Smoldering Ashes Read online

  Smoldering Ashes

  Black Harbour Dragons

  Jadyn Chase

  Copyright © 2018 by Jadyn Chase

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  Contents

  1. Lavender

  2. Argos

  3. Lavender

  4. Argos

  5. Lavender

  6. Argos

  7. Lavender

  8. Argos

  9. Lavender

  10. Argos

  11. Lavender

  12. Argos

  13. Lavender

  14. Argos

  15. Lavender

  16. Argos

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  More from Jadyn

  1

  Lavender

  I could barely keep my eyes open as I huddled under the tattered remains of a blanket. The night air of Black Harbor was always coldest by the water. I only stayed there because it was safer by the docks. There were claims of a sea witch lurking around here somewhere, but I’d never ran into her before. Honestly, who had time for chasing fairytales anyway?

  My barracks were barely underground. Black Harbor was still a war zone while the rest of the world had begun to heal from the revelation of Scalers among us. It wasn’t our fault. Anthros, those of us without the ability to sprout wings and breathe fire, sought refuge in our decimated city while they reigned over us with fire and fury. No one was safe.

  There was one breed in particular that took control. The Golden Imperials were frighteningly beautiful with their golden horns and glistening scales. Their leader, King Azriel, had a diabolical sense of ruling with a golden fist. Every few nights, he’d have his minions do a sweep of Black Harbor to collect slaves for him. The chosen ones were flown up to Abaddon; never to be seen again. I refused to be one of them.

  I had been trying my hardest to survive in the ruins of Black Harbor without being taken by any of the Scaler clans or by the ruthless men running the sheltered Anthro Stations. The Stations were set up to be safe havens within the city’s underground systems, but I felt everything but safe there. The only person who ever protected me was my father, and he was long gone; killed years ago defending me with his dying breath. I owed it to him to survive for as long as I could. He taught me everything I needed to know; how to fight; how to hunt; how to fend for myself. But never once had he suggested a way for me to get out. His excuse? I’d never make it out of the city before getting caught.

  With my hair in a long braid, and a hooded cloak draped over my head, I moved out of my nightly sleeping space. It wasn’t secure enough for Scalers to fly above and leave me be. I had to get hidden underground, and quick. Every time I knew the Golden Imperials were on the hunt, I’d get into a hidden cellar I found under the docks. The only issue was getting there before I was spotted.

  The echoes of their wings cutting through the air sent chills down my spine as I darted out into the open. I’d only taken a few steps when I saw the shadow in the moonlit sky. I couldn’t tell which kind it was. The only thing that mattered was the pair of wings I saw flapping as they came down toward me.

  “NO!” I shouted as I broke into a full sprint. The first few steps blew the hood off of my head. My braid loosened, letting my hair cascade down my back and eventually my cover fell revealing the tattered and tight shirt and shorts I wore under it. The sharp pinch of its talons as it grabbed me by the shoulders took me by surprise. My stomach dropped the moment my feet left the ground. I’d never been so scared in all my life watching them dangle beneath me. Turning my head to the left and right, I tried to see a way to break free, but I couldn’t. The screams of others who’d been collected carried clearly through the night.

  “No! LET ME GO!” I screamed.

  I struggled, fighting and panicking trying to get the Scaler to release me. I didn’t care how high we were. There was a shortness of breath followed by short bursting yelps nearby making me crane my neck around the charcoal grey scaled arms holding me. I saw another girl struggling to break free as she managed to jab her fist into the tender spot of the Scarlet Wing’s flesh, forcing it to drop her mid-air.

  We weren’t that high yet. We’d just gotten out of Black Harbor, flying over the trees of the forest on our way up to Abaddon. The sound of her body hitting the branches below was nauseating. If she didn’t die, I knew she’d be dead soon. I almost wondered who she was, but at least she was free.

  The city of Abaddon was high in the mountains. I couldn’t even see Black Harbor from the spot where we landed. Before I had a chance to move or think, two men in leather gladiator armor shackled my wrists and my neck. Tears ran down my cheeks, not ready to process where I was.

  There was a vast wall that guarded the city against the steep mountainside. A waterfall was off in the distance but what stood out the most was the lingering feelings of pain and fear wafting through the night air. The enormous palace, mostly constructed out of dark grey slate stone, made me feel tiny in comparison. It was cold with metal accents everywhere. Fire torches lit the pathways throughout the city. The wide hallway they led me through wasn’t any different. The views seen from the castle’s open arched cutouts would have been magnificent if the scent of fire and ash weren’t all consuming.

  They brought me to a line of other women where my shackles were fastened to the woman's chains in front of me, and someone was bound to the chains behind me. I couldn’t tell how many of us were standing there, but a loud horn sounded, and two large wooden doors with golden trim opened into a brightly lit throne room.

  “Line them up against the wall, back to me!” I heard someone call out.

  We were poked and prodded as the guards ushered us into the room. It was cold even with large lamp posts in every corner. Those were the only things I saw before I was forced to face the wall.

  “Argos, go ahead,” the voice shouted.

  Who was Argos?

  I’d soon find out. I heard another masculine voice making his way down the line, “Ozzy, she’s blonde up top but brownish down below. Darker nipples, no cuts or bruises. A chipped tooth in the back.”

  “To the slave quarters then!” the voice responded.

  One by one, I heard Argos calling out the intimate details of the women, and then he got to me. The strength of his hands as they cupped my ass surprised me. He grunted as if he were surprised too.

  “You’re an athletic one, aren’t you?” he whispered to me. “I might have to keep you for myself.”

  I swallowed hard hoping they’d kill me on my first night. When he spun me around, my level of disgust melted away. His deep brown eyes captured me, with dark brown hair that stopped around his shoulders and a broad blonde streak down the middle of his mane made him the most attractive man I’d ever seen before. He was shirtless with a black leather gladiator skirt, made of several leather strips and decorative golden grommets, which stopped just above his knees. His muscles bulged and glistened in the light of the room. He had matching leather arm bracers that automatically drew my attention as he moved his hands toward my shirt.

  The women to my left were indeed naked but still shackled. I imagined I wouldn’t be
spared this humiliation.

  “Take it easy,” he told me softly.

  I watched the nail of his index finger shift and protruded into a sharp golden talon. It was solid gold. Of all the stories I’ve heard, and of all the Scalers I’ve come across, I’d never seen one with solid gold talons. I didn’t realize I gasped as my eyes darted from his claw to his gaze.

  He moved his fingers over his lips, motioning for me to hush. I was intrigued. He was unique and trying to hide it. Who the hell is Argos?

  The sound of my withering shirt falling to the ground was pretty much nonexistent as his talon moved through the fabric of my clothes with ease. After retracting his claw, he lifted my chin into the light and opened my mouth. He tilted my head to the left and the right before running his fingers across my scalp. My nipples perked as he ignited something inside of me I never expected.

  Argos swallowed hard himself as his hands moved from my hair down to my breasts. He didn’t stay there long before moving down to my pelvic area. I didn’t expect for my center to grow moist once his fingers slid around it. He didn’t touch me down there, at all. It drove me crazy.

  He inhaled deeply, before narrowing his gaze, “Calm down. You’re going to turn on every guy in here.”

  “It’s your fault,” I whispered back, “You started it.”

  I couldn’t believe I was flirting, taunting him back. This was insane. I forgot about everything that happened; the world we were living in; the sight of that girl falling to her death. He made me forget. I got lost inside of him, and that was dangerous. My father warned me about men, Scalers like him. They were the ones to get you killed.

  “What’s the hold-up?” the first voice called out.

  “Nothing!” Argos replied immediately, “Brunette, waist length hair. Same down bottom. Needs a trim. Hard breasts, possibly sick.”

  He turned to me and winked.

  My breasts weren’t hard! I wasn’t sick! A part of me wanted to shout in protest, but I kept quiet. I didn’t want to call Argos a liar in front of everyone there. He moved to the woman next to me, who was most undoubtedly sick. Her pale complexion was practically alabaster with a blue shade blending out from her lips. Argos moved in close to her, sniffed deeply, and shook his head backward in disgust.

  “Cut her out before she contaminates the others!” he commanded.

  It wasn’t until I saw the other guards remove the woman next to me that I saw how much more intricate Argos’s uniform was in comparison to theirs. He held a position that was higher than the other men, but not as high as the man haphazardly sitting on a throne. With one leg draped over the side, and his hand propping up his head on the other, the brown haired brown eyed King of Abaddon eyed me from head to toe. He licked his lips before shifting his gaze to the other women in the line.

  The crown tipped on his head pushing hair in his face. He moved it back, revealing that he didn’t have brown eyes. They were brown with flecks of orange. I thought they were reflecting the flames, but it was as if fire permanently danced in the iris. He was attractive in his own way, but he held nothing on Argos. Argos had my attention for more reasons than one.

  I wondered how anything could spark between us, but the idea wasn’t so crazy looking at him. The moment we locked eyes, he’d casually glance back to me. He’d kept it up the entire night until King Azriel was ready for the night of selection to end. Without knowing my fate from this twisted inspection, it’s the first real time since I’d landed in Abaddon when I felt scared.

  2

  Argos

  The first time I looked into her dark blue eyes, I knew she was going to be trouble. When I cupped her firm ass in my hands, I knew she needed to be mine. I was asking for trouble flirting with an Anthro in front of Uncle Ozzy. There had to be a way for me to get her off of his chain of maidens. If he knew what I saw when I looked at her … I don’t know what he would do.

  There was a method to his madness. He had the other clans working for the Golden Imperial royal family. Each clan provided two or three of their own to send up here to Abaddon. I didn’t care about the collection, but my uncle The King made it his mission. He lauded his dominance over everyone. There were more instances of his lunacy and diabolical nature than his reverence as royalty. And once he brought her in here, I finally saw the point. I began believing that Uncle Ozzy was looking to fill a void. It had to be similar to the emptiness that disappeared the moment I saw her.

  Her eyes held me, drawing me to look at her no matter where I went in the throne room. The vast space held about 60 people comfortably. There were six guards on duty whenever Ozzy occupied a room. 20 girls were marched in and turned to face the wall. Usually, I enjoyed this part of the night, but once I saw her, I instantly felt like I shouldn’t touch anyone else but her. Everything about her, from her scent to her dripping pussy; it just begged me to finger her, to fuck her, to protect her. But that was crazy? Right?

  I’d never been concerned over one of my uncle’s conquests, but for this one, I was ready to fight. I didn’t know how. My quick thinking put the notion in the air that she may be sick and therefore he may not want her, but that was a risk. He might kill her right away, and I certainly didn’t want that.

  I could see the fight in her eyes. She wanted to speak out against what I shouted in front of everyone, but she held her tongue. Control; I liked that about her too. She was special. She’s the only one who noticed my talons. Robust gold claws and fangs weren’t standard; not in any of the Scaler species. My father had them as well, but he died when I was a boy. It happened before I had a chance to ask him about their significance. I never asked Uncle Ozzy. There was always an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach when it came to him. He made obnoxious gestures to demonstrate how much he loved me, but I knew what love felt like. My mother made sure of that especially after my father died.

  However, once the real King of Abaddon died, she was never left alone to care for me. Three guards were assigned to her at all times. While my Uncle seemed to adore her, he never allowed her to be alone with me. He’d kept me busy with the guards, training and chasing women, and enjoying my life as the young Prince of Abaddon. It wasn’t until the day she died, of a mysterious illness no less, that she warned me with her dying breath, “Ozzy will end the monarchy. He will burn everything he touches. Don’t let him destroy you.”

  By then, I’d been living lavishly for so long; I hadn’t any idea what she was talking about. Uncle Ozzy took care of me. He wasn’t my father, but he did enough to keep me entertained. I never asked him for anything, not even the throne which was rightfully mine. Who wanted that responsibility?

  So now, as I stood behind the throne watching him pick which women to send to his slave quarters, I wondered if I could call in this favor. The night dragged for the most part. I didn’t want to ask him in front of everyone else and give him any reason to harm her or to feel like he's soft by appeasing his nephew.

  With the room now emptied out of servants and shackled women, I thought it would be best to approach him.

  “King Azriel,” I asserted snapping my heels together, with my forearm pinned across my abdomen, and bowed to show him the utmost respect.

  “Oh, you must want something huge,” he leered.

  Azriel, my dear Uncle Ozzy, was an inch or two shorter than me with dark brown hair, hair that always looked wet and fell in front of his face. He looked younger than he was. There were rumors that he made a deal with an Emerald Siren for eternal youth. As far as I knew, none of us were immortal. Scalers were known to live a long time unless another one of brethren decided to end our lives a bit early. A part of me hoped that he’d suffer that fate, but what of the throne and the city? I wasn’t ready for that.

  “I would like to request one of the vessels brought in tonight,” I told him trying my best to hide how nervous I truly was.

  “Oh?” he raised an eyebrow, “And which one would that be?”

  “I believe she was the fifth to last one. The on
e with the hardened breast and brown hair,” I told him.

  “Hmm,” he scratched his chin looking at the ceiling, “I don’t recall. Go fetch her.”

  My heart skipped a beat as I left the room. I made sure to keep my pace as calm as possible, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I was going to get her all to myself. Honestly, as much as I wanted to touch her, I yearned to talk to her, to be free to move around with her. I wanted her in so many ways; I could barely contain my joy of the simple task of retrieving her.

  The slave quarters were a pit of despair that I hated to see or visit in any way. The women who were brought in tonight, however, weren’t there yet. They were in the maiden’s chambers. Female Scalers prepared the women to Ozzy’s liking. Those who didn’t pass inspection were tossed to the guards for their pleasure or thrown over the wall where they fell to their deaths.

  The maiden’s chambers were a stark difference from everywhere else in the palace. The floors were light grey. The walls were cloaked in red velvet curtains. Three bureaus lined the back wall. Two large basins were filled with warm water, oils, and flower petals where the women were unshackled and bathed. Every one of them was given a tea, made from an elixir provided to us by an Emerald Siren. It’s supposed to cleanse them of all illnesses unless they’re too close to death.

  When I spotted her, she was already dressed in a sheer top that was torn away at the midriff. Her breasts did most of the work holding it up with tiny straps that sat daintily on her shoulders. The flowing waves of hair glistened in the moonlight as she stood by the window with her hands clasped in front of her waiting to be told what to do next. A tattered skirt that matched the sheerness of her top revealed that she’d been shaved as well. Now I wanted to taste her.