Independence

Chapter 4: The Viewing (part 2)

Lex was never really one for superstition. He didn’t believe in all that all that mambo-jumbo about tarot cards, crystal balls or even palm reading. He had always ignored the horoscope columns in the newspapers, preferring to believe in facts rather than predictions that most of the time were simply made up. Lex was a firm believer that the future was created by ones own actions and not by ones predestined fate.

But now though, he was starting to think that there was really something to that whole premonition thing after all.

The moment he had looked up, Lex had found himself staring into deep grey eyes that closely resembled the colour of the stone he kept safely tucked in his bedside drawer back at his apartment.

A memory of his past had flashed through his mind then, reminding him of his childhood. He had found the stone long ago on a camping trip he had gone off to with his father back when he was still a kid.

As a curious boy of only twelve, he had run off to explore around their campsite the moment they arrived. He recalled finding a small stream at the edge of a clearing in the woods a little ways away from the campsite. The small stone, sitting calmly on the bank of the stream had caught his eye then, edging him closer to pick it up. The stone, about the size of his palm back when he had been twelve, had the smoothest texture he had ever seen, even back when he was living on the island. The grey of the stone had neither been too dark nor too light rather, it had resembled the colour of silver when the rays of the sun had touched upon its surface. Lex remembered pocketing the stone and running back to the campsite as soon as he had heard his father calling out for him.

He had kept the stone with him ever since, sometimes merely to remind him of his happier years with his father when life got too lonely. Over the years he had kept many small tokens that reminded him of his childhood, sometimes little key chains and postcards but the one thing that had remained his most treasured keepsake had been the stone.

Now, as he stared into those grey eyes, Lex had the distinct feeling of a premonition. It was like waking up one day and knowing deep down that something life-altering was going to happen to you. It was almost like a sudden vision, a flash of revelation appearing in your mind, telling you that your life was going to change. And as premonitions were vague and incredibly hard to decipher, Lex didn’t know how his life was going to turn around.

But it did make him think that maybe Mother Nature had predestined his fate after all.

(break)

Lex studied the owner of those grey eyes, wondering if it was someone he knew. And true enough, it was definitely someone that he and practically everyone else in the world had seen, heard and talked about.

The dominant had dark long hair which was let to flow freely down his back, much as Winter had done with his. He had strong features, a well formed nose and high cheekbones. This time however, Lex was not reminded of a fantasy character but of a king.

He stood there, with a certain poise that gave him the air of elegance and hidden strength.
It made him look like a Lord, a Lord powerful enough to command armies to do his bidding. And in Lex’s books, he was definitely someone one should definitely consider not trifling with.

‘Lucien Crescent, leader of the Clan of Rah,’ were the words that flashed into his mind.

Yup, definitely not someone he wanted to mess with.

The Clan of Rah in Dragon Country was the clan that specialized in ruling and running the country. Politicians, head of organizations and those in power in both dragon and human society were some of the dragons that came from that clan. It was one of the smallest but most powerful clans in the country. Lucien Crescent as leader of the clan was the dragon that headed the meetings at the high council. And with that much power at his beck and call, he was practically the most powerful and influential dragon alive.

Passing out right then, suddenly seemed like a good idea in Lex’s mind. He had never imagined that THE Lucien Crescent would be standing right in front of, studying him while he sat there dressed only in his birthday suit. Sometimes he really wished he had never been born.

But still, he kept eye contact with the dominant. Lex really didn’t know why he didn’t feel uncomfortable staring head on into the eyes of such a powerful figure. Was it because he didn’t want to lose the staring match? Or maybe it was because of something else?

Well, whatever the reason was, Lex couldn’t turn away from the dominant’s smoldering gaze. They were alluring, captivating just as much as the stone had been back when he had first found it all those years back. It was hard to look away.

Lex didn’t know for how long they had been staring but when Lucien’s companion called out to Lucien, Lex broke the staring match and stared down at the carpet underneath. He was mortified, how long had they been caught staring at each other like a couple of love-sick puppies?

‘Love-sick?’ Lex thought in surprise. Since when was there enough of a relationship between them to warrant his brain thinking such matters? He didn’t even know the guy! And not to mention the dominant must be thinking that he was pretty stupid right then to have enough guts to look into a dominant’s eyes straight on.

Dominants were arrogant like that.

But when Lex looked up again, the only thing he caught sight of was the heated gaze of grey orbs as they studied him intently. It made him feel like fidgeting but he stood his ground and simply turned his gaze away from the dominant. Glancing towards Lucien’s companion, Lex finally registered who it was that had been standing next to the dominant all along.

Like Lucien, the dominant had long hair which fell down in loose waves down his back. But whereas Lucian had dark hair, this dominant was blond. He had blue-green eyes that reminded Lex of the sea, which was really not surprising. It was the feature that gave him his last name, after all.

He studied Lex with a small grin plastered on his face making Lex wonder what was so amusing.

Did he look funny? Did he have seaweed stuck in between his teeth?

Lex really couldn’t figure out the blond dominant. But then again, there were not many people in the world who could figure out Mathew Deepwater, except perhaps for the dominant next to him. He had heard that they were close friends as they were both on the council but he had never really gotten to see both of them up close.

Mathew Deepwater was the leader of the Clan of Ko. The dragons that came from that clan were businessmen and people who dealt with finance. It was the richest clan in the country with the second being the Clan of Rah. The clan was in charge of the country’s economy and was given to handle the country’s finances. Mathew Deepwater as the leader of the clan, in turn was in charge of the council’s finances.

The sound of a slight commotion going on outside his box snapped Lex out of his thoughts and made him turn to look at what was going on. His thoughts had been running about lately and he berated himself for not paying more attention to his surroundings.

What if he had missed something important?

Listening to the conversations going on around him, Lex’s hearing caught on to the one thing he had never thought he would ever hear during his lifetime.

“I claim the right of mating with this submissive. Is there anyone who would dare challenge my claim?” were the words that silenced the entire hall. Lucien Crescent’s voice floated above all the murmuring voices of dominants, cutting through every nook and cranny in the hall. Every single dominant turned their attention towards the source of that voice.

The silence was so deafening that you could even hear a pin drop from all the way over at the end. Every single eye in the hall was transfixed on the owner of the claim, namely one leader of the Clan of Rah.

Lex too found himself staring wide eyed at the dominant. What the hell?!

He knew he was gaping like a fish on dry land but he couldn’t help it, what in the world had brought on such a declaration?

And the worst thing about it was that Lucien Crescent was staring at him and not some other submissive. Was the dominant drunk? Or maybe this was really a bad joke?

Even Lex who wasn’t a dominant and had grown up in human society knew that dominants had to go through certain procedures before they could state their claim. Even he knew that the dominants had to enter into a tournament-like battle to fight for the right of claiming a submissive.

That was after all the whole reason for the ceremony of the Chosen. Only the strongest in the clans were chosen to compete for a submissive. The fights for the right of claiming usually went on for weeks, with the dominants fighting for right of claiming the Ri of their choice. Most Ri’s had over hundreds of dominants fighting to claim them and the winner at the end of the tournament would earn the right to mate with them.

“I won’t ask again. If anyone would dare challenge my claim, state so now or forever hold your peace,” were the words that came next, amplified by the deafening silence in hall. It was at that moment all the dominants turned to glance at those around them, looking for anyone that would dare challenge the claim.

Lucien Crescent was not a dragon that was known for his mercy, especially not on the battlefield. He was ruthless to those that opposed him and many had seen for themselves what he had wrought in the war back hundreds of years ago. Mountains of enemies had lay dead at his feet in the past and although those of his kin knew he would not take the life of a fellow dragon, Lucien Crescent was not someone you got into a battle with without coming out unscathed. And if he wanted to state his claim on a submissive, what could they do?

Most wouldn’t want to get into a fight with him standing as the opponent anyway. If no one challenged his claim here where all the dominants were gathered, then the submissive would surely be his to claim as a mate.
Outwardly, Lex merely stared dumbly up at into the burning grey eyes of the dominant who had stated his claim on him. Inwardly though, his mind was a hurricane of panicked thoughts and far-fetched scenarios.

Perhaps this really was just a bad dream because Lex for one knew that this couldn’t be happening. He was sure that he was dreaming and to prove it, he dug his nails into his leg and nearly yelped out in pain.

Okay, so it wasn’t a dream. Perhaps the dominant was playing a joke on him? Or perhaps the dominant really wasn’t a dominant but an alien who was disguised as a dominant and had come here to kidnap him? Or maybe this was really a setup and there was a hidden camera somewhere around? Lex knew that he was panicking and when he panicked his mind usually threw all rational thoughts out the window.

For the first time in his life, Lex was numb struck. He didn’t know what to do. He had originally been planning to escape the moment the Viewing was over. They would have taken him out of the glass box and kept him secluded with the other submissives while the dominants fought over them over a period of many weeks. He would have found an escape route by then and got away without anyone being the wiser. But now, how was he supposed to escape from the grasp of one of the most powerful dragons alive in the world?

Sure he was rather attractive and not to mention rich, but really, he was still a dominant. Lex didn’t want to become some sniveling little submissive that fed out his master’s hand and played ‘roll-over’. He wasn’t about to become anyone’s little sex pet!

But really, how was he going to get out as this one?

Just when Lex’s brain was coming up with an incredibly creative means of escape which involved something to do with a moose and a bag of flour, he heard another voice cutting through the thick walls of his mind. He had been lost in his thoughts once again when a dominant stepped out to stand in front of his box, efficiently blocking Lucien from his sight. The dominant’s back was turned against him so Lex couldn’t see the expression on his face but Lex would definitely recognize the large form of that dominant anywhere.

“I accept your challenge, Lord Crescent,” rumbled the deep voice of Reeve Blackforest.

Lex wondered then and there if somehow Mother Nature herself was playing a huge joke on him. She had made him into a submissive when he so clearly didn’t want to be one and she had gotten him into this ridiculous situation which he so clearly didn’t want to be in. Lex wondered if he had been the huge meteor which had destroyed her earlier creations, the dinosaurs, in his past life. Maybe that was why she was picking on him?

Not one but two dominants. He had somehow garnered the attention of two well known dragons and Lex didn’t know how to feel. Humiliated because he was being treated like a prized trophy? Upset because it would be harder to escape? Or even slightly flattered to have two powerful dominants trying to claim him? Lex didn’t know.

He grabbed a few maroon pillows and flopped into them, groaning out loud. The pillows would muffle his voice anyway so he didn’t have to worry about the dominants catching on to him. What did he care if they saw his ass? Stress-relief screaming needed to be done and he was getting it done.

(break)


Lucien held no high expectations the moment they moved on to the next row of submissives. And he was mostly proven right, that is, till they reached the last box at the end of the row.

The other dominants parted for them the moment they arrived, giving them access towards the front of the glass box. The pair had then stepped closer, their eyes searching for the submissive inside. And sure enough, they found him crouching at the opposite end of the box.

Lucien found himself staring at the submissive, his eyes taking in every inch of the lightly tanned skin. The submissive was lean and slightly larger in stature in comparison to the other submissives he had seen in his lifetime. He had dark brown hair, long enough to reach his shoulders and a fringe that covered his eyes as he stared at the red carpet beneath him.

His features were attractive and almost exotic in its own way. Somehow, Lucien felt as though he had seen that face a million times before in his lifetime. But as he had never met the submissive before, he knew it couldn’t be true.

His stance was one that belonged to a predator, poised and ready to strike the moment he was provoked. It made Lucien wonder if the form the submissive shape-shifted into was that of a predator as well.

Most submissives took the forms of small animals such as cats, foxes, squirrels and sometimes even small amphibians. There were never any known ones who shape-shifted into large predators. As most submissives were too shy in nature to fit the role of a predator, they took on forms of much tamer animals to match their personality.

Of all the submissive’s attributes however, the one thing about the submissive that had captured Lucien’s attention the most was his eyes.

Lucien almost gasped out loud the moment the submissive looked up at him, challenging his gaze head on. Light blue eyes stared up into his own, reminding Lucien of the sky. And like the sky, those eyes seemed endless, a journey into unknown depths to anyone who cared hard enough to look.

There was a touch of wariness and defiance in those eyes, indicating that the submissive wasn’t as compliant or as timid as the others he had seen before. Surprisingly, Lucien found hints of observant intelligence as he looked into those blue eyes, making him wonder if perhaps there was more to the submissive than met the eye. The Ri wasn’t like any he had encountered in all his eight hundred years.

He was definitely a puzzle, a mystery begging to be solved.

He wasn’t shy nor was he as petite as the others. He was quite a bit the opposite of the stereotype submissive, really. But that, of course didn’t mean that he was unattractive.

In fact to Lucien, the submissive looked positively delicious.

He could spend all day just standing there staring at that lean lithe body. In all his years he had never felt the slightest bit of attraction towards a submissive. But now, the sudden need to possess the submissive surprised even him. From the moment he had seen the submissive he had felt the instant attraction, the instant pull.

Perhaps this was what all the mated dominants claimed to have felt the moment they met their mates?

The sudden urge to protect and to always keep the submissive within his sight flooded into him. Lucien wondered if he would feel differently if someone else won the right of claiming and took the submissive for their own.

The thought of losing the submissive made his blood boil and his fingers clench tightly into his palm.

After hundreds of years of looking for a submissive of his own, he had finally found the right one. He’d be damned if he let anyone else take away this Ri. If he had to fight, then so be it. He would spare no mercy to those that would challenge him.

And that thought did nothing if not surprised him again. Who knew that things could change that fast in a blink of an eye? Earlier on he had been planning to leave early and soak in a nice relaxing bath at home the moment the event was over. He did the same every time, and who was to say that this year would be any different? But with the appearance of one single submissive, he was now planning to challenge anyone to a fight for the right of claiming? Imagine that.

“Lucien?” called out the familiar voice of his old friend.

“Hmm?” he answered, as he studied the submissive who had suddenly broken eye contact. He had his head down, staring at the dark red carpet under him.

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes,” said Mathew as he studied his companion. Lucien had been staring intently at the submissive for a good ten minutes. And even now, his gaze had not wavered from the dark haired Ri.

Earlier on they had been toasting to ‘blessings and new beginnings’ and it made Mathew wonder if perhaps it had come true after all. With a small grin, he too turned to study the submissive. A request made by his companion however, made him turn back to look questioningly at the other dragon.

“What?” he asked, wondering if he had heard his companion right the first time.

“I asked if you would care to be my witness,” Lucien answered, leaving Mathew confounded at the statement.

‘Witness? For what?’ he thought as he played the request over and over in his head. Had he missed out on something? The answer to his question though was soon answered.

“I claim the right of mating with this submissive. Is there anyone who would dare challenge my claim?” Lucien had then said out loud, his eyes turning as hard as steel. He kept his gaze on the submissive, watching as sky blue eyes widened at his statement. Lucien wondered if the Ri could somehow understand him but then brushed the thought aside. The submissive would have spent his entire life on the island with no contact from humans or dominants. He couldn’t possibly understand what Lucien had said.

Mathew found himself gaping. Dumbfounded, he could merely stare at his companion in amazement. Even after all these years, Lucien still managed to surprise him. To outright challenge anyone to the right of claiming was almost unheard of.

Lucien, he knew, had always been confident in his abilities, sometimes even to the point of arrogance. Lucien knew his own skills and limits well. And he knew what he could achieve and what he could not. Mathew knew him better than anyone else and he for one could say that his arrogance was not without sufficient cause. Lucien had always gotten what he wanted, when he wanted it and how exactly he wanted it.

Mathew chuckled to himself as he glanced around the hall, his eyes taking in the sight of the other dominants. There were some who looked like they wanted to answer the challenge but then quickly changing their minds, reminding themselves who they would be facing if they accepted. Mathew smiled with a glint of pure amusement dancing in his eyes.

Lucien sure knew how to liven up a party.


A/N I had a bit of trouble with this chapter really. I did quite a bit of editing and rewriting and I wasn’t sure if the flow was smooth enough. Perhaps I’m thinking too much? Oh well, I’d like your opinions.