by K.N. Lee
As the sun began to set, Elle was led through the palace to the very back, where a courtyard of stone and vines stood.
Dinner was set on a table in the garden. Bright flowers bloomed and brought such brilliant color to the white balcony that she wished she had a paint for each shade so that she could capture its beauty on a canvas.
King Thane sat already, awaiting her arrival. When she was brought forward, he stood from his seat and waited for her to be seated before joining her.
He was dressed finely, in a white suit and golden cape. His hair was combed back, and face cleanly-shaven.
If he had ever walked into the monastery, all of the girls would have been clamoring to win his attention, and a chance to be bought as his mate.
She looked away, grimacing. She should not see him as an attractive suitor. He was her executioner, and that was all.
A servant poured wine and she took the cup as soon as he was finished pouring. Wine wasn't something they gave the girls back in the monastery. It was usually water, or cider. Though it had a bitter taste, she welcomed the wash of warmth it gave her body and how it softened the edges of the harsh world before her.
As she sipped it, her muscles relaxed and a soft sigh fell from her lips. She could get used to that delicious sensation.
"You look lovely," he said, looking her over. "Are you all right?"
She shrugged, and sipped the wine. "As all right as I can be, your majesty,” she replied. "Considering. You know, death and sacrifice, and all.”
His smile was pained, and she was certain there were secrets in his eyes he wished he could tell. What held him back?
She straightened in her chair. She had to find out his secrets.
Over the course of dinner, the king spoke at length about the upcoming solstice and the guests who would attend from the other dragon kingdoms. Elle tried to her best to pretend to be interested, but found herself staring off into the horizon.
He must have noticed, for he reached across the table and placed his hand on top of hers. The feel of his hand upon hers wasn’t entirely unwelcome, but she tensed, nonetheless.
"My apologies," he said. "I am speaking too much about trivial things when there is so much more at stake."
She glanced at him, and nodded. "Yes. My life is one of them."
Sighing, he closed his eyes. Then, he opened his eyes and the glow nearly sent her shooting from her seat.
She gasped as a cool sensation rushed up her arm and into her neck. It filled her head, and gripped every muscle of her body.
For a second, she was left immobilized and squeezed her eyes shut as several images flickered inside her head. They went too quickly to make out, and the cold was almost too much to handle. All she remembered were images of King Thane; his smile, his touch, the glow in his eyes.
She cried out, and he pulled away. The sensation instantly subsided, and as she came to her feet, she looked to him with narrowed eyes.
"What was that?"
He stood, and raked his hand through his hair. She could have sworn that what just happened surprised him as much as it had startled her.
"Pardon me," he said, and without another word, he stormed away from the balcony, and left her alone.
Elle lingered for a moment, finishing the chocolate desert left on the table, and wondering what had transpired between her and the king. Shortly after, she was led back to her room.
On the way, she paused and looked out the open archway to the dark sky.
Her eyes filled with wonder as she watched a golden dragon circle the grounds.
Once she was back in her room, and sitting on her bed, she stared at the balcony door.
It was King Thane, the golden dragon.
She just knew it.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
At dawn, the Davidian brothers approached the gates of the Enchanted Woods. They’d traveled two days by foot, sleeping under the stars in their wolf forms, and hunting for food.
It was the way of their ancestors, and neither royal son was too proud to revert to their ancient ways of survival.
But, now that they were in fae territory, it was essential to remain diplomatic, calm, and respectful. The fae were a mysterious and magical race, and it wasn’t a secret that they looked down upon the others as if they were beneath them.
Immortality could do that to anyone, Alexi supposed.
Armed, fae soldiers with translucent wings stood outside the divide between the thick forest of green and orange leaves and the shimmering silver and blue trees enchanted by the fae who lived amongst them.
This was it—their chance to campaign for the help of their old fae allies.
Whispers emerged from the other side and Alexi and Matthias paused, listening to what secrets were carried along the breeze. With their sensitive hearing ability, Alexi caught hints of warnings.
Etian and Drevah stopped as well, and the four brothers awaited an invitation to cross the invisible veil. It had been ages since a wolf had been allowed entry.
Alexi just prayed they’d be lucky enough to do so now.
For a moment, silence spread throughout both sides as mist rose from the ground and circled around their legs and the dew-covered grass. The fae soldiers wore green leather and brass armor, and carried spears with brass tips that glowed in the pale light of dawn.
“Back away, wolves,” the guard said in a voice that carried throughout the forest. With a stern look on his slender face, he held his spear before him, tip tilted forward. “We will have no trouble here on this day. So, we think its best you turn around and go back from where you’ve come.”
Alexi’s jaw tightened, but he held a hand out, stopping Drevah from stepping forward. He knew that all it would take was one false move and a battle would break out right there at the divide.
“We wish to see your queen,” he said, as future king and highest in the clan hierarchy.
“And, your wish has been denied. She sees all, and we know what you seek. We will not involve ourselves in your quest.”
His brow lifted. Of course, she knew what they had come for, but he at least expected her to entertain their visit. To be turned away at the border was unheard of.
“If we could simply see her,” Matthias began, and the guard held out his hand, casting a green wall between them that raced and spread across the entire territory line.
“You are playing with fire, stoking the flames and on the precipice of starting another war. The fae will not be goaded.”
With that, the fae vanished and the shield solidified, blocking any chance for an entrance into the Enchanted Woods.
Alexi and the others exchanged a glance.
“Well,” Drevah said. “That was absolute shite.”
Sighing, Alexi looked to the sky once more as the sun began to brighten the gray sky. “Time for another plan.”
Chapter Thirty
The plan had changed, and now the Davidians would have to seek alternative ways to rescue the heir.
They set up camp around a fire in the forest a few miles outside of the Enchanted Woods.
Something needed to be done.
If the fae weren’t going to give them aid in saving her, they were on their own.
“We tried,” Etian said, leaning back against the trunk of a tree as he crossed his legs before him. “No one can say we didn’t. But, I hate to think of poor Elle suffering while we come up empty down here.”
The full moon above cast a bright glow onto the sparse forest, but the mood between the brothers was bleak.
“The fae are a private group,” Matthias said, clasping his hand on Etian’s shoulder. “We did our best.”
“You haven’t met her yet,” Etian said with a sigh.
“Aye, but I’ve felt the connection as much as you two have,” Matthias said. “I yearn to meet her in person.”
“This isn’t over,” Alexi said as Drevah returned with a fresh kill. He carried a handful of rabbits from the forest and began preparing them for
the fire.
“Well, what do you propose, oh wise leader?” Matthias asked, his voice laden with mockery.
Alexi flinched, but didn’t reply. He knew Matthias thought he’d be a better ruler. As the second born, he was next in line after Alexi, and more well versed in diplomacy. But, he knew ruling an entire kingdom of several races would take more than Matthias’ line of study.
It took someone who knew the risk and knew what it would take to do anything to protect their people.
Alexi would be such a ruler.
“I’m going to try to reach her,” he said, and the Davidian brothers all paused what they were doing and turned to stare at him.
“What do you mean?” Etian asked, sitting up.
“I’ll save her myself,” Alexi said, and silence hung in the air between them.
“Do you truly think you can?” Etian asked. “I mean, is your power strong enough to manage such a task?”
Alexi nodded, and drank from a flask of ale.
He just failed to tell them the price he’d have to pay.
Later that night, sleep came, and Alexi reached for her through time and space. The darkness between them was vast, and stifling, but it would not sway his determination.
As sleep deepened and he unlocked his power to alter the subconscious, his body stiffened and grew cold.
Dreams were a mystery to most, but Alexi was skilled in the art of connecting via such a dark medium of magic.
As the days went by, Elle seemed to venture further away from his reach, and the connection they’d made with each other.
That simply would not do.
The ripples of her mind wavered before his, and he tried to catch them before they began to fade into the inky blackness that outstretched all around him.
“Elle,” he called, and his voice echoed with no reply.
Frustrated, he awakened. There was another energy around her, and it grew stronger.
Male energy. Strong. Powerful. Golden.
King Thane, the golden dragon.
As he sat up and raked his hands through his hair, he grimaced.
One day, he knew he would have to face the current golden dragon, just like his grandparents had back before making peace in the Enchanted Kingdom.
Time was running out, and while he was close to losing his connection with Elle, his mother’s life was slowly dwindling.
Chapter Thirty-One
Mornings used to be a time of joy.
The sun would rise and cast its glow onto Elle’s face as she sat up and stretched from the small loft bed she slept in that overlooked her grandparent’s cabin.
The creaking of the floorboards always awakened her gray cat, Polly, as she crawled over to the rectangular window that looked out across the meadow. Golden stalks of wheat wavered and glowed as the sun rose, and Polly would rub her face against her ankle.
Those days were over. Now, awakening only brought her one second closer to death.
Elle lay in bed, and despite the comfort of the soft blankets and even softer bed filling beneath her weary body, an uneasy feeling gripped her. She sighed and rolled onto her side, pushing her hair from her eyes. The quiet worried her—the peace.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
It’s not real.
She didn’t want to leave the warmth and safety, but knew it to be a false sense of security. There was nothing to stop the king or the Serpent Sisters from storming into her room, grabbing her from her bed, and dragging her to an altar somewhere.
A knock on her door startled her. She shot up in bed, covering herself with the blanket.
The knock came again.
This time, it was followed by the king’s voice.
“Morning, Elle,” he said. “May I come in?”
Her eyes widened and she quickly leaped from the bed. In a frantic panic, she flung off her nightgown and put on a simple dress that she found in the chest at the foot of the bed.
Her heart raced as she strapped on her sandals and ran her fingers through the tangles in her hair.
“Come in,” she said, voice wavering as she tried to hide the fact that she was panicking.
When the door opened, she was surprised to see the king now wore simple clothing. He was dressed in leather pants and a gray blouse that was tucked in, with an open neckline with four buttons, from which one he left unbuttoned. With his sword at his hip, he was truly a vision.
She lifted her brow, questioningly, and he gave her that charming smile that instantly disarmed her.
“Fancy a visit to the market?”
Unsure of what to say, for she had no idea what to expect in the market, she simply stood there, staring at him, and blinking.
He chuckled, amused by her. “There is much to tell you, Elle. Much to show as well. But first, I want to put you at ease.”
She chewed her bottom lip, brows furrowing.
What were these riddles?
He stepped forward, his face turning serious, and voice softening. When he took her hands into his own, she tensed and stared down at them.
“Things are not all that they seem,” he whispered, and she shot a look up at him, into his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
He took her hand, and brought it to his lips. When he kissed her knuckles, she shivered—not from the cold—but from the feel of his soft lips on her skin.
“I mean to put your mind at ease,” he said, and searched her eyes. There was something he wanted to say, but she could tell that for some reason, he couldn’t.
“Will you trust me?”
She frowned. “I don’t know you.”
“You will,” he said, his smile returning. “In time, you will.”
She swallowed, and nodded. “Very well. Show me.”
He smiled and reached for her hand, which she accepted.
Elle followed the king, her hand within his, and her heart in her throat. Hope still held tight to her chest, urging her to not give up. If she could sway the king's mind and make him her ally, she could escape.
She could survive.
Once they were outside, the sky above was bright, though the clouds below were tightly knit and too thick to see through.
Her heart thumped in her chest and her eyes widened as he shifted into his dragon form.
She stumbled backward, clutching her mouth as he spun around and outstretched the most brilliant golden wings she'd ever seen. Not that she'd seen many, but from all of the dragons she'd watched dart across the sky, King Thane was the most magnificent. His eyes looked back at her, and his voice made the ground beneath her feet vibrate.
"Hop on," he said. "Let me take you to a sacred place. A place that will reveal all you wish to know."
Elle stared at him, her eyes giving him a mystified once over. Then, she swallowed, and stepped forward.
She climbed onto his back, holding onto his smooth neck and leaning forward until her chest was pressed against him.
"Hold on tight," he said, and she squealed as he took off.
It wasn't like riding a gryphon. Not even close.
A dragon's heart warmed its entire body, and hers. His wings spread outward and they soared above the kingdom. The wind blew at her face and lifted her hair. It was a stark contrast and a beautiful sensation; his heat between her legs and the cool air at her face and back.
As he flew, she gained the courage to sit up a bit and take a look at the marvels beneath and ahead. The city was gone. Now, all she saw was the edges of the land, and the lush jungles below.
The edges intrigued her. How the kingdom simply ended and spilled over the side could only be explained by magic.
Magic.
Her hands tingled as she felt it flow through her veins. It tickled and itched at the same time, and she grimaced, uncomfortable. It had never made her feel that way before, and she wondered why the sudden change.
Then, she noticed something ahead, and a gasp escaped her lips.
"Behold," King Thane said. "The Enchanted Fall
s."
Sparkling water fell from the face of the silver mountains, and spilled its liquid into a giant pool that reflected the light of the sun. As they flew above, it reflected King Thane's body as well, and her hands as she waved down to her image.
Once he landed, she slid off the side of his back and landed on her feet. He shifted back into his human form, and towered over her. He ran his hands through his hair and rolled his neck.
She watched him, unsure of what to do as she clasped her hands before her and waited for him to speak. When he turned to her, her cheeks warmed and she knew she blushed under his gaze.
"What is this place?"
A smile came to his lips. "It is the truth," he said, and tilted his head as he looked at her. "I want you to know why you were chosen by the Davidians...why the Serpent Sisters see you as a threat."
He paused, looking away, and his jaw clenched.
"And, why I cannot let them kill you."
She held her breath, unsure if she understood what he was saying to her.
Her voice came out soft, weak. "So," she began, stepping closer. "You do not wish to kill me?"
He shook his head.
Relief washed over her, but it was short lived.
"I do not. But, it is not my decision. I am but a follower of the faith. The Serpent Sisters and the Dragon God must be appeased. Together, we will find out how to accomplish this."
He started toward the waterfall. He ripped off his shirt and stepped out of his sandals and pants until he was nude.
Her cheeks burned as her eyes were drawn to his defined back and arm muscles, and his buttocks. She gulped, embarrassed to have even looked.
"Come," he said, motioning for her to join him. "Remove your clothes and enter the sacred pool with me."
She turned away, hand on her chest. She'd caught a glimpse of his manhood, and it startled her. It was the first she'd ever seen in her entire life, and was much bigger and more intimidating than she'd imagined.
