Beta'ed by MyLadyDay Thank you so much for beta'ing this~ *gives cookie* Her work is awesome! so please check her out. :)
I.
"Marco! Are you crazy?! Going in there is suicide! We are talking about a DRAGON, you know a monster, which breathes FIRE, not only that, but is deadly! Like deadly-deadly! Not just a little dangerous! It eats people like ourselves for breakfast! Phoenix or not, this is insane!" Thatch was pacing with his hands thrown up in the air in a display of his displeasure and panic.
"Thatch, you know as well as I do that we need it. We need to kill it or at least capture it in exchange for our protection. You think I would do this if there were another way?" Marco clenched his sword tightly in his hand as he sat on a bed on the Moby Dick.
"But there must be another way! If you go there you will die!" Thatch stopped pacing and looked at his brother with worry.
"You really seem to have very little faith in my abilities Thatch," he looked at his brother sternly as he spoke.
"Believe me, Marco, I do have faith, but you can't blame me for being worried or scared." Thatch looked truly worried as he stood in front of Marco, eyes full of dread.
Marco stood up smiling slightly at his brother's worry. It was nice knowing that someone truly loved him and was scared that he would be hurt, but of course Thatch was not the only one who had yelled and told him it was a crazy quest. However, it was either that or risking his family's lives which was not going to happen as long as Marco lives.
He patted Thatch on the shoulder in a silent way to show that he was going to be fine and that he was not going to let anything happen to their family or himself, before heading out the door onto the open deck. Before anyone could stop him, Marco nodded hastily and without a word to Pops, letting the other know that he was going. Edward nodded in understanding.
"Be careful, son."
Marco had a determined look in his eyes as he quickly transformed, ignoring the desperate screams from his brothers as they came out, a second too late to stop him from what they believed was suicide.
XXX
Marco took a deep breath as he looked at the large carved stone stairs heading deeper into the absolute soundless cave. He knew the dragon was in there, but not sure where exactly. That, though, didn't stop him from advancing with cautious steps down the stone stairs that were illuminated by torches hanging from the cave walls, giving off an eerie feeling of emptiness.
He froze as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs because he couldn't believe his own eyes. Marco knew the dragon had mountains of gold, but not this much. Before him laid what would be described as a sea of gold as far as his eyes could see. There were gemstones and jewelry alike, but Marco was interested in nothing of the sort. His family's safety was his top priority no matter what.
The gold made a soft noise as he stepped on it in slow strides, his sword clenched tightly in his hand.
"Well~... that is a first..."
Marco spun around, facing the direction he had heard the voice come from. A low drawn-out growl made him look around again, trying to locate where the sound was coming from this time. It was nearly impossible to locate, sounding as if it were coming from all around him. Marco pushed back the chills he felt as the low drawn-out growls continued throughout the massive room. He felt like he was being sized up by an unseen force and it was not a nice feeling.
He turned his head to the right, as he heard the gold coins move, like something was dragged over them. Sucking in a breath, Marco saw a quick long shadow move over the gold surface before it disappeared yet again.
"Have you come to kill me, hunter?"
Marco's eyes went wide as they landed on the source of the voice. Before him stood a boy looking no older than twenty with beautiful wavy raven hair and captivating gray eyes. His cheeks were covered with freckles, his body muscular and sun-kissed as he silently observed Marco with an engrossed look, appearing as if he were trying to figure him out.
As the silent staring went on, Marco signs of the other's inhumanity, such as barely visible black scales on random parts of his body, mostly on the side of his lower stomach, on his arms and the side of his face and the other's eyes that faintly glowed yellow as they scanned him. The biggest difference, however, were the small black horns sprouting from the side of the boy's head. Small slickers of flame appeared from his nose as he breathed with a faint growling noise, nothing threatening yet, but different nonetheless.
"Not what you expected?" the boy asked sarcastically as he grinned smugly at Marco. He was not sure what to do since the boy obviously didn't pose a threat just yet.
"I must say, it is a first, someone coming here with no interest whatsoever in the treasure. You admit no greed or devious intent so you can only be here for one thing." The boy still didn't seem fazed, no, instead he seemed hollow. Marco couldn't help but feel sorrowful by the boy's lack of emotion, as he could see no lies behind the other's dull gray depths for eyes. It felt like there was no reason for the boy to be walking this earth anymore. All the treasure in the world could never fix that pain, Marco could easily see that.
"What do you mean?" Marco looked puzzled at the young man,no, dragon in front of him.
"When people show up, they come to kill me either for glory or just the treasure itself. Everyone with selfish intentions. Yet you show none. Why are you here?" the boy leaned forward with slight caution, staring directly at Marco with a calculating look.
"I am here for my family."
The boy smiled slightly at that; even if it was a sad smile, it was a smile nonetheless.
"I gotta tell you this. Once you remove me from here, the treasure will vanish, but if you leave now with it, I will be bound here for all eternity. Knowing that... do you still wish to capture me?"
Marco didn't miss the extreme sadness in the boy's eyes as he said eternity and he didn't need to think twice before his mouth opened.
"Yes."
Marco froze as the boy suddenly disappeared. He then shivered as he felt a hot breath on his bare throat.
"I am sorry about your family. I hope my capture will give you what you need." Marco took a shaky breath as he heard the erotic voice next to his ear.
"You know what to do," with that, the boy stepped away, looking at him with an unreadable look.
"I don't understand it, why would you just let me capture you?" Marco looked almost desperate as he looked at the boy. No one should regard their own life with so little care, dragon or not.
"Because I am a child of a demon, I have been here alone for a hundred years, with no family or home to go to. The only purpose I have is my endless circle of sorrow and darkness. I stand here as a judgment until the day one with a pure heart comes," the boy smiled brightly at the last words, making Marco's breath hitch.
Marco slowly took the special made magic collar out and clicked it carefully around the boy's throat. He couldn't believe his own ears. The boy had been here all alone for a hundred years. No one should ever experience that kind of loneliness. It must have been dreadful; no, dreadful could not even cover it, nothing could. He couldn't even imagine the pain.
When he looked up, he didn't expect the boy to be smiling as he looked at him before asking, "What is your name?"
"Marco," he answered, suddenly feeling breathless from the smile directed at him.
Marco's eyes went wide with disbelief as he suddenly felt a pair of soft warm lips touch his own before the owner of the lips whispered, "Thanks, Marco, my name is Ace."