by Juniper Hart
As she began to lose hope entirely for a safe escape, something shifted in the air. She felt a very familiar, overwhelming feeling come over her. Daisy spotted a fleck of gold in a crack in the roof. Focusing her vision, she realized it was an eye. Her heartrate sped up. She would be able to spot that shade of honey-gold anywhere. Shock and relief crashed over her. The men noticed her staring up and followed her line of sight. Before their heads could turn all the way up, the roof came caving in. Slabs of wood and shingles came hurling toward the floor, though thankfully only a couple of pieces of rubble fell on Daisy. Nyle was the first one to land on the floor, his cream form towering over the Elementals in their human form. Three other dragons joined him—two were burgundy and the other a cloudy gray. Nyle’s massive, strong form took stance, letting out a loud roar as fire shot from his mouth like a flamethrower in the direction of the men—but not close enough to actually burn them. The men were standing too close to Daisy for that.
She watched from the floor as the two raven-haired men began cracking and expanding, doubling in size and their clothes tearing to shreds since it couldn’t hold their enormous forms. In just a matter of seconds, their olive complexions turned Aegean blue, and their navy tribal markings dominated their bodies. The Elementals stayed close to Daisy, circling her so that the Royals couldn’t get close. The four opponents weren’t backing down, and Nyle and his men inched closer to them.
An Elemental roared at the other dragons, as a powerful gust of wind escaped his open mouth, which pushed Nyle back. He wasn’t standing down and quickly found his footing and stalked toward them again. In unison, the four Royals split into two groups, each set narrowing in on one blue dragon. Then, Nyle launched himself first, tackling one dragon away from her. Snarls and roars erupted from Nyle as he and the gray dragon took on the Elemental. Their strong claws and powerful jaws went head-to-head with one another, biting and scratching at their opponents. Big flames and blasts of water counteracted as the dragons fought vigorously. While Daisy knew Nyle was fighting for her, she also wondered if maybe some of the volatility of the other’s fighting came from the feud between the clans of dragons.
Nyle managed to leap on top of the one he was against, his claws anchoring into his flesh. The blue dragon was quick to shoot a pressurized stream of water into Nyle’s mouth when he opened it to attack. Nyle, in his cream-colored dragon form, choked and was knocked back by the force of the water. Immediately, the Elemental took to the air to escape, but as he reached the ceiling, a large fireball erupted from the gray dragon. It hit the Elemental, but he kept flying. Nyle and the gray one quickly flew from the barn to go after him.
The flames had also clipped the roof, and fire spread across the ceiling. It quickly burned away the aged, dried wood. Daisy panicked. It was no coincidence that they picked that location. Mylora probably planned this, knowing that if Nyle found her, there would be a fight. And that place was going to burn like a tinderbox.
“Nyle!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping to catch his attention before he was too far away.
Her efforts came too late. The two other Royals were extremely generous with their fire-bending abilities to incapacitate one Elemental. The hay and dried wood of the barn was aflame in a matter of minutes. The two burgundy dragons flew through the hole in the roof as well, leaving Daisy in the barn.
Daisy let out a shrill scream and used all of her might to break free from the chair. The tall beams that extended to the roof began to crack and give way as the flames burned away their structural integrity. Feeling helpless, Daisy closed her eyes tightly, trying to shut out the horror of what was unfolding before her very eyes. Mylora was going to get the last laugh, after all.
There was a gust of wind, but Daisy kept her eyes closed, fearing it would be one of the Elementals, but then she felt hands on her wrists. Her eyes opened to see Nyle, in human form and naked, rapidly untying her restraints. In the few moments it took him to free her, Daisy’s eyes looked around to see that the entire barn was on fire, dark smoke filling the room and blacking out the hole in the roof. As soon as the last rope was undone, Nyle had Daisy in his arms. She clung to him for dear life, tears liberally falling from her eyes. He swung her onto his back in one fluid motion. Under her hold, she could feel his bones rearranging and his muscles stretching as he shifted back into a dragon. His pale skin turned cream as it hardened into reptilian scales. It was rather terrifying to witness. It looked physically impossible for someone to endure such a change, but there wasn’t much time for her to linger on it. Wings shot out of his back, and he launched them straight up and into the thick black smoke. Daisy held onto his long neck with a death grip, and her thighs clutched his back.
They soared above the smoke as Daisy’s entire body vibrated with utter terror. Nyle wouldn’t drop her, but she had never been up so high before, other than being in an airplane. It took her a long time to look anywhere but at his scales, frozen from the fear. Eventually, she conjured up the nerve to look down. They were high above the tree tops, his large form moving through the air with grace. People would have looked like ants from where they were. It made her sick to her stomach to be up so high, though she was unsure if it was because of her nerves or altitude sickness. Suddenly she was coughing, unable to catch her breath fully. Daisy hadn’t realized just how much smoke she had inhaled until that moment, and her chest ached from it. The thought made her eyes drift back to the barn, watching from high above as the barn caved in, smoke filling the sky as it burned to the ground. If Nyle had been just a minute late, she would have died. Daisy’s hold tightened on him even more.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Daisy kept her eyes closed the rest of the trip, as she tried to keep her nausea under control. She was still coughing intensely, and she was still slightly groggy from the chloroform.
Nyle descended before landing softly on all fours. She was in such shock and was so sick that she couldn’t let go of him. Her grasp remained tight as Nyle shifted back into his human form. Soon, she could feel his warm skin against hers. His hands went to her hips, bringing her around his torso to his chest. He peeled her face away from his body, cradling her face in his hands as he studied every inch of her face, tears brimming his smoldering golden eyes.
“Are you all right?” he asked in a whisper, his eyes taking in every cut and bruise on her visible skin.
Overcome with emotion, she was unable to speak. Daisy didn’t say a word before bursting into tears, still coughing from the smoke irritating her lungs. Nyle brought her back into his chest, holding her tightly to himself.
“I’ve got you,” he said to her. “I’m so sorry you were dragged into all this. I should have just been up front with my parents from the beginning. If I would’ve, none of this would have happened. It’s my fault.”
Daisy’s face was pressed deeply into his shoulder. She shook her head in disagreement. Daisy felt at fault. She shouldn’t have gone out to see her mother; she should have stayed in the safety of his penthouse. Hot tears rolled down her face, dripping onto his bare skin. One of Nyle’s hands clutched the back of her head, the other on her back.
Then someone near them cleared their throat. Nyle looked up to see Evryn extending a pair of pants to him.
“Your father is waiting for you in the throne room,” he notified him.
Throne room? Daisy sat up, tears still running down her face as she looked behind her. They were outside a grand home, so big that it could have been a fortress, but it was elegant. The palace was beige with burgundy trim, and several floors high with large towers.
They were at his family’s palace? She hadn’t slept in days, she was caked with blood, and she was a human. Great first impression, she thought sarcastically.
Daisy looked back to Nyle as he reluctantly pulled back long enough to pull the pants on that Evryn provided. He then helped her to her feet, pulling her into him.
“Don’t worry,” Nyle said. “We’ll be able to rest soon.”
With his arm firmly around her waist, he guided her to the palace. Evryn followed close behind.
Her eyes tried to take in the grandness of every detail, but it was too much. The palace was lavish, every piece of furniture and every piece of décor from the history of the Royals. Everything was masterfully handcrafted.
The palace provided insights into the Royal Dragons history and culture. It was very apparent that they worshiped their dragon forms. She noticed a lot of the paintings and art with crests, and the flags that adorned the walls all had images of dragons. Most of the décor included shades of burgundy, hues of white and cream, gray, and gold accents. The prints on the furniture and décor were circular swirled patterns, similar to the patterns she’d seen on the dragons from Nyle’s clan. Paintings and sculptures of golden suns were exhibited throughout Nyle’s home. Daisy remembered Nyle saying something about the Royals worshiping the sun.
After a long walk down a corridor, they reached a set of doors with two men standing at attention outside of them. Nyle then stepped in front of Daisy, taking her shoulders in his hands.
“Stay right here, all right? I’m going to talk to them first. Then I’ll call you in.”
A look of dismay washed over Daisy’s features, not liking the sound of being away from him in a palace surrounded by dragons. They hated humans. But then another hand rested between her shoulder blades. She looked up to Evryn, looking down at her with soft eyes.
“Don’t worry, my dear. I’ll stay with you.”
Her first response was to refuse; after all he had cut her with a blade that could have killed her, but then she noticed the gray swirls on his skin. His sleeves were rolled up a bit, and his fists cut up rather horribly. He was the gray dragon that helped rescue her. Daisy was in awe that he had decided to help them because he had looked so unsure back at the penthouse. She nodded at him, indicating her gratitude.
Before Nyle entered the doors to the throne room, he took a step closer to Daisy and cradled her cheek before kissing her deeply on the lips. The kiss was full of electricity and emotion. Daisy had to fight herself to peel back from him.
“I’ll see you in just a minute,” Nyle said as he turned to the guards, who opened the doors to let him in.
As soon as Nyle stepped into the throne room, his father bellowed from the throne, “My son, I’m glad to see you have returned safely and not too banged up, either.”
Nyle had a few scratches and bruises from tussling with the Elementals, but dragons healed quickly, and the wounds would be gone by morning.
The king asked, “Did you save your mate in time?”
“We did,” Nyle answered simply, walking up to his parents until he was just a couple of yards away from them.
“Well, that’s splendid, son. Where is she? Let’s meet her,” his father grinned.
“I wanted to talk to you first,” Nyle said.
“Oh? About what?”
“Do you believe that the soulmate bond should be honored and respected?”
“Well, of course, Nylyrias. We were only rushing you to marry because there was no telling when you would meet your soulmate. It could have been decades, and we don’t have that long. But I’m overjoyed that you have found your true mate. I’m sure it’s a relief for you as well.”
“So, you know how important and real the bond is to a soulmate, no matter who that person is?” Nyle questioned, his eyes narrowing in on his father, wanting to know his exact reaction.
Thalydias scoffed, “Yes, son. I know how serious the bond is.” The king placed his palm over his wife’s hand. “Your mate could be the very bottom ranked Royal, and I wouldn’t give a damn. As long as she makes you happy and will serve our people well. Now, where is she?”
Nyle studied him for a moment longer before calling behind him, “Evryn.”
The door opened again and the elder walked in with Daisy at his side. Nyle’s eyes didn’t leave his father. Thalydias’ expression had drawn itself in confusion as he noticed the petite, brunette woman with Evryn. The elder walked to Nyle, and Nyle immediately took Daisy under his arm, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“Is this some sort of joke?” Thalydias growled. “I am too ill for this, Nylyrias.”
“This isn’t a joke,” Nyle said firmly. “This is Daisy Maddow. She’s my mate, Father.”
Thalydias’ eyes were wild and his nostrils flared. “Guards, get out. No one remains but Evryn, my son, and the female.”
Eight guards marched out of the room, leaving the five of them alone in the massive room.
“Are you trying to tell me that you think a human is your mate? Are you sick in the head or just trying to kill me?”
“She is my mate, father,” Nyle groaned. Even though he had only explained it to Evryn, he was already tired of defending his relationship, knowing that he was going to be explaining it a lot in the years to come. “And she isn’t quite human.”
“What do you mean isn’t quite human?”
Nyle closed his eyes momentarily, knowing the next part was really going to disappoint his father. “Her mother is human, but we have reason to believe that her father is an Elemental. Which would make her half dragon, which explains how we ended up as mates.”
“This is complete nonsense,” Thalydias growled, his eyes landing on Evryn. “Are you standing by this theory, Elder Evryn?”
Evryn gave a single nod. “Yes, sir. I examined her myself. She doesn’t seem to have a dragon form or any of the obvious markings, but she was burned by chamaline. Also, she has shimmering silver in her eyes. She could very well have Elemental abilities, but without the training, her potential abilities will never be realized.” There was a pause before Evryn continued. “I understand your confusion and hostility, my King. But Nyle is sure of the bond they have, and the theory of her being a hybrid makes sense.”
“Then she is an abomination,” Thalydias scoffed, shaking his head. “Your bond to her must be a fluke.”
“It isn’t, Father,” Nyle urged. “Please, can’t you just hear me out? I know this isn’t ideal, but it isn’t like I planned it. She was an event planner the foundation contracted. Everything about how we met and everything that has followed has been… well… something larger than us. There has to be a reason that the universe has paired us together.”
He drew Daisy closer, his fingers going to her chin and turning her face to his. Nyle stared in the depths of her stormy eyes, the glistering silver flecks apparent from the flames of the chandelier having high above their heads.
“Before I met Daisy, none of the soulmate talk made sense to me. I know I wanted it, but that didn’t mean I grasped the concept. But from the moment I felt her presence, I understood. And while I know the road ahead of us is troubled, I know we are meant be together. Perhaps we were destined to bring peace between the clans. Daisy can learn about the half of herself she never knew existed through the Elementals, and help me lead our people with grace, dignity, and understanding.”
Daisy’s eyes gleamed at him, so touched by everything he had said. The corners of her lips pulled into a smile as she leaned into Nyle. The moment didn’t last.
The king’s voice cut through their moment of glee, “No.”
Daisy and Nyle turned their heads to face him.
The king continued. “No, I will not stand for this. I don’t care if you feel vindicated in this bond. It is unnatural, and I’m not undoing thousands of years of tradition and policy because you found this… this… creature and got attached to it. Our people need leaders, not for you and this half-blood to launch them into chaos.”
“Why do you have such little faith in me?” Nyle asked his father as hurt bled through his tone.
“It isn’t that I don’t have faith in you, my son. It’s that I don’t believe this union is what our people need.”
“So, are you asking me to go against nature? To leave her behind? Even though you yourself just admitted that the bond is real, no matter who that other person is.”
“If that person is a Royal,” Thalydias snapped.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Nyle grew annoyed with his bull-headed father. “Do you know why half our people don’t have their mates? It’s probably because they are Elementals, and we are going against nature by forcing a divide between the clans,” he hypothesized. Nyle inhaled deeply to calm down, knowing that getting angry with his father would get him nowhere. “I thought the same as you before I met Daisy, but in the couple of days that I’ve known her, my mind has opened. I thought the Elementals were evil and that humans were vile, but I don’t feel like that anymore. Those thoughts were ingrained from my upbringing, but I can’t believe the lies any longer. You are victim of the same mindset, Father. Are you really going to sit there and call my mate an abomination and get upset with me, when this is something the universe decided? Are you going to go against our nature to try and separate us?”
There was a brooding silence. The Royal Dragon King stared down his son and his hybrid lover. Thalydias was racked with anger and frustration, but the longer he sat in contemplation, the more he seemed to ease.
Nyle’s voice hung in his throat, hoping that his father would understand why Daisy was so important to him.
“I will not try and separate the two of you,” he announced. There was a sad gleam in his eyes. “However, I cannot approve of this bond, and our people cannot learn of her. It would be an embarrassment for our family. If you are to stay with her, my son, you will have to go into hiding. You may still have access to the family accounts, but you will not be permitted to show your face in the kingdom. Erasina will have to get married, and she and her husband will take your place as first in line for the throne. Do you understand this, Nylyrias? You may have the throne, or you can be with your mate. Given her genetics, you cannot have both.”
Nyle’s chest ached. The thought of choosing between his family and Daisy crushed his spirit.
