The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 40: Fight The Monsters

Chapter 40: Fight The Monsters

>>Aelin

Ruoxy stood barely a step away, her grotesque, elongated form hunched over, her pitch-black eyes locking onto mine. Blood—fresh and glistening—streaked her mouth, dripping down her chin. The smell of iron and rot hit me, choking me.

"You didn’t break," she drawled, her voice low and almost playful, a mockery of civility.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. My hands trembled as I instinctively stepped back, but my legs felt weak, like they would give out at any moment.

She tilted her head, her neck bending at an unnatural angle as her claws flexed, glinting in the dim dungeon light. "It’s a shame I couldn’t use you as a sacrifice," she mused, her tone almost wistful. "No doubt, you would have been a great one."

My throat tightened but I couldn’t show her my fear, even though it felt like it was consuming me.

Ruoxy stepped closer, her towering form casting a shadow over me. Her claws hovered in the air, inches from my face, their sharp points catching the light. "I don’t know exactly what you are," she murmured, her lips curling into a bloodstained grin, "but I can feel it. There’s something special about you. Something... delicious."

I wanted to scream, to run, but my body refused to obey. My heart was hammering in my chest.

Her arm drew back, her claws poised to strike, and I braced myself, every muscle in my body tensing.

And then, like lightning striking, she was gone.

!?!?!

Ruoxy’s monstrous form was suddenly slammed into the stone wall with such force that the ground beneath me trembled. Dust and rubble exploded into the air, and I stumbled back, gasping as I saw a familiar figure standing where she had been.

Draegon.

He was crouched low, his eyes blazing with fury, his wings spread wide as he stood protectively in front of me. His chest rose and fell heavily, and his claws flexed, ready for another strike.

"Stay back!" he growled, his voice sharp and commanding. "Get to safety—now!"

I couldn’t speak, my mind still reeling from what had just happened. Ruoxy, who had been moments away from killing me, now lay crumpled in a heap against the wall. But she wasn’t down for long.

Her elongated form began to twitch, her bones snapping back into place with horrifying cracks. Black ichor seeped from her wounds as she slowly pulled herself to her feet, her head lolling to the side like a broken doll.

Draegon didn’t wait for her to recover. He charged at her, his claws igniting with fire as he swung at her midsection. Ruoxy dodged, moving with a speed that defied her twisted frame, but Draegon was relentless, each strike faster and more precise than the last.

"Aelin!" Draegon’s voice snapped me out of my daze. "Get out of here!"

I stumbled to my feet, my legs shaking beneath me as I backed away toward the stairs. But even as I moved, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the fight unfolding before me. Draegon was a blur of motion, his fiery strikes illuminating the dark dungeon, but Ruoxy was no ordinary foe. She moved like a shadow, her long limbs bending and twisting in ways that made her impossible to predict.

I stumbled backward, my legs trembling as I tried to run toward the stairs. My breath was ragged, my heart pounding so loud I could barely hear anything else.

But just as I reached the stairs, the ground trembled violently. My stomach dropped as the monstrous form of the second beast crashed down in front of me, blocking my escape.

I froze as its body crashed onto the stairs, breaking them. Then Its grotesque body writhed as it slowly rose to its feet, its limbs contorting unnaturally.

I stared up at the hulking creature in front of me. Drool dripped from its gnarled maw, sizzling as it hit the stone floor. The stench of death and rot was overwhelming, making me gag as I instinctively stepped back.

The creature shook itself off, shards of broken stone falling from its body as it let out a guttural growl that reverberated through the air. Its sunken, glowing eyes locked onto me, and for a moment, I felt like prey caught in the gaze of a predator.

I looked around desperately, my eyes darting between the stairs and the chaos behind me. But then Ariston and the other demons attacked the beast, their weapons clashing against its thick hide and taking away the attention from me. Every strike seemed to do little more than annoy it, as if they were gnats trying to pierce armor.

Ariston caught sight of me, his face contorting with panic as he slashed at one of the creature’s legs. "Get out of there!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.

He didn’t have time to wait and listen to me and continued to fight. I looked at Draegon. Their fight was equally terrifying—fire and shadows colliding in bursts of raw power. Ruoxy’s grotesque form towered over Draegon, her movements unnervingly fast and unpredictable. He was holding his own, but I could see the strain in every strike he made.

I turned back to the beast at the stairs. The demons fighting it were relentless, but they still hadn’t found its core. Its thick hide seemed impenetrable, and with every moment that passed, it grew more enraged.

The creature lunged at one of the demons, its massive claws tearing through the air. The demon couldn’t dodge and got torn up in midair

!!!

Another demon tried to attack, swinging a blade infused with dark energy. The weapon struck its shoulder, but the beast didn’t even flinch. Instead, it roared, swinging its arm in a wide arc and sending the demon flying into the wall with a sickening thud.

"Damn it!" Ariston snarled, his blade glowing faintly as he aimed for the creature’s exposed belly. The strike landed, cutting through the tough flesh and drawing dark blood, but it wasn’t enough. The beast reared back, howling in pain before lashing out again. Ariston tried but he couldn’t get his sword out.

"Leave it," Drakkar roared but Ariston didn’t listen to him and then the beast decided to crash itself down with Ariston under him and he realized it. His eyes went wide but he had no time to escape as the action already started

NO!

Just as he was about to though Drakkar flapped his wings, moving with immense speed as he grabbed Ariston in his arms and barely scraped out from under the monster, in the attempt he roughened against the ground too.

Ariston immediately got off Drakkar who checked his wing and how much damage he had gotten while Ariston looked around for another weapon since the monster’s action broke his sword into two.

I was rooted in place, torn between running back into the fight or trying to somehow slip past the beast. The sound of claws scraping against stone made me flinch, and I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Ruoxy lunging at Draegon again. Her elongated form moved like a snake, her claws slicing through the air as Draegon dodged, flames erupting from his hands to keep her at bay.

I swallowed hard, my body trembling as I tried to force myself to move. But with the beast blocking the stairs and Ruoxy behind me, there was nowhere safe to go. The walls of the dungeon seemed to close in around me, the stench of rot and the sounds of battle overwhelming my senses.

I turned to another direction and ran—my feet pounding against the cold stone floor as I plunged into the darkness of the dungeon, the sound of battle fading behind me. My breath came in ragged gasps, my chest tight with fear and guilt.

Why did I come here? Why did I follow them? I shouldn’t have. Now I’m causing trouble for everyone.

The further I ran, the darker it got. The dim torchlight from the central chamber barely reached these parts, leaving the air thick and oppressive. My heart hammered against my ribs as shadows pressed in around me, the echoes of the fighting still ringing in the distance. I came to a stop in a blind corner, hidden from sight. My back hit the cold, damp wall as I tried to steady my breathing.

I glanced back toward the central part of the dungeon, peering around the corner to see Draegon and Ruoxy still locked in their deadly fight. The flickering flames of his magic lit the space, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Ruoxy’s grotesque form twisted and writhed as she attacked, her movements sharp and fluid, almost inhuman. Her long, jagged claws swiped through the air, barely missing Draegon as he dodged and countered with bursts of fire. His flames licked at her distorted skin, and she was definitely taking a lot of damage yet she seemed unfazed, her laughter echoing through the chamber.

"I knew you were strange since the first time I saw you," Draegon growled, his voice steady despite the strain of the fight. He stood firm, his fiery gaze locked on her, unwavering even as her twisted form loomed over him.

Ruoxy laughed, a chilling, guttural sound that sent shivers down my spine. "And yet you couldn’t defeat me," she taunted, lunging at him again. He dodged her claws, flames erupting from his hands in a fiery arc. "The Abyss had already corrupted you," She said, "Do you feel it, Draegon?" she hissed. "The Abyss still lingers in you. It’s in your blood, your very soul. You’ll never be free of it."

!!!