Dragon's Mercy
15.

Hours later, she wakes up, finding herself back in the hunter's territory. Only this time, she's in a cage. Her head pounds as her blurred vision comes into focus.

"It's about time you woke up." Nestor stands on the other side of the cage with Mason, Ryker's brother and the other hunters.

"Let me out of here!"

"No, you're never getting out of that cage. We're going to torture you and drain your blood as we try to figure out how you and Ryker became dragon mates after so long."

"Are you sure they're mates?" Nestor turns to Mason.

"Yes, Maria carries the ancient symbol. And so does Ryker."

"Let me go. Otherwise when I get out of here, I'll kill you both slowly and painfully." She threatens with a show of her primal teeth.

"No, you and your stupid mate are going to die."

"I can't believe you'd betray your own brother, Mason! You're not a dragon at heart."

"Ryker's no brother of mine! He doesn't even deserve to be our dragon lord."

"What do you mean by that?" She raises a brow.

"It means you and your mate will die."

"Dragon mates? You didn't say anything about capturing a real mate. I'll need to talk to my superiors before I can allow-"

Mason grabs the hunter by the shirt and hauls him to his face. "You don't get to make demands. Our deal was to capture Maria in exchange for dragon scales."

"Fine. We'll keep the original deal."

Mason drops the hunter. The guy pops up and licks his lips as he looks at her. She tries to shift into her dragon, but can't. Then she tries to mindlink Ryker, but it also doesn't work.

"It's those copper bars. They block all of your dragon powers." Nestor grins.

"Will you at least let me play with her?"

Nestor looks at her with a raised brow. "Sure, she's not my fiance anymore. You can do whatever you want with me."

"Nestor, you're a piece of shit."

"I never claimed to be nice. All dragon lords should operate like me."

"No, they shouldn't. They fight with honor. You're a coward who stabs people in the back."

Nestor and Mason both laugh cruelly at her words, then Mason looks at the hunter. "Beat her as much as you'd like."

"But leave her alive for me to take her home. We need her well enough to stand trial for her father's murder."

The hunter rubs his hands together as he picks up a hot poker. "So, you're a rare dragon mate, huh? I think I need to give you my own branding." The hunter pushes the poker through the cage at her.

Before the poker can hit her, she twists and grabs the center, pushing it back at the hunter. It drops on his leg before hitting the ground. "Ah! Damn, you almost burned me. Maybe we need to drug you again so you don't fight back?"

Fear moves through her at the thought of being passed out at their mercy. Using all of her strength, she speaks in her deepest dragon voice. "If you drug me, I will rip out your heart and make sure your soul is tortured for all eternity."

The fighter pauses as his eyes widen with fear. Mason appears behind him. "Don't be scared. She's all talk."

"Am I? I killed Lexi and I'll kill you too."

The hunter laughs as he picks up a stick and steps close to the cage. "I'm not scared of a lone dragon."

"You should be scared. Even locked in this copper cage, I'm still stronger than you." She taunts him.

"No, you're not. And Ryker isn't coming to protect you." The hunter gets close enough for her to grab him. Faster than lightning, she reaches out and grabs the hunter's shirt. "Hey, let go!" She pulls him hard against her cage, smacking his face on the bars. He claws and pushes back against her, but even in her weakened state, she is still stronger. "Nestor, Mason! Help!"

Nestor and Mason step back, not at all concerned with the hunter. "We're not helping you. You wanted to play with Maria."

"You got what you asked for." Mason grins.

"And now, you die." Holding the hunter's shirt tight, she lifts her other hand and rips his throat out. He falls to the ground, dead. She raises her eyes to Nestor and Mason. "You both will suffer the same fate."

Mason shoots a dart into her neck and she falls to the ground in pain. "Have a good nap, Dragoness. May you wake up in hell."

"Fuck you, Mason." She curses him as she drifts off to sleep again.

~W~

When she wakes up, she isn't surprised to find herself chained in her old flight's dungeon. She pulls on the chains around her wrists, but they're locked tight.

The door creaks open and she hears a familiar click of heels. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my favorite stepdaughter."

Hatred burns in her veins as she stares at her father's widow. Nestor walks in next to her and kisses her on the cheek.

"Elena, it's just like you to hide away as others do your dirty work."

"I call it being smart. Why put my neck out if I don't have to?"

Maria pulls on the chains as pain hits her in the gut. "Was it your plan all along to use Nestor to betray me? Then, when he's no longer useful, you're going to kill him like you did my father."

"It's not my fault your father liked younger women. He used me just as much as I used him."

"Elena isn't going to kill me. She needs me. Our marriage has merged our flights and made us the strongest dragons for miles. Even stronger than Ryker's flight." Nestor beams.

"You're not stronger. Ryker's flight ran you off when you attacked before. Just because you have numbers doesn't mean you know how to lead them into battle."

Elena steps close and slaps her in the face. "Shut up, Maria! You will stand in trial tomorrow for your father's murder."

"No one will believe I killed my own father. He was about to make me head over our dragon flight!"

"Oh, they'll believe it since you ran away and married our greatest enemy. It actually works out perfectly for me. I kill your father and you take the blame."

Maria's heart pounds as she thinks about facing her old dragon flight as a criminal. "Awe, Nestor, it's too bad you and I didn't work out. When I planned to marry you, my reasons were pure. I thought we'd make a good team. Elena only wanted you so you could kill for her. She didn't love my father and she'll never love you."

"Shut your mouth, bitch!" Elena looks angry, but Nestor smirks.

"I can tell you want me, Nestor. I see how you look at me. We both know I'm much prettier than Elena. And I would've treated you better."

"She is nicer than you, Elena."

Elena turns and slaps Nestor across the face. "Don't you even look at Maria."

"How can I torture her if I don't look at her?"

"Don't get smart. It's the way you're looking at her."

"Your jealousy is embarrassing for you, Elena. You wanted my position in my flight, then you wanted my fiance. You have no dreams of your own. You just want what other people have."

Elena punches her in the stomach. "I've heard enough from you. Now, Maria, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. But we need to know the weakest security point into Ryker's flight house."

"Didn't Mason already tell you? Him and Nestor seemed to be very close." Maria tilts her head.

"Mason is still considered an enemy. He showed us the tunnel into Ryker's land but was secretive about infiltrating the house."

"Because he knows that with Ryker gone, we'll take over his dragon flight too."

"And Mason doesn't want that. He wants to be dragon lord once Ryker is dead. But our plan is to kill both Ryker and Mason, which is why you need to tell us everything you know about his flight."

"I'm not saying a word." She feigns zipping her lips and throws away the key.

"You'll change your mind once we get you into the torture room."

Maria's blood runs cold. Her father's torture room is legendary throughout the land.

Nestor grabs her shackled hands and pushes her out of the cell, giving her an ample opportunity to attack Elena.

Taking her moment, Maria reaches her shackled hands up and grabs Elean by the hair, then swings with all her might and slams the girl's head into the wall. "Die!"

"Bitch!" Elena swears.

Nestor grabs her and slams her to the ground, then they take turns kicking her. Intense pain moves over her entire body, but she refuses to cry out. After a few more kicks to her gut, Nestor stands her up. Suddenly, her brain itches and she can tell that Ryker's trying to mindlink with her. Elena pushes her down the hall toward the torture room.

"Okay, you guys don't have to take me to the torture room. I'll tell you whatever you need to know." She sinks to the ground in what looks like a submissive position. "Just don't take me into that room."

"That's not going to work."

"Why not? We should just question her here."

She stays on the ground as Elena and Nestor argue, then feels her brain itch again and knows that now's her chance to mindlink with Ryker. "Maria?"

His voice in her head is so distant she's not even sure she really heard him. She takes a deep breath and visualizes his handsome face in her mind. The itching in her head gets stronger and she focuses even harder. "Are you there? Can you hear me?"

"Maria! Where are you?"

"I'm in my father's dungeon. Elena and Nestor are about to torture me for information to get into your flight house. Don't worry, though. I won't tell them anything."

"Maria, I won't blame you if you do. Many strong dragons have caved during torture."

"I'm stronger than them and I'll do everything I can to protect you. But there's something else you need to know. Mason is going to try to kill you. He was behind my kidnapping." Ryker's silence makes her wonder if she lost the mindlink. "Did you hear me? Your brother is the traitor. You need to watch your back. He said he's going to kill you and take over the flight."

"I heard you. I suspected something before, but I didn't want to believe it. Mason took off to search for you shortly after you were taken. He hasn't been home since."

"He's probably waiting until I'm officially dead before he makes an attack on you."

"I'll deal with my brother late. Right now, I'm on my way to save you."

"Good. Because I'm set to be executed tomorrow."

"Maria, I'll never let that happen. But for whatever it's worth, I...." Ryker goes silent, struggling to express his feelings. "I.... care about you so much. And I miss you."

"Ryker, I'm scared." Suddenly, Nestor hauls Maria to her feet and pushes her toward the torture room. The mindlink goes dead. When she's dragged into the torture room, she's laid on a wooden slab with her hands and ankles bound. "Please. You don't have to do this. If you let me go, I won't come after you for taking my flight and killing my father."

"Liar. I know you'll never let go of your revenge."

"And we need someone to pin your father's murder on so your flight trusts us to lead." Elena grins.

"My dragon flight will never believe you."

"They already believe us. They can't wait to see you die!" The copper cuffs deplete her strength and her head feels fuzzy. "Give her the elixir."

"What elixir?"

Nestor walks over with a small vial of liquid. "This is a special drug that will make you tell us all of your secrets."

"I've never heard of such a potion. Is it something you got from your dragon hunter friends?"

"The hunters have proven useful."

"I can't wait for the hunters to turn on you." She smiles.

"Even when they do, they'll be too weak to overpower us."

"Not when they use their potions on you! And you've never tested if this potion will work on a true dragon mate, have you?" Nestor and Elena pause, giving each other a look. "It probably won't even work on me because of my power."

"What power? That mate stuff is just a myth anyway."

"No, it's not."

"Well, it hasn't made you stronger since you're here chained."

"You have no idea the depth of my power."

Elena slaps Maria hard across the face. "Shut up, bitch! You always thought you were better than everyone."

"Oh, I am much better than you. It's why you hate me so much. You had to lie and fuck your way into power, while I used my skills and my brain to be a leader."

"You don't look like a leader now. Give her the potion." Nestor pulls her head back and forces her mouth open, while Elena pours the sweet liquid down her throat. As soon as it hits her stomach, her eyes dilate and she gets dizzy.

"Now, let's see if the potion is working."

"Ask her something you know she'd lie about." Elena smiles evilly.

"Maria, I've heard dragon mates can mindlink. Can you do that with Ryker?"

Every bone in her body wants to say no, but the potion is too strong. "Yes, Ryker and I can mindlink."

Elena lets out a cruel laugh as she stalks closer to her.

"Can you mindlink with him now?"

Maria almost blurts out that she mindlinked with him earlier, but keeps her focus on the present and what's true. "No, I can't mindlink Ryker from this torture room."

"Now, tell us how to get into his flight house."

"I don't want to! You'll kill all of his dragons."

Elena takes out a knife and slashes her stomach. "Tell me, now!"

The potion is intense as it messes with her brain. Taking a deep breath, she summons all of her dragon power. The potion seeps into her blood, but instead of fighting it, she lets it mix. A calm settles over her as she stares directly into Nestor's eyes. "The easiest way into Ryker's house is the basement door. It's never guarded."

Nestor and Elena look at each other and smile, believing her lie.

"And which bedroom does Ryker sleep in?"

"The one at the end of the second floor."

After another hour of lying to all of their questions, they return Maria to her cell.

~W~

The following morning, the pair drag Maria to the courtyard.

She looks out and sees the people she's known her whole life, staring daggers at her. She stands silently, but the crowd boos her anyway. A few even throw bottles in her direction.

"I told you that you'd have no power here." Nestor turns his attention back to the crowd. "Maria, you are here to stand trial for the murder of your father, Imon, our dragon lord."

"This is absurd! Why would I kill my own father? I was already in line to take over this flight."

"Because you were plotting with our enemy, Ryker, the Demon dragon lord! It's why you ran away to be with him!" Elena shouts.

"Do you deny that you joined his flight as his dragoness?"

"No, but-"

"Enough! The evidence proves you are the murderer. Your public execution will be tonight at sundown. May the dragon gods have mercy on your black soul."

Maria's inner dragon roars to life as she feels Ryker is near. She searches the crowd and finds his handsome face staring back at her. As soon as they lock eyes, he gives her a wink, then runs toward her with a shout. He punches two guards before they subdue him. The guards bring him up to where she stands with Nestor and Elena.

"Well, well, well. This just proves you two have been plotting together all along. It's only fitting that we execute you both this evening."

The flight cheers as the guards haul her and Ryker away. They secure them both in the dungeon and leave.

"Ryker, you're crazy for doing this! Now we're both going to be killed."

"You're my mate. I would never leave you in our enemy's hands. And we're not going to die here tonight. You were being so heavily guarded that I knew the only way to get to you was to be caught."

She stares up into his eyes, amazed that he risked his life to save hers. "And now that I'm here, all we have to do is break out."

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