The Dragon King's Substitute Bride (Morgan and Tsuneo) novel Chapter 35

CH35 

Morgan 

Keiji’s head exploded in a fountain of blood, hot and gushing over me. His body crumpled on top of me. 

I screamed. “Get off me! Get off me!” 

The two Elders holding me down crumpled in unison, their lifeless bodies collapsing onto the cold stone floor. A scream, sharp and shrill, pierced the sudden silence. More screams followed, panicked and confused. Shadows danced in the flickering glow of the light coming from overhead. Fleeting glimpses of figures clad in black materializing out of the darkness. The other guards who had been here were nearby. Disoriented and gasping for breath, I scrambled back, my body screamed in pain. My eyes darted around the cavern, searching for the source of the attack, for a weapon, anything to defend myself. People screamed in the darkness. I heard blood sloshing across the ground. Bodies twisted and ripped apart in the shadows. 

What the hell was it? Where was it coming from? My mind reeled, unable to comprehend what was happening, other than the fact that I was naked and covered in blood. The scent of mildew and blood mingled, filling my nose. The air got colder and colder around me. I tried to breathe and get my mind in order. 

One moment I was fighting against Keiji, the next he was dead. I didn’t dare myself to hope. It was probably some horrifying creature from deep within the lake or something. 

I had to get out of here if I could. 

Gripping the damp rock for support, I clambered to my feet, my movements ragged and uncoordinated. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth, and a throbbing ache pulsed behind my left eye and all through my body. 

The screams died down as abruptly as they had begun, leaving behind an unsettling quiet punctuated only by the rhythmic dripping of water somewhere deep within the cavern and the lapping of the lake against the shore. Tentatively, I looked around. Nothing moved. My gaze darted to the nearest body. My heart hammered with fear. it was too far to chance it. I had to get 

out. 

Then, the darkness and shadow parted with a pair of glowing, red, opalescent eyes. I bit back a scream and searched for somewhere to run. 

I was going to die here. 

10:06 Wed, Oct 16 

CH35 

85%1 

I crouched down, bracing myself for the pain and terror, trembling in the cold. Then, the darkness shifted and formed into the shape of a man. He was tall and broad. I shut my o 

eyes, c 

curling into the wall, praying that he didn’t see me, praying that he would be after me the way Keiji had been. My eyes burned. I could barely smother my panicked breathing. Then, a hand clamped roughly on my shoulder. I shrieked, a primal fear gripping me, I swung blindly at him. But before I could react, I was pulled against a warm body, my scream muffled against a broad chest. A familiar scent filled my nostrils. 

“Morgan, it’s me,” Tsuneo murmured, his voice a soothing balm to my panicked state. “Don’t be afraid.” 

Tears streamed down my cheeks. I could barely breath around my disbelief and hope. 

“Tsuneo?” I croaked, my voice hoarse and my mouth dry. 

“I’m here. I’m sorry it took so long. I’m sorry that you’ve been caught up in this… nonsense with Keiji.” 

“I… I didn’t think you’d come.” 

He held me tighter, his grasp a reassuring anchor in the storm of emotions churning within me. 

“You are my wife,” he replied, his voice firm and unwavering. “How could I not?” 

The simple declaration, the way he said it, the conviction behind his words – it broke the dam. My whole ordeal, the fear, the betrayal, the desperate fight for survival- all of it hit me with the force of a tidal wave. Tears streamed down my face, sobs wracking my body. I clung to him. Tsuneo didn’t try to stop me. He held me close, his strong arms felt like a haven in the chaos. He rocked me gently, whispering soothing words that I didn’t quite understand, but the sound of his voice was enough. It was a lifeline, pulling me back from the abyss of terror. 

Tsuneo 

Relief washed over me in tidal waves, threatening to pull me under. The coppery tang of blood still clung to my senses. She trembled. The scent of her fear irritated me and made me wished that I had taken my time killing Keiji. I held her closer, shuddering at the thought of what would have happened if I had been even a bit later. Her sobs, each one a ragged tear in the fabric of the night. I looked over at Keiji’s body, his robe was open and he’d pushed aside his underwear. The son of a bitch had been about to rape my wife. I should have tortured him. 

Glancing around at the carnage that surrounded us, I growled. A cold satisfaction settled in my gut. The power coursing through my veins, the lingering echo of the transformation, felt almost alien beside the fragile warmth of Morgan pressed against my chest. I hushed her, rubbing her 

CH35