“Do you like it?” Ethan asked. “If you do, it's yours.”
“You don't need to buy me gifts.” She laughed.
“I haven't gotten you any jewelry yet. Besides, we need rings. This will be a bonus, come on.” He pulled her into the store and brought her to the counter. “Go ahead and find something you like. I'm going to find a sales clerk.” Before he could pull away from her completely, she gave him a firm kiss on the lips.
There are so many to choose from! She marveled, and saw many expensive-looking options. The twinkling of the gemstones under the light took her breath away. Then her gaze met the perfect set. A single emerald-cut white diamond, surrounded by two round purple amethysts, all on a white gold ring. The purple one is perfect. Exactly what we should have, don't you think?
Because red and blue make purple? She glanced over her shoulder to see him smiling by the window as he talked to one of the store workers.
She nodded at him and then went back to admiring the rings. I'm pretty sure that's what we've been making.
Same.
With a sigh, she reached into her purse and decided to pull out her phone. Now's as good of a time as any, right? When she turned it on, she saw several missed calls and a number of text messages from both her mother and Tyson. She frowned. How did I not get all of these?
“Please tell me you're okay.” Was the latest one from Tyson.
Quickly she sent back another message. “Yes, why? Did something happen?”
All of the texts from her mother simply said for her to call. There was a voicemail as well. Dani opened it and listened.
“Danielle, it's me, Mom. You need to call me back as soon as you get this. Both of you are in danger. Come back home. I can't explain much of it now, but Lord Bolton is—” And then the message cut out.
Dani turned to get Ethan, her body shaking with fear at the mention of Bolton. When she spun around, Ethan was right next to her. He caught her with his strong arms, still smiling, and completely oblivious.
“Where you going? Is everything okay?” he asked.
She shook her head. “We have to go back home. Something's happened, and I think we're in trouble here.”
“Dani, this is the safest place I know,” he insisted. She refused to share in his smile. It faded, melting into a frown, and he sighed. “Let's at least do this and then we'll go. I promise.”
“I'm sorry,” she whispered.
“It's okay,” he said, and pulled out his credit card to pay for everything. As the clerk ran the card through the register, Ethan picked up the ring she'd chosen and placed it on her finger. For the first time, it all felt official, even more so than when they were allowed to make love. The one piece of jewelry made it real. Which was silly since a ring shouldn't have defined anything. There was something nice about having a physical reminder of their commitment.
Ethan picked out a simple band of white gold and put that on. “Perfect.”
With everything paid for, Ethan walked her back to the inn. “Did your mom say anything about what exactly is going on?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Something to do with Bolton, and then the message must have run out of time. I—” She stopped talking when she opened the door to their room and saw two large Terran men standing inside.
“Run.” Ethan pulled her in the opposite direction and ran right into two more men.
They pulled him away from her, and she desperately tried to hold onto his hand. Soon massive arms were around her as well. The man's hand covered her mouth. A knife went to Ethan's throat.
“We aren't going to kill anyone. That's not our mission. All we're supposed to do is bring you back home. However, if you fight us, we'll do what we need to. But let's be honest, the death of a Great Dragon Lord's son is not something we want on our hands. Nor do you want it on yours,” the man who held her stated in a deep, firm voice. “Do you understand, princess?”
Dani nodded, her eyes wide with fear at the mere mention of them killing Ethan. Please do as they say.
They can't stop me, he thought.
They're stronger than you, and have your magic's weakness. Please. I don't think he's lying, she pleaded.
I won't let them take you. He struggled. Who knows what Bolton will do to you. They might not hurt you, but something tells me he will.
She winced and closed her eyes briefly before watching one of the Terran men who held Ethan punch him hard across the face. That was all it took to make his body go limp. One of them draped him over a shoulder.
“So what will it be?” the man who held her asked. “Will you comply?”
Dani nodded again, and a tear trickled down her cheek. Just don't hurt him.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ethan groaned when he came to. His head throbbed, especially his face, and when he opened his eyes he saw his father looking down on him. The next thing he noticed was, he was still at his room in the inn. Dani was nowhere to be seen.
“Where—?” he started.
“They took her,” Darien said quietly. He let out a deep sigh. “I came as soon as the purchases started showing up. Your mother got a call from Kat, warning us about what might happen. I still can't believe you disobeyed me. Did you two actually think there would be no severe retaliation? That the Terran would just let you go?”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Lectures.”
“You could have been killed!”
“At least I'd have died happy, having known her. That’s better than being miserable without ever having the chance,” he mumbled.
His father clenched his fists and then ran a hand through his hair. “Obviously, what's done is done. There's no way to take back something like this, and I know you wouldn't even if you could. I…” He closed his eyes. “I respect you for doing everything you could to be with her. And I… was harsh. She is worthy of you. If I hadn't gone off the deep end, then maybe you two wouldn't have plowed into things and—”
“So now you're going to blame yourself? Not productive right now, Dad. They have her, and we have to get her back.”
“It could start another war if I show up on a rampage,” his father whispered.
Ethan shook his head. “So then you aren't going to help me at all? You're just going to let them keep her and hurt her? Maybe even kill her?”
“She's more useful to them alive, but what they might do to her could be worse than death anyway,” his father mumbled. “All the Terran want from her is a pure dragon child. They want the Great Dragon. And if they do anything they can to make it happen, then she might rather be dead. A lot of women don't recover from that kind of a trauma.”
Please tell me you're okay, Dani. That they haven't touched you. Please talk to me. Ethan waited, hoping she'd reply, but none came. “I won't let them,” he vowed. “I won't let them get anywhere near her.”
His father placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder. “I hope so, but if not… I know you'll be the man she needs to help her. There's only so much I can do to help, but I am going to do it. Are you ready to do what I tell you? Because if you aren't going to listen to me, then this is quickly going to get much more complicated than it already is. The Terran must be dealt with a certain way, you see.”
Ethan nodded, happy for whatever help he could get. “You have a plan then?”
“To get you into the country, but beyond that I don't know where she is or who has her.”
“Lord Bolton has her.”
“Are you sure of that, though? Because something in my gut is telling me this goes beyond him. There's someone even more powerful you're going to be dealing with. Just based on what I've heard.”
Ethan closed his eyes, trying to ignore the searing pain in his jaw. “I don't understand what's going on or what the big deal is.”
“Because we purposefully kept you all in the dark, so you didn't freak out. Pretty positive that's backfired. You know this has to do with the Great Dragon, right?”
“I gathered as much, yeah. Dani mentioned it. The
most I know is, He's supposed to be the great bringer of peace, right? The defeater of the Great Evil? Religion was never my best subject.”
His father nodded. “You've got the gist of it. The Holy Book clearly states that the Great Dragon will be of Inero blood and born in the city by the sea.”
“Which is Oceina City.”
“Yes, and it also indicates that the Great Dragon will be of pure dragon blood. That's why Danielle is the first female dragon to ever be born, and quite possibly the only one—all for this one purpose. What isn't clarified is what the other half of the Great Dragon's blood will be. So when it came down to it, the Terran obviously wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.”
“Right, I'm following,” Ethan said.
His father frowned thoughtfully for a moment. “Deep down in my heart I always knew you would be with her. My father told me once that you were the answer. And I'm wondering if this is the question you are the answer to. It explains, to me at least, why the Great Dragon will be born in the city by the sea. Of course, everyone wants to bring the Great Dragon into being. Peace would be nice, you know? But there are also those who want to stop it at all costs.”
“Seems stupid to me,” Ethan mumbled.
“People are greedy and easily blinded. The three most powerful motivators for any person are survival, love, and power. I'm not going to pretend to have all of the answers here. Let's get you cleaned up, and then we can work on getting you energy. You'll need a lot of it.” He rubbed Ethan's back and then got up to grab a wet wash cloth and a bandage. “When we transform, it should heal you all of the way. But we still don't want to risk you getting an infection.”
Ethan winced when the wet cloth made contact with his skin. “That bad?”
“Pretty intense, yeah. You've got a cut, but for the most part only a lot of bruising. I hope you don't have a concussion, because what we're going to do is pretty dangerous as it is.”
“What do you mean?”
His father bit his lip. “We can't fly in. They'll be expecting it. We're going to have to swim. Across the ocean.”
“Yeah, and? We breathe underwater.” Ethan shrugged.
“There are also boats, big ones, so we'll have to avoid those. If we go too deep, though, there are other things we'll have to dodge. Giant squids, sharks, et cetera. The sharks, I think, are pretty scared of us since we're bigger. The squids I'm not so sure, since they're probably bigger than us. Not like I've ever seen one, but they supposedly exist. We're both small. Saltwater, also, isn't the same as fresh. It can do a lot of strange things to my magic. One of them is making me glow in the dark, which could attract unwanted attention as well,” his father explained. “The good news is, the Terran mainland isn't far from here.”
“How far?”
“Far enough, but not too far.” His father gave him a small smile. Ethan couldn't help but wonder if he was purposefully trying to dodge the question. It had to be further than he would have preferred if it was considered a dangerous trip. But Ethan also didn't have any other options. His father was right. The Terran would expect an air raid.
While Oceina dragons did fly in and out of the country frequently, the Terran would know what to look for. Ethan's body was small, much like his father's. A boat could take hours or even days longer, depending on how outdated of a model they rode in on. Plus, there would always be the chance of a dragon working the customs office. Too much to deal with. Swimming would be the one way for him to make it across undetected.
Ethan let his father finish tending to his wounds then stood up. “We need to go now.” He glanced at his father. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome. Come on, let's transform, so you can bring your wife home.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Wray took Maya to the nation of Terran. She'd never been there before. The only large city she had ever seen was Oceina City. Terran City was nothing like it in comparison. While both cities had massive skyscrapers, Terran City had a rougher feel to it. The buildings in Oceina were beautiful and sparkled in the sunlight as if they were covered in gems. Not the case in Terran. These were dull and blended into one another, creating the appearance of a large wall.
Upon arriving in the city, Maya noticed how busy the streets were. Everyone came or went, and rushed about to get there. She loved the action and seeing all of the people. Wray grabbed her by the forearm and pulled her through the crowd.
“You're kind of hurting me,” she said. His hands grasped her roughly, the circulation to her arm practically cut off.
“I don't want to risk losing you, darling.”
More tingles filled her as she gazed into his eyes. Everything happening between them happened so fast. They'd made love, and now he was taking her to his boss for approval to wed her. A bit backwards, but in the end it would all balance out.
They walked for a few blocks, and then he led her into a building. Together, they rode up the elevator to the top floor. The doors to the elevator were made of glass, so she could see their ascension. Her brain seemed to dip into her stomach from the speed with which the transparent box rushed through the shaft, disorienting her. She lost her balance for a moment and Wray caught her. Never before had she been so high in her life. Looking out the windows one last time, she swallowed, wondering what it would be like to fall from so high.
“Are you all right?” Wray asked.
She nodded. “I'm fine. You're here.”
“I like your answer,” he said, and led her down a long hallway. The decor was gorgeous. Flooring made from fine wood, walls painted in a soft beige and accessorized with famous paintings. She couldn't take her eyes off of them. Each time she saw a picture, she had to stop and admire it.
“We can enjoy them further when we're done with our meeting,” Wray said. “Being late is not an option.”
“Sorry,” she whispered, and let him lead her through a large doorway, after opening a heavy wooden door. It opened up into an office that was probably the size of Dani's house. The ceiling was high and sky-lighted. She was pretty sure the clouds kissed the glass, they were so close. More fine art hung on the walls surrounding a lounge with black leather furniture. And that was where Wray brought her.
He sat down on a couch, and she joined him, staying close to his side. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, she was so nervous. What if he doesn't like me? Or doesn't think we should be wed? Will Wray leave me? Or would he fight for me when no one else would?
Wray touched her hair and more tingles filled her. She gazed into his eyes and saw nothing but his love and adoration for her. “Relax. I'm positive you are who we're looking for.”
A man entered the room. An Inero one, which surprised Maya. She'd have expected a Terran to walk in. This new man was in his thirties. Small and timid, he didn't give off the kind of persona that seemed appropriate for a boss, let alone to be in the top of a corporate building so impressive in size.
“Master Seth,” Wray said, and stood so he could bow.
“I see you've brought her. You're sure she's the one?” the man, Seth, said.
“Oh, I am positive. She's the blood of the guardian and the late Inero Lord's favorite wife. She qualifies in so many perfect and coincidental ways that it can't be a coincidence,” Wray said, and his smile was so wide he practically glowed. It was beautiful. Maya loved seeing him so happy.
Seth stepped closer to Maya, leaning over her and smelling her. “I see you've already mated.”
“How could I wait?” Wray put an arm around her. “You see how delicious she is? Besides, she needed to be warmed up before procreation. It'll help stimulate the process.”
“True, I just wish you'd have let me examine her further before leaping in, so to speak, again.” Seth trailed a hand over her shoulders and then down over her stomach. “Interesting.”
Maya shifted where she sat. “What? I mean, what's interesting?”
“You're like a dragon.”
“I have dragon magic in me,” she said, an
d glanced at Wray. “And I think it's stronger now because we've become one.”
Seth smiled and pressed his index finger against Wray's forehead. “I can finally give you the Seed that will bring about the Great One. You can pass it along to her. She'll be a suitable vessel to carry him, to nurture him. You've done your job well. Once he is born, you can do as you please with the girl. He is our priority, though, always.”
“Who? Are you talking about the Great Dragon?” she asked, her heart fluttering at the thought. Her? Giving birth to such a powerful creature? Seth only laughed.
“He will be the greatest dragon to ever be born, so I suppose in a way, yes. You will be the mother to an extraordinary child. There's just one more thing you need to do. Destroy the other dragon girl. Her disgusting spawn will be the end of everything we've been working for.”
“What's that?” Maya asked.
Wray bowed again. “You honor me, sir. I feel his power. It's incredible! Overwhelming. I'll be sad to pass it on, but I don't think I'm strong enough to hold onto him for much longer.”
She shook her head. “Can one of you please tell me what's going on?”
“The spirit of the Great One is eternal. For a long time I've been keeping him sustained,” Seth explained. “But he needs a body of his own. A body you and Wray shall provide. Like I said, you are what we need. The other dragon girl will give birth to a child who will want nothing more than to destroy yours. Now, what kind of a mother would you be if you let her succeed?”
Maya let out a quiet gasp. “I think I understand now. Yes, Wray, let's do what needs to be done to her.”
I am special. I am important, and I'm not going to let Dani take that away from me too.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“So my people weren't good enough for you, was that it?” Lord Bolton shouted before he smacked Dani hard across the face again. She could feel another cut break open on her face, but this blow didn't hurt as much as the last one. Then again, her sense of feeling may have been slowly fading. She wanted to tell him Tyson was more than good enough. Lord Bolton didn't seem to be in a listening sort of mood however.
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