The Dragon King's Heart

Before Selene could speak, Laina sensed something was amiss. They were both in immediate danger. Laina shot up from her seat and scanned the room swiftly. But no matter where she looked, she could not see anything. 

"Is something wrong, your Highness?" Selene asked in shock. 

"I got this strange feeling in my gut like we're about to-" Laina looked up, "Selene! Get down!" 

A volley of arrows flew through the sky, it was about to rain down upon them. Hearing the sense of urgency in Laina's voice, the Moon Goddess did not hesitate. She did as Laina asked and ducked her head. 

Outside the door, Kol heard Laina's voice. Sensing she was in danger, Kol rushed into the room. The Moon Maidens tried to stop him but they were no match for his strength. 

Kol pushed open the door, with his weapon drawn and ready to attack. Laina, on the other hand, knew she was unable to dodge the arrows. Hence, she summoned a shield spell to protect the Moon Goddess and herself. 

As the arrows rained down upon them, they burst into flames, causing multiple explosions to occur. Lucky for Selene and Laina, Laina's shield was strong enough to withstand the attack. 

Kol, who witnessed the scene before him, rushed forward to assist. He repelled as many arrows as he could with his sword. Despite his best efforts, some of the arrows still pierced through his skin, causing Kol to wince in pain. 

Laina noticed Kol had rushed into her protection. Recalling how the arrows burst into flames upon contact, Laina knew it would gravely damage Kol's body. 

"No! Kol!" She called out. 

At that moment, Kol turned to look at her, before the arrows that pierced his body were set alight. Flames spread across his body, causing his skin to blister and peel. Kol cried out in pain as he dropped his sword. 

Laina cast a spell of water and healing hoping it would extinguish the flames and heal Kol. But to her surprise, it was not working. The flames continued to burn and spread across his body. 

"These are not normal flames," Selene concluded after taking a closer look at the flames produced by the arrows. 

Laina turned to the Moon Goddess, "Not normal flames? What are you talking about?" 

Selene realized the gravity of the situation. She knew she could not just keep on hiding. She asked Laina to lower her shield. 

"What?! If I do so, then-"

"Don't worry, I have a plan. Plus, don't you want to save your bodyguard? If you want him to live, you're going to have to lower your shield and do as I say," Selene whispered a set of instructions into Laina's ear. 

There was no reason for the Moon Goddess to lie to Laina, so she did as Selene asked. On the count of three, Laina dropped the shield protecting them and ran to Kol's side. 

She placed his hand over her shoulder and dragged him into the pool of water in the center of the room. The Moon Maidens who were outside were afraid to step in. But when Kol barged in, some of them went to get Shylla. 

Moon Goddess Selene waved her hand before her, just as another array of arrows shot through the air in their direction. In an instant, an invisible force gained control of the arrows as they hung in mid-air. 

"Return to the sender," Selene whispered, along with an incantation of her own. 

The arrows turned on their own and flew through the air, towards the direction they were originally shot from. Moments later, they heard the cries and howls of multiple people in the distance. 

Selene raised both her hands as she cast a shield spell on the open sky to prevent any further attacks. Laina, on the other hand, had successfully pulled Kol into the pool of water just as Selene had instructed. 

When the Moon Goddess saw Laina was in the water too, she quickly told her to get out of it. Laina stepped out of the pool and watched as Selene stepped in. The pool of water still reflected the moonlight from above. 

Much to Laina's surprise, the water in the pool extinguished the fire that burnt Kol. She was even more amazed when she noticed his injuries were beginning to heal. 

"Will he be alright?" Laina asked eagerly. 

Selene nodded, "He should be alright. Although…" 

The Moon Goddess placed her hand over Kol's head. A soft glow of light emitted from the palm of her hand as she waved it over his body. 

She looked up at Laina and asked, "He's a half-vampire?"

Laina nodded. 

Selene's silence scared Laina, was there something wrong with Kol?

"Is something wrong?" Laina asked. 

"Fear not, your Highness, his wounds will heal. But right now, he's very malnourished. He's not been feeding, which is hindering his healing abilities," Selene explained. 

"Not feeding? Hindering his healing?" Laina did not know, "What should we do?" 

Laina recalled the very first time they met. Margaret brought Kol to her. That was when their relationship as master and servant was formed. At that time, a drop of blood was all he had. 

Had he not drunk any blood since then? Or none at all?

There was no time for her to ask him. Laina could see the burn wounds that covered Kol's body. Despite the healing properties of the water, some of the wounds were not healing properly. 

Kol was barely conscious, he was looking at her. Having heard what the Moon Goddess said, Kol shook his head. 

With the strength he had left, he tried to speak, "No… master… no."

Laina bit her lip, "Now's not the time to argue with me over this, Kol. We need to get you better."

Without the slightest hesitation, Laina materialized a dagger from her spatial storage. Despite Kol's objection, she sliced her wrist. Blood seeped out of the wound, dripping into the pool of water as Laina brought her wrist close to Kol. 

Kol tilted his head away from Laina. 

The scent of Laina's blood shrouded his senses. His mouth began to salivate. While the half-vampire could control his blood lust most of the time, in his weakened state it proved to be a challenge. 

"Don't be stubborn, half-blood. You need the nourishment if you want to live," Selene urged him, "You want to protect her, don't you?"

Kol had promised himself he would never take blood, unless absolutely necessary. But for him to take Laina's blood, he simply could not do so. Laina grew increasingly worried. She could see the wounds on Kol's body spreading. 

It was getting worse. 

She gritted her teeth. She did not have any other choice. 

"Kol, I command you to drink my blood."

The seal on Kol's chest burnt brightly. Kol winced in pain from the burning on his skin. Still, he continued to resist. But as the intensity of the pain increased, he knew he had no other choice. 

Finally succumbing to the blood lust, Kol leaned forward. He held Laina's hand and sunk his fangs into her flesh. Laina braced herself for the pain. It was unlike anything she had felt before.