“You see?” Ariel went to sit at Alexander's side again. “Cole agrees with me.”
There was suddenly a crash from the dining room. Their heads whipped toward the left, ears cocked.
“What the hell?” Peter stood up. “If that was a servant…”
There was another crash, and then another. Suddenly, a scream came, followed by a growl. Evan snapped to his feet, moving quickly. He didn't say a word, but he didn't need to. The others followed swiftly, tense.
Pushing open the door between the dining room and the library, they were met with blood everywhere.
Two of the butlers lay on the ground, their blood pooling out from under them. Ariel nearly gagged when she saw one of them was missing half of his face.
“What the?” Nicholas' eyes searched the room until he found the cause. It only took half a second to lay eyes on three wolves in the corner. They were giant werewolves, and they were clearly angry.
To his right, he was startled by Evan's knees weakening. The werewolf king fell to his knees, his head bowed.
“Evan?” he asked, startled.
“Majesty,” Evan managed to growl as his head was forced downward. “One of them in invoking majesty.”
“Argh.” Ariel tried to push the magic out of the room, but there was far too much going on. Four princes and three wolves were too much for even the queen carapace. The best she could do was put an arm across Alexander, protecting him from any magic that would be thrown at him. But Alexander was trying to move, already backing up.
“You are the king, Evan,” he said. “How could one of them be–”
“This is an older king,” Evan said. “A greater King.”
“That's not how that…” Cole started before he got an idea. He pushed Ariel forward, even as the others backed up. “Ariel, feel his magic. Is that Father? Dragons can invoke majesty on wolves.”
The wolves were growling, but they recognized that they were outnumbered. Ariel closed her eyes for half a second before they flew opened. Her jaw fell opened.
“That is…I think that's–”
“Is it him?” Alexander demanded. “Is it Father?”
“It's not the same,” she managed. “But it's similar.”
“You have to go,” Alexander told her. “We can't fight this if you are keeping us in human form.”
“Alexander,” Peter put his hand on his brother's shoulder, “go with her. Take Cole. Get to a safe place.”
Nicholas raised his chin, his place as the protector of the realm in his heart. He would destroy these wolves who had managed to get into his room, threaten his family, and destroy his dining room. He didn't care whether it was his father returned from the dead or whether they were Evan's ancestors.
Despite the fact that Nicholas now had a child, Cole was still considered the last heir, the last chance to save the dragon throne, should they all perish in this battle.
“No,” Alexander started to protest. Ariel grabbed his wrist, backing up even as he protested.
But to her surprise, her steps made an impact on the wolves. They backed up as well, and then turned tail and ran through the hallway.
“After them!” Nicholas cried, and no one argued about who was following and who was staying.
Wolves were fast – faster than anyone could imagine. They made it to the throne room, bolting in the side door.
One of them turned just as they went into the door and looked at the throne. He wagged his tail, making Ariel stop, cocking her head as he turned back to her.
“Who the hell you are?” she asked. In answer, the wolf moved swiftly again.
They all felt the vortex in the antechamber activate. Half a second before they got there, the wolves were gone.
Evan caught up to them, his body unlocked, panting as he skidded to a stop.
“What the hell was that?” he asked, in confusion.
“You don't know them?” Nicholas asked, hopefully.
“Of course not,” Evan said. “I–”
“Why would you? He looked at our throne,” Ariel said. “He invoked majesty over you. Only dragons can do that when you are the current king.”
“You think that was Father?” Cole tried to confirm. Ariel put her hands to her head.
“I don't know. You know this isn't an exact science. I have no idea what it was. It was like nothing else I’ve ever felt before. It felt like your Father, but not.”
“But reincarnated in a wolf body?” Cole prompted.
“I don't know!” she cried. “I have no idea what's going in this kingdom at any point anymore.”
“Could it not have been a great wolf king, maybe the original, returned from the Other?” Peter suggested. “The original wolf king could invoke majesty over you, Evan, just as the original dragon king could invoke majesty over us. And the original wolf king would not know of the alliance that you and Alexander had created between our people.”
“Either way, until we figure that out, we have to be on our guard,” Nicholas said. “I'll increase guard duty, especially around the antechamber We know the Other is open; who knows what else could come out of there?”
“We also know that those who come back from the Other vanish again,” Ariel pointed out, avoiding Peter's gaze. “They could never return.”
“Or they could,” Nicholas said. “For now, let's assume they will.”
“Ariel,” Alexander caught her hand. “This is not on you to solve the issue. We will deal with whatever comes our way.”
“Until we can't,” she said, and Alexander smiled, pulling her close.
“There will always be a way,” he said. “We just haven't figured out some of them yet.”
She accepted his hug, closing her eyes. But her brain was moving even if her body wasn't.
What she told no one was that she hoped Spencer was right. She hoped with all her heart that death could be transcended because it would remove this pain she felt over Alexander's failing health. If Spencer wasn't right, she didn't know what she would do.
Chapter 11
Katianna awoke to a bump in her room. She sat up straight, her eyes adjusting to the lack of light as her heart rate rose.
Spencer practically fell onto the bed beside her. She moved just quick enough to not get crushed by him.
“What's the matter?” she asked, alarmed until she smelled his breath. Then, her concern turned to confusion. “Are you drunk?”
They weren't married yet, so he had been firm on not coming to bed with her. His morals belonged to another age, despite the modern day they lived in. She had accepted that he would remain old fashioned and look forward to the day that they were married. The fact that he was crashing into bed beside her was a nod to just how inebriated he might be.
“I forgot what drinking with a carapace is like,” he responded. His voice was half slurred, and she settled down beside him. “Lowers your inhibitions and gives you a human tolerance. Which, my dear, is not the same as a dragon tolerance.”
“I didn't realize you were celebrating,” she answered.
“We weren't,” he said. “We were arguing, actually. But it made me realize how much I love you.”
“Uh…okay,” she smiled. “That's some nice logic.”
“It's all right,” he reached out for her hand. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said with certainty. She didn't realize how much she missed him until he touched her. “I'm sorry I was quiet today.”
“My love,” he lay a kiss on her head, “you can do no wrong in my eyes.”
Her heart sunk at that. If he only knew what she thought she did, maybe he wouldn't feel that way.
Her feelings of regret were quickly lifted by his kisses. They started at her head and went lower. The ones on her neck sent shivers down her spine. When he kissed her collarbone, she let out a soft moan.
“Spencer,” she said. She was torn between pointing out his morals and being lost in the feeling that she had longed for.
“
I'm going to take you far away from here,” he whispered, as he continued to kiss her. “Far away from this palace and this world. I'm going to marry you tomorrow”
“Tomorrow?” she said, in shock. “You haven't even asked me.”
That stopped his actions. He pulled back, looking into her eyes.
“Katianna,” he said, brushing back her hair and wanting her more than anything in the world. “My love. Will you marry me? Promise to be with me in this life?”
Her arms trembled as she held herself up. Her heart beat fast, and her head bobbed.
“Yes,” she said, “I will.”
“Good,” he said, and kissed her hard.
It wasn't her first time with a man, but it was her first time with a dragon. She could form no more coherent words until morning. He took her to a world of pleasure that she could have never imagined. She couldn't breathe; couldn't think; couldn't speak. All she knew was that she needed him – needed to be with him forever.
When morning came, she was awoken by Spencer moving around her room. She managed to crack her eyes open to find him packing her things.
“Hi,” she said, and he turned his head toward her. “How are you feeling?”
He winced.
“I imagine I know what your headaches have been like,” he said, as he picked up the jeans she had left on the floor. It took another moment before her sleepy brain realized exactly what he was doing.
“Are we really leaving?”
“Didn't I say I would marry you, Katianna?” he gave her a smile.
“I wasn't sure if you remembered,” she replied.
“I remember,” he assured her. “I will always remember that moment.”
“Did I always say ‘yes’ right way?” she asked as she watched him. “And were we always happy?”
He paused at that, before picking up a few more things. “Almost,” he said at last. Her heart sunk.
“When weren't we?”
“It doesn't matter, Katianna,” he said. “It's the past. Come. We want to leave before anyone else is up.”
“Why?” she asked, confused.
“Our welcome is outstayed,” he said. “Please don't argue.”
She was confused, but she didn't argue with him. Throwing the cover off, she readied herself for the day as fast as she could.
“What about a dress? Rings?”
“We will take care of those things,” he replied. “But I want to do it today. No waiting. We will marry on Earth; we always have. I don't want to waste any more time.”
“What's the rush?” she tried to smile, and Spencer tensed.
“I just do,” he said. She didn't question it anymore, getting ready with haste.
It was half an hour from the beautiful bed to the antechamber doors. To her surprise, when they reached the vortex, there were guards at the door.
Spencer spoke quickly to them, and they moved aside, letting them in. Katianna was perplexed as she took his hand.
“What's going on?” she asked as he warmed up his magic.
“Don't worry about it,” he said. “All that matters today is that we are getting married.”
“Without even saying goodbye?” she answered. He pulled her close as the magic swirled, not answering. She closed her eyes, her heart pounding.
“Next time,” she said as her last words on Umora. They whooshed toward Earth, and toward their wedding.
***
Morning on Umora showed sleepless Dragon Princes, who had been up half the night trying to figure out exactly what the threat against them was. Sleeplessness was something that they were used to; it came with the territory. But Ariel's scream came when Alexander tried to get out of bed and promptly crashed to the floor.
“Help!” she screamed, helpless as she tried to revive him. Umora's medical technology was advanced, and their medical response team was fast. She knew he had a much better chance of surviving here on Earth.
But her heart still thudded a mile a minute as she stood outside the medical bay, watching them hook him up to machines and push magic into him.
“This is me,” she said as Cole stood by her side. “This is my fault.”
“This is not your fault anymore than it is any of ours,” Cole tried to assure her. “He's been overworked, and none of us have thought to relieve his burden”
“None of you are carapaces, slowly robbing him of his power,” she answered. “Worse – I knew, and I was too stubborn. I wanted to be by his side too much to care.”
“Hey,” he swung an arm around his sister-in-law. “He wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, he's going to be all right.”
“I should go away for a while, regardless,” she said. “Even if he's going to be fine, time apart from him will do him good.”
“Ariel,” he said, but she shook her head.
“You know it's for the best. I'll go to Earth. I don't have a show right now, but maybe I can find something to do.”
“Actually,” Cole's face changed. “there is something you could do on Earth. But you have to be not squeamish.”
She smirked. “What makes you think that I'm not brave?” she asked. “Blood doesn't bother me; intergalactic war doesn't bother me. The only thing that appears to bother me,” she gestured through the door, “is the husband I wasn't supposed to love collapsing before my eyes.”
“Well, that's good,” Cole said. “I think.”
“What is it you need me to do?” she asked flatly. If he had a task to keep her busy, she would do it, no questions asked. She desperately needed to keep herself busy.
“I need you to go to Earth and dig up the past three bodies of Katianna,” Cole said.
She choked. “What?”
“Never mind,” he said. “It's morbid.”
“No,” she tugged on his hand “Tell me.”
“I just…from what I've been reading about reincarnation, sometimes it's the soul, and then sometimes, the whole body vanishes only to be remade. Considering we are dealing with magic and not religion, it's the latter, I suspect.”
“So, if it's real,” Ariel said, “you think her graves would be empty.”
“You'd have to be discreet, obviously,” he said. “Grave robbing is frowned upon on all planets.”
“Well,” she bit her lip, “it wasn't quite what I was thinking, but I'm sure I could get it done.”
“If you could,” Cole replied, “Nicholas can take you. I've already spoken to him, and he agrees.”
“But you'll keep me posted?” she nodded toward Alexander. “If something happens?”
“Of course,” Cole promised her. “Don't worry.”
“Everyone has been saying that since those two showed up,” Ariel replied. “I'm not sure that I like it. But I'll go. Let me get my bag and a shovel.”
“You're the best, sister-in-law,” he said, and she rolled her eyes.
“Always getting someone else to do your dirty work, Cole. Just find Nicholas.”
Ariel did not expect it to be easy when she got to Earth. She had seen all the movies about grave robbing, and she knew that there were hundreds of graveyards in one state alone. But thanks to sites like Findagrave.com and the rest of the internet, it didn't take long to find the three of them. Spencer always buried her under the same name, and he always adorned the graves like she was a princess.
The first graveyard was easy enough to get to. Three hours on the train from where she started, and she exited through the right side of the station.
The graveyard was massive, but she soon found what she was looking for, even in the dying light. Spencer had left the grave with enough adornments that they could probably see it from space.
Risking her small data plan as the light faded, she called Cole on Facetime, setting the phone on the grave with her light on as she dug. It was eerie, digging into this grave that was nearly fifty years old. The white tombstones glowed like bones as the night grew dark.
“I think I'm there,” she said, at last, as she pushed aw
ay the last foot of dirt. “Sounded like a clunk. How's Alexander?”
“He's all right,” Cole said. “Our medics think it was just exhaustion.”
“Which is not something that a dragon prince that young should suffer,” Ariel replied.
“One who has been working that hard?” Cole asked, as she pushed the dirt away.
“Jesus!” she suddenly cried, jumping back.
“What?” Cole asked, as she moved the phone to show him.
The coffin that she had found had once been adorned with jewels There were places for them to be glued in, carved into the wood. Some of the decorative, less expensive adornments were still there, but most of them were gone.
What bothered her the most was not the missing jewels. It was the hold in the coffin as long as her torso. And through the hole, as she shined the light, she could see what was inside the coffin.
“It's empty,” Cole said, his voice crackling over the line.
“As far as I can tell,” Ariel replied as she shined the light inside. “See anything?”
“Has it been robbed?” he asked.
“Yes, for sure,” she said. “But do grave robbers usually take the body, too?”
“Depends what they are into,” he said. “Damn. This is inclusive.”
“Well,” she sighed. Her muscles were aching, and she was covered with dirty. “That means only one thing.”
“You have to go to the next one,” he said.
“I was hoping you said it explained everything,” she answered. “I'm blaming Spencer for this. If he didn't make her out to be a dead princess, we wouldn't be wondering whether she was gone or just stolen.”
“Do you know where the other two are?”
“Yes,” Ariel asked. “It'll take me a day to get to each of them. One of them is in Europe, which is annoying.”
“Call me when you know more,” Cole said. “I'll keep you posted on this side.”
“The things I do for dragons,” she grumbled as she brushed the dirt off of her. But in her heart, she was eager to get to the next one. She couldn't wait to find out the truth. She hoped that whatever the truth was, it would set them free, one way or another.
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