Ilias: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Stratham Dragons Book 2)

by Sarah J. Stone

  She didn't answer, turning on her heel and storming away. Her mind was spinning. She couldn't think; she could barely breathe.

  This was too much. In one evening, she had gone from not caring about her family to finding out they were dead, and then finding out they were alive and cared about her.

  She couldn't even begin to think about what all of this meant. It felt like everyone in her life the past week had been lying to her. No one had been telling her the truth, for various reasons. She didn't know who to trust. She didn't know herself; she didn't know where she stood in the world right now.

  Her cell phone rang, and she saw that it was Alexander, but she didn't answer it. She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't even know if she could go back and face him tonight.

  She circled around the block and stopped short of standing in front of the Starbucks. To her surprise, the boy was still there. She had broken his nose, and he had gone in to get some napkins. He was standing outside of Starbucks, finishing a phone call. She ducked behind the wall, waiting until he hung up the phone. He began walking down the sidewalk with a sense of purpose, heading somewhere.

  She only took half a moment to decide to follow him. Whether he was telling the truth or not was a question in her mind; although he did seem to know an awful lot.

  He went down the sidewalk in the opposite direction from there, and she was careful to hide in doorways and be absorbed in her phone so he didn't look back and see her.

  She wasn't sure how far they walked. It wasn't too far, but she was wearing impractical high heels and her feet soon ached as they made their way into a park.

  Her high heels sunk into the grass, and she hissed in annoyance, thinking about how much they had cost.

  Eventually, he stopped. It almost appeared like he stopped in a clearing in the middle of nowhere, randomly, because he seemed to wander around for a bit before standing in between two trees. She ducked behind a bigger cluster of trees as he looked up at the moon.

  And then she heard a crunch of leaves, and a voice addressed him.

  “What the hell happened to you?”

  “Ariel has an arm on her,” he said, his voice sounding slightly nasally. She couldn't help but smirk a little bit in pride. Alexander had taught her how to defend herself early on, and his skills had paid off. “She seemed a little shocked, to say the least.”

  “She would be,” the voice said. “The dragons lied to her for years to keep her all to themselves. If they had their way, she would probably never know the truth.”

  “But now she knows,” he said. “And she's made it clear it was only a marriage of convenience, so who knows whether she's willing to take that convenience a little bit further?”

  “Maybe,” said the voice. Ariel recognized it as male now that it was a bit louder. “Give her time. No Regina makes decisions quickly.”

  “She's half Campbell, too,” the boy said, proudly. Ariel wondered how old he was. – 18 or 19, maybe, too young to be tied up in all this. If he hadn't said the words to her that he did, she would think him just some schoolboy, wandering through town. “Don't forget.”

  “I have never forgotten what she is,” the male voice said proudly. “She's my daughter.”

  Ariel gasped, covering her mouth quickly. But it was inefficient, for at the same moment, her cell phone went off. She cursed, trying to silence it. But it was far too late.

  Both of them approached her, and she decided it would be an idiot move to run. They could probably grab her faster than she could pull her heels out of the mud.

  A tiny part of her, though, wanted to see her father's face – a face she had wondered about her whole life.

  CHAPTER 8

  Perhaps it was because he looked exactly how she had imagined him to look. Perhaps it was because she was so curious or so confused. Either way, she stayed grounded while he looked upon her.

  “Hello, daughter,” he said. “We meet at last.”

  He was tall and strong, with hair that might once have been red. Now, it was a silvery grey. He had lines around his eyes, and she saw the same sparkle in his eyes that she sometimes got when she was incredibly happy. He had probably been imagining this moment for years.

  “How do I know you're telling the truth?” Ariel asked. She was already planning her escape, although it wasn't a very good one. She planned to dart passed them in the dark and assumed that the forest would cover her. She just needed to get her shoes off, which she was trying to do subtly. “How do I know that any of you are telling the truth?”

  “Alright, you have a right to doubt,” he said. “After all, we weren't sure it was you for many years. Here,” he put his hand on a tree, “there's magic in trees, right? Nature has magic?”

  “A little bit,” she said. “But not enough to do any damage to anything.”

  “I don't want to do any damage,” the man said. “I just want to prove my point. Here, put your hand on the tree, but don't suck anything out.”

  “Mmm,” she winced. “It's not easy to contain.”

  “You can do it,” he smiled. “I believe in you. Place your hand on the tree.”

  She obliged only because it put her in a better position to take off her shoes. She leaned forward, subtly slipping off her left heel. She felt the magic in her palms, and then she felt it slink away. She looked up to him, in shock.

  “That's how fast you can do it when you are trained,” he said. “We can teach you how to hone your skills.”

  “I know how to use my skills,” she said, but he raised an eyebrow.

  “But you are three times more powerful than I am, and you cannot do that as fast,” he said. “And I'm sure it would be of your benefit to learn how to work faster, wouldn't it?”

  “No,” she said dully.

  “Really? When your brother-in-law was cursed last year, you wouldn't have given anything to suck that painful magic out of him a bit faster?”

  Ariel's eyes darted upwards. “How did you know about that?”

  “I have my ways,” he said. “And my spies.”

  “But you couldn't have gotten into the kingdom.”

  “No,” he nodded. “You're right. But you and Alexander are quite free with your speech when you are here.”

  “Argh,” she growled. Her hands trembled, and she wanted to smash both their faces against the tree. “What do you want from me?”

  “Nothing right now,” he said. “Just think about it, Ariel. Nothing more.”

  “Think about what?”

  “Joining us,” he said. “Joining your family. Specifically, in going against those who did us wrong.”

  “I will never abandon…” she started but he raised an eyebrow.

  “Are you sure?” he answered. “Because I know you've been wanting to make a break for them for a long time. You don't like being married, is that true?” she didn't answer, and he continued to look down upon her. “Although I wish I could have been there at your wedding, under different circumstances, of course. Perhaps not to a dragon lord.”

  “My wedding?” she asked, in shock.

  “To give you away,” he said. “A privilege I've been denied.”

  “You were denied everything when you abandoned me!” she cried.

  “For your own safety,” he said. “I assure you.”

  “Safety?” She laughed. “Do you think it was safe that I grew up in foster homes with nine other kids in two bed rooms? With foster parents who only wanted the money the agency gave? With foster mothers who kicked me out for the simple reason that I was beautiful? You don't know what safety is. I was left to starve, to freeze, and to die. I lived on the streets. I lived in hostels until I found dance. And when the dance world threatened to abandon me, too, it was dragons who saved me.”

  “And yet they control you,” he said. “They keep you in a cage, and you do not like cages, do you? No, your mother didn't like cages either.”

  She froze.

  “Where's my mother?”

  Even thou
gh she never knew her mother, she had always wondered who she was and what she was like. She wished that the wondering had gone away as a teenager or as an adult, but a girl never stops wanting her mother.

  His face softened.

  “She has not returned to us yet.”

  “From the Other?” Ariel asked.

  “Yes. But we have faith that she will. She will find a different world – a united world. One where she and I will not be apart.”

  “I want to leave,” Ariel said, and to her surprise, he stepped aside, waving his arms.

  “By all means. We will never keep you prisoner nor tie you down. You are free to come and go; there are no conditions on our offer, Ariel. Or our love.”

  She turned and ran as fast as she could. The forest was dark, and she wasn't sure which direction she had come from. They weren't following her, however, and her phone's GPS eventually got her back onto the sidewalk. Bending over, she tried to catch her breath.

  It would have been better if she knew he was lying. If he had been nasty or hurtful, she could have dismissed this experience and never thought about it again.

  But he had been kind and caring, with a smile on his face. That was what made it worse. And he was speaking with grief over her mother, which was something she had never expected.

  But then again, she wasn't quite sure what to expect because she hadn't exactly pictured this moment. Any time she had pictured her parents, she had seen them in a normal situation – a Christmas morning or a birthday party, or a big breakfast.

  This was life changing, and she didn't do well with total chaos. Her life had been the same in a lot of ways since she was a child: alone, fending for herself, no one looking out for her needs except her. The fact that this kind man was telling her these things made her brain flip on edge. She didn't really know what to make of it.

  She eventually found her way back to the hotel, her lips firmly shut as she got into the elevator. Her mind was spinning too fast to speak, and she was grateful to find the hotel room mostly empty as she walked in.

  She thought that perhaps Alexander had gone out with Peter to eat or to clear their heads. If Peter was anything like the others, it wouldn't be out of character for them to get a drink in the bar.

  She was ready to sink on the bed, hoping to lose herself in mindless TV. But then she heard a noise of distress from the bathroom and remained on her feet, her legs stopping her mid fall.

  “Alexander?” she asked, taking a cautious step towards the bathroom. All her senses were on high alert, especially after this evening. She felt the familiar magic of her husband flood the room, getting sucked into her veins as she pushed open the bathroom door.

  Alexander had both hands on the porcelain white sink, his jacket discarded on the ground as he heaved. His taut stomach contracted, and sweat poured down his face as he took a deep breath, waiving his hand.

  “Ariel. No!”

  “Sweet Jesus, will you never get over your pride?” she said as she went to him, wrapping her hands around his waist. “I've seen you throw up before.”

  It alarmed her that he was practically trembling, his eyes fighting for consciousness. She knew better than to ask questions when someone was in this state. She held him close until he was still, his body simply reacting to the rejection. She felt nothing but his own magic in him, but she wondered if he had been cursed just the same. Dragons were strong, even on Earth beside carapaces. They shouldn't be catching stomach bugs and throwing up in hotel sinks.

  “Alright?” she said after a moment, and he managed to nod. She guided him back to the bed, handing him a chilled, over-priced bottle of water from the mini bar. “Just sit quietly for a moment.”

  He smirked softly, even as he half gagged on the water.

  “I'm not a child, Ariel.”

  “Really? Because I leave for two seconds and come back to you making messes in the bathroom,” she said, trying to make him smile. “That's better. What's happening?”

  “I don't know,” he said. “It came on suddenly. I've never had anything like that before.”

  “Lovely,” she said. “Where's Peter?”

  “He's safe,” Alexander said. “In his room, and I told him I'd know in an instant if he tried something ridiculous. He's fine for now. I came back here and it struck me like a thunder bolt.”

  “Is it possible...” Her brain whirled. “I mean, you're not quite human if I'm not around, but you have a lot less magic. And if I am around, you're basically locked in human form, save for a bit of magic. Could you have picked up something?”

  “A human virus?” he asked. “I don't think so. I...maybe? God,” he closed his eyes, leaning forward. “Ariel?”

  He looked so pitiful that she forgot their earlier scrap and what had taken place in the woods. She crawled up on the bed beside him. He was never one for being touched unless he wasn't quite in his right mind. But now, he wanted nothing but her hands on his.

  “You're not cursed,” she said. “I feel nothing in you except for your own magic.”

  “This would happen just now,” he said, trying to breathe as another wave of nausea hit him. “What did you get up to?”

  “Oh,” she paused. She had never lied to him before, and had never kept a secret. Between them, there was no judgment or secrets. They had always known each other inside and out. But it appeared that he had changed that policy by not telling her that half the kingdom was hers. Until she knew exactly what these people who claimed to be her family wanted, she decided silence was the best policy. “I just went for a walk to clear my head.”

  “I am sorry, Ariel,” he said. “I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry if you felt like I deceived you.”

  “Alexander, it's your kingdom,” she said, softly. “You have no need to tell me anything if you didn't want to.”

  “Those weren't our vows,” he said, sinking into the pillows. She had so much to protest in that sentence. Where did their vows come into this, exactly? Neither of them had taken them seriously; they were just a means to an end. Or so she had thought.

  He closed his eyes, and she said nothing, laying her head beside him. What had transpired tonight was a conversation for a different time – the morning perhaps. Tonight, she needed him to feel better, because she certainly didn't know how to handle any of this by herself.

  CHAPTER 9

  Ariel had her alarm set as a default on her phone, because she was one of those people who could sleep forever if she didn't. Even though she was far out of her teenage years, she felt like she hadn't gotten a good night sleep in years. But usually, when her alarm went off, Alexander was already out of bed and off to start his day. The fact that he was still shirtless beside her startled her.

  She only had to take one look at him to see that he wasn't well. His color was poor, and his jaw was clenched, his eyes screwed shut against the light that was coming in.

  She rolled over, laying a head on his shoulder.

  “Hi,” she said softly.

  “I vomited in the shower,” he said as a greeting. “It's clean now, but I apologize.”

  “You know nothing of romance, husband,” she said, sitting up. “I was thinking last night, it isn't because you went too long without eating, is it? I know we had a rough week.”

  “No,” he rolled over, not even looking at her. “If anything, it's the opposite. Peter's appetite was hesitant, and I thought if I pushed through the wall...”

  “I see,” she said. “So you gorged.”

  “No,” he said. “But I didn't feel in top form after it.”

  “Mmm,” she felt pity for him, and she was surprised to realize how worried she was. “It's alright, you know, to be down once in a while.”

  “Not when you are king,” he grunted.

  “But you're not king,” she pointed out, and they fell into silence.

  They had never had a moment like this before, when they were in bed and not asleep or locked in throws of passion. They didn't cuddle; they didn't simply enj
oy time touching and being lost in each other’s eyes. She lay half on top of him, feeling the heat coming off his body and feeling him wince in pain a few times. His body had tensed and then untensed, and she knew he was suffering in stubborn silence.

  “Can you...” He eventually rolled over to face her. “Can you go and see Peter? Make sure that he's alright?”

  “You think he might be ill, too?”

  “No, but there's always a chance he might be hanging himself by the curtain cord,” Alexander said, and she sighed.

  “Sure,” she said, pulling herself off him. “Do you want anything in the mean time?”

  “Death,” he replied, and she rolled her eyes.

  “I think I've heard of this disease before. It's called the flu,” she said. He had heard the term before and was able to give her a look that told her he was not impressed.

  She pulled her hair into a pony tail and found fresh clothes in her suitcase, although she noted that she would have to take her clothes down to the front desk to get them laundered.

  Peter had a connecting door, but she went through the hallway, knocking on his outer door.

  It took a moment or two, but Peter pulled it open. Shirtless with tousled hair, he looked a lot like his brother, the sleep still in his eyes. Apparently, even the dragon king needed a day to sleep in.

  “Just checking whether or not you're dead” she said, switching to dragon lore.

  He raised an eyebrow, looking down at himself.

  “Clearly not,” he replied.

  “Okay,” she turned to go, but he grabbed her shoulder.

  “Where is my brother?”

  “Alexander doesn't feel well,” she said. “So, I'm checking.”

  Peter stepped into the hallway just as a maid came out of the room. She gasped at the sight of the tall, well-muscled man, looking like a male model in the morning light.

  “Woah,” Ariel said. “Peter, you're in human form. Clothes are required. I know no one walks around the palace like that.”

  “Take me to my brother.”