Deceived by the Shifter

by Juniper Hart

  She ended the call and threw her phone clear across the room. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she hugged them tightly and took big, deep breaths. Daisy wasn’t going to let herself cry anymore, especially over things her mom and Forrest said. Neither of them understood her and Nyle. Perhaps she was partly to blame since she had kept her mom in the dark about Nyle’s family, but that didn’t give her the right to completely disregard Daisy’s opinion of Nyle. Bile rose up her throat, and Daisy launched herself from the bed, hurrying to the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet in time, vomiting the entire contents of her stomach. Daisy couldn’t believe her mother had upset her so much that she was sick, and on the eve of her wedding.

  Once her stomach settled down, Daisy washed out her mouth and stepped back into the bedroom. Picking up her phone from the floor, she collapsed onto the bed. Lying down, Daisy tried her best to clear her mind and get some rest. With the big day in the morning, she feared she wouldn’t sleep a wink.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Nyle was dressed in his suit early the next morning. It resembled the one that had been made for him for the funeral, but was cream-colored with gold accents. The luxurious robe and tunic fit perfectly, and his hair was actually styled for once, combed back neatly with a bit of gel to hold it in place.

  He was slightly hungover, but all he needed was a little food and some coffee to feel better. The thought that he would be married to Daisy in just an hour kept a smile plastered on his face. Nothing could bring him down. He sat still as Evryn applied the ceremonial gold paint to Nyle’s face. One line down the length of his nose, over his lips and down his chin, dots above his brow. When his eyes opened, and he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, his was surprised. He looked just like his father in his wedding pictures, just younger.

  Evryn’s hands clamped down on Nyle’s shoulders as he stood over him. “Your father would be overflowing with pride to see you now.”

  Nyle swallowed the lump in his throat. “Thank you, Evryn.”

  Then, very carefully, Evryn placed Nyle’s crown on top of his head. It was a gold band fashioned with small points around the circumference of the precious metal. Diamonds and rubies studded the crown. In just a short while, he would switch that crown for the one his father had worn. Nyle stood from the chair, taking in his appearance one last time before looking to Evryn. “This is the right thing to do, isn’t it? Me becoming king…”

  “I truly couldn’t choose anyone better suited for this role,” Evryn smiled. “And Daisy will make a beautiful, kind queen.”

  “Yes she will,” Nyle grinned to himself, straightening his sleeves and taking a deep breath. He hadn’t anticipated being so jittery.

  “Your Highness, someone is here to see you,” a guard called from the door.

  “Let them in,” he called over.

  The door opened and Nyle glanced in the direction of the visitor. He blinked rapidly, thinking perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him, but it wasn’t. His sister, Erasina, stood before him.

  “Era,” he breathed, hurrying over to her and hugging her tightly. “I’m so glad you have returned for this day.”

  “Someone has to keep our baby sister in check,” she teased, hugging him back.

  Nyle rolled his eyes and backed away. “Don’t remind me. She has been a thorn in my side ever since I returned.”

  “Don’t worry, Mother has silenced her until the end of the wedding,” Erasina smiled.

  “Good,” he nodded. “Have you met Daisy?”

  “Oh, yes. She’s just lovely. She’s so sweet, and so unlike you,” Erasina beamed.

  He chuckled at her snide comment. His track record with women before Daisy certainly wasn’t anything to brag about, and Erasina was well aware.

  “I’m glad to hear you’re in support of the union. It means a lot to me.”

  Erasina squeezed her brother’s arm in a comforting manner. “Soon everyone will get to know her and accept her. It’ll take some time, but you two are perfect for the throne. She is the ying to your yang. You toughen her up, and she softens your edges. You’ll be like mom and dad.”

  Nyle snorted, “Our father ruled with an iron fist; mother softened no edges.”

  “Oh?” Erasina questioned. “I think you’re selling them both short. You’ve heard the stories of how he was before she came around. He conquered an entire state and took it from the Elementals.”

  “And he was planning to take another.”

  “Why do you think he never got around to it?” Erasina asked, putting her hands on her hips. She cocked a brow at him with a smile on her lips before walking away.

  Nyle blinked, taken back by her statement. He had never thought of it that way. Maybe he was more like his father than he ever thought. Nyle pulled himself out of his thoughts before Erasina completely left the room.

  “Is Daisy doing okay?” He hoped she wasn’t getting cold feet.

  “She’s fine. She was getting sick earlier, but I think she just had a little too much champagne last night. Daisy is getting dressed as we speak. Everything is going according to plan.”

  Nyle eased, a faint smile coming to his face. He was glad she had a good time the night before and that she was feeling better from her hangover.

  An elder appeared in the door frame. “It’s time, Nylyrias.”

  He nodded at the man and took another deep breath. Everyone departed from the room, and relocated to the throne room where the ceremonies would be held. As Nyle followed them out, a hand caught his shoulder. He peered back at Evryn.

  Evryn didn’t say a word until everyone else had left the room. “I have your wedding gift. I wanted to give it to you now, while we have a moment alone.”

  Why did he need to do it in private? Nyle watched as Evryn opened the bag he had brought in with him and fished out a small box wrapped in burgundy paper.

  Evryn said, “I have been thinking long and hard about your union, Nyle. Even before you came back to the kingdom. I knew a big problem you would run into would be her humanity. You would start to age gradually in a few years, and she might not. I don’t want to see her turn old and gray and both of you go through that pain. So, I’ve found the solution.”

  Nyle’s intrigue was certainly sparked, taking the box from Evryn when he extended it to Nyle. He ripped at the paper and opened the box. It was a small vial filled with a deep, green liquid.

  “Did you find the fountain of youth or something?” Nyle asked, lifting it to inspect. “Because I think the fountain was filled with slime.”

  Evryn laughed. “No, not the fountain of youth. Really, it doesn’t have a name. However, it’s an elixir that should act as a catalyst to make her dragon DNA more prominent. In fact, if it works correctly, she will be as much dragon as you and me. I traveled all the way to Europe to get this from an elder in a tiny, remote village. Now, bear in mind that this won’t make her a Royal, but a full Elemental. I hope that our people won’t get so hung up on that, since she is already half Elemental.”

  Nyle’s jaw dropped, staring at the liquid. Daisy could live as a dragon? His heart swelled at the possibility.

  “Are you sure this works?” he asked Evryn.

  Evryn nodded. “Apparently, back in our homeland, hybrids were a common problem among the clan. Our ancestors were just ashamed that our lineage wasn’t pure and made sure to keep that out of the history books. Anyways, the elders who remain there had this elixir. The one I spoke to said he had single-handedly seen two dozen hybrids become full dragons with the help of this potion.”

  Nyle was thrilled.

  Evryn warned, “I need you to know that the process will be rather painful for her and will take a long time, possibly weeks. I suggest you wait until things are calm and then sneak away to that house in Virginia to let her transition in private.”

  Nyle carefully placed the vial back inside the box and closed it, not wanting to risk dropping it. “This is the best gift I could have ever received, Ev. I don’t know
how to thank you.”

  “Thank me by leading this clan to greatness. Don’t be as vengeful as your father; be forgiving. I always warned your father that harboring such hate and stress would kill him, and it seems as though I might have been right about that. You and this kingdom deserve happiness, so let us strive to bring that to the land.”

  “I will do my best,” Nyle replied as he nodded eagerly. He looked down at the box. “Would you put this in my room for me? I don’t want it getting harmed. I would do it myself, but I think I’m already running late,” Nyle smiled weakly.

  “Of course,” Evryn said, taking the box back. He clasped a hand on Nyle’s shoulder one last time, “Congratulations, Nyle. Now hurry along. You don’t want to be too late to your own wedding,” he chuckled.

  Nyle grinned and hurried toward the throne room. The guards opened the door, and the entire room stood as soon as Nyle came into sight. The musicians on the other side of the room played a soft ballad as he made his way to the front. Once he stood at the altar that was set up directly in front of the thrones, he looked to the crowd. In the front row was his two sisters, but not his mother. His brow furrowed as he looked to Erasina for an answer. All she did was shrug at him.

  Then, the song changed to a slower melody, violins filling the air with sweet, romantic harmonies. All the heads turned toward the door as they opened. Nyle’s breath was taken away by the sight of Daisy. She was in a burgundy ball gown with long sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. The dress had a long train that two little girls carried. Her face paint matched his, with a line straight from the bridge of her nose to her chin; the only difference was the dots were on her cheeks instead of along her brow. Daisy’s hair was in intricate braids, with a wreath crown about her head.

  Asalei walked her down the aisle, wearing a flowy cream dress. It warmed his heart to see his mother stepping up to be with Daisy, since he assumed her own mother decided not to come. Nyle’s family would be the family Daisy never knew she needed.

  Nyle’s eyes were glued to Daisy’s stormy blue-gray hues. Tears threatened to cascade down her cheeks, which he could see on the brim of her lashes. His throat dried, his own tears forming.

  When they approached Nyle, he gently took Daisy’s hands in his own and helped her up on the step. He took in every detail of her face and of the dress she wore. She had never looked more gorgeous to him. Nyle was lost in her beauty, trying to memorize every little detail so he could cherish it forever.

  As he stared at his bride, the Royal priest next to them spoke, signaling the beginning of the ceremony. The priest spoke in the dead dragon language as he read the words from the ancient text. Daisy wouldn’t be able to follow the ceremony, so he whispered each word the man said to her, keeping his eyes locked onto hers.

  “We are here, to bond together two families as one, honoring the soul-bond that these two share. Nature and the sun above have brought these two together for reasons that no one but the universe knows. Today, they will be bound together not only in spirit but in matrimony. May the sun and the heavens bless them for years to come and keep them as strong as they are as they stand before us,” he whispered to her, low enough so only she could hear.

  The priest then proceeded with the vows, Nyle’s eyes burning with emotion as he repeated his vow to Daisy in the dead language. Even though she had no idea what he was saying, a few tears dared to escape her eyes as she hung on every syllable that passed his lips. The priest then poured wine into a ceremonial glass before blessing it, and then passing it to Nyle. He took a sip of it and then handed it to Daisy.

  When it was her turn, Nyle mouthed each sound to her, helping her pronounce the strange, ancient words. His thumb rubbed her knuckles to encourage her. She was doing great. Once the vow was complete, he motioned for her to take a sip of the wine. It was to symbolize sharing and trust in one another, as well as consume the blessing the priest had given them. Nyle wasn’t religious, but the traditional ceremony was so beautiful that it proved to be very powerful and emotional.

  The priest spoke again, and Nyle continued to whisper the translation to bride. “With no reason to dispute this spiritual union, by the power vested in me, gifted to me by King Thalydias, I pronounce you husband and wife.”

  Nyle handed the wine to the priest and pulled Daisy into him by the waist. He kissed her on the mouth, dipping her back slightly as he did. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, kissing him back with all the passion she felt from deep within her being. He couldn’t believe he was holding his wife in his arms. The crowd cheered and clapped.

  Nyle grinned ear-to-ear as he finally forced himself away from her mesmerizing lips.

  “See? They are happy for us,” he told her.

  Daisy looked to the crowd with shock. He couldn’t imagine the relief she must have felt to see that his people were accepting her. Soon to be their people.

  It was time for the crowing ceremony. Nyle couldn’t wait for it to be over so that he could hold and kiss Daisy to his heart’s delight.

  Suddenly, a deafening crash grabbed everyone’s attention. Nyle instinctively brought Daisy into his side and put his arm over her head as wooden beams and pieces of the ceiling fell around them. He looked up to see more than a dozen Elemental dragons diving through the roof, bringing down the entire ceiling. Screams filled the room, while the Royals began shifting into their dragon forms, ready to fight the invaders.

  Nyle’s blood boiled. How in the hell had they gotten to the palace? A strong security force was in place. How had that many Elementals manage to slither past them? Most of all, he couldn’t believe such a breach was made on their wedding day.

  For a moment, Nyle was frozen, torn between personally keeping Daisy safe and fighting the Elementals. His eyes landed on Erasina, and he made his way over to her with Daisy.

  “You keep her safe,” he instructed his sister.

  Erasina nodded and took hold of Daisy.

  “Be careful, Nyle,” Daisy begged him, her face masked with worry.

  He nodded at her and then turned, tossing his crown to the side and hastily shifted. As soon as he was in his dragon form, he took to the air.

  The Elementals must have a death wish, he thought. How dare they attack the palace!

  It was unlikely that any of them would walk away from it. They were overwhelmingly outnumbered. Nyle tackled one dragon to the ground, letting out an explosion of fire with his breath. The blue dragon screeched in pain and writhed under Nyle’s grasp. He chomped down on its neck, crushing its windpipe.

  When he turned to target another, Nyle was suddenly forced from the air, crashing to the ground with a heavy weight over him. He stared into the navy-blue dragon’s eyes. His eyes narrowed, recognizing that same shade of silver from Daisy’s eyes. Forrest.

  Nyle brought his back legs up and kicked Forrest off him with one mighty push. As soon as Nyle got to his feet, Forrest lunged at him again. He narrowly dodged the attack.

  The two dragons circled one another, eyes narrowed and locked, lips pulled back in snarls. Forrest claimed to be a loving father, and yet he crashed his daughter’s wedding. Even if he didn’t approve of the union, it didn’t give him the right to ruin her day. However, it was becoming clear to Nyle that this wasn’t about what was best for Daisy, but rather ownership of her. Forrest simply didn’t want her marrying a Royal—and especially didn’t want her to marry the King of the Royals. Nyle assumed that Forrest couldn’t take that kind of blow to his ego. Also, Forrest was likely worried about the Elemental leaders finding out that Daisy—the soon-to-be queen of the Royals—was his hybrid daughter.

  Forrest launched at Nyle again, sending them crashing into the pews that had been set up for the wedding. He could feel the splintering wood scraping against his scales, trying to penetrate his flesh. Nyle managed to land on top of him and breathed fire at him. At the exact same time, Forrest opened his mouth and let out a blast of water. The water shot into Nyle’s throat, choking him, and putting out his flame. He
stumbled backwards, struggling to clear his throat. Forrest stalked toward him slowly, letting a huff out of his nose. Nyle tried to breathe out fire, but Forrest had put out his flame entirely.

  Just as panic began to rattle Nyle, a flash of red shot between the two dragons.

  “Stop this!” Daisy screamed.

  Anxiety gripped at Nyle’s chest. Why had Erasina let her go? She was right in the middle of it, and her fragile body could be crushed effortlessly. Daisy paced backward to Nyle, her back bumping into his chest. Her eyes were on her father.

  “Why are you doing this? I don’t want you in my life! You’ve never done anything for my benefit. Don’t pretend like you finally care about me. You’ve turned my mom against me, you’ve damaged my new home, you and your goons have hurt people, and on my wedding day. You said you wanted to be a father, but this isn’t what fathers do.”

  Forrest growled at Daisy, but she didn’t even tremble.

  “If you’re hellbent on killing him just because he’s my soulmate, then go ahead and kill me too. He’s my husband, my king, and my everything. I don’t want to live without him. Go ahead, kill us both,” she screamed.

  Nyle was blown away by her bravery and dedication. He was the luckiest man alive to have a mate like her. Daisy was standing up for him, and their kingdom—acting like a true queen.

  Her father’s eyes narrowed even deeper, moving into a predator-like stance. Daisy hugged herself to Nyle’s large form, but never once turned her face away from her father. When she didn’t back down, Forrest paused. Did he have it in him to kill his own daughter? Nyle really wasn’t sure. Then, before Forrest could make a move, three Royal dragons ambushed him and pinned him to the ground. Forrest snarled and hissed, but he was outnumbered. Already, his men were binding Forrest in chains, using chamaline pokers to force him to obey.