The Dragon King's Hated Bride
Chapter 68: Attack

Chapter 68: Attack

>>Aelin

The sudden impact sent a shockwave through my entire body.

???!

A blinding light flashed in the sky, followed by an earsplitting roar as something massive collided into us. The sheer force knocked the air from my lungs, and before I could even register what was happening, we were spinning out of control.

It was all so sudden I couldn’t even process what was happening.

My heart pounded wildly as my stomach lurched. The world tilted, blurred, and for a terrifying moment, I felt weightless—like I was plummeting, like I was going to fall.

But Draegon’s grip on me never wavered.

Even as his body jerked from the impact, even as blood trickled from a fresh wound on his side, and a splatter of it painted across my face, his arms tightened around me with unwavering strength. His wings had furled back in as well.

The wind howled around us as we spiraled downward, the sky flashing past in streaks of blue and gold. My fingers dug into his shirt, clinging desperately as dread surged through me.

"Draegon—!" I called out his name in desperation.

His wings snapped open once again despite the agony he must have been in.

But it was too late to regain control. The ground was rushing toward us too fast.

The first impact was brutal.

Draegon twisted his body mid-air, shielding me as we crashed through the thick canopy of trees. Branches snapped like brittle bones, leaves exploded around us in a flurry, and then—

The earth slammed into us.

A harsh grunt left Draegon as he landed on his back, absorbing the full force of the impact. My head spun, my ears rang, but I was still in his arms. Still held tightly against his chest.

Dust and debris filled the air, the scent of crushed earth and torn bark thick around us. The forest groaned in protest from our violent landing, leaves trembling from

where we had torn through them.

For a moment, all I could hear was the sound of Draegon’s heavy breathing beneath me.

He was still holding me.

His arms, though slightly trembling, had never loosened.

Slowly, I lifted my head, my heart hammering against my ribs. His jaw was clenched, his expression tight with pain, but he met my gaze with a fierce determination.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, voice rough yet steady.

I stared at him, stunned. I barely registered the sting of my scraped hands as I pushed myself up from the dirt. My body had been cushioned and protected.

Draegon had taken the full force of our fall.

My breath hitched when I looked at him. His wing—one of those powerful, majestic wings that had carried us through the sky so effortlessly—was ruined. Charred blackened flesh, smoke curling from the edges. He had shielded me. He had taken the attack so I wouldn’t be hurt.

"Draegon," I breathed, as I also noticed the side of his head bleeding.

I slowly backed off of him as I touched his blood on me.

He moved to be on his knees, his hands pressed into the ground, his breath heavy. Despite the pain, he reached out for me, gripping my wrist as if to make sure I was really there, really unharmed.

"Are you alright?" He asked again

"Yes," I answered this time

His eyes suddenly flickered up, scanning me quickly, and when he saw I wasn’t hurt, his grip relaxed—but only slightly.

"Stay close," he said, his voice rough, urgent. "The attacker is still nearby."

I swallowed hard, my heart hammering in my chest. I turned, scanning the trees, the thick underbrush, but I saw nothing. Just the eerie stillness of the forest, the unnatural silence pressing in around us

No wind. No birds. As if the world itself was holding its breath.

Draegon shifted, wincing as he moved, and I instinctively reached for him. "You’re hurt," I whispered, my fingers grazing over his arm, my stomach twisting at the sight of his burned wing. "We need to—"

A sharp snap echoed through the trees.

Draegon’s grip on me tightened instantly, his body tensing. His eyes darkened, turning sharper, more dangerous.

"It’s here," he murmured.

Draegon’s entire body was rigid, his muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike. His sharp gaze darted through the trees, scanning every shadow, every unseen movement. The intensity in his expression made my stomach tighten with unease.

I hesitated before whispering, "Are you alright?"

He didn’t answer immediately, just clenched his jaw and shifted his weight, wincing slightly as his injured wing twitched. "We need to leave," he said instead, his voice low and urgent. His eye was twitching, it was hurt as bad but the dripping blood was making it hard for him to open it

"But your wound—" I started, reaching toward him, but he cut me off.

"I’ll get treatment once we’re out of here." His tone left no room for argument.

That only made me more uneasy.

"Why are you so anxious?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He exhaled sharply, his eyes flicking to me for a brief second before scanning the forest again. Then, in a grim voice, he said, "Because I’m certain that was an attack from a monster from the Abyss."

My breath caught.

The Abyss?!

A shiver crawled down my spine. My hands clenched into fists to stop them from trembling.

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. "You’re sure?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Draegon didn’t look at me, but his grip on my wrist remained firm. "Yes."

Fear coiled inside me like a living thing, cold and suffocating. If something from the Abyss was here... we were in more danger than I had ever imagined.

But why would an Abyss creature be here?

Draegon got himself up and I tried to help him but he didn’t really need my help. His movements were stiff from the pain. His injured wing was still damaged, the burn stretching along the membrane, but he didn’t falter. He simply straightened, pulling me close as we prepared to leave.

"We need to move quickly," he muttered.

I nodded, but my gaze lingered on his wound. The sight of it made my chest ache. He had shielded me with his own body. He reacted right at the time before the impact the impact hit me and kept me safe.

"Wait," I said, reaching for him. "I’ll heal you before we go."

I didn’t give him a chance to protest as I lifted my hands, calling on my magic. The familiar warmth of my usual healing magic gathered in my palms, ready to mend his wounds. But just as I was about to press my hands to his wing, I hesitated.

I hope I do this right.

A different kind of warmth pulsed beneath my skin.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and shifted the energy within me. A soft golden glow ignited at my fingertips, radiating with a light I had nearly forgotten.

As soon as I pressed my hands to his wound, the effect was immediate.

A rush of warmth spread through him, golden light wrapping around his injury like a living flame. Draegon tensed, his eyes widening in shock. The burned membrane of his wing mended in an instant, the torn edges seamlessly knitting back together as if the wound had never existed. His head stitched up perfectly and existence of injury vanished even though the spilled blood remained.

When the light faded, I stepped back,

Draegon was still staring at me, his purple eyes filled with something unreadable—shock maybe. But then his lips curled up slightly. The smile he showed me then, that expression, it looked like he was proud.

Proud of me? Because I healed him? The realization made the butterflies in my stomach move around violently.

But before he could say anything, the sound of rustling bushes snapped both of us back into the present.

!!!

In an instant, Draegon moved in front of me, his wings flaring slightly despite their recent injury. His entire body tensed, muscles coiling like a predator ready to strike.

I barely had time to react before a figure stepped into the clearing.

Oddly enough it was something familiar.

I was definitely not expecting this to happen but Draegon was even more shocked then me as the grotesque form smiled at us.

"How?" Draegon gritted his teeth as he looked at the familiar person- no creature.

The creature with her unnatural lengthened limbs stepped closer to us. Her arms hung far longer than they ever should have. She was hunched forward into an unnatural, jagged angle, her head lurching toward us like a grotesque predator.

And those black, hollow eyes stared forward, devoid of humanity,

"Ruoxy," Her name slipped out of my tongue.

Her smile widened, "Miss me?"

Author’s Note

Guys, please. Leave 5 star reviews for the book. It would mean a lot. It would also mean a lot if you all comment too.

This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.