by Juniper Hart
Nyle rapidly shifted out of his dragon form, and didn’t think twice about his nakedness. He held Daisy in a protective manner, showering her face with kisses.
“That was the bravest thing I have ever seen anyone do,” he breathed to her. “I can’t believe you did that. I beg of you, never put yourself in danger like that ever again. I can’t lose you.”
“I had to,” Daisy pressed, her lip quivering. “I was so afraid when I saw you couldn’t conjure fire. Erasina had moved to help you, but I ran over before she could shift.”
Another commotion grabbed their attention. In the corner of the room, he witnessed a couple of his guards wrangling another Royal dragon. His brow creased. What was going on over there? Just as the question crossed his mind, the dragon was completely incapacitated and shifted back into her human form.
Even from across the room, Nyle could see who it was: Mylora.
Nyle snatched his ceremonial robe from the floor and put it on, holding it closed around his hips before marching over.
“How did this happen?” he asked the guards. “How did she escape?”
A guard spoke. “She was found with a group of Elementals outside of the palace with many of our guards. Nobody expected the attack.”
“How?” he asked. “Mylora was in prison!”
“She was released a few days ago. Direct orders arrived that Mylora was to be released since there was no longer a risk of the kingdom discovering your bond with the hybrid.”
“Who?” Nyle demanded. “Who gave these orders?”
The guard look terrified. “The orders came from the ruling family. Since you weren’t king yet, we took orders from everyone in your family until you were officially crowned.”
Someone in the ruling family? It had to have been Maylei. How could she?
Nyle’s nostrils flared, and he pointed a finger at the guard. “You pass it along to the other guards that no prisoner, no matter their crime, is to be released without my or Daisy’s expressed permission. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard responded.
Nyle kneeled down, careful to keep his robe closed, and looked at Mylora. “You and Forrest were working together this whole time, weren’t you?” he growled.
Her heavily bruised face scrunched together. “What are you talking about?”
“I think you cut a deal with Forrest. After I turned down a marriage to you, you went directly to the Elementals. You figured Daisy’s father couldn’t deal with the embarrassment of his hybrid daughter marrying the son of the enemy. The Elementals helped you when Daisy and I first got together, and I could never figure out why. Now I know. Not only were you responsible for kidnapping my mate last year, but you’re also responsible for her father’s return and this direct attack to the castle. That’s treason!”
A sickly grin spread over her lips. “Good luck trying to prove it.”
“Here’s the great thing about being a king—I don’t have to prove shit,” Nyle said, mirroring her wicked grin.
Mylora’s face fell completely flat.
“You don’t think anything through, do you?” he chuckled. Nyle stood straight. “Get her out of my sight until I decide what to do with her.”
The guards lifted her to her feet and dragged her away. As Nyle took several calming breaths, a familiar body slipped under his arm. He kissed the top of her head.
“I’m so sorry our day was ruined,” he sighed.
“It’s not your fault. My father caused this,” Daisy frowned.
“My family is not innocent. I need to find Maylei,” Nyle added bitterly.
“What are you going to do with them?” she asked, her big doe eyes peering up at him.
“Maylei will be banished. As for your dad, you can decide,” he told her.
Daisy’s face pulled into an uncomfortable look, clearly not wanting to decide the fate of her dad. He was about to tell her he would help her make the decision, when her face brightened.
“I have an idea,” she said with a knowing look.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
One Week Later
Daisy held Nyle’s hand as the SUV rolled through the green fields of Ohio. They sat in the middle row with one guard driving, another in the passenger seat, and two more in the very backseat with Forrest. She hoped she had made the right call. Nyle was very weary and hesitant when she first explained it to him, but he agreed to try it.
Forrest had gone against laws in his own clan by forming a private militia and attacking the Royal palace. The Elemental leaders would not condone his actions. The only question was how they would take to the news that she was a hybrid. Though, with the help of Evryn’s elixir, she wouldn’t be for long.
She was extremely hurt by her father’s betrayal. Even though she had never met him when she was younger, he had once told her that he looked out of her. When Daisy realized it was a lie, she was heartbroken, but then figured she had lived her whole life without him already. If she held onto her anger, she was punishing herself more than him.
Daisy was also upset that Forrest had made her doubt Nyle. Even though Nyle’s family had been involved in corrupt political actions over hundreds of years to benefit the clan, Forrest had greatly exaggerated and even lied about Nyle’s family. There were no good or bad guys when it came to the Royals and the Elementals. They both had done terrible things in the past, and the only thing they could do was make sure none of the mistakes were repeated. Nyle and Daisy decided that their reign would be one of honesty and integrity.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she took it out, glancing to see her mother calling. Rolling her eyes, she silenced the call and put it away.
“How long are you going to ignore her?” Nyle asked.
“At least long enough to deal with Forrest,” Daisy sighed. “I don’t want her figuring it out and begging me to bring him back.”
“I’m sure if you explain what he’s done, she won’t ever want to see Forrest again,” Nyle tried to assure her.
“One can hope. I think she really loved him,” Daisy frowned.
She had never witnessed her mother follow someone so blindly as she had with Forrest.
“It will all work itself out,” Daisy said.
The SUV came to a stop, and Daisy looked out the window. Were they at the right place? The Elementals preferred a simple lifestyle—to live off the land so to speak—but she had still imagined the leaders living somewhere grand. Instead, they were parked outside of a collection of log cabins. Daisy glanced to Nyle, and he gave a shrug, moving out of the SUV before offering a hand to help her out.
The guards all piled out, while two of them held onto Forrest to keep him from running off. Together, they all headed over to the largest cabin, positioned in the center of the first row of cabins. Before they could even reach the door, a large group of Elementals emerged from the cabins and hustled over to them. All but the two holding Forrest put their hands up in surrender.
“We aren’t here to cause any trouble. We just want to return a prisoner and speak with Riveryn,” Nyle announced, mentioning the leader of the Elementals.
A tall man appearing to be in his mid-forties with braided hair, a full beard, and green tribal markings stepped forward.
“What are you doing with one of my men?” he asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
Daisy assumed that was Riveryn. He was dressed in a t-shirt and casual khaki shorts, looking nothing at all like a leader. However, they were all dressed like that. It was much more relaxed than Nyle’s kingdom.
“Could we speak somewhere a little more private?” Nyle asked.
Riveryn contemplated, and then motioned to the side to some of the men standing around him before glancing back to the Royals.
“Follow me,” he stated, stepping into the large cabin.
They followed him in, several Elemental guards close behind. Daisy figured they were only allowing their visit because the Elementals knew they could easily overpower the small gro
up. It had been a strategy Nyle and Daisy had planned, knowing if they had shown up with a large group, it would turn into an all-out battle.
The inside of the cabin was extremely minimalistic. The floors were dirt, and the only wall seemed to separate the rest of the house from the bathroom. The only furniture in the cabin was bed pallets, a table, and a few shelves filled with books, and various objects. Riveryn and his men sat on the floor with their legs crossed, and the Royals followed suit.
“You may speak,” Riveryn stated to Nyle.
Nyle looked to his wife.
Daisy cleared her throat and made eye contact with Riveryn. “This may sound very strange, but Forrest is my father. I hadn’t known about him being a dragon until last year when I met my soulmate, Nylyrias. I met Forrest for the first time when he showed up to mother’s house recently. To keep a long story short, he attacked us with sixteen other Elemental dragons. We have reason to believe that he was colluding with a Royal dragon named Mylora, who had kidnapped me months ago with the help of two Elemental dragons.”
Riveryn’s eyes indicated he was processing the information Daisy had given him.
After a few moments of complete silence, he spoke, “Why are you bringing him here instead of simply killing him?”
“Well, because I’m hoping this can be the first of many acts to reconcile our differences. In a very literal way, the Elementals are my family just as much as the Royals. I would like to see peace bridge between us and all of the animosity that has built up over the centuries die off.”
Riveryn studied her closely. “I can tell you mean well, but clearly you are very naïve if you think returning a criminal will bring any kind of peace.”
She shook her head, “I don’t think that.”
Daisy nudged Nyle’s side, who reluctantly produced a scroll from his breast pocket. Daisy took it and stood, walking over to hand it to Riveryn.
He stared up at her in bewilderment, not used to an enemy being bold enough to approach him so casually.
“What is this?” he asked, taking the paper from her.
“It’s an agreement to return Pennsylvania to the Elementals. We will also pay for the destruction caused to our homes from your people.”
Riveryn looked at Daisy inquisitively, but did not speak.
“I know this can’t undo all that has been done over the years, but hopefully it is a step in the right direction,” said Daisy.
Riveryn’s eyes flickered to Nyle, raising a brow at him. “Is she serious?”
Nyle shrugged. “Yes.”
The Elemental leader then unrolled the scroll and skimmed through it, his face growing with surprise.
“I’ll be damned,” he muttered. After the initial shock had worn off, he shook his head and looked to Nyle. “Are you certain of this?”
“Stop looking to me. She’s our queen, and you can speak to her about it.”
“A human-Elemental hybrid is your queen?” he questioned, looking at Daisy skeptically.
“Hopefully soon I’ll be a full Elemental,” Daisy explained.
Her words made his eyebrows draw together.
She continued, “I don’t understand it, but supposedly, one of our elders found an elixir to help the dragon DNA that resides in a hybrid, attach to the human DNA to help them transition to being a full dragon. Sounds like science fiction to me too, but it’s worth a shot.”
“An elixir that turns hybrids into full dragons,” he reiterated, as though just to see how it felt in his own mouth. “That’s quite the interesting concept.”
Daisy’s lips curled into a smile. “I’m glad you think so.”
Riveryn looked back down to the scroll, taking everything in before standing. “I’m not saying that this will work, or if it somehow does, that it will stick. However, I’m willing to consider it. I need to talk it over with our council before coming to a decision.”
Then, he extended a hand to her for a handshake. She shook his hand, and he brought her closer to study her face, particularly her eyes.
“You are Elemental,” he said assured. “Reach out to me when you’re done with the elixir thing; let me know how it goes.”
“Yes sir,” she beamed.
“You’re very brave, aren’t you?” he questioned.
Daisy shrugged lightly. “After everything Nyle and I have been through to be together, I can’t imagine being anything else.”
Riveryn nodded, “That’s very admirable. If your transition is effective, you are always welcome in our land. Despite your rather unnatural marriage, we protect our own no matter what.”
Unless they are hybrids, Daisy thought to herself, but kept a pleasant smile on her face. “That’s very kind of you.”
Everyone else stood. Riveryn shook Nyle’s hand. “Perhaps things can be different than they were between your father and me.”
“Perhaps so,” Nyle nodded.
Riveryn studied Nyle for a moment before turning and walking toward his men.
“You may all leave now. I will contact you when I’m ready,” Riveryn demanded.
Daisy asked, “What will you do with Forrest?”
Riveryn responded, “You won’t have to worry about him again.”
Daisy wasn’t sure if that meant death or imprisonment, but didn’t press the subject.
The Royals then turned and walked out of the cabin. Eyes of the entire settlement were on them as they walked to their vehicle. Nyle and Daisy climbed into their seats and buckled in before they started moving.
“I can’t believe it,” Nyle murmured, genuinely sounding astonished. “You just single-handedly made more progress with the Elementals than our entire clan has since the divide all those years ago.”
Daisy wasn’t ready to celebrate quite yet. “Who knows if it actually worked? Honestly, they probably were only soft on me because of my genes. They seem to only trust their kind.”
“Definitely the case,” Nyle sighed. “That doesn’t take away from what you did, though. It’s as if you were meant to be queen,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
Daisy smiled. “Thank you.”
Then, the SUV hit a pothole as they pulled out into the main road and Daisy’s stomach immediately jumped into her throat. She put a hand over her mouth as she tried to hold back the sudden nausea.
“Pull the car over!” Nyle demanded.
As soon as the car came to a stop, Daisy flung open her door and lost the contents of her stomach into the grass. Nyle rubbed her back in big circles, hoping to help soothe her.
“Daisy, you’ve been sick for a while. We need to get you to a doctor right away.”
“I’m fine,” she squeaked, but her throat burned.
Once she felt like she her nausea was under control, Daisy sat up straight. Nyle handed her some water to rinse and rehydrate.
“I swear if I didn’t know any better, I would think you were pregnant,” he teased.
Daisy rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to shoot down his theory, when she realized she might have missed her period. She thought back through the weeks, her jaw dropping. She couldn’t recall having a period during the last two months.
Her silence made Nyle grin widely.
“Is that really possible?” Daisy breathed.
“Of course it is! This is amazing. We’ll see the doctor as soon as we get home,” Nyle said excitedly.
The SUV pulled back onto the road, Daisy slumping in her seat in shock. She didn’t need the doctor to confirm what she already knew.
Just when things started to simmer down, Nyle and Daisy were headed down another unexpected path. At least this time, it would be a joyous one.
“Ready for another adventure?” Nyle asked, pulling her into his side, and placing his hand over her belly.
Daisy let herself take another moment to process. A steady moan escaped her, and she looked up to Nyle with a smile.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
EPILOGUE
One Year Later
Daisy acted like she couldn’t hear Nyle, continuing to bounce her son on her knee while making funny faces at him. She was deeply biased, but Samson was the cutest little boy she had ever seen. He looked a lot like Nyle, with high cheekbones, a very straight nose, and the same golden hue to his skin. The most enchanting thing about the five-month-old was his eyes. He was born with light gray eyes with a honey-gold ring around the pupil. As Samson was getting older, they became even more gold and had slivers of silver. Daisy leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. Samson let out a giggle that warmed Daisy’s heart every single time she heard it.
“Come on, Daisy. You said we would go this weekend. It has to be done,” Nyle stated, standing directly in front of her then with his arms crossed over his chest.
She still ignored him. Nyle sighed heavily and sat down on the bed next to her.
“I don’t want to leave Samson either, but it’ll just be for a few days,” he tried to comfort her while he reached to tickle his son’s chin.
“You don’t know how long it will take. Not even Evryn knew,” Daisy corrected him. “What if it takes weeks, or even a month? We can’t be away from him that long.”
“He’ll be fine,” Nyle urged her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “It’s you that we need to worry about. We’ve put your transition off for too long. I know you couldn’t take the elixir while you were pregnant, and you didn’t want to while he was a newborn. However, the longer you stay a hybrid, the longer you will be an easy target for the rebels.”
She frowned deeply, hugging Samson to her chest, running her fingers through his wispy, ash-blonde hair. Nyle was right. The last year had been difficult. After their offer to give Pennsylvania back to the Elementals, both clans faced divisions. The majority of both sides wanted peace between the two clans. However, rebels within both clans split from their kingdoms and formed militias with the goal to destroy the peace.
