by Sofia Stone
Every nanosecond that passed seemed to stretch on for a lifetime. Amelia’s eyes locked on his tail. She had to time it just right.
Amelia-the-human might have fretted about whether she could do it, but Amelia-the-dragon had no doubt. Instead, she had pure, perfect dragonish instinct to guide her and tell her when the moment was right.
She latched onto his tail as they passed each other. They came so close to colliding she was almost buffeted away by the wind. But she latched onto him with all her might and strove up, up, up with her great wings.
She was smaller than him as a dragon, too. Her goal wasn’t to carry him—but she had to slow his descent somehow.
It worked. His landing on the cobblestones was almost gentle, though Amelia noted one of the statues in the garden would have to be replaced.
They can send me a bill, she thought nonsensically, before remembering it was sort of her palace too.
We did it, cried her dragon happily.
We did it, Amelia agreed, landing nearby.
For the first time ever, she and her dragon had been totally in sync.
For our mate, said her dragon, and Amelia knew it was the truth. That was how she’d found the strength and courage to embrace her true nature.
Gabriel returned to his human form, lying on his back. Amelia wondered how she would do the same, and then her dragon pulled back, letting her come to the fore again. She thought of walking instead of beating her wings, and then suddenly she was stumbling on two legs again.
She knelt next to Gabriel. He was awake, but barely. She felt sapped by her two transformations. Given how much he’d exhausted himself, how much worse would he be feeling right now?
“You did it,” she whispered, cradling his face between her hands. There was a hitch in her voice and a lump in her throat. “You saved me.”
He smiled. It was weary, but it was a smile. “You saved me, too.”
Amelia pulled his head into her lap, barely noticing as the fireworks continued and people began to crowd around them.
Chapter Ten: Gabriel
E xhausted, Gabriel slept. It was a deep, dark, dreamless sleep, one that helped his aching body heal and return to its best condition, filled with the contentment of knowing that he had saved his mate.
He woke slowly, as if surfacing from being underwater for the first time. His first sight was of Amelia curled up in an armchair beside his bed. The late morning light slanted through the gauzy white curtains, illuminating her and making the red notes in her hair glow like copper. He took a moment to admire the sight before speaking.
"This seems familiar somehow," he said.
His mate's head jerked up, her blue eyes wide and startled. Then her mouth curved into a relieved smile.
"Gabriel!" She sat up, stretching. She was no longer in her princess gown, but a set of blue flannel pajamas.
"I was wondering when you'd wake up. And yes, déjà vu. I hope we don't make this a pattern, though."
Gabriel smiled, sitting up and making a show of looking around the room. "Not unless you're hiding another mortal enemy around here somewhere . . ."
"I think I'm fresh out of mortal enemies." Grinning, Amelia grabbed something from the table, crawled into bed and tucked herself into his side.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
Gabriel stretched experimentally, feeling out his own body. Fighting another dragon wasn't like anything else, not even the gunshot he’d taken; dragons were stronger, faster, more powerful than any bullet. Gabriel could take a serious beating, and he had.
"He left me with a few bruises," he had to admit. There was a particularly nasty one stretching over his left ribcage. Fortunately, it was on the other side, away from where Amelia was leaning against him. He twisted around and pushed the blanket down, revealing the mottled purple and yellow there.
Amelia's eyes followed his movements, and she gasped softly at the sight of the injury. "Gabriel! Are you sure that's okay?" Her voice took on a lightly scolding tone.
He pressed his hand against it lightly. It hurt, but not any more than a regular nasty bruise. "Nothing's broken. Not anymore, anyway. What's that?" Gabriel pointed at the object she was holding.
The distraction worked. She held up the newspaper. A few newspapers, to be exact.
"Articles about last night from the Zavinian newspapers," she said, beaming. "Grand-mère dropped them off earlier this morning."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Is it ‘grand-mère’ now?” he teased. “Are you getting along better?”
Amelia’s cheeks turned pink. “I wouldn’t say we’re getting along any better, exactly . . . we’re just not getting along as family now.”
Gabriel laughed. “I see. That’s family, isn’t it?”
“That is family,” she agreed. “Did you know that when she found her mate, there was a dragon duel over her? Can you imagine?”
He did, though he didn’t know any of the details. “Almost as dramatic as us.”
Amelia pointed to the newspapers. “See what they’re saying about us.”
New Princess, Mate drive off challenger to the throne, read one. Another one was titled Corrupt councilman flees after losing throne. Gabriel let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.
"It was all very romantic, according to the press," Amelia said, tapping the paper with a fingernail. "A fairy-tale romance, I think this one called it."
"Could be worse," Gabriel said, skimming. There weren't very many references to him—most of the focus was on Amelia, which was just fine by him. When they did mention his background, they referred to him simply as the son of Gaspard Laurent, a member of the Draconic Council. No discussion of bastardy or illegitimacy in sight.
“Maybe Zavinia is changing,” he said, surprised. If you'd asked him a week before, he'd have said it was impossible. Yet here the evidence was, right in front of his eyes.
They were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Come in!" Amelia called.
Their guest was Lady Nancy, looking as dignified and severe as ever with her gray hair pulled back in a tight bun and a red pantsuit. She took a seat in Amelia's vacated chair.
"Good morning, Grand-mère," Amelia chirped. "We were just looking at the news articles you brought."
"Engrossing reading, I'm sure. I'm glad to see you awake, Gabriel," Lady Nancy greeted him. "There is much to discuss."
Gabriel felt a sudden chill that was at odds with the warmth in the room. "Is there?"
Amelia's hand squeezed his knee under the blanket.
"The country is quite taken with you two," Lady Nancy said, her voice dry with amusement. "A secret princess and her secret soulmate, who risked life and limb in her defense in a public spectacle. I could not have planned it better myself, truth be told."
"Grand-mère!" Amelia said, sounding aghast. "Gabriel almost died!"
"So did Amelia," he added, remembering with a frown. When Amelia had revealed herself and Henri had gone after her, there was a moment or two where he thought he'd lose her, and he had felt pain like no other he'd felt in his life.
"And yet you both look quite well from where I'm sitting," Lady Nancy replied. "Henri has made himself scarce, the people are half in love with you as a result . . . well, you do know what they say about birds and stones."
"It does seem like the best possible outcome," Amelia admitted, shifting so her legs were underneath her. She looked at Lady Nancy with sharp eyes. "Almost too great. How was your meeting this morning? She met with the council and Uncle . . . King Brandon," she added, turning to Gabriel to explain.
"There is good news and bad news," Lady Nancy said, fixing them with a serious look and folding her hands in her lap.
"Bad news first," Gabriel decided. Pull off the bandage, then get the salve.
"The council has decreed that Gabriel's current station makes him unfit to wed the Crown Princess Amelia."
They both stiffened. "What?" they asked in unison.
It was no mo
re than I expected, Gabriel thought, willing himself to believe it. They were never going to accept me. Still, it hurt unexpectedly. He thought he'd gotten over this old wound, but Lady Nancy’s words tore it open again.
Amelia took his hand in hers firmly, and some of his anger dissipated. "If that's their ruling, they can go . . . I don't know . . . walk off a cliff! I'll resign. Or abdicate or whatever. Gabriel is more important to me than any crown—"
Gabriel's heart warmed at her words, though he fervently wished it was a choice she didn't have to make.
"My dear, you didn't allow me to finish," Lady Nancy said reprovingly.
Gabriel's eyes narrowed at her. She didn't seem bothered; in fact, she seemed almost amused. "You said there was good news, too?"
"I did." Lady Nancy smiled. "There is an empty seat on the council now, with Henri's departure and his own lack of an heir. Several council members were made to recall that you were the son of Gaspard Laurent, and that you were well-mannered and suitably educated for such a position. And also, incidentally, now a national hero beloved by the Zavinian people."
Gabriel shook his head. "They were 'made to recall,' huh? By whom, I wonder?"
Lady Nancy’s eyes twinkled. "If you will consent to take your father's vacated position and elevate your status, they will consent to approve the match between you and Amelia. It was a tight vote, but it passed."
He was stunned into silence. Amelia, on the other hand, was nearly bouncing with joy.
"Gabriel!" she squealed, and threw herself into his arms.
"That was sadistic, by the way," Gabriel told Lady Nancy almost admiringly over his mate's shoulder.
One elegant shoulder rose and fell. She was unfazed. "It was you who asked for the bad news first, might I remind you."
Amelia pulled back, her eyes shining. Her hands framed his face and she leaned in to kiss him.
"That will be enough of that," her grandmother interrupted sharply.
"You can't stop me," said Amelia happily, though she just gave him a brief peck.
"You young people." This was said with mingled annoyance and amusement. "Well, I suppose now that the news has been broken—you are going to accept the offer, I assume, Gabriel?—" She waited for his nod. "—I will be on my way, and send in your other guests. There are a number of people who are waiting to see you hale and healthy."
"Sure, send them in." Gabriel looked down at himself and reconsidered. "After I get dressed."
* * *
Edric was their first visitor, poking his head in tentatively and breaking into a relieved grin at the first sight of Gabriel. "I was worried about you there for a minute."
"Healthy and hale," Gabriel assured him.
"Good to see you, Amelia. Or should I say, Your Royal Highness?" Edric smiled. "Also, great job saving this guy."
"I think I can tell you're a shifter, but you're not a dragon, are you?" Amelia asked, obvious curiosity in her voice. "That's not rude to ask, is it?"
Edric laughed. "No, it's fine. Yes, I'm a shifter, but of a different kind. I'm a griffin."
Amelia was taken aback. "Isn't that mythical? Well"—she caught herself, realizing how silly that sounded—"so are dragons, obviously! Or they're supposed to be. We're supposed to be. Sorry, I'm still getting used to all of this. How many other kinds of shifters are out there?"
"All kinds. Not many griffins, though."
There was a sad note in Edric’s voice, and Gabriel could tell he wanted to change the subject. “You’ll have to work alone now, my friend,” he said, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
"From bastard bodyguard to Prince Consort," Edric said, shaking his head. "You know how to go all-out."
"Who said we're getting married?" Amelia tamed the objection with a wink in Gabriel's direction.
Edric nodded. "Oh, yeah, I like that. Keep a paramour instead. Everyone will love that. Zero controversy."
"What do you think of that, will you be my boy-toy?" Amelia teased.
"Only if you'll be my sugar mama." Gabriel punctuated this pronouncement with a kiss, enjoying the softness of his mate's lips against his, while Edric made gagging sounds in the background.
"Oh, hey, I almost forgot,” Edric said suddenly. “Your sister wants to say hi. I told her I would get you on the line when I saw you.” He pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons, not quite meeting Gabriel's eye.
"Here you go," he announced, handing the phone over.
His sister's wide grin filled the smartphone screen. "Gabriel! There you are!"
"Here I am, little sis. Nothing to worry about."
"Why would I worry about my stupid big brother, the first dragon to get in a duel in more than fifty years?" she deadpanned.
"Almost fifty years," he muttered rebelliously. His eighteen-year-old sister had the gift of seeming tall even though she was short, especially when she was upset.
Her dark curls, similar to his own, bounced as she shook her head in amusement. "I heard through the grapevine you met someone," she said in a sing-song voice. "Not just any someone, either!"
"I did. She's here, in fact. Lavina, meet Amelia, my mate. Amelia, this is my sister Lavina, the most annoying younger sister ever in the history of younger sisters." He turned the phone screen so they could see each other properly, while Amelia pressed herself up against his shoulder.
"Uh, I think you misspelled 'best little sister in the whole universe,'" Lavina said, but her smile for Amelia was full and genuine. "A woman who can make my brother smile! I've seen everything now. It's lovely to meet you."
"Has anyone ever told you that you should go into comedy?" Gabriel said. "Anyway, I'm fine after taking part in a life-threatening duel and being seriously injured. By the way. In case you were wondering."
Lavina’s smile was beatific, unfazed. "I figured, with you being all goo-goo-eyed and smiley and all that. Hey, give me to your girlfriend now."
He surrendered gracefully, handing the phone over to Amelia so they could chat amongst themselves.
"I have to say it—thank you," Gabriel said. "For your offer to take my place. But it was something I had to do."
Edric shrugged. "I would have offered anyway," he said simply.
The brother I never had, Gabriel thought warmly.
In the lull of their conversation that followed, his attention was caught by Amelia squealing at something his sister said.
At his inquisitive look, Amelia said happily, "She said she's going to show me all your baby pictures!" On the screen, his sister's tongue was sticking out at him.
Gabriel pretended to groan, but he couldn't imagine being happier.
Epilogue: Amelia
“T his is all a lot to take in,” Amelia’s mother said, craning to look up at the castle. Her curly brown hair was frizzing, baby hairs wisping in every direction, probably because of how much she’d traveled in the last few days.
It had taken a few days to track down her mother, to Amelia’s exasperation. Beset by a break-up with poor Herman (“he just wasn’t it, dear”) and her natural absent-mindedness, she hadn’t flown home after the cruise but instead spontaneously begun backpacking across Europe. And she hadn’t answered any of Amelia’s calls because she’d lost her phone charger, of all things. Sometimes Amelia thought she was way more of an adult than her mom.
Now they were in Zavinia, together, and she was going to meet Gabriel.
“I know,” Amelia said half-nervously. Some mornings she woke up not quite believing it herself, thinking she was back in her old apartment, even when she turned to see Gabriel in her bed.
“I imagine it might be strange for you, too,” her mother allowed, and they shared a wry smile.
“Did Dad ever bring you to Zavinia?”
“Oh, no,” replied her mother with a wistful expression. “He didn’t talk about it much. I knew he was from an aristocratic family, you could tell that just by looking at him and listening to him, but . . .”
If it had been anyone else, Ame
lia might have been dismayed by his secrecy and deception, but after the attempt on her life, she was more understanding. “Dad thought we would be in danger if we ever knew. It’s in some of the letters he sent to his brother, the King. He never expected I would inherit the throne through him.”
Her mother shook her head. “My daughter the princess who can turn into a dragon . . . it’s all going to take some getting used to. In the meantime, let’s see the digs!” She clapped her hands in excitement.
Amelia laughed at the change in her mother’s demeanor from ponderous to brisk in an instant. “And after that, brunch. And then you get to meet Gabriel and his mom.” Amelia had wanted to meet Gabriel’s younger sister, but she was on some kind of educational trip abroad.
“Yes, I need to meet your man.” Her mom rubbed her hands together. “He sounds like an excellent young man from what you’ve told me, but I have to see these things for myself. Make sure he’s really good enough.”
Amelia rolled her eyes. “You’ve spent years badgering me about settling down and having grandkids. Now you’re picky?”
“I’m a woman of many facets, an onion with many layers, something with a lot of depth . . . a pit?” She frowned. “Hmm. That metaphor didn’t work out too well. I’ll have to refine it.”
“While you’re refining it, you can come with me and I’ll show you to your room, and then you can evaluate Gabriel,” Amelia said, laughing.
It turned out there was no reason to be worried about her mother’s opinion of her mate. Gabriel was at his most charming and even flirtatious, and she was eating up every second of it between winking at Amelia.
Gabriel’s mother, Victoria, was slim and petite with an enormous mane of magnificent salt-and-pepper hair, round spectacles perched on a long nose, and a paintbrush tucked behind one ear.
Her first remark to Amelia after greetings were exchanged was, “I need to paint you, darling. We’ll set up a time together.”
