Northern Realm Royal Dragons Shifter Boxset Bks 2-5

by Lisa Daneils

  As soon as they were alone, Tolenka moved close to Alannah. “Why is an exquisite creature such as yourself putting up such a pretext?”

  The intense attention he was giving her made Alannah blush. “Circumstances.”

  “Maybe I could help work out those circumstances.”

  “That’s quite enough, playboy. Don’t go trying to poach my amusement.”

  “Oh,” Filip had been largely silent up to that point, but this seemed to catch his attention. “How exactly is Ally your amusement?”

  “Spend a few minutes talking to the human and you’ll see.”

  “I absolutely accept your offer.” Tolenka took Alannah’s hand. “Let’s go get to know each other a little more.”

  Suddenly he was shoved out of the way. Aiden gave him a scathing look, but he spoke to the other visitor. “Filip, I did ask you to bring Adrik. Why is this bear here?”

  There was an apologetic look on his friend’s face, “You should have warned me why you didn’t want Tolenka to come. Not that it would have helped. Beggars can’t be choosers. Adrik and Lyosha are off wandering in the human realms, and I’ve no idea where they are at this time.”

  Aiden sighed, “Fine. Come on, Filip and Brick-for-Brains. I’ll let you know what the problem is.” He was clearly in a terrible mood as he marched out the front door.

  “What’s wrong with Aiden?” Filip looked at Alannah for an answer.

  “I’m just one more problem he feels obligated to see through to resolution.” Suddenly she got an idea, “Do you think you could convince him he doesn’t need to do whatever he has planned?”

  “Doubtful,” Tolenka muttered.

  “Highly improbable. But I can see what can be done.” Filip walked toward the door. Tolenka picked up her hand, kissed it, and followed his cousin. Filip ushered Tolenka out before turning to Alannah. “I would recommend you try to talk to him yourself. Whatever is bothering him, he’s not going to open up. At best, mentioning his dour demeanor might make him remember to throw up that extravagant façade he has.”

  “So you know that he’s hiding stuff too?”

  “I’m probably the only person who realizes that he is dealing with far more than he should. Aiden is most adept at acting like nothing is wrong, so people don’t realize that he’s… I can’t honestly say what kind of troubles he has. He never opens up.” Filip inhaled, ready to say something, then twisted his mouth. “I’m not sure what happened, but I think at this moment, you have a much better chance of helping him than anyone close to him.”

  Alannah’s brows knit together. Nodding her head, she said, “I will see what I can do. He’s—”

  “Here you go, Ally. A nice, hot breakfast.” Mr. Flannery entered with a tray.

  Alannah’s eyes moved back to Filip. He simply nodded at her, then stepped outside.

  Disquieted, Alannah sat down. Attempting to act alright, she managed to keep up a conversation with the innkeeper, who sat down across from her. Unable to talk about the events of the day before—she had no idea how Aiden had altered their memories or what the new memories were—and with little knowledge about a squire’s training, Alannah worked to keep the conversation as shallow as possible.

  Whatever Aiden had done, it worked. None of the family members seemed bothered by their injuries, at least not much. Lilith’s ankle had been wrapped up with a brace, and Mr. Flannery couldn’t laugh the way he usually did, but they all seemed fine. Thankful that the family was at least being left in better shape than they would have been if Aiden hadn’t found her, Alannah felt worse about how much she had come to rely on him.

  When they left, Aiden acted like himself, smiling and waving at the family. He lifted Lilith up and gave her a theatrical kiss on the cheek and a promise to visit again.

  Once they were alone, the smile disappeared, as well as the conversation. Not sure if trying to talk would be a good idea, Alannah allowed herself to get caught up in her own head. They walked for some time in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Occasionally, she would glance over at her traveling companion, but he seemed rather set on not acknowledging her. The guilt crept in, and Alannah began to mentally beat herself up again.

  Her self-reprimands only stopped when the sound of someone chortling caught her attention. Turning to look at Aiden, she realized that he was looking right at her, the usual smile on his face. With no idea what had set him off, she frowned, her mood not improved by the sudden change in his. “What’s so funny?”

  “Your expressions.”

  “Oh, laughing at my face now. This is going to be a fantastic walk, then.”

  “Do you have any idea just how much you are scowling? It’s almost like you are trying to merge your eyes and your eyebrows.”

  Groaning, she muttered, “If my face is so unpleasant, maybe you should have asked Tolenka to join me instead.”

  This seemed to cause him a few moments of reflection. “I didn’t realize that was your type. Well, it’s not like I know that much about you anyway. If you really want, I could go get him, and let you two get to know each other better. Heaven knows I don’t need to be doing this.”

  That statement made Alannah want to kick herself for what she had said. “Men like him get old after about 10 minutes. Then all of that flattery just gets to be obnoxious. I definitely prefer to hear the sound of your laughter over that.”

  “Then consider what you say before you open your mouth.”

  Alannah looked down, “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. I guess I’m just—Aiden, what’s wrong?” Trying to get him to look at her, she pulled ahead a little more.

  “Don’t tell me you forgot about having sex last night.”

  “Not at all. It was—I’ve never felt that close or safe with anyone, and I do mean anyone, in my life. It’s unnerving considering how little I know of you. And the fact that I know at some point you are… just going to leave.” She paused, “I can accept that, because you’ve always made it clear this is nothing serious, and you certainly had no interest in me like that—”

  “I never said that.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t think that I ever said that I didn’t see you as desirable. I just knew that acting on it was a really, really bad idea. And now I’m left with the consequences of my actions.”

  Alannah felt crushed. “I’m sorry, Aiden. Look, if you don’t want to follow through with whatever you have planned, it’s fine. I—”

  “I never said that either. Just,” he inhaled, “for now, it’s easier just to ignore that and try to resume the relationship we had before last night.”

  “Because I’m human?” Alannah pushed her lips together and closed her eyes, regretting her inability to keep her mouth shut.

  “In all honesty,” there was a quality to his voice that let Alannah know that he really regretted being sincere, “yes. Because you are human, and in my situation, that—”

  “I get it. You don’t need to explain. It’s fine. You kept trying to warn me, but I was just… stupid.”

  “No, Alannah, you are not stupid.” His startling eyes were trained on her. “If you were stupid, last night would have been very different. But that doesn’t mean that it should have happened as it did. Don’t feel guilty about it. I ignored what I knew was right, and gave into emotions that I shouldn’t have.”

  Alannah huffed, “The guilt is hardly all yours, you obstinate creature. I kissed you, remember? Even after you had rejected me once.”

  “But you were willing to leave it after I initially pulled away the second time. I was the one who initiated what happened next. I find it difficult to believe that you were willing to go much further out of curiosity.”

  As strange as it was, that was actually a fairly accurate idea of what she was like. Alannah was a bit impulsive, but she only had so far that she could be pushed. “Maybe it wasn’t what my curiosity was for at first, but since the moment I saw you, I’ve—wait a minute.” She held up her hand. “Let’s just stop this rig
ht now. We are both at fault. Period. If you don’t want to think about it or talk about it, I won’t bring it up again.”

  Aiden swallowed, “Thank you. We’ll have to talk about it at some point. I’m just not quite ready yet.”

  “That’s fair. But before I acquiesce, I just want to say thank you. For letting me explore my curiosity and then some.” She smiled at him, “It was really… no, I don’t have the words to describe it.”

  Aiden chuckled, “With that sentiment, I can agree. It certainly makes this all the more challenging.” Giving her no chance to say anything, he offered something unexpected, “I suppose I should actually take the time to explain where we are going and what we are doing. It’s your future, after all.”

  “Wait, what?” Alannah looked at him.

  This time when he launched into his plan, Aiden used words and ideas that were all too clear.

  He was going to remove Riley and put her on the throne.

  When Aiden finished, Alannah shook her head. “I don’t understand. How could you possibly do that? I thought no one knew where you were.”

  “You mean apart from the two bears you met.” He smiled at her.

  “Bears?”

  “Oh, right. I didn’t explain that either. Filip and Tolenka are bear shifters. Their second natural form is a bear. Actually, it’s their first form, but when speaking to humans, it’s easier to treat the human form as the first one. Even if most shifters don’t use it until they are a few years old.”

  “Wait. Those two, your friends, they have a second form?”

  “I wouldn’t classify them as friends. More like,” he tapped a fist on his leg, “we have a friendly relationship, but I would never consider confiding in them.”

  “How is that different than your friends, whom you also don’t confide in?”

  Aiden groaned, “Please don’t start that again.”

  “I’m not. Really,” she held up her hands, “I just want to understand your relationship to others. And my question still stands—how are you going to remove Riley?”

  For the first time, Aiden gave her a conspiratorial look. “You don’t want to know why I have a friendly relationship with bear shifters?”

  “Well, yeah, but I thought you didn’t want to talk about them.”

  “I don’t want to talk about relying on others. You are more than welcome to ask me other questions. I’ll let you know if it is something I don’t want to discuss.”

  “Okay, what is it you are trying to get me to ask?”

  “That is so disappointing. I expected better of you. Such a direct question takes the fun out of it.”

  “I don’t even know what to ask you. All of the questions I can think of would be considered rude.”

  “Like what?”

  “The first one that comes to mind: if you aren’t human, what are you? But I don’t want to ask that because, honestly, I really don’t care. Your species is irrelevant to me. Or maybe it is more accurate to say that I think of you as my own personal angel.”

  “That’s the second time you’ve said that. It’s a lot of pressure.”

  “No, it isn’t. You are an angel without doing anything else for me. If you were to just disappear, stranding me here with all this stuff—or with nothing at all—the positives that you have had on my life far outweigh the negatives.”

  “That is such an uncomplicated way to view someone.”

  “After the kind of life I’ve lived, the positives and negatives that a person injects into your life are really the only things that matter. Typically, you can figure out how a person will affect you overall within a few weeks. You, though… I could never hope to repay you for everything. Even if I were to try to amuse you for the rest of your life, it wouldn’t be enough.”

  “You are strangely somber.”

  “Matches your mood.”

  Again, Aiden chuckled, “Maybe that is what I enjoy so much about having you around. I’ve never met anyone who was able to quip back like you.”

  “Be careful of complimenting me. I may get emotional again.”

  “I lo—” he stopped whatever he was about to say and cleared his throat. “Don’t sensor your emotions. Most of your emotions,” he quickly corrected himself. “I’m not going to ruin the way you think of me. It’s not my place to tell you who I am. That would take time to prove who is right, and even then,” he glanced at her, “I suspect you will argue with me. But to answer your question about how we get there, it’s important to answer the ineloquent question of what I am. It’s similar to what the two gentlemen you met are.”

  “You are a shifter?”

  “Yes.”

  “Similar to a bear? So, a tiger? A—wait, are you a monkey in your other form?” Her eyes widened, and the nickname he gave her suddenly started to create a full backstory in her mind.

  “No,” his voice cut into Alannah’s imagination. “Stand back. And don’t worry. It’s still me.”

  Alannah stopped and looked at him. As he popped his neck, she took a couple of steps back.

  “Remember,” he said, “it’s still me.”

  “I’m not an—oh gods!” Her eyes became saucers as Aiden grew into the largest animal she had ever seen. He was about 15 feet long and over 10 feet tall. His tail whipped back and forth as Alannah just stared at him. “And I thought your human form was magnificent. Aiden, I don’t care what you think, but now I am certain that I love you. Dear gods, but you are absolutely stunning.”

  The dragon issued a sound that she knew to be one of amusement.

  “Laugh all you want,” she said. “I’ll pretty much do anything you want if you won’t ever leave me.”

  Aiden lowered his head and looked into her eyes. Uncertain how much he could understand, she reached out to touch his head. He snorted, then gently he picked her up and placed her on his back. Without warning, he lifted off the ground and took off toward the capital.

  Chapter 9

  Hand-to-Hand Combat

  Whatever Alannah had thought was going to happen after Aiden shifted into a dragon, she was wrong. He had no intention of attacking the city.

  When they were within comfortable walking distance, he landed and carefully lifted her off of his back. Aiden then shifted into his gorgeous human form, and Alannah couldn’t take her eyes off of him. “Absolutely amazing.”

  He laughed, “Come on, my little Alannah. We need to go get your kingdom back.”

  “It’s not mine.”

  “Sure it is. After the way your parents let things go on for so long, it’s clear they aren’t the right choice for it. Anyway, it answers one question we all had about your kingdom.”

  “What do you mean? Who had questions about this kingdom?”

  “Ah, yes, you wouldn’t have heard about the agreement. It hasn’t been a year since it was made. There are three dragon shifter kingdoms, and we made an agreement with the human kingdoms that the three heirs would marry human princesses.”

  “So were you scouting humans for your kingdom? And how is that escaping reality?”

  Aiden gave a derisive laugh, “No, I was here because I didn’t want to find a human bride. Since this was the one human kingdom that wasn’t part of the agreement, or wasn’t represented in it, I thought I would come and find proof that it was a terrible idea. That humans were way too far beneath us for the heirs to go through with it. Then Liam went and agreed to do it to. He wasn’t an heir, and he had every right to refuse, but they promised him his own kingdom. A promise that could either kill him or drive him insane, as it had with my father. But he went through with it. In less than 24 hours after announcing to us—the three heirs—that he was going to find a human bride, he had found one. Married her within a few days.”

  “A princess? He married a princess?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who?”

  “Um, Bridget. He married the widow Bridget, and now—”

  “Princess Bridget of the Caden Kingdom? She wasn’t married.”

>   “My little Alannah, you have been gone for three years. A lot has changed in your absence.”

  Alannah bit her lip, “That’s so sad. I really liked her. Didn’t know her well, but she was always soooo nice. She really wanted kids too.”

  “Well, her first is on the way now.”

  “Didn’t you say they only recently married?”

  “Yeah, when we pick a mate, it never takes long for them to get pregnant. High sex drive, you see.”

  Alannah giggled, “I remember. That is one lucky, lucky woman.”

  “How would you know? I can’t believe that you encountered Liam in your travels.”

  “That’s not—never mind,” she ended up muttering as her face turned pink.

  “Not long after that, I heard that Ethan had gotten married too. Haven’t heard too much about that, and haven’t met his princess yet. Can’t even say if they are married yet or not, but I do know it is only a matter of time.”

  “So you thought to come here to prove them all wrong? Even after they found humans?” She looked at him skeptically.

  “That had been the original idea, but by the time I actually had a chance to escape everything I had to manage at home, it was clearly just a way to escape. The best I could do was prove that I wasn’t compatible with any humans, and being here was ideal since there was no reason for me to be here. People assumed I was looking for my bride, just like the other two had done. Oh, the angry message I got from Grayson was phenomenal because he figured he could rely on me. I told him there was no reason to worry, I wasn’t about to go bedding a human, let alone wedding one.” Aiden shrugged, “And that is how my desire to escape my reality for a little while led to an answer that none of us really thought mattered.”

  “I think I almost understood that story. Most of it.”

  “I did try to keep it from being too complicated. At least the parts about bonding and stuff.”

  “Yeah, I really don’t get what you mean when you say that.”

  “Humans don’t form a relationship with their lands, so it doesn’t make as much sense to you. Shifters are much more connected to our lands, and the land picks one heir for each kingdom. It started a really long time ago when we started to form different kingdoms, thought they weren’t called that back then. By the leader putting some of his life into the land, it was more productive and flourished. Over time, the land started selecting the heir by bonding with someone related to the ruler, whether the ruler was a king or queen. Usually it bonds to a male because the females already share their bodies with the infants. If they are also bonded to the land, it can kill them, which obviously is bad. It still happens on the rare occasion, but usually the firstborn is a male, and the land often bonds with the firstborn. It is possible to have the land bond with a different family, but it is impossible to switch in a family without the current bonded member dying.