Chapter 64 Ladon

Chapter 64 Ladon

There was fog behind her.

"Tania…" something hissed in a guttural voice. She stumbled back a little, scared. Mist around her thickened so heavily that she was unable to see Eltanin.

"Tania…"

The voice grew closer and though she could not tell whether her heart was beating fast or not, Tania knew that there was something behind her, behind the fog.

Her lips parted. "Wh— who is there?" her voice came out muffled.

There was nothing until—

The mist dissipated around something and then swirled until it created a form in front of her. It was a dragon spirit. Huge. With no perceptible body. There were illusions of his spikes, a snout and coiling body—all of it appearing and disappearing behind the fog. Half coiled around the tree and half on the ground in front of her.

Goosebumps lined her skin and Tania was rooted to the spot. She couldn't see Eltanin. She wanted to call him, reach out to him, but she felt as if she was hypnotized. Her body was captivated by some form of ancient magic.

The ruby eyes of the dragon glowed in the mist as he neared his snout to her. The spirit of the dragon constantly shifted as Tania stayed in her place. With her breath jammed in her throat, she stared at him and her instincts said, "You are the spirit of the Draka Kingdom." She bowed after a moment of silence.

"That is right," came a muffled, guttural voice. "I am Ladon."

Tania brought her hand over to the dragon spirit and he lowered his head for her to touch. She couldn't feel his body, only soft, coolness on the tips of her fingers. "I am honored to meet you," she whispered as a tremble cruised through her body.

"And I am honored to meet you, Lusitania."

"I am not Lusitania," she corrected him, her lips still quivering. "I am Tania."

The dragon seemed to have shifted and coiled around her body as if possessively, as if he wouldn't leave her again. "If you say so," he replied in a mysterious tone.

She should have felt his weight, for the spirit was too long and if he had been real, he would have been very heavy. But all she felt was soft wisps of smoke and mist around her. She should have been scared of him, but she felt… protected, even happy.

He coiled his head around her and leaned his head over her side. "Do you like to eat apples?" he asked.

"I love them," she replied, still reeling under the contact.

"Then you can come here every day and eat," he replied. "I am sure Queen Hera wouldn't mind it."

"Q—Queen Hera?" Tania stuttered. "Wife of Zeus?"

"That's right," he said and uncoiled.

Tania was dumbfounded. She knew that every kingdom had a spirit but she was never ready to meet the spirit of the Draka Kingdom so up and close. The experience was surreal and she felt as if she was forever pushed into a land of happiness, from where she didn't want to come back. She felt a strange bond with the dragon in front of her. It was as if he wanted to feel her soul. A shudder passed through her body when a wisp of thick mist emerged from the dragon and poked in her ear. It pooled inside and tickled her.

The dragon spirit uncoiled completely and slithered back to the tree. Tania followed him in a trance.

"You can come and spend your time here whenever you like Tania," he said in the same muffled, guttural voice. He curled around the tree and looked at Tania with his ruby red eyes. Then one of his limbs reached for an apple and he offered it to her. "Eat it. You will like the taste."

Tania took the golden apple from him. "Thank you," she said and bowed.

The dragon spirit hissed and went back to deep slumber. The mist around her cleared. It was so dark that all she could now make out was the faint delineation of the spirit. She stepped back and then turned to look at Eltanin.

He was gazing at her with intense eyes. "Did he give you that apple?" he asked, astonished. He had never seen Ladon talking to anyone other than him and that too when he wanted. Ladon had barely ever talked to Eltanin. He was standing outside the mist and when he saw that Ladon had shrouded Tania in his magic, fear prickled like thorns in his chest. He didn't know how Ladon would treat Tania. The dragon spirit was too powerful and if he wanted, he could have sliced and eaten Tania, but Ladon talked to her. Eltanin heard their muffled voices through the mist. He tried to reach Tania but the mist thickened warning him not to interfere.

"Yes, and he said that I could come to visit him when I liked." And then Tania took the bite of the golden apple she was given. Fresh juice splashed on her lips. Enraptured, Eltanin wiped the juice from her lips with his thumb and sucked it between his lips. Tania's lips parted as she flushed and suddenly became aware of herself.

"Should we go back?" he asked because the cold of the night began settling.

With one last look at the tree with golden apples and the hazy form of the dragon spirit, she walked back with Eltanin to their bedchamber. Eltanin left her there and traipsed to the bar to pour wine for himself. When he turned back, he found that she had already gone to her room. He was still reeling under the effect of the incident that took place in the garden. The dragon spirit had accepted his mate. His heart filled with gratefulness and love, he walked to where his mate was.

Tania returned to her room as she ate the apple and with every step she took, she felt invigorated. She felt that she had met Eltanin earlier as well. By the time she finished the apple, she was a mess of anxiety and restless energy. Where did she meet him? So many thoughts bounced in her head that in order to be clear, she went to take a bath. She poured a lot of lavender in her bath and sank inside hot water. She closed her eyes and rested her head at the edge of the tub. She was sure that her mind would become clear. However, all of a sudden, an image of a room where she was snagged by someone, flashed in her mind. And the next she saw was a man kissing her. His face was constantly in the haze. After kissing her when his face hovered over hers, she— "Eltanin!" Her eyes jerked open and her heart pounded wildly. Her chest rose and fell. Every memory came flooding back.

Feeling a thousand kinds of flustered, she jumped out of the tub, wore a panty, quickly wrapped a towel around her and walked out of the bathroom only to find him standing with a flute of red wine, gazing at her intensely. "You—" she said, her voice breathy. He closed the gap between them and towered above her. "Have you seen me before?"