall. Now, shoo.” Caden guided Rose towards the door. He leaned against the door as she stood in front of him, “30 minutes and I’ll be yours.”

Rose let out a small smile before huffing out a breath, causing her bangs to rise from her forehead for a mere second, “Alright, I’ll meet you in the dining hall. Don’t forget to actually wear something other than shorts and tennis shoes, okay?” He chuckled and she snapped her fingers at him, “Caden, I’m serious. You’re King now, you need to present yourself—”

Caden put his hands up, “Alright, alright.”

Rose slowly nodded before taking her leave. Caden watched as she walked away. He closed the doors and made his way back to his room. The bed seemed to tempt him to come back but he fought the urge. He was getting hungry anyways, and he had missed Valerius. He knew his mate had some business to tend to early in the morning, but it’s been more frequent that he’d wake up to an empty bed.

He opened the showers. The shower head sprayed hot water which hit his skin. That would for sure wake him up.

Chapter Text

The event at the Central Plaza was more or less successful. Caden was happy to have met with so many of the citizens of Reach and Iolaire was more than keen to show its beauty to the world. This was the part of being a king that he enjoyed the most but it was a shame that it had only been a portion of his responsibilities.

Caden was currently leaning against the marble railings of their balcony. He was only wearing a long white polo shirt as he waited for Valerius to return from his own duties. The moment his mate comes back, they would immediately shift and fly as dragons through the night. Scratch that, that might be his favorite thing of being a king, being able to spend time with Valerius at night and feeling the wind pass through his wings as they flew side-by-side.

He heard the door open and just by the footsteps, he immediately knew it was Valerius. He wanted so much to run into his mate’s arms but he had to gauge if Valerius was in the mood at all. There were nights that he felt too exhausted for anything. It’s not that he wasn’t able to be affectionate but with someone like Caden who was way too sensitive for his own well-being, he’s able to detect when Valerius was somewhat forcing himself to act in a caring, loving, and sweet way just to make him happy.

And to Caden, he didn’t want the person he loved the most to pretend to be someone else. That would be cruel, wouldn’t it?

He felt arms creep around his waist as a kiss was planted on his shoulder. Caden felt his heart flutter as excitement filled him. Valerius seemed to be in quite a joyful and happy mood at the moment,

“Fly?”

Caden asked as he turned his head before being met with Valerius’ lips. Valerius dug deep into his as they explored each other for a few seconds. He could feel himself getting warmer by the moment, a deep need slowly emanating from within him. Their hips rocking against each other as their bodies were slowly becoming one.

But then Valerius pulled away, and Caden wanted to audibly groan at the loss of his touch. He watched as Valerius looked up at the sky,

“Would it be alright if we rest for tonight? Raziel is a bit exhausted from having to travel to Esme’s territory and back.”

Caden slowly nodded but his disappointment must have been obvious as Valerius cupped his cheeks together and looked into his eyes,

“I promise, Caden. Tomorrow, we will fly as glorious beings in the sky. I really am exhausted today.” Caden looked into those beautiful eyes and nodded,

“Is… Iolaire okay with that?”

Iolaire was more than okay with it. It knew better than Caden how exhausting prolonged flight could be.

I have also showed myself to the people today. I fly. High in the sky.

Iolaire spoke to him. Caden nodded to Valerius, “Iolaire understands. We also flew today anyways, during the event at the Central Plaza. We’re fine.” Valerius smiled and pressed a soft kiss on Caden’s forehead. Caden shivered at the touch.

But then, it was gone again and Valerius was slowly walking back towards their room, “I’ll take a shower first, you should rest now, don’t wait up.”

Caden shook his head, “I’ll watch the moonlight for a bit. I’ll join you later, Val.”

Valerius looked back at Caden and seemed to want to say something. Caden’s heart was hopeful for anything else but then Valerius merely nodded and disappeared into their room.

Caden stood there and began to stare at the moon. Its light calming him somewhat, making him feel less lonely.

Chapter Text

“Rose, why do I have to do this again?” Caden was currently trying to tie a tie as he follow a video on the Internet. His suit felt too tight but he knew it was more his discomfort at formal attire more than anything else. Rose was leaning back in her seat in the car as she closed her eyes. The soft humming of the air-conditioning of their Bentley emanated through the car.

“Beats me, ask Wally when we get home later. I only take orders from the boss,” Caden rolled his eyes before facing her, “Just help me tie this thing, please.”

Rose snorted and they both tried to figure out how to follow whatever black magic that man in the video had done. In the end, it was Caden’s driver who had helped him. William, an old man who had been a loyal staff of the castle, a close friend of Chione over the years. When they arrived at the venue, Caden stepped out of the car in defeat and was about to opt not wearing the stupid thing when he had stepped in.

Chapter Text

The venue was beautiful at the very least, much nature-themed, with a garden setting and various pastries lined up on the dining tables. Their venue for today was yet regarding another publicity stunt, for him to establish connections with major political figures of the kingdom and country alike.

It was more of an awarding ceremony. Caden was simply invited as a guest honorary to award the rightful people. If Caden were the one asked, he wondered if he even deserved to give out awards but such questions were deemed unnecessary when he had become one of the most powerful people on Earth overnight.

The event was quick to end and soon enough, everyone was just chit-chatting with one another as they indulged in the tasteful set of delicacies and dishes presented. Caden excused himself to go to the restroom, he desperately needed a break from these people. Not that he disliked them no, but even a person like him had limits on formal occasions such as these.

Luckily enough, Rose wasn’t there to berate him on being absent as she had been distracted with the beautiful flowers and was currently having a lengthy discussion with one of the gardeners, at least one of them was having fun tonight.

Chapter Text

“You’re… Caden Bryce, right?” Caden was washing his hands on the sink when he looked up to see the owner of the voice. It was a tall man, a few inches more than him who wore a fine tailored black suit and a sleek hairstyle.

Caden smiled, “Yeah, that’s me.” He turned off the faucet and was sprinkling his rather damp hands unto the sink.

“Oh, sorry, I should say King Caden. My apologies, how rude of me.”

Caden shook his head instantly as he turned around. He grabbed his handkerchief from his pocket and began to wipe his hands,

“Just call me Caden,” He said before amending his words, “at least in the bathroom, there are no statuses here.” He quickly muttered, hearing Rose and Wally’s voices about how he needs to be able to maintain a respectable distance between him and his people.

As much as he wanted to be friendly to everyone, he still must lay the line between an official of the government and a citizen. Such boundaries were meant to protect both sides after all,

“Oh, and you are?” Caden asked as he continued to wipe his hands. The man chuckled and replied in a low voice,

“You’ll know soon enough, My King.”

Caden glanced a look at the man before turning around to face the mirror again. He felt somewhat irked by how he answered but he must be a special awardee, perhaps at a later time during the venue.

He tried not to audibly sigh, realizing the event was far from over. All he wanted was for Valerius to embrace him as they slept in each other’s arms.

The man went beside Caden and began washing his hands too. Caden noticed in his peripheral vision a few scars on the man’s wrist, as his sleeves went up. But he paid it no mind, it would be rude to question it upon their first meeting.

But Caden hoped the man was doing okay, somewhat.

“Well, I’d have to get back. I hope I do learn who you-“

Caden was about to turn and walk outside when the man stood in front of him and blocked his path,

“Excuse me?”

The man slowly crept up closer to him before leaning against him. Caden felt his heart beat faster, something was off with this guy.

Iolaire?

Iolaire slowly opened its eyes upon Caden’s call. It saw the man and rose to its feet, ready to pounce and help Caden if ever.

Thanks, buddy. But I don’t think we should shift, not in here at least. Just keep awake, okay? I have a bad feeling.

Iolaire nodded and its eyes were honing in on the man.

“You are very beautiful, Caden. I can call you Caden, right? You did say I could.“

Caden nervously chuckled as he watched the man walk closer towards him,

“Thanks- Thanks, man. Now, I really-“

Caden was about to walk past him again before the man grabbed at his arm. Caden frowned. He was confident by all means he could take this guy down but the confrontation was making him feel more anxious and unprepared than usual,

“Where are you going, my sweetheart?”

Caden forcefully escaped his grip then and went to slightly push the guy off so that he wasn’t cornered,

“I’m sorry but you’re acting very strange right now. Congratulations on your award, but you don’t have the right to treat me like this. I am still your king!”

Caden felt his ego rise a bit as this was the first time he used his “King” card. It did feel good somehow when he actually demanded respect from someone who so desperately lacked it.

The man muttered something under his breath and in a split second, he lunged at Caden. Thankfully, being one of the most powerful shifters on Earth, he dodged the attack easily and was about to exit the bathroom when he heard a loud shot ring in his ears.

The next moment, all he saw was black.

Chapter Text

“Excuse me, miss. Rose, was it, correct?” A pudgy short man approached Rose as a hint of disdain was seen in his gaze. Rose knew these types of people all too well. It’s only been a few months since she was announced to be one of the newly appointed kings of their country. Although many showed support and saw it as a sign of hope, a shift for a better society, there were still individuals like himself who held much prejudice against shifters who aren’t aligned with the most desired roles.

Nonetheless, Rose was prepared for it the moment she took on the job. She knew what she was getting into and won’t let her or Caden down. She flashed him a serene smile,

“Yes, that’s me. May I help you?”

“You are one of King Caden’s counselor, correct?” He asked in a rather condescending tone that irked Rose a little, “Yes, I am.” She replied with a stern intonation. She wasn’t going to be pushed around and stepped on, “And you are?”

The old man’s cheek reached the lower tips of his ears as he flashed her a big smile, “No one you need note of. I was simply tasked to inquire of King Caden’s whereabouts, you would know, wouldn’t you? You are his counselor after all.” He said the word “counselor” with much emphasis.

Ah, passive aggression, I love to see it.

Rose bit her tongue to prevent some unnecessary words exit her mouth. She would handle this with grace and elegance, just like how Chione taught her.

“King Caden-“ Rose frowned. She realized then that Caden went to the bathroom earlier to relieve himself but he hadn’t come back since. It’s almost been around 20 minutes since then. Rose couldn’t pinpoint what she was feeling but she knew it wasn’t anything good.

“I’ll go look for him. Why do you want to know where he is?” Rose was straightforward this time. Still not rude, but direct. Her ego and pride died down and she couldn’t care any less of what this man thought of her. Caden was her priority.

The old man shifted in his feet and looked a little surprised at her change in tone, “Ah, well-“ He stuttered his words, “The award ceremony is about to begin. And he is the one tasked to award our honorary individuals.”

Oh, so he’s the event manager.

Rose stood up from her seat and took her small purse, “I’ll go look for him.” Without another word from the man, she walked off towards the bathroom. The sound of the banquet slowly diminished from her ears and the halls became emptier. She was about to turn left towards the bathrooms when she caught a glimpse of two figures further down the hall. A large, burly man with hair color of goldilocks and a shorter, but not by far, man whose suit sort of resembled the one Caden wore. Rose’s eyebrows wrinkled. What would Caden be doing with some stranger?

He's an extrovert alright but not really in events like these.

She pushed the thought away, maybe it was just someone who looked like Caden. She didn’t even see the person’s body, just a glimpse of the back of their suit.

Rose turned left and was met with the doors to the bathroom. One of the cleaning staff exited the male’s restroom and Rose immediately asked him, “Hello, did you happen to see King Caden there?”

The man tilted his head in confusion before shaking it, “Uh, no, ma’am. I just finished cleaning all of the stalls, seen no one there.” Rose’s hands felt clammy. She took out her phone and thanked the man before speeding down the main hallway where she caught a glimpse of the two unknown men.

Her dress glimmered in the moonlight as she passed by window to window. It was a beautiful golden yellow, with a strapless design and long laces of fabric lining its ends. She and Caden had spent at least all morning being dressed and dolled up as she updated him of what the agenda was for the week.

She called Caden’s number.

It rung once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Silence. Rose held her breath.

“Hey-“

“Caden, where are you? The ceremony’s about to start-“

“-Sorry, if you’re hearing this, I’m probably not available at the moment-“

Rose’s hand dropped down as the automated voicemail continued. She was starting to sweat,

Okay, maybe nothing bad really happened. Maybe Caden just chickened out, that idiot!

But Rose knew Caden wouldn’t do something like that, at least without telling her about his stupid plans he wanted to go through with. She was nearing the end of the hallway but saw no one around. Her phone suddenly vibrated with life as her ringtone echoed in the hallway. She immediately clicked answer,

“Caden-“

“Rose, what’s going on?” Wally’s voice was heard through the other side of the phone, “Wally, thank god.” She huffed out a sigh of relief,

“I just got a call from the event manager where you and Caden are at, they said Caden went missing and then you were gone like the wind! What’s going on?” Wally’s voice wasn’t laced with anything vile or something like that, it was almost joking,

“Did you and Caden plan something to get out of the event? Chione won’t like that-“

“No-!” Rose blurted out, “No- Wally- Caden, I don’t know where he is.” Rose began walking back and forth in front of the hallway’s doors, “What do you mean you don’t know where he is?”

“Wally, I tried finding him and he’s nowhere. Or at least where I knew he was last. I don’t know why- Wally- I have a bad feeling about this…” Wally’s ton became serious as he noticed the concern in Rose’s voice,

“Okay, dear. Calm down, we’ll figure it out. Call the guards, have them look for Caden on the ground. And don’t let anyone know you don’t know where Caden is. You have to act calm and make them believe you got it all together.” Wally slowed down his words for her to fully absorb each and every instruction. Although Rose wasn’t the young woman she looked and being the age of a person’s grandmother, Wally had more experience than her in terms of managing situations and people in general.

Rose nodded even though Wally couldn’t really see it, “What- What do I tell them?”

Wally was silent for a moment, pondering on what the best move could be. “Tell them…” Rose waited for his next words, “Tell them King Valerius asked to meet with his mate to discuss an important shifter business.” Rose smiled in relief. It was a good enough excuse, not really the best, but it was enough for now to prevent any unwanted questions.

Valerius, as much as she still wasn’t fond of him, was not only well-respected within Reach but also well-feared.

Chapter Text

Rose was currently sat in the common room of the castle, the one nearest to Valerius and Caden’s quarters, where the 3 counsellors of Reach would discuss matters.

Wally was currently preparing 2 glasses of wine for him and Chione, and a glass of iced tea for Rose. It was a common trademark for their meetings that they have their own beverages to help nourish their minds as they plan for the agendas of their kings.

“You’re saying Caden went to the restroom but never came back. You went to look for him but found no one there?” Chione was the first one to speak. She was currently standing opposite Rose who was on the L-shaped couch. A tablet was in her hand as she scrolled through the screen.

Rose nodded, “After I called Wally and the guards, I double-checked any other place where he could have went. I didn’t see a trace of him anywhere.” Chione’s brows furrowed at that.

“Have we managed to contact King Valerius?” Wally entered the scene and set the iced tea on the low glass table near Rose, handed Chione her own glass of wine which she quietly thanked him for before immediately taking a sip. He sat down a distance from Rose and opened his own work tablet.

Chione shook her head, “He’s currently in flight as we speak.”

Rose looked up at Chione, “He flew all the way to Queen Esme’s kingdom and back again? Why?” Chione merely shrugged at that, “He said he wanted to feel the wind pass through his wings. It is not uncommon for King Valerius to use the traditional way of transport.”

She sat on the couch, opposite Wally and Rose, “Though I will admit, he has been flying traditionally more often than not the past few months. I haven’t inquired him as to why.”

“There’s no articles about what happened earlier, I’m surprised with how fast you work, Chione.” Wally spoke, scrolling through his internet feed trying to find any loose ends. Chione set her wine glass down and smiled,

“I do try.”

Rose took a sip of her drink then before speaking, “I just can’t say exactly what I feel about this situation but something’s really off.” She looked to Wally and Chione, “You knew him longer than I do, Wally. Do you think he would have done something like this?”

Wally pushed up his black, thick-rimmed glasses. Looking up from his tablet, “I wouldn’t say it’s not possible. Caden’s still a young man and although he can be responsible when times are most dire, there’s still that aloofness present within his personality.”

Rose’s left leg began bobbing up and down, “I’m just worried.”

“We’ll find him, Rose.” Chione’s voice was strong and reassuring, “I’ve contacted the Claw and other private associates. I’m sure we’ll find out something, that is, unless…”

“Unless?” Wally pushed. Chione chuckled,

“Unless our two kings planned some aloof event together.”

The other two counsellors both rolled their eyes. Well, that one is certainly not out of pocket. It wasn’t the first time that both Caden and Valerius sneakily ran away from their duties of power by using their status as “Kings”.

Rose visibly relaxed, if not by a little, then. Chione spoke up once more, “It’s not like Caden could be taken away. I trust that Iolaire would protect him well.”

Wally nodded in agreement as he continued to scroll through the net and drink his wine. Rose’s eyes widened. She set her glass down on the table,

“What if he… did?”

Wally and Chione both looked at her, their gazes confused. Wally chuckled at her question, “Kid, you know how strong dragon shifters are. And Caden isn’t some chump either.”

Rose ran a hand through her hair before she started walking back and forth, “Before I went to check the restrooms the first time, I saw something.”

“Something?” Chione asked, her posture straightening. Wally’s face became serious, “What was it, kid?”

“I saw this guy. Well, two men. One of them had his arm around the other, as if needing support to walk. Or at least that’s what I assumed then. I only caught a glimpse of then before I turned towards the bathrooms.”

“I could ask the Claw to check out the cameras if they caught anything.” Chione said as she stood up and began to search for a contact on her phone. Wally rose from his seat as well, “But why do you think this could be connected to Caden?”

“What is this about Caden?”

A low voice came from the direction of the common room door. There he stood tall, with only his silk black robe dawned on his body, was King Valerius of Reach.

Chapter Text

Caden woke up, or at least he thought he did, because all he could see was the darkness staring right back at him. A pulsating sensation crawled its way through his neck and was slowly transferring towards his head. He could smell the scent of rusted metal and iron. He wasn’t sure if it was his blood or if it were from objects he couldn’t see in the room he was in.

He tried moving his legs but they felt numb. It was then he realized that he was somewhat chained to a bed, or at least the mimic of one. It wasn’t soft nor firm, just felt like he was laying on a metal table.

His eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness. He couldn’t make anything of his own body but he could see at least a chair by the end of his bed. He tried turning his neck to look around the room but he felt so groggy and tired, he could barely move.

He decided to simply look up at the ceiling and laid there in silence. He called to the only other source of hope he could fathom,

“Iolaire…?”

And again, he was met with darkness. Everything looked too foggy, even in his mind’s eye, his memories were clouded, nothing was clear. It was then Caden started to panic.

His breath hitched and the sound of his breathing was the only thing echoing throughout the room. Iolaire wasn’t there. Or at least Caden couldn’t hear them. He could still feel their presence, somehow. But he couldn’t see nor him them.

Just then, a low emanating light was slowly pulsating before fully turning on. Caden’s eyes took a few seconds to adjust but once he had, he sort of wished he hadn’t.

The source of the light was a long, tall lamp just in his corner’s eyes. But all Caden could focus on was the person who was standing by the edge of his bed. He didn’t even manage to sense them, what was happening to him?

“Who… are you?” Caden slurred, even his speech wasn’t working as well as it did.

“My sweetheart…” The man slowly sat down beside him, just an inch away from his own body. Caden’s eyes started to familiarize themselves with the unknown man’s features. The most notable were his eyes, they were blue. But not the usual bright bluish hue he’d seen in people, they had a certain night shine within them,

“You’re… a shifter…?” Caden said out loud even though he hadn’t intended to. The stranger chuckled before placing a hand on Caden’s cheek and dragging it slowly across his face.

It was gentle but also unwelcome. Caden shivered in fear as sweat began to drip from his forehead, “Indeed, I am, my King.” The stranger said, his eyes wandering from Caden’s eyes to his lips, and then to his neck.

“What… did you do to… me?” Caden began to try and lift his arms, shuffling from his chains. The stranger immediately pinned his forearms down, his strength seemingly much more than what Caden had,

“You’ll know in due time. For now, let’s have some fun, shall we?”

Caden’s heart was palpating in his chest, he was afraid he would die of a heart attack if he was even capable of doing so. Still, he found the strength to express his anger, “What did you do to me?!” He exclaimed out loud. He needed Iolaire back. Whatever this man did to him, he needed to find a way to get Iolaire back.

The stranger hopped on the metal bed and began to position himself over Caden’s body, “No… No… No-! Get off of me!” Caden tried to move away from the man and with all his strength, began to fight against the stranger’s grip.

The stranger leaned towards Caden’s ear and whispered slowly, “You… are… mine.”

Caden hadn’t realized it but the moment he tasted salt in his mouth, he finally felt the tears running down his cheeks.

Iolaire… Where are you?

Chapter Text

“What do you mean, Caden’s missing?!” Tilly’s eyes were filled with tears as her mother embraces her in a half-hug. Her father sits beside her, an angry look seen on his face. They were all sat in the common room together with counselors, and Valerius himself.

It was three hours since Valerius got back in Reach, and since he was informed of Caden’s absence. At first, he wanted to fly out and search every nook and cranny of Reach to find his mate but Chione stopped him with all her of will – convinced him of how much of a terrible idea that could be, both for Caden’s safety and the people.

“If they knew you were looking for Caden actively, whoever took him might even find better ways to keep him hidden.”

“Then, I’ll burn everything down!” Valerius’ voice was loud and was mixed with Raziel. Wally and Rose were both unmoving from where they were, fear slowly creeping within their veins at Valerius’ blatant show of wrath. Chione was the only calm one in the situation, being used to his fits,

“And risk hurting him in the process? We don’t even know where he could be.”

Valerius was silent at that and simply stood to face the moonlight. A minute passes and only the ticking of the old wooden clock hung upon the wall could be heard before Valerius spoke again, “Call the Bryces, they must be informed of what’s happening. And ensure we are doing everything we can to find him.”

Rose was the one to reply then, “Already on their way. Chione, Wally and I have contacted our associations and continue to contact any way we know to find him.”

Valerius merely nodded before remaining silent.

Rose bent down on one knee in front of Tilly. She seemed to have shed a few tears herself prior to their meeting, “We’re doing our very best to try and find him right now.” She placed a hand over Tilly’s shaking ones and tried to soothe her.

It was Caden’s father who spoke then. His voice booming throughout the room, he was unable to control his anger, “Whoever did this to my son- I will- They will pay!” He held his hands in his fist as he fought back tears.

“But- Caden is a dragon shifter, he’s one of the most powerful beings in the world! He couldn’t have been kidnapped, more or less, hurt!” Tilly exclaimed as more tears broke out from her eyes. Rose said nothing then, only continue to massage her hands in an effort to calm her.

Chione was silent the entire duration. She was intently observing her king and his current behavior. He didn’t seem calm at all but if he was panicking, it wasn’t visible on his expression. Chione felt something was off with him and she needed answers,

“Valerius, are you really unable to contact him?” She asked cautiously. Everyone in the room all looked at him expectantly. Valerius was standing, with his back to them, as he faced the full-length windows of the room. He was holding a tablet in his hand which contained a report of what was currently happening and the efforts taken to handle the situation.

“He’s far. Somewhere far. But one thing I can be sure of is that he isn’t hurt. If he were…” Valerius held his breath, even saying the possibility was starting to get on his nerves. But he must remain calm, or else everyone would lose control more easily, “I would feel the pain.”

Tilly broke out into a cry and Rose was pretty much holding her hands as she tried wiping off her tears. Wally, who was quiet the entire time, was fiddling with the tablet as he tried to contact his own connections who could help find some clue.

“Rose,” Valerius spoke, his back still faced to the group.

“Tell me once more what you saw.” Rose slowly stood up and patted Tilly’s hand once before wiping a few tears which escaped her eyes. She walked towards the side of the couch and faced everyone,

“It was only a glimpse but it was two men. One of them was wearing a suit which was the same color’s as Caden’s. He had his arm around the other man, leaning as if he can’t walk by himself.”

Chione decided to add more information to let the Bryces know more context, “We’ve already gotten the CCTV footage and unfortunately, they were tampered with and no way to recover the files.”

Wally chirped in then, not once looking up from his tablet, “Which means this doesn’t involve only one person, but multiple.”

“Then, all of them will surely face the consequences of their actions.” Valerius voice was smooth and even. But everyone in the room knew his wrath was slowly building up the longer Caden was yet to be found.

Chapter Text

Caden couldn’t tell what day it had been or if time was even passing. All he could feel were the hissing sensations from his wrists and ankles. The stranger had done nothing but tie him up before promptly getting him unconscious once more.

When we awoke, he could feel nothing but cold air that hit his skin as he shivered in response. His clothes had been mostly taken away, excluding a shirt which he was unfamiliar with and his underwear. There was a soft, warm light on the opposite end of the room. He wasn’t alone.

“Hello, Caden. I can call you Caden, right?”

The familiar voice of the man who abducted him was heard from his right. The man was sitting on a chair, watching him writhe under his gaze. Caden began to feel tears in his eyes. He had never once been in a position like this, something so cruel and dehumanizing.

And realizing Iolaire was still not around, not in his mind’s eye nor in his reality, Caden felt true fear course through his veins.

Still, he wasn’t going to give up that easily. He could escape. Sure, Iolaire gave him most of the strength he had, but Caden was capable of fighting, at least to some basic degree.

I just need to find a way to get rid of these… ropes.

He felt a stinging pain on his left cheek and the tear he had been fighting finally dropped upon his face,

“Answer me, Caden.”

“Caden?”

Caden looked up from the fireplace. He was sitting cross-legged there for a while after such a cold night of flying. It was funny since he was technically an ice dragon but still, a part of him found comfort in the heat.

“Yeah?”

Valerius made his way towards his mate. He tried to plop himself down by the fire just like Caden did. However, with his much larger physique and bulky mass, he looked more like a big teddy bear trying to make itself smaller than it seemed.

Caden chuckled at the thought. Valerius smiled, “I love you.”

Caden blushed and looked away as he warmed his hands by the fire, “I love you too.” He mumbled, seemingly having been gotten shy.

It was Valerius’ turn to chuckle then, “You know if you want to be warmed up, I can think of more ways than one for you too.”

Caden’s face was redder than a fresh tomato, “What- What are you thinking?!” He paused, “Didn’t you say you were already tired from work earlier? And plus, we already did it in the shower-“

Valerius laughed heartily. The sound stirred something in Caden’s heart, “I meant to lay and rest in bed. I could warm you up with Raziel’s heat. What were you thinking of?”

Caden’s eyes widened and he panicked. He suddenly stood up and headed towards the bed, “Ah yeah! Sure, that’ll help a lot.”

Before Caden could react, he felt himself being swept away from his feet. He yelped in surprise and his heart raced as Valerius held him in his arms so easily.

Valerius carried him all the way to their bedroom and landed a kiss on his cheek, “I love you, Caden.”

“CADEN!”

Caden was brought back to the present. The man was now choking him. His hands were around his neck, gripping his veins and arteries as tight as he could. Caden was trying to break free from his restraints as he mouthed words of pleas.

The man then let go and sat back down on the chair. Caden choked on his saliva and coughed repeatedly. He could taste his tears as they kept falling down and hitting his mouth. He could also feel the remains of the man’s hold around his neck.

The man was silently watching him. Observing him,

“I’ll call you sweetheart again. I don’t think either of us like the name Caden as much, don’t you think?”

“You- You’re crazy.” Caden managed to choke out in between breaths. He immediately regretted saying it out loud when his abductor rose from his seat and hovered over him once more. Caden braced himself as he expected the man to strangle him again.

But the man did nothing and merely looked at him. It was then Caden could finally see the person’s features at a much clearer view.

The man had a face that was conventionally attractive. Put him in a formal attire and guide him to act like one of the elites, he would never be suspected of being able to do anything like what he had to Caden.

He had a slight curl to his blonde hair which reached up to his neck. His eyes were blue and his eyebrows furrowed at the center of his forehead, anger radiating from his expression.

“I think…” The man spoke and clapped his hands together, “It’s about time I start to train you, don’t you think?” Caden’s eyes shook with fear. Beads of sweat dropped from his temples.

The man caressed his cheek and wiped away the sweat, “Don’t look so afraid, sweetheart.” He pulled his hand away and looked over Caden’s body, “You stay put here and I’ll get ready for our big night. I’m sure you’ll love everything I’ve prepared for you!” His smile was bright and Caden noticed the slight flush of his cheeks.

He froze realizing what the man was hinting on, “What- What are you-?”

“Oh, I should do this first! I keep forgetting! Your beauty tends to distract me, sweetheart.” The man sat back down on his chair and scooted closer to the bed,

He ran a hand down Caden’s thigh. Caden’s lips quivered at the touch.

“Don’t touch me.”

He was ignored as the hand continued to make its way across his pelvic area and move towards his abdomen. Caden recoiled his stomach in response which let out a chuckle from the man.

Caden closed his eyes then. He didn’t want to see this. Whatever that was going to be done to him, he didn’t want to see any of it.

The fingers were gone then. He heard shuffling from his right and a kiss was planted on his forehead, “Call me… Lucien, sweetheart. Don’t forget my name.”

He felt a hand tug on his hair, hard enough that he could feel his scalp being slightly damaged. Caden only nodded to get the pain to stop,

“Say ‘Yes, Lucien’.”

Caden bit his tongue, he didn’t want to speak to him. He didn’t want to-

“Say it or I’ll cut off your tongue.”

Caden continued to force his eyes shut. He was shivering in fear and the cold. He forced his voice out.

“Y-Yes, Lucien.”

It sounded so weak. It didn’t even register to him that it was his voice.

Lucien let go of his hair and a few seconds pass before Caden couldn’t feel his presence any more. He heard the door open and shut before Caden began to open his eyes.

He was left alone, the lamp of the room being his only source of light, his tears being the sound he only heard.

Chapter Text

“Well?” 

Valerius’ voice was loud and booming. Chione knew he was getting more restless by the minute. It was killing her too… so excruciatingly slowly… as to why they still couldn’t find Caden,

“We still haven’t found anything, my King. I… am sorry.”  She uttered the apology and bowed her head down. Valerius, who was sat at his office desk, looked up and noticed her weary expression. His heart clenched seeing her so distraught. 

She had always been the one to pick him up, never been the one to need support. But seeing her like this, it made him feel even more worried by the second as to where and what the state Caden could be in.

“Have a seat, Chione.” He gestured towards the chair across his desk. She obliged and sat herself down,

“We’ve already exhausted all our contacts, my King.” She began cautiously, “Everyone who can be trusted with the information of Caden’s disappearance has been told and given the objective to find out where he could be.”  Chione pursed her lips and clutched her dress. It had already been one full day since Caden had gone missing. So far, the only progress they’ve made was recovering the footage from the CCTV. 

They confirmed that it had been Caden with the unknown man, but he managed to not let a single camera catch even a glimpse of his face. He was skilled in what he does, at least that’s what Rose had shared after seeing the footage. She was the one who was fresh with experience on covert operations.

After that, there were no useful footage that could help figure out where the vehicle Caden was brought into went. It was almost as if it disappeared into the abyss. 

“I can’t wait around like this, Chione. Raziel and I will find him.” Valerius shot up from his seat and began to remove his coat. Chione stood up as well, panic rising in her chest, “Valerius!” She exclaimed, “You know how reckless that could be!”

She ran a hand through her hair, which wasn’t tied up in a neat hairstyle like it usually had been, only letting it fall until her waist. Valerius stopped midway in removing his coat and slammed the table, “And what do you expect me to do, Chione?! Huh?! Do you want me to—"

Chione clenched her fists, “If Caden’s abductor knew you were actively pursuing them—”

“To hell with them!” Valerius was storming towards the door when Chione blocked his path, 

“Move.” 

Chione felt the intensity of his gaze. She was sure he won’t harm even a strand of hair on her, but she was slowly starting to doubt if he could control himself,

“Valerius, what do you even plan to do when you search out there? Look through every cranny? You would be much more useful here, protecting—”

“Protecting what, Chione?!” Valerius knew his voice was rising above any volume he had uttered towards her. He also was aware of his growing anger. He just couldn’t understand why she was so against him searching through the skies. Yes, he couldn’t feel Caden nor Iolaire’s link— not even an ounce— but maybe he could see something none of them couldn’t. But Valerius also knew deep down inside how reckless it would be for him to do this.

“A dragon? Being selfish? You make me laugh, Valerius.” Raziel growled. He was having a conversation with his spirit, just after everyone had left his quarters.

Standing on the balcony and staring at the moonlit sky, he gripped the marble railings so hard, he knew that some cracks were being formed. “It would be very reckless, Raziel. If you were to be the one to search the skies for him, it would only spark alarm towards our citizens—”

“Do you think I would care more for our people than our mate?! Do you have no idea how much more their life is worth than them?!” Raziel barked back. Its flapped its wings so ferociously that Valerius could visualize his wrath, even without standing in front of their mirror.

“Do you think I don’t feel uneasy?! Caden’s missing, Raziel! He’s out there somewhere, and I… don’t—”

“All the more reason we must search for him ourselves.”  Valerius clicked his tongue, “I’ve already sneaked into every crook of the entire city. Every alleyway. Every corner. Everywhere I could squeeze myself into, I… couldn’t feel his presence anywhere, Raziel.”

He could feel tears prick his eyes. He felt so empty. So shallow, as if his heart had been pulled out. It was like torture not being able to feel Caden nor Iolaire’s presence.  Even if he was miles and miles away, in another country, somewhat he could feel the life from his mate. But right now, there had been nothing.

“You don’t think—”

“Do you dare to consider his death? Have you become an imbecile, Valerius? After all these centuries?” Valerius shook his head. Raziel was right. He was being foolish. If Caden had… If he had… Raziel finished his thought,

“If the boy had died, we wouldn’t be standing here alive. And yet, here we are. Alive and uninjured.”

“Then, why can’t we feel them?” Raziel pondered his question before answering,

“I… do not know.” Valerius was silent then. He didn’t know what else to say. Raziel’s warmth emanated throughout his body. It was mixed with rage, sadness, and worry. “What do we do, Raziel?”

“Let me search the skies.”

Chione had grabbed Valerius’ wrist and made circular motions upon the volar surface of his forearm. She was evidently trying to calm him down and bring him back at a rational level, “Valeriu—”

“Chione, please.” Valerius pleaded, something he had never done ever in his life as a shifter. Chione held her breath.  She could see the tears trying to escape from her King’s eyes. It was heartbreaking to see such a sight. All these centuries by his side, she now could say she had seen all of him. But, at what cost?

“I need him back.”

Continuous knocks were heard from the door. Both turned towards it and before either could reply, Captain Nagoye barged into the room,

“We have a lead.”

Chapter Text

Caden...

Caden...!

Caden's eyes burst open as he felt the breath being sucked out of his body. For an instance of a moment, he saw himself back in Reach; sleeping with Valerius in their quarters, the soft cotton sheets surrounding his body as they slept as one. But then, he felt the tight restraints around his wrists and ankles.

The blood dripping from his forehead

The sole lamp being his source of light

The scent of dust and dirt surrounding him

Caden had sworn he could have heard Iolaire's voice. At least the moments before he opened his eyes, or was he imagining things? Had he finally reached his breaking point that he was hallucinating?

"I-Iolaire?" Caden called out desperately into the void. There was no answer. 

He realized then, it had felt like some time since his abductor returned to the room. He was left alone with the company of the cement walls and broken wooden floorings. Caden tried to even his breath, he was starting to panic again. It felt like from the moment he arrived in this prison, he had felt surges of adrenaline run through his veins and arteries every minute. 

"When I graduate from university, I'm going to apply to be your counsellor!" Tilly smiled as she kicked her legs in the air. They were currently hanging out in her room, her new room in the castle. Whenever Caden had the time, he treated her space as if it was his sanctuary. Tilly hadn't minded one bit, seeming a bit clingier than ever before.

Caden chuckled, "You know, you've technically been my counsellor this whole time... Just not officially." He was seated at the foot of her bed as he snuggled one of her many plush toys. He wished he could steal some but she would definitely notice. Tilly rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but that doesn't count! I want to be someone like Chione!" 

Caden smiled then. He imagined Tilly all grown up and somehow he agreed that she could achieve the level of maturity and experience that Chione had... come one day. He leaned over and lightly smacked her forehead. "Ow! Caden-!" 

"Focus on being a kid first, Till. You have a lot of time to be all grown up, I swear." Tilly brought out her lips and pouted. Caden found it endearing and comforted that she still had her childish instincts. Tilly then abruptly rose up from her position on the bed, "Fine, fine. But I swear, I will be your counsellor one day, Caden! Mark my words!"

Caden felt the surge of tears once more as the memory came to him. His life couldn't end like this. No, he had to do something, anything. He wanted to see his family as they age, his mom, his dad, Tilly. He wanted to see her all grown up, at her own pace. 

I can't let things end like this.

Caden took in one deep breathe and exhaled. He still had a fighting chance. He knew he did. He had no clue as to what happened to Iolaire, but he could feel them somewhere still deep inside him. But first, he had to figure out a way to get out of this place. If the man still hadn't been back after this entire time, he had a chance to escape before he could return.

And so, Caden fought.

He started first with his wrists, gently nudging them to test how tight the rope was. Even if he hadn't seen them, he felt that they could somehow be loosened, now that his blood and sweat dampened their edges. Sensing that the rope around his left wrist was looser than the one around his right, Caden closed his eyes and began to slowly wiggle his left wrist from the rope. He winced as his skin made contact with the rope. He felt wounds forming and scabs being opened once more. But Caden had to fight, he had to be strong. 

He was the ninth dragon shifters, for fuck's sake. With or without Iolaire, he was still worthy of being one of the most powerful.

Please, please...

Caden hadn't realized he was holding his breath until the rope came loose and his wrist was done free. He suddenly laughed out loud because of the sudden euphoria. But then, he forced his lips together, in fear of the man hearing his joyous laughter. The next restraints were easier to remove, at least much easier than the first one. There were new cuts being formed and those that existed had deepened much more as he moved but Caden couldn't care less and forced his way. 

Once he was free from his restraints, he slowly moved to stand up by the bed. His legs weakened as he did and they buckled causing him to grab unto the bedframe. Caden felt the cold hit his body. All he had was his boxers, pretty much naked to every physical agent out there. But... Caden took one step forward, and another, and one more.

He was going to get out of there, dead or alive.

Chapter Text

"Let me go!" Rose held unto Tilly tighter as she tried booking it towards the doors. The two of them, together with Tilly's parents, were currently holed up in the common room once again. After being informed by Wally about there being a lead, she was tasked with keeping everything together in the castle. Tilly overheard their conversation and immediately tried to follow after Valerius but was halted.

"Tilly, please. Caden will be back soon. I promise." Rose winced at her words. She had never promised anything nor to anyone. It had probably been more than 50 years since she deliberately said those exact words, and with pure honesty. She tasted an inkling of fear on her tongue if she couldn't manage to keep that promise. Tilly, evidently exhausted by her own behavior, let out a sigh and limply stood in defeat as Rose still wrapped her arms around her.

Her parents stood there, also seeming like they had wanted to go out and follow Valerius. But both of them knew better. Grant Bryce walked towards Tilly and looked at Rose, who hesitantly loosened her embrace around her. Grant leaned down and met Tilly's eyes. With a shaking hand, he wiped a tear off of her cheek before slowly reaching out towards her. She accepted with open arms and fell into her father's arms. Silence fell upon the group. Grant slowly patted his daughter's back,

"Caden will be back safe and sound, Tilly. He- He'll be back."

Chapter Text

Caden had ran, faster than he ever did in his life. He didn’t know when he started running but the moment, he felt the fresh, crisp night air hit his lungs. He booked it out of that place. 

But he knew he was slowly running out of adrenaline, his muscles ached and fatigue was seeping in through the cracks, slowing his pace down. He didn’t even know where he was exactly. 

Everywhere around him were large acres of land, with some patches of wheat farms and cows here and there. His only source of light was the moon, flashing unto the fields. There were thick groups of forests in the distance. He could be in the outskirts of Reach, or somewhere far from home. Caden shook that thought away, he wouldn’t have been brought too far. 

A surge of relief passed through him as he saw in the distance, a house surrounded by wooden fencing. Its lights glimmered and with it being one of the only other structures near the area, it seemed almost as if it weren’t real.

But it had been very real, the moment Caden stepped unto the porch of the 2-story house, he immediately knocked consecutively on the wooden door.

“Hello?! Is- Is someone there?! I need- Please help me!”
 
There was the sound of utensils scraping unto a plate before it came to a stop and replaced with a chair being dragged across the wooden floor. Caden wrapped his arms around his body as he shivered nonstop. He didn’t spare any time to find enough clothing to shield him so he was left to run only in his boxers.

He looked frantically behind him and scanned his surroundings. He was terrified of the man being able to follow him here. 

“Can I help you, dear?”

A high-pitched voice came from behind him. He flinched as he turned around, to be met with an old lady. She had the prettiest of curls adorning her gray hair. Her clothing was a simple dress, seemingly a night gown.

She gasped as she saw him and adjusted her glasses, “Why- Aren’t you”

Caden wanted nothing more than to get inside the house and beg them to call the police but somehow, he was having a hard time forming coherent thoughts. His rush of adrenaline had caught up to him.

“Please- Please- help-“

“Mary, who is it?” A tall man came from behind her and Caden immediately stepped backward in a panic. Losing his balance, he felt down unto the ground and cowered in fear as he saw the man. 

All he could see was the man.

“You- You’re King Caden.” The man uttered to which the old lady agreed so, “Oh my… He is, isn’t he?”

Caden was silent and the man spoke once more, “He’s hurt- Look at all those- So much blood- My King, please let us help you.”

Caden blinked as the old lady leaned down and reached out a hand to him. He was back to the present and saw not his abductor, but the people in front of him. He slowly moved to grab her arm before he pushed himself up with the little strength he had.

He was brought into their home and made to sit in the living room. The man, who he learned was James, gave him a clean shirt and trousers, along with a fleece blanket,

“Figured you may be cold. But we ought to clean your wounds first, King Caden.”

Caden nodded before stuttering out, “Please- call the police. We- We aren’t safe here.”

James had a pained expression on his face. Caden was confused if it meant he was being empathetic towards him or if he was disappointed to see a dragon shifter looking so powerless.

Mary entered the living room and placed a tray of teapot and a cup unto the coffee table, “Drink some, dear. It might help with the cold. Now wait here, I’ll get the first aid kit.”

She left once again and Caden pleaded, “You need to call the police.” James didn’t answer but merely went to the opposite corner of the living room and picked up what looked to be a rifle,

“You’re safe, King Caden…” He hesitated before continuing, “I’m unsure what may have happened to you… but your well-being is our utmost priority for now.” He swung the rifle around his torso and walked towards the windows, closing the blinds one after the other.

“My wife, Mary, was a nurse. Retired now, old age. But she can fix you up, good as new, at least until you can get back to the castle.”

Caden sighed in relief at his words but that relief soon dried up upon remembering that they weren’t too far from… 

“Sir- I-“

The old man chuckled, “James, please. My King.” Caden nodded, “James, do you have a truck or a vehicle? We need to leave as soon as we can.” 

Mary came back into the living room. This time, with a box for a first aid kit in her arms, “King Caden, I could tend to your wounds, if you’d like.”

Caden managed to smile, even if it was small but he spoke again, “James, Mary. I really appreciate the help but we need to get out of here first. We aren’t far from-“

Three loud knocks were heard from the door. Caden held in his breathe. Mary clutched the first aid kit in her arms as James signaled her to stay put. He positioned his rifle in place and directed it towards the door, waiting for any sign of life. 

“Mary? James?”

Caden stilled. It was him. He whispered to James, who was nearer to him, “It’s him. Please-“

James shushed him and Caden followed suit. What if he comes in? He can’t protect these two, not unless Iolaire came back. He was too weak, too exhausted.

“Who is it?” James made his voice loud and clear as he cocked his gun towards the door. He slowly took one step after the other. Mary, who was now aware of the current situation, quietly walked up to Caden and gently patted his shoulder,

“My King, you must hide. We can defend ourselves, but you are too important to be further harmed.”

Caden was already shaking his head. No matter how weak he was in his current state, they were his people. He had to protect them.

“It’s me, Lucien.” Caden and Mary’s attention were brought back to the man at the door. James was inching closer now, moving from the living room towards the hallway leading to the main entrance. 

“Ah, Lucien? What do you need at this hour, son?”

Mary nudged Caden and urged him to follow her. Caden hesitated for a moment but seeing the firmness in her eyes, he followed suit.

She led him through the living room and towards the kitchen as there wasn’t really any doors separating the two, only the pattern of the floor demarcating one from the other. She carefully opened a wooden cabinet, which contained only a mere broom. 

“James, won’t you let me in?”

James was directly in front of the door then. Caden hesitated if hiding was really the best option. Maybe he could harness the strength to shift and protect them. Maybe he could-

The door burst open and a shot was fired. Mary pushed Caden into the cabinet and shut it closed. Caden would have been reminded of the prison he was trapped if it weren’t for the small seeps of light passing through the cracks in the wooden closet. 

“James!” He heard Mary scream. There were stomping of footsteps before Caden then heard Mary exclaim in pain. He looked through one of the cracks and saw that James had taken a hit, his shoulder bleeding passively as he was slowly rising from the floor.

Lucien had Mary in a chokehold for a few seconds before he wrapped his right arm around her neck and pointed a knife with his left,

“Where is he?” He grunted out as Mary struggled against the blade. James leaned on one of the chairs in their living room for support as he staggered upwards, trying to maintain his balance,

“You son of a bitch, Lucien. Let go of my fucking wife!” James screamed out. Lucien let out a series of low laughter. His and Mary’s back were turned towards Caden so all he could see was James’ expression.

Caden knew everything was turning for the worse.

“Tell me where Caden is and I’ll consider letting her go. You don’t want your precious Mary to bleed out from her neck, do you?” Lucien taunted, his voice filled with arrogance. James looked at the closet for a split second before focusing on Lucien. He was clutching his shoulder with his opposite arm, trying to delay the bleeding,

“I have no fucking idea who the hell you’re talking about. You let my wife go or I’ll-“

“You’ll what?” Caden could hear Mary struggle to breathe as she yelped out of pain. Lucien was slowly stabbing her neck. Caden hesitated, should he go out? Would it guarantee Mary’s survival?

“Don’t you dare go out, Caden! He’ll kill me anyway!” Mary exclaimed as she continued to struggle.

“You bitch!” Lucien barked at her as he removed the blade from her neck, only to gain momentum to slice her up.

“Mary-!” James yelled as he ran towards them. Caden couldn’t take it anymore. He busted out of the closet and grabbed hold of Lucien’s neck, which lost him his balance. In return, Lucien’s knife made it way towards Caden’s right forearm. 

James caught Mary as she almost fell down before grabbing hold of James’ arms, “Let go, Caden! I got him!”

Caden followed before he rushed in front of Mary, in a protective stance to ensure her safety.

“You, fucking slut! I spoiled you to death! And this is how you repay me, Caden? What— Did you get them to buy you?!” 

Lucien kept ranting on and on as James had his arms around his neck. He was lifted up a feet off of the ground as he struggled against the grip. Caden didn’t want to watch. He didn’t want to even see his abductor’s face in bright light. He didn’t want the memory of this creature, this scum from the depths of hell to be plastered all over his memory, haunting him from this day onwards. But he was scared for Mary, he needed to protect her. To protect them.

Just then, Lucien managed to set himself free by smashing a plate unto James’ head. It loosened his hold around Lucien’s neck before his body slumped down unto the ground in one full sweep. Mary shouted her husband’s name as Lucien lunged towards Caden, now a piece of the glass plate in his hand,

“Mary, run!” He ordered to her as Caden stretched out his arms to protect her. She followed suit and Caden made the mistake of checking for a split second to see if she had managed to get out of the house. Thankfully, she did.

But then, a piece of the glass plate was lodged deep into Caden’s anterior shoulder. Lucien took the liberty of twisting the glass slowly as Caden groaned in pain. 

Mustering up his remaining strength, he moved his arms upwards and tried to grab hold of Lucien’s shoulder. However, Lucien was stronger. In one exertion of power, he pushed Caden off of him,

“I gave you my world.”

Caden’s head collided against the glass coffee table, causing it to shatter. Everything around him began moving in circles.

“You were supposed to be grateful. You were supposed to be mine.”

“C-Caden, no…” Caden heard James’ voice from his right, or was it Lucien’s? He couldn’t tell who it was, there was a ringing sound in his ears.

“If I can’t have you, then no one can.”

Lucien held Caden’s shoulders and lifted his torso up, as if he weighed nothing. He was then dropped unto the carpeted floor. Caden’s head lolled towards his right side, where he saw James trying to crawl towards him. There had been a lot of blood, was it James? Or was it his? Or maybe both?

Lucien cradled Caden’s hips and positioned himself over his body. His hands slowly caressed Caden’s bloodied and bruised face before sliding down his chest.

Caden was seeing black and white spots in his vision. He could feel something on top of him, what was it? Maybe it was his heavy blanket, it did feel quite cold earlier. 

“Lucien! Don’t do this-!” James called out. His head was bleeding profusely. And as much as he wanted to stand, with a shot shoulder and a damaged cranium along with his old age, he was starting to lose his strength.

“King Caden… Please, save yourself.” He pleaded, to Caden, to any gods that could exist, to the spirits whom he’s yet to see, to anyone that could hear him. 

The time James finally accepted the newly appointed king of Reach, he and his wife were in the hospital. Mary had just about done with her chemotherapy, her last session before she could finally start recovering her full health. James knew the bill was going to be more than they could handle.

But to James, the only thing that mattered to him was his Mary.

However, upon checking with the cashier, James was perplexed,

“Paid? All of it?”

The woman behind the counter smiled, “Yes, Sir James. It’s one of the projects King Caden had had going in the background. Of course, King Valerius already had one of these in proposal but King Caden sped it up and pushed it forward so it could be approved by this month.”

James simply stood there in silence. When he first heard of the newly appointed King of Reach, all he could do was laugh. To him, it was yet another man to harbor the riches of the laymen and suck unto their hard work like parasites.

King Valerius was the sloth. King Caden must be the greed. But Mary thought otherwise, for some reason, she believed Caden was unlike the other shifters. James was convinced his good persona would only last until he finally had a taste of power. 

“James? Is everything alright?” Mary walked up to James after she exited the restroom. She had a worried look on her face, aware of the bills they had yet to pay… if they would have enough. James smiled and shook his head,

“Nothing to worry about, darling. I just finished paying. Let’s head home?”

Mary smiled gently caressed her husband’s cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment and leaned in her touch, glad for her to be slowly filled with life again.

“Alright, alright. Let’s get home. I’m thinking I could make carbonara tonight for dinner, what do you say, dear?”

James chuckled, “Anything you want, Mary.”

James offered his hand and Mary grasped it tightly as they made their way out of the hospital.

“Say, I’d like to watch those news reports you love so much – the ones about King Caden.”

Mary raised her eyebrow, “Why, how odd of you. How come?”

James smiled, “I’ll tell you later. Let’s buy those ingredients for our special carbonara tonight first.”

Lucien was about to strike Caden once more, this time aiming for his heart when a single shot pieced through the lateral aspect of his neck. Lucien stumbled backwards and wrapped his hands around the wound,

“That’s for my husband.” Mary said as she had the rifle in her arms.

Lucien turned around and looked as if he wanted to curse at her. Mary let out another shot,

“And that’s for Caden, you motherfucker.”

Caden’s eyes saw Mary’s form in his peripheral vision. He was glad she hadn’t been hurt. Just then, the doors burst open and being unable to react as quickly as he could, Caden laid there in silence as he heard Mary being restrained. 

He felt his back soak in his own blood, as if he was slowly being pulled down into the depths of a lake. He wanted to move and protect her, but here he was again, so pathetic.

Chapter Text

“Caden…?” 

Huh, that voice was so familiar. The name was at the tip of his tongue but he couldn’t quite pinpoint it. What had he been doing there again? His shoulder radiated with aching pain but somehow, Caden was starting to feel comfortable, as if he were being lulled to sleep.

“Get the medic in here, now!” Chione knelt beside Caden. Valerius was opposite her with him slowly reaching out with shaking hands towards his mate.

There was too much blood everywhere.

“V-Valerius, will he be…” Chione bit her lip, stopping herself from finishing that sentence. She hadn’t realized it but she cared for Caden on levels she wasn’t even aware of. Death was something of a bargain with being a shifter, but somehow being faced with possibility of…

“He- He’s going to be okay. Caden, my love, please.” Valerius gently moved Caden’s bangs away from his forehead. Two paramedics, that were with them, entered the scene and was beginning to provide temporary care to his wounds.

“You… You’re here.” Caden managed to choke out, with a bit of blood seeping from his lips. Chione moved away from Caden’s side and went beside Valerius as the paramedics tended to him. Her heart felt like it was being clenched as he heard how weak his voice sounded.

Valerius had tears falling off of his eyes then. He whispered words of comfort and sweet nothings as he kissed Caden’s hand repeatedly while he continued to part a few strands of his bangs away from his face.

“Are… you both real? I feel… Am I dreaming?” 

Chione spoke up then as she kneeled down before Caden, “We are real, Caden. We’ll always be.”

Caden’s pupils dilated as if he finally registered that their presence was in fact a tangible reality. But then, his eyelids slowly drooped,

“My King, we must transfer King Caden now into the ambulance. He’s lost a lot of blood, he needs a transfusion now.”

Valerius nodded and the stretcher was brought into the house. He reluctantly let go of Caden as he was carried unto the stretcher. Caden’s eyes had looked so lost and empty.

What could have happened for him to break like this?

“Save… Mary… and James… Safe…” Valerius heard Caden whisper as he was carried into the ambulance. Chione took charge of the situation,

“Valerius, go with him. I’ll handle things here.” Without even sparing a second to look at her, he merely nodded and jumped into the ambulance. The doors closed in front of her as the vehicle sped through the road. 

Chione grasped her hands tightly. It was time to deal with the fallout.

Chapter Text

Caden was awake, or at least he thought he was. All he could see darkness but he heard the faint sounds of beeping that echoes around him. Hushed familiar voices were heard every now and then but mostly, it was just silence that was his company.

But then, he felt the breath being sucked out of him as if he were plunged into a lake of ice. He sat up in a panic and was unfamiliar with his surroundings.

“Caden!” A voice in front of him exclaimed, sounds of happiness emanating from it. But Caden felt fear when he heard it. 

“Answer me, Caden.”

The dark cemented walls. The sole lamp. The tight restraints.

Caden jumped out of the bed and instinctively pulled out all these wires around him. He hopped out of bed, finding his balance before backing himself unto the wall of the room. He must have scared off the person in front him, as they seemed to back away.

“Caden, what are you doing…?” 

“Answer me, Caden.”

The metal bed.

The scent of iron.

The sounds of wet and slimy liquids.

Caden saw the man in front of him. But he seemed different, he had horns growing from his skull as he adorned nothing but his own naked body. He grabbed the nearest object beside him, a long metallic pole, seemingly carried a bag of fluid and had been one of the wires inserted into him,

“Caden, stop! You’ll hurt yourself!”

“Stay the fuck back! What did you give me? What did you inject into me, god fucking damn it!”

The man ran towards the head of the bed and pressed something. Caden braced himself for an onset of pain and torture. Just then, a number of people entered the room. They… were becoming familiar. 

They looked like his family…. He could even see his… lover. 

Am I going insane?

His mother, or at least someone who looked like her, seemed to burst into tears as she saw him. His father wrapped an arm around her before he gestured for the man to come towards them.

A man?

No, it wasn’t.

Caden blinked. There was no man. It was… Tilly, or maybe someone who looked like her.

“Caden…”

He brought the pole in front of him, as if it could protect him. He felt something warm flow from his shoulder to his torso. But he knew better than to take his eyes off of these people.

Caden

“King Valerius, we must give him a sedative. If we leave him be like this for a minute or so, he might bleed out again.”

Caden

“I-Iolaire?” He whispered. His dragon spirit’s voice called out to him They were back… but was it real?

I am your Iolaire, Caden. 

“Iolaire! You- Where have you been? I… I’m sorry, I haven’t…”

Put the pole down, Caden. These people aren’t here to hurt you.

“But what if I’m imagining them?”

“Caden.”

Caden’s eyes snapped towards Valerius. It seemed way too good to be true but Iolaire...

“Please let us help you, you will bleed out again.”

Caden realized then that he was standing on his own pool of blood. He also noticed that he was alone, only Valerius was there in the room.

“Val… Valerius?” Caden’s eyes burst in tears as he felt a rush of warmth run through him. But then, his legs buckled and he accidentally let go of the metal pole. Valerius caught him within a split of a second. Caden looked up at him and began to caress his face, how his eyes looked, how his nose and lips were formed together,

“Valerius… I… missed you.”

“As have, my love… But we need you to get back on the bed. You’ve lost too much blood again.”

Caden gripped tighter to Valerius and didn’t look away from him even for a second. It felt like if he did, he would vanish into thin air. Valerius guided him back to his bed slowly and seated him as he let Caden’s legs hang from the frame. Valerius kneeled down on one knee and faced Caden,

“You need to be stitched up again, your wounds have slightly been reopened. Is it okay if I let just the attending nurse inside?”

Caden just looked at Valerius before nodding once. Valerius smiled then and Caden felt more at ease. He stood up and placed a gentle kiss on Caden’s forehead. Before he was about to walk away, Caden tugged at his tunic attire,

“You’ll… still stay here beside me?” He asked, still unsure of the situation. Valerius turned around and held Caden’s hand before sitting down beside him,

“Always, I’ll be by your side always.”

Valerius kept his promise as he simply stayed seated beside Caden on the bed. He called out to the people outside his hospital room, emphasis on only letting one attending nurse inside. She greeted them both with a small smile before tending to Caden’s wounds.

He flinched every now and then but Valerius held unto his hand tightly, reminding him that he wasn’t alone. After the nurse had finished redressing and closing up his wound once again, she turned to both of them, “My Kings, would it be alright if I send one of the janitorial staff into the room? The blood on the floor and sheets pose a hazard.”

“I’ll clean it. Is there anything else that needs to be done?” Valerius stated promptly. The nurse shook her head and assured him that Caden’s physical status had become stable now. Valerius nodded and allowed her to leave the room. 

Caden could hear the soft voices from the other side of the door. He knew his family was there—

Oh God, Tilly.

He had to apologize big time to his sister for mistaking her to be… him. How could he get it so wrong?

“Caden?”

Valerius noticed the slight emptiness in his husband’s eyes. He was starting to lose him again, at least mentally. He was here in a physical form but his Caden was somewhere, lost in the abyss of his own thoughts. 

But at the very least, Valerius could feel Iolaire’s presence emanating from the young man. Raziel comforted him the moment they entered the hospital with Caden’s dying form,

“He will live, Valerius. Worry not, Iolaire protects the boy.”

That was all his spirit said before disappearing into the darkness. Valerius uttered gratitude towards him as his heart palpitated upon seeing Caden’s face becoming paler by the second.  However, that had been it. He wasn’t able to read what was on Caden’s mind nor hear his thoughts. Raziel had kept quiet until now, deciding to keep to himself. 

Valerius sensed the stress from Caden as he closed his eyes, “Could… you not call me by my name?”

He frowned at the odd request. However, he soon let that expression disappear upon his face, worried that Caden might catch a glimpse of it,

“I will try.” Valerius pondered his next words. What could he say? Or rather how could he say his thoughts without accidentally triggering the young man?

“I know it’s a lot.” Valerius was about to cut Caden off and assure him that it was the least of his worries – that he was glad Caden was alive. 

“Just refer to me as… Iolaire for now.” Caden muttered out before continuing to speak, “And please, I don’t really want to talk about it. I beg you, do not ask, at least for now.”

Valerius noticed the tears falling from Caden’s closed eyes. He wiped them with his free hand, as an idea popped in his head, “Do you want to see a magic trick, Ca- 

Iolaire?” 

Caden opened his eyes as a small smile formed on his eyes, “A magic trick?”

Valerius nodded, looking eager to show him what he could do. Caden chuckled and nodded slowly. Valerius smiled and landed on Caden’s hand before slowly letting it go. He stood up opposite Caden upon the bed and began to manipulate matter.

Slowly, the particles of blood spilt on the floor began to vibrate before floating upwards into the air – even the ones that were dropped upon Caden’s bed. He watched in awe as Valerius controlled them, swirling them around in the air. His expression was focused and his hand movements were finely controlled. 

Then, he gather the blood into a circular shape and as he snapped his fingers, they disappeared into thin air. Caden couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows as his mouth opened in disbelief,

“How- How did you do that?” He asked, looking around the room. Valerius chuckled, his chest rising slightly as he did,

“A true magician never reveals his secrets.” 

Caden rolled his eyes, “Sure, Val. I guess, a new occupation has been added to your resume – Valerius the Blood Magician.” Caden let out a bubble of laughter which made Valerius smile. It’s been too long since he heard that wonderful sound. He took a chair near the bed and placed it opposite Caden before sitting down upon it,

“Iolaire, what do you want to do now?” 

Caden looked at him, his heart feeling lighter than it did, “I… My family is outside, aren’t they?” Valerius nodded once, 

“I could let them in or ask them to go back to the castle. If you need to rest, if you wish to see them, it is all up to you, Iolaire.”

Caden pinched the palm of his hands subconsciously as he looked behind him for a moment. He knew they were most likely worried sick because he had been gone for…

“Valerius, how long was I…” Valerius pursed his lips together before looking down, “Too long. Around two days by now.”

Caden’s back stiffened as his heart raced. 

Two days?

He was only gone for two days and yet, why does he feel like, he’s lost his mind? Or at least, he felt like he was gone for longer?

“I… don’t think I can face them right now, Val.” Caden confessed. He knew this was what he had felt even in the beginning. He just didn’t want to admit it because that would mean he’s an incompetent son, who only cared for himself. 

Caden felt the tears coming. He looked down at his hospital gown and hid his eyes from Valerius. Seeing himself in this outfit made him feel like he really had gone insane. That he might be in a psychiatric facility and he was only imagining Valerius there in front of him.

But then, hands began to reach towards his and clasped both of them together, “I’ll be here with you. I’m here, Iolaire.”

Caden nodded as more tears fell down. He felt so useless and selfish. He didn’t know why he felt like that, knowing what he went through… but still, he felt powerless once again. 

Like he was still stuck in that stupid prison cell.

Chapter Text

It had been two weeks since Caden escaped. He was finally back in the castle and allowed to recover there, with the strict daily checkups from his and Valerius’ private physician.

After the first time he woke up and had that scene with Tilly, he managed to speak with them only a week after. He was still a mess then, unable to maintain eye contact for longer than a few seconds. He apologized incessantly to Tilly who cried in her’s 
brother’s arms, telling him repeatedly that she didn’t care so long as she had her brother back, safe and sound. 

Ever since then, it seems like everything was back to normal – a “new” normal that is.

Valerius had to show up to his own responsibilities, even shouldering more than half of Caden’s work, insisting that Caden shouldn’t even work at all. And yet, the white dragon shifter was unmoving with regards to working. If he wasn’t allowed to at least work for a little (excluding those that required him to leave the castle), he wasn’t going to continue with his physical therapy sessions.

Chione and Valerius looked at each other then and realized it was either they give him a bit of work to do or he won’t choose to fully recover at all. It was funny to Caden, the idea of participating in physical therapy even when he was a shifter. But it seemed whatever drug he was injected with caused massive muscular weakness all over his body.

“If you weren’t a dragon shifter, I’m afraid you would have died.” His physical therapist, Erik, said as he began to guide Caden into stretching his hamstrings. Caden frowned, “The drug was that strong, huh?” Erik nodded but said nothing more.

His family also had adjusted back to their own lives but they would always check in with Caden by calling him at random times every day. Caden found it endearing at first but the more it lasted, the more he felt like he was being monitored than cared for.

Rose was careful with Caden, whenever they’d meet, she would always watch him with a careful eye and be gentle with how she spoke and acted. Wally was even worse, acting like a chubbier version of Marban’s “grandfatherly” vibe. He seemed to keep telling Caden of old proverbs, not just ones from the recent century, but those that could be considered ancient.

Now that Caden thought about it, maybe Wally didn’t change as much, just seems a bit cautious – like Rose.

However, in contrast with the rest was 
Chione. She acted the most normal out of everyone, only visiting Caden in his quarters when it was important or he had to be brought to his clinical appointments. Caden was most comfortable with her. Seeing her act like nothing happened made him feel like he wasn’t broken at all. 

“Hello?” Bright hazel brown hair came into Caden’s view as he laid on the cushioned ground. It was Erik and Caden remembered he was actually in a session with him.

“Are you good, man?” Caden rolled his eyes at the man. He spoke like a teenager, using slang some of which Caden was unfamiliar with, but they both knew he was pushing 30, just a year older than Caden. Erik put an arm out to which Caden reached forward. He helped him rise, careful not to open any of the fresh wounds.

Aside from Chione, Caden also felt most safe with Erik.

“Sorry, I was a bit lost in thought.” Erik 
nodded, “Been there, done that.” He then directed Caden towards the wall of the room before asking him to walk slowly to lower his blood pressure. They were just finished with a rather intense exercise, at least for Caden it had been.

“One time, I had this date with a really hot lady.” Erik followed Caden as he began to walk, “We matched on Tinder just a few weeks before and I finally had the courage to ask her out on a date.” Caden chuckled, “Okay, so how did you manage to trash it?”

Erik rolled his eyes, “Hey, man. That’s not nice.” Caden snickered. He knew where this story was going – just like all of Erik’s previous attempts at finding his “one true love”.

“Anyways, our food was served, and I got nervous, slowly running out of topics to talk about.” Caden nodded in agreement, “Yeah, that can happen.”

“I started to get nervous, and you know how I get nervous, right?” Caden was now reaching one corner of the room. He felt his heart slowly returning back to a lower pace. Erik guided him to redirect himself to which Caden followed,

“Let me guess... you went in the bathroom. Decided to scroll on your phone to calm yourself down and realized you just ghosted your date?”

Erik gasped in surprise, “How the hell did you know? Were you there?” Caden rolled his eyes. This was like the pattern of Erik’s failed dates. Caden was supportive at first when Erik began sharing about his disaster of dates.

In the beginning, Caden thought it was Erik’s way of rapport with a patient and to help Caden focus more on the present rather than be lost in his own mind but now that it’s been his 5th failed date that’s been shared, Caden believes dating is futile for him.

“You know Erik, you should just give up dating for now.” Erik barked out in laughter which prompted Caden to stop walking as he did,

“Man, King Aide, you’re like the 5th person who’s told me that.” Erik said as he mentioned his personal nickname for Caden (which he gave after Caden immediately shut down and resorted to saying he could just call him his name – to which Erik shut down in return).

“It sounds like Cool-Aid so you know I think you’re pretty cool, King Aide!” Caden’s mouth opened as he saw in his peripheral vision Chione’s small smile.

“And you still haven’t listened!” Caden exclaimed, his disbelief showing in his tone. Erik began to guide him back to walking, “What can I say, King Aide,” Erik said, “I love being a red flag.”

Caden just rolled his eyes.

This man was beyond help, he feels sorry for the people Erik had taken on dates before. He isn't really a bad partner per say, just... a really stupid one. 

They finally finished with their session and Erik began to reiterate that day’s progress to Caden and explain to him a few things before he could leave the clinic.

After he finished, Caden began to stand up and collect his things when Erik reached out to him.

“Hey, King Aide?”

“Yeah?”

"You know I’m here for you if you need a friend, right?” Caden frowned, “That seems to bend the patient-clinician boundary, Erik.”

Erik sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “Oh cmon, King Aide. You’re an exception, you’re literally the king. And you know, I’m kinda saying that for the clout – just a little bit.” Erik motion as he brought tips of his fingers towards each other.

“You really don’t seem older than me when you talk like that.” Caden’s voice was judgmental but there was a playful smile on his face. Erik let out a soft laugh,

“But just know, alright? I’ll be here.”

Caden looked at him and nodded, “Thanks, Erik.”

Chapter Text

“You’re still awake?” Valerius entered their chambers. He was beyond tired, pure exhaustion occupied his veins. The last thing he wanted to see was Caden still working. He checked the clock,

“It’s midnight, you should get some sleep already.” Caden looked up from the desk. He squinted at the digital clock beside him and removed his reading glasses, “Sorry, I didn’t even feel the time pass by.” He stretched his arms upwards,

“I’ll be done in a few minutes. You can go to bed, Val.” Caden said before putting on his glasses again. Valerius frowned before storming his way towards Caden’s desk, “We both should go to bed. Now, come on.”

Valerius should have stopped then and took a quick shower. That would have probably cleared his head and avoided what was about to unravel after.

Caden didn’t spare a glance at him and simply went through the papers again, “Val, I’ll be done in a few minutes.”

Valerius let out a deep sigh before hastily snatching the papers from Caden’s hands and placing them back down on the table. It was Caden’s turn to frown then, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Valerius tapped his finger on the papers before motioning his head towards their bed, “Go to sleep. Go rest, Caden.” Caden stood up then, “I told you not, “ His voice was tone with acid, “to call me that.”

Valerius huffed, “Why? Why can’t I call you that? You know, the other day, I heard from Chione you offered your physical therapist your name.” Caden’s cheeks reddened as he stuttered out a reply, “That was a different case.”

Valerius ran a hand through his hair. They fell haphazardly on his shoulders, smoothening for an instance before returning to their original waves. Caden was about to grab the papers back, “Now, if we’re done talking—”

“Done talking? You call this talking? You have to be making some sort of joke, aren’t you?” Valerius’ voice was rising, his frustration getting the best of him. Caden stopped himself and took a step back from the desk. He rubbed his fingers on his temples,

“Okay, fine. Let’s talk.” He looked back to Valerius whose face was illuminated by the soft glow of the lampshade. Caden noticed the weariness in his eyes, the slumped form of his shoulders. But for some reason, his worry and empathy were outweighed by his annoyance.

“What? C’mon tell me, what should we talk about?”

Valerius let out a loud huff of laughter, not one of joy but of disbelief.

“You said you wanted to talk and now you’re laughing.” Caden muttered under his breath. Valerius clicked his tongue before snapping out a reply, “You have been the one avoiding me. You choose not to partake in any conversation I wish to have!” He exclaimed, his hands rising in the air.

He then began to walk back and forth across the desk. Caden rolled his eyes as he heard this, “Me? I’ve been avoiding you? Wow, just wow.” He crossed his arms over his chest before pointing a finger at Valerius,

“You’ve been the one distancing yourself from me. Ever since I was crowned king, you’ve huddled your shoulders over work, over this, over that.”

Valerius took offense as he replied, “Don’t point your finger at me. You’re well attuned to how I’ve been trying to help you. With work, with your recovery! And yet, what you waste precious time for sleep to busy yourself with these,” He lifted a pad of documents before hastily setting them back down on the desk, “—documents! What, do you intend to bleed yourself to death a second time?”

Caden looks stunned for a moment as he turned around and faced his back towards Valerius. He couldn’t believe what he was saying to him, “Do you think I purposefully want to harm myself? Do you think that low of me?!” He exclaimed, still unable to face Valerius directly. He could hear another annoyed sigh from the older man,

“It’s what you want me to see when you won’t even talk to me about what happened in that house—”

Caden walked towards him in long, heavy strides before pushing his chest slightly. This doesn’t move Valerius, not even an inch, only causes for the frown on his face to grow even deeper,

“You do not get the right to say anything about that!”

Valerius remarked back, “What is exactly ‘that’ because from what I’ve heard so far, it’s nothing!” 

Caden holds back tears in his eyes. Valerius feels a stabbing pain in his chest as he feels tears form in his too, “You were the one distancing yourself from me. I catered to you, alright? Tried to understand you and wait for you to open up to me.”

Caden laughed in disbelief as tears fell from his eyes, “But the moment I have a hard time expressing myself, you blame me.”

Valerius was silent at that. Suddenly, his anger was nonexistent. It subsided into a cellular of nothing. Caden’s pained expression brought him back to the reality,

I never should have said anything. I…

“Caden… I’m so—”

Caden put a hand up to stop him before grabbing his coat that was hung around his chair, “I’m not dealing with this fucking shit right now.”

Valerius tried following him as he sped towards the door, “Caden, wait—”

Caden stopped for a moment just before the door, “And don’t fucking call me ‘Caden’.” He then opened the door and exited before slamming it shut. 

Valerius simply stood there. 

Chapter Text

“You know, when I said ‘I’m here for you’, I didn’t expect the first thing you’d ask for me is to take you to a bar.” Erik says as he sits beside Caden on the lounge area of the bar where he sat.

The place was a quiet, dimly lit bar that served only alcoholic drinks and had live musicians for entertainment. Surrounding the two of them were mostly elderly men who were playing card games, with juice the only refreshment being served for them specifically.

“And when I heard ‘bar’, I also didn’t expect one for retired elderly people. Honestly, do you even count this as a bar?” Erik said as he looked around. To him, it seemed more like an alternate universe reality of a retirement home.

Caden chuckled as he downed his drink, “Heyyyy, I’m—” He hiccuped, “I kinda left my wallet at home, could you—” Another hiccup, “pick up my bill?” And the third hiccup within one sentence exited Caden’s system. 

Erik raised his eyebrows before gently taking the alcoholic beverage from the King’s hand, “Okay, buddy. That’s enough alcohol for you.”

Caden smirked before getting a small bottle from his coat, “Everything can be made alcohol for me, so long as I have ambrosia.” He poured a little on another glass  that was filled with God knows what,

“Ambro— what?” Erik shook his head before closing the cap of the tiny bottle and stuffing it in his pocket, “Okay, seriously Kool-Aid, I don’t care if you’re my King or whatever, you need to cool it with the drinks or else you’ll end up causing a scene here.”

Caden smiled, “No— sir. Nobody really notices anyone else here— It’s my favooo—” Caden continues to prolong the syllable, “—rite hangout spot to destress!”

He then ends up giggling to himself. Erik sighs and considers his options. When he first heard Caden’s call, he seemed rather nervous at his invite but then again, he did offer friendship (plus being friends with someone like the King might get him places, right?). 

Yeah sure, like having to clean up his puke once he realizes he’s drunk one glass too much. 

Maybe offering his friendship wasn’t the best idea. Erik already went through college and had his fair share of drunk friends and colleagues he had to care for.

“How are you even here anyways? Isn’t King Valerius looking for you?” Caden was silent at that question and it was at that moment that Erik had a hunch of what happened. He stopped himself from giggling upon realizing he was about to learn the tea between the 2 kings of Reach. Who knew his life would have led to this? It felt almost comical.

“You two fought?” He asked directly to which Caden blabbed a series of “No!” “Well— kind of!” “But still not really!”

Erik sighed before he removed his coat and ordered a glass of whiskey for a him two glasses of water for the drunk Caden, “Just let it out, honey. I’m all ears.”

“— And then I stormed out, I couldn’t even bear to hear another word from him.” Caden confessed, as he sipped his glass of water, finally finishing all of it. Erik was a bit relieved that Caden was more or less at an acceptable level of soberness. 

He sipped his whiskey and swirled the glass, watching the ice go around in a circle, before setting it down, “Look, Aiden,” Erik started, “there’s one clear solution to this.”

Caden looked at him expectantly. Erik’s heart melted seeing such a vulnerable expression on him. He was even tempted to take a photograph but then he thought of what King Valerius’ reaction could be, and he decided his life was better than keeping a cute memoir of his newly made friend,

“You two need to talk.” Caden was about to say something and cut him off when gestured for him to zip his mouth shut, “I’m talking, buddy. Hear me out first.”

Erik leaned down on the table, “Look, man. You both had some sort of emotions swirling around inside your minds. And whatever the reason, either because of the job getting to you,” Erik said, realizing that he referred to ‘being a King and one of the most powerful people on Earth’ is a simple day-to-day job, “maybe it was because of some unresolved feelings prior to marriage, whatever.” He slammed the wooden table gently.

Caden listened to every word, “The point here is that if you don’t talk to him about what you feel. And he doesn’t talk to you about what he feels, then,”

“Then?”

“Then, you’re both fucked. You’re about to spend an eternity with someone you don’t like.” Erik said it. He knew it was a bit rude but damn pleasantries. He’s never the man to sugarcoat reality.

It was clear to him that King Valerius was never really the person to open up what he feels. Erik guessed he was more of a guy who shows his love through action alone, not with any words. This contradicts with Caden who, despite being able to know how to freely express himself, had somehow tricked his own psyche that doing that will cause damage to the relationship.

If Erik was being honest, he was more on Caden’s side than King Valerius on this whole thing. 

But of course I shouldn’t say that, it might end up worsening things for Caden.

Erik took another sip of his whiskey, this time a long one, before he looked back at Caden, who was now crying.

“Oh, shit—” Erik moved closer to him on the couch they sat on and gently patted his back. God, are these really his world leaders? I guess everyone has their own fair share of emotional drama. 

Erik realized something important then that he had missed out. He handed Caden some tissue to which the younger man was grateful for,

“Also…”

“Yeah?”

Erik shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He hadn’t known how to open up about this topic, maybe that’s why he forgot to mention it earlier but it looks like no one in Caden’s life is willing to present him the actual, raw truth.

“I know I’m gonna sound a bit insensitive here, and I understand if you get angry but,” Erik sighed, “You should try and open up to Valerius about what happened to you… 2 weeks ago.”

Caden froze upon hearing those words. Erik saw the flash of fury in his eyes and for a moment, he feared his life. He was a strong, well-respected shifter – one of the few of the werewolf pack to enter the medical field instead of the police force. However, pit him against a dragon shifter? He’d rather beg for his life than do anything but that.

Erik watched Caden carefully as he began to speak, “I know, I just… It’s not something that’s—”

“Easy to talk about?” Erik finished for him to which Caden nodded. He felt more relaxed now seeing as Caden managed to control his fury. Erik looked to Caden and then the glass of whiskey, debating on whether or not he should say this.

“What is it?” Caden asked, prompting him to say what’s on his mind. Erik rubbed a hand across his neck as sweat formed on his forehead. Damn, he thought he wouldn’t need to use this card but seeing Caden now, in this light, it looks like he did. 

“I… well… Someone did that to me once too.” Caden’s tears began to slow down as he looked at Erik with a mortified expression,

“Erik— you don’t mean—?” Caden hoped it wasn’t the same thing he meant. He hoped it was about the dating thing or that he’d go on a tangent about another failed date that he could somehow relate to his situation right now.

But Caden watched as Erik scooted away slowly as he spoke, “I had a feeling there was more you went through in that house. I— I was young, before I became a shifter. Well, it’s actually how I became one.”

Caden was about to say something, any words of comfort, anything he could to help. “But— I’ve been to therapy, and it was okay, helped me get back on my own feet. I’m lucky to be a werewolf shifter— can’t really imagine how I would be treated if I became one of the more prejudiced shifters… The lives they’ve had.” Erik frowned as his voice turned serious. He looked at Caden, directly in the eyes, 

“I managed to get through it, Caden. Whatever they did to you. It wasn’t your fault, never would be. Never had been. It may feel like those marks won’t fade away,” Erik rubbed his hand against his thigh, feeling the thick cloth of his pants, “but one day, you’ll be able to wake up and realize you’re gonna be okay.”

Caden didn’t know what to say, “Erik—”

Erik then chuckled, “Got a little too serious there, huh?” He then wrapped his arm around Caden’s and messed with his hair, “And you’ve got people like me, and King Valerius, and Ms. Chione, to get you back on your feet. We’re not gonna let you go through this alone, Caden.” Erik said, purposefully mentioning his name.

Caden laughed as he felt ticklish with Erik’s antics. Once he was let go of, his heart felt rather light. Lighter than it had been at least the moment he entered the bar. 

Erik then stood up and looked a little panicky, “Okay, I know we were having a moment. But in like a minute or two, I’m prettyy sure Ms. Chione and King Valerius are gonna be here.”

“You— Erik! You told them I was here—?”

“Okay, in my defense, I didn’t know what—”

“My King, Mr. Signe.” Erik slowly turned around and was faced with a rather frustrated looking Chione.

“Heyyy, Ms. Chione, still looking as beautiful as ever, even at the wonderful hour of 1 am!” Erik exclaimed trying to make light of the atmosphere.

Caden was right behind him then. Chione looked at both of them then to the drinks and the glass which suspiciously looked like it was mixed with ambrosia. She sighed,

“My King.” She addressed to Caden, who was currently hiding behind Erik. Erik forcefully brought him out, afraid of facing Chione’s sharp gaze, “King Valerius is in the car behind the alley. I’m unsure of what transpired between the two of you to result in—” She gestured to the area, “this. But I advise it would be wise for you to return to the castle with him. This may be a venue for the elderly but cameras are everywhere.”

Her gaze then softened, “Please, I simply want you to be safe.” Caden nodded and took his coat, “Yeah, I know, Chione. Thank you.”

“And as for you,” Chione turned to Erik, “I have been tasked to take you home.”

Chapter Text

The moment he saw the familiar van parked in an alley beside the bar, Caden felt his heart hammering in his chest. Valerius was there inside that vehicle and Caden didn’t know the situation he was about to enter.

“Look, Aiden. There’s one clear solution to this... You two need to talk.” The words echoed in Caden’s mind. But what if Valerius wasn’t willing to talk?

Did he really choose the wrong person? It wouldn’t help that they were basically mates at this point. Valerius was right, that he was too young to weight of his decision.

Caden

The ethereal voice rung in Caden’s mind. It was his spirit, Iolaire. They haven’t been talking much since Caden’s abduction. His physician ruled out that the drug he was injected with, must have been some sort of suppressant that managed to corrode his physical state of mind – making it near impossible for him to form a coherent thought, let alone reach his spirit. Iolaire later revealed that they tried to reach out to Caden, multiple times.

“But… you wouldn’t let me.”

Caden tapped his finger on the desk, “I wouldn’t let you help me? Why? You could’ve flown us out of there in seconds!”

Iolaire shook its head, its wings moving in sync as it did, “You were protecting me. Somehow, I do not fully understand how you did. But you put a barrier between us.”

Caden put his head in his hands. He was glad Iolaire was okay but how they became separated confused him even more, “I couldn’t get hurt but I also couldn’t heal you. I believe it might be an ancient power you managed to bring out because of the extreme circumstances.”

He needed to talk to Valerius about it.

That’s what he said to himself but days turned to weeks and Caden never spoke at all.

“Are you… alright?” Caden didn’t realize Valerius was standing right in front of him then. He was tall and terrifying to look at, not to mention the cloak he had over his head that did almost nothing because his physique gave it away.

Caden awkwardly shifted his feet, “Uhm— Are you gonna drive?” Valerius pondered on the question as if it were a hard one. He then slowly nodded, “If you’d prefer me.”

Caden shrugged his shoulders, “So long as we get back to the castle. I don’t Chione’s very happy with me.” 

“Ah… Chione.” Valerius said and he stood there for a moment, seemingly wanting to say something. But then he walked away and back into the car before starting the engine. Caden followed suit and they began a silent ride.

Once they arrived at the castle, Valerius finally spoke, “I can sleep in one of the guest rooms. Take the bedroom. I hope you rest well.”

I’m sorry

The unspoken words lingered in the air. Valerius wanted to say them out loud but Caden didn’t look to eager to have another long conversation then. He wanted the boy to finally get his well-deserved rest.

Caden nodded and disappeared into the hall. Valerius watched as he went, following until he saw the last strand of Caden’s hair and his silhouette, yearning for his presence again.

But they were all over the place that night, if Valerius would try anything, it might do more damage than fix things.

And I will fix things, Caden.

A few hours later, at around 4 am in the morning, Valerius woke up to an uneasy pain in his chest. It felt like a heavy weight had landed right on top of his heart and was being pounded into it.

Valerius, seek Caden. He needs us.

He heard Raziel’s growl. Valerius jumped out of bed and ran through the halls despite the pain. What happened? Was Caden hurt? 

His footsteps echoed in the hallway as he dashed from one point to another. Fortunately, he decided to stay in the nearest guest room to their chambers, just in case for situations like these. Not that any of it would matter, if he really tried, he could travel throughout the whole castle in under a few minutes. Once he arrived, he burst open through the door and ran up towards their bed.

There lying on the mattress was his mate drowning in sweat and tears as he kept moving around on the bed. Valerius sat beside him with his back on the head of the bed, and slowly brought the young man to lay his head on his thigh, embracing his upper body,

“My love, wake up. It’s just a dream.” He caressed Caden’s temple gently as he soothed the white dragon shifter into consciousness.

Caden’s eyes fluttered open and a few tears escaped his eyes. Valerius rubbed his thumb against Caden’s cheek, trying to wipe the tear away. 

“Valerius?”

Valerius held him tighter, “Yes, Caden. I’m here.” Caden looked at him as if he was searching something in his eyes. And when he finally found it, Valerius noticed the young man’s body relax, even by a little. Caden shook his head and slowly pushed himself away from Valerius grasp. 

Valerius yearned for the touch. 

They sat down side by side on the bed. Caden had his head in his arms and was leaning forward as Valerius gently patted his back. He wanted to hold Caden so badly but he wouldn’t want to force anything. 

“I’m sorry.”

Valerius stilled as Caden uttered those words. He was hiding his face from Valerius as if he could do anything so shameful that he’d want to hide himself from him. 

“Caden,” Valerius said in the gentlest tone he could utter. “No, no, please don’t say anything. I— I might not be able to say this again, so please let me… talk.”

Valerius nodded and became silent then. His hand still lingering on Caden’s back but instead of the gentle pats, he began to rub it in a circular motion. 

“He did things to me,” Caden began. His hands were shaking and he couldn’t bear to look at Valerius, nor even spare a glance towards him. 

He felt too shameful.

“When I woke up, I was chained to a bed.” Caden’s breathe hitched but the warmth of Valerius’ hand comforted him to some extent, urging him to open up about happened. 

“He would come every other hour, or I think it was an hour—” Caden paused, trying to stop his lips from quivering, “He would come in— and play with me.” Caden tried to control his tears but it ended up as a painful sob.

Valerius was quiet. If it weren’t for the sensation of the hand upon his back, Caden would have thought he was alone. 

“He would call me… always called me, Caden, but the way he would say it—” Caden shook his head. His hands were pressuring the sockets of his eyelids. Valerius spoke then, an epiphany coming down on him,

“That’s why you hadn’t wanted us to use…”

Caden nodded, “I couldn’t… I’m sorry. Every time I heard my own name, even if it wasn’t…” Caden put his hand up in the air as he stood up. Valerius watched as he ran a hand through his hair. Their eyes met and Valerius felt a pang in his chest. 

He slowly stood up himself and went in front of Caden, “May I… touch you?” 

Caden was speechless and a soft cry was let out before he nodded. 

Valerius slowly inched closer towards Caden,

“I promise… I will make sure you will never be hurt again. That I will remain by your side, and protect you, properly this time.” 

It is my vow to you.

Valerius gives him the softest kiss he had ever felt in his life. Caden’s tears were still streaming from his eyes but it wasn’t out of sadness nor fear no more,

It was merely the feeling of safety. 

Chapter Text

The Next Day

Valerius’ shoes clicked as he rushed towards Caden and Valerius’ shared room. They were going to be late, again. 

“Caden, I swear if you’re still in bed—”

Valerius came to an abrupt stop as she saw Caden standing in front of the door. He was fixing the cuffs of his suit. Valerius held in a breath, fascinated at his lover’s beauty.

Bah! What am I, experiencing a puppy love? I’m as old as the trees around our castle!

Caden looked up and only noticed him then,

“Oh, hey, Val! I thought we’d be meeting in the throne room?” Caden asked, walking towards him. Valerius smiled then and began smoothening Caden’s tie. 

“I… was just making sure you weren’t still in bed.” Caden rolled his eyes at that, “And whose fault would it be if that happened?”

Valerius chuckled, “Oh but my love, you were quite eager last night to keep going. Your voice was echoing through—”

Caden put his hand on Valerius’ mouth before looking behind them and to the sides of the hallways, “Valerius!”
Valerius smiled as he brought Caden’s hand down. He carressed Caden’s cheek before landing a kiss on his forehead,

“Alright, I won’t tease. Come on now, we’ll be late to the benefit.”

Caden sighed before smiling himself. He held Valerius’ hand and lead them towards the hallway going to the throne room.

Another day was about to begin for the two kings of Reach, and this time, Caden hadn’t felt loneliness anymore… but safe and loved.