Magic saturated the tunnels, the kind that fought against anyone who didn't belong. It fought to steal the air from their lungs, to make the ground they stepped on rebel against them as if it were an animal and they were ticks upon it. Even the walls seemed to close in on them as the air became almost solid around them.

Andre though was powerful enough to keep the protective magic at bay. He knew the dragon royalty would feel his presence because of it and could only wonder why the secret passage hadn't had the same measures. Had he been alone he would've drawn his power around him and become null to the magic. As it was he couldn't trust that he could hold the cover over so many people.

They walked on in silence, senses alert to any ambush they might counter. The sense of his mate was like a beacon that drew him on. Like the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. It was almost like she was in the tunnels though she was moving away from him.

It didn't help that the tunnels took turns and branched off every so often and they had to stop and figure out where to go. If their race didn't have a connection to the elements they might have floundered even more. Still, the magic in the place fought them so that they could only sense a short distance of the way.

Making their slow way up, it felt like time became a monotonous thing and all there was was walking. Every now and then a camera or two broke the endless cycle of tunnels but otherwise everything was still. Even their footsteps gave way to their stealthy nature.

When they came to the part of the tunnels that seemed smoother with use Andre sensed the relief in each of his companions. This part was well lit with more of those magical torches and he could hear the whine as if of a generator and the thunk thunk of some kind of fan.

With his ears cocked out he followed that sound through further hallways until they stood in front of an industrial door. It was locked with a keypad the only way in. "Can you get us in?" He asked of the reaper whose name he still had to know. The reaper gave him a querying look before nodding. "Please."

With a shrug the reaper took his smoke form and slid under the door. In no time the door swung open. Andre took note to have some of their door warded against the reapers. If this prince managed to free his people then they'd need to guard against them.

"Thank you." Andre said to the prince.

"Why are we here?" His cousin Gabe asked.

Andre looked at the room as he entered. It was what he'd expected in a way. A small pool of lava sat in the middle of the room. Where humans would need water so as to harness the thermal energy, the dragons used magic.

Visible streams of it drew heat from the lava pool. They appeared like strands of colour planted onto it, feeding from the lava. They then banded together into a thick rope that then fed into a conductor. That power was then fed into a bank of accumulators then a regulation grid that had wires going up to the city above.

What Andre was looking for though was the air conditioning system. The dragons with their magic had put a clear dome over the lava pool so it wouldn't heat the room since it needed to be cooler for the machinery. On top of which their air system had the dual work of cooling the room and providing air to the city.

High up in the city oxygen would be thinner so the dragons had needed to have it brought up from down below. Andre walked to the air transference part and took in how it worked. A large vacuum pipe feeding into the ground seemed to be bringing up air which was fed into a filtration system before being pumped up.

Putting his bag down he took out the jar of dragonsbane. "Andre?" Gabe asked with trepidation. "Are you going to release that?"

"No," he replied. "Not yet. I'm going to set it in place to trigger when we need it." With that he closed his eyes and reached out to touch all the elements. With access to the spirit, he transferred the jar into that realm then merged it into the center of the outflow pipe into the city.

His will held it there, only needing him to let it go for the jar to drop and break. Once released the flow of air would carry the dragonsbane into the city and poison them all. The concentration wouldn't be fatal, but it'd leech them of their abilities, making them easy pickings.

"Come on, lets go." Andre said as he turned to leave. They closed the door behind them and he led them on.

Maybe there had been some trigger in the room but as they turned the next corner they cane across a squad of dragon guards. They attacked. Their shift was effortless, quick and they soon towered over Andre and his friends.

Not wanting to chance any of them on the dragons, Andre took out the syringe and released some of the liquid in front of the dragons, calling upon the air to blow it in their direction. Andre had never heard of how the dragonsbane was supposed to affect the dragons.

He'd thought it'd be like wolfsbane was for werewolves, cause a rash and immediately reverse the shift. After all, the concentration wasn't that high. He was wrong. Yes, the dragons were forcefully taken from their shift, then they fell onto the ground wheezing. Convulsions hit them all, their bodies smacking hard against the ground as they formed at the mouth.

Andre swore. This was more than should've happened, he didn't want to kill the dragons unless it proved necessary. As he took a step towards them he heard footsteps as more dragons, he straightened.

"Stop!" Andre commanded and the power in his voice was such that the as yet unseen dragons heeded him. "Shield yourselves and come forth."

Wary, the dragons inched forward turning the corner with weapons at the ready. They took in the scene with that quick, cursory seeming once over that trained warriors were good at. Andre could see a film of power pushing forward before the squad of eight. It was something every warrior was taught. A way to filter the air before them of any toxins known or unknown.

All of the dragons growled as they sensed Andre and his people were not dragons. "Wolves." One of them spat out as if it were a curse.

"The wolf actually." Andre replied with all the arrogance he could muster which seemed to give the dragons pause.

Andre had been taught from birth about the power inherent in authority. He didn't have to be the most powerful being in the room, he just had to have the most authority and they'd bend to him. His tone conveyed that authority and these warriors were trained to heed it.

"It doesn't matter who you are. No outsider is welcome here on point of death." the same warrior stated, Andre assumed he was the squad leader.

He looked down at the now twitching dragons on the ground. Though their breathing was harsh and they were still unconscious it appeared they'd be fine. "Your friends here thought the same." Andre stated with a callousness that he was far from feeling. "Would you like to join them while I wait for a more sensible squad to come along?"

The squad leader scowled at him. "You made the mistake of telling us to shield, so whatever you did to them won't affect us."

"And that's why you're tasked with patrolling these dark halls instead of something more meaningful." he derided. "I managed to get this far into the heart of your city with you none the wiser so please don't strain your brain too much by thinking. Take me to your prince."

With a growl the squad leader shifted then moved forward to attack. Andre reached over his shoulder and unsheathed his sword. Used to weapons bouncing off their hide, the dragon dismissed the sword as just a nuisance and continued with his attack, claws first.

Andre swung the sword so that it was perpendicular to his body and made a swift cut. He was careful not to cut so deep that the warrior would die but the cut was deep enough to be incapacitating.

The halls rang with the warrior's cry of pain and his squad that had been in the process of following his lead stopped in their tracks. Their horrified gaze took in the sword, becoming even more so as the blood on the sword was sucked into it and it became as white as before. As magical beings, they'd know the sword had taken more strength from its victim.

As one, they took a step back. The leader was still on the floor clutching his stomach as blood flowed through his fingers and he moaned through clenched teeth. "See to them." Andre commanded nodding at the fallen dragons as he sheathed his sword. "Who's second in command?" he demanded.

A lanky warrior with fiery curls steeped forward, his face pale. He swallowed hard. "I am sir."

Andre nodded. "Send someone to bring some medical help for them. Is your station close by?"

The dragon looked down at his leader then back at Andre's flinty gaze. "Yes sir."

"Good. We'll wait here for them to get help then you'll lead me to your prince."

"Yes sir." The dragon said with a salute.

*

The trip up was mired in magic. Andre had known how magical dragons were but he was still surprised by how much they used so easily. He could feel the very stones reshaping themselves to form a shorter way out of the tunnels. It was ancient magic set into the mountain, added to by the presence of the dragons.

Wolfehold had the same aspects in its walls, but nothing to the extent of Dragonheim which was older and populated with being more magical. As they walked he analyzed the nature of this magic so that should he be forced to release the dragonsbane he could bypass it.

Even knowing that dragons were incapable of hearing their mindspeak Andre had everyone be silent just in case the dragons had since found a way in their eons of isolation. As their prince he could sense their fear. To project a sense of invincible confidence, he held that fear back. In this den they couldn't afford to be seen as weak.

They passed from the rough textured walls of the cavern wall to the smoother walled passages of the palace seamlessly. Warriors lined the hallway and he realized they were already in the royal wing. He kept his head up, back straight with that arrogant look still on his face.

Gold decorated the walls, the skirting and cornices were of solid gold. Golden pillars lined the hallways, this time they were decorated with precious stones. While he saw it as overdone, he could understand how it'd soothe the dragons' need to be surrounded by treasure. In old times the race had horded it and some had become mesmerized by it to the point where they lost their ability to function. Most had failed to take care of their health and starved to death.

Now surrounded by it, they could go through their lives living inside their treasure. It was still a weakness but he could understand the genius behind it. And it kept the dragons within their city and away from the rest of creation.

The lanky read headed dragon warrior led them to a set of double guarded by a quartet of warriors who were even more stone faced than the ones they'd passed. "The prince is expecting us." Their escort stated.

With their faces still set in stone, two of the warriors each took a handle and swung the doors open. The room that presented itself was a far cry from what Andre had expected.

The palace hallways had him assuming the room he was being led to would be even more overdone with a vulgar display of wealth that would make his wolf sensibilities cringe. Instead the room was sparsely decorated, ringed with three rows of simple wooden tiers. The center was as big as half a field and there stood the dragon prince flanked by two others.

A few other guards stood against the walls but Andre only had eyes for the dragon who'd dared take his mate. The prince was as tall as Andre was, the only other person aside from the reaper that was that tall. His eyes were a metallic gold and held a mocking tone that was echoed by the wry smile he had.

He was built and yet had a limber athletism to him that suggested speed. Standing with his arms folded he showed off his biceps as he measured Andre. "You must be Prince Fredrico Andreas Salvatore Argyros-Castellanos." the dragon prince stated.

"Yes." Andre agreed in a neutral tone.

"I'm Mael Rudraige Eric Aed Baetain, prince of Dragonheim, call me Eric and you're here for the hidden wolf." the dragon stated again.

"Obviously." Andre deadpanned which brought an amused smile to the dragon's face.

"She's powerful." the other prince stated again. "More powerful than anyone can guess, not even my people." He studied Andre's face as if to gauge how he was taking the news. "Such power belongs in the care of dragons. It cannot be trusted to mere wolves."

Andre fought to stay calm, to project that calm and real all the outrage his people were feeling in. He'd spent his whole life wrestling to hold back his power when it fought to come out, he'd wrestled his wolf every now and then. He was used to exerting his will on emotions and others. So he gave the dragon an unaffected face and made sure the others showed the same.

"Impressive." The dragon prince said with an amused smile. "Most people would've reacted to that.

"You're a stranger and your words, true or false, have the same value as that of any stranger." Andre stated. "And Cari is not a thing that can be possessed."

"I've given her my blood. It's strong enough to make a bond that erases what you two had."

Andre felt his wolf come forward, felt it fight to take over and rip the throat off the smug dragon before him. 'Wait.' He told his wolf.

'He cannot take our mate from us, he cannot.'

'He cannot. Remember her grandmother said our bond is strong enough to withstand anything.'

'Yes' the wolf ground out. 'Then she said the dragon had to get what he needs.'

'Maybe it's not what we think.' Andre mused and was rewarded with a growl from his wolf, but the beast settled to watch what would happen, ready to come forth in an instant.

The dragon chuckled. "I'll tell you what? Why don't we fight for her? I'm a bit of a romantic and believe every princess should be fought for. Nothing as archaic as a fight to the death and honour rules apply and no shifting." He gave Andre a mocking smile. "That should make it a more even fight wouldn't you say?"

"As you wish." Andre agreed, not that he had any intention of ever letting the dragon keep his mate even if he lost. He wanted nothing more than to put the arrogant bastard into his place.

With a wide assured grin, the dragon held out a hand and a broadsword detached from the wall of weapons at the back of the room and flew to his hand. Andre walked towards the other prince in the center of the room, ignoring the tension that crackled the room. Ignoring his friends shouting their protests inside his head.

What stood out though was what Cari's brother said. 'She's going to kill you when she hears this.'

The Dragon still had his self satisfied smile on his face, assurance that he'd win. Ignoring him, Andre focused on the other male's eyes. Many people thought the center of a fighter showed you what they'd do but Andre had never had any luck with that.

The dragon gave him a testing swipe. In one motion, Andre unsheathed his sword and blocked without much effort. The dragon gave Andre's sword a cursory look then his eyes blazed as they focused on the sword in anger. He jerked up to meet Andre's gaze with that anger bubbling in his eyes.

"How dare you?!" The dragon raged, scales shifting beneath his skin and popping up here and there.

"Careful," Andre cautioned mildly. "No shifting remember?" He knew it'd infuriate the dragon and he was right. he also remembered his grandfather showing him it was never a good idea to fight in anger.

"That is made from dragon bones!" The dragon prince grit out with outraged disgust. "The bones of our ancestors!"

If he'd thought the tension of before had been stifling what resulted was then toxic. It was almost as if he could taste it in the air, an acrid taste that was slightly acidic. Everyone in the room held their breath. Unwilling to be the spark that ignited the disaster everyone could see coming head on. "Yes." Andre agreed and the air seemed to leave the room, an inflation of the tension that was worse than the fire it'd proclaimed.

The dragon prince came at him with all his rage. His already burnished skin glowed with the fire of his nature as he swung at Andre with powerful strikes. Andre met each of those strikes with precise and cool calm. He kept his breathing even, his footwork consistent as he watched the dragon rage.

Andre could scent the heat coming from the dragon. Their sword met with a sound almost like an axe coming against wood and not quite. Borrowing the fluidity of water, he met the hard aggression of the other male with its grace of movement. He set aside the hard strokes as if they were rock giving way to the patient erosion of water. He sidestepped some like a river finding the easiest way around.

The ease with which he met the dragon seemed to anger him even more. "How dare you?" He demanded again.

"How dare we make weapons designed to kill your kind?" Andre mocked and the dragon prince disengaged from the fight and moved a step back. He glared at Andre. "You're still as arrogant as ever, thinking you can take whatever you want with no consequences."

"You will not leave this place alive." his opponent growled out.

"If you stand in my way, I will leave this place a grave." Andre growled in turn.

A derisive smile graced the other prince's face. "Really? You might be a decent fighter but you cannot defeat the thousands of warriors this city holds."

"Do you think the races spent the eons since we escaped your slavery just being grateful you hid yourselves in your mountains? No, we all found multitudes of ways to wipe you off the face of the earth should you ever threaten us again. I came prepared."

He could smell their fear, even that of his friends but he was calmer than ever. More in control than at any time in his life. The prince of dragons seemed shaken by what Andre had just said but only his eyes gave him away.

"I'm sure all the other races are going to love the idea that dragons are now stealing mates." Andre continued. "How soon do you think they'll take to start hunting you?"

"It's fated that the hidden mate should be mine." The dragon prince said with calm. "The goddess of fate herself told me so."

"Then she would've been fated for you but she wasn't." Andre stated blandly.

"She's the key to so much, the only one who can help us close the gates to Azmodea for good."

"Had you bothered to find out what would happen if you tied yourself to a wolf instead of being so sure you knew best you'd have fought to find another way."

The dragon prince frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Every werewolf in existence is bound to their royals by an ancient blood oath." Andre explained. "Their mates, if they're of another race inherit that oath and their children are part of the werewolf nation. If you bound yourself to Cari, then you bound yourself to me and my family."