“You go pack what we need. I’ll clean up.” She shoved him gently. “Go. We can take the rest of the waffles with us.”
“Can I trust you not to pour the contents of the vial down the sink?” He backed out of the kitchen.
“You can trust me. I want you to be safe. I want the spell to work.” Her eyes rested on the vial, which swirled around as if it had just been shaken. “I’m just looking out for you, that’s all.”
“I appreciate your concern.” He turned on his heel and left Larisa to wash the dishes.
A half an hour later, they were ready to go. With two packs slung over their shoulders, they went out to his car and got in. Ivan rarely drove, he preferred to get up early and walk to the hotel each morning. He enjoyed the peace and quiet before the day started. Then, in the evening he liked to walk home, with each step he left the hotel and the busy kitchen behind. He also used the time to think of new recipes and plan his menu.
The hotel restaurant had been his world until now.
No, his dragon said. Things changed when the tiara came to us. Now they are changing even more. We have a life outside of the hotel and restaurant.
“Do we have everything we need?” Larisa asked as he slammed the trunk shut.
“I think so. I just need to grab some more supplies from the hotel. And check if Karros and Zara need anything...” His jaw tightened.
“Are you worried about them?” Larisa asked.
“I don’t want Karros to get into trouble with his people. Dragons are not welcome in the fae realm. I’ve always known that, but I don’t know what the consequences are for any fae found harboring a dragon inside their realm.” He went around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. “The same goes for their grandma.”
“If anyone asks where you got that spell from, I suggest you lie. That should keep them out of trouble.” Larisa got in the car.
“The fae are not stupid. Elise’s grandma is a wise woman from the wildwood. I’m pretty sure they’ll know where this spell came from.” He put his hand over his pocket where the small vial was safely stowed.
They all know the risks, his dragon reminded him. They wouldn’t have offered to help if they weren’t ready to take the consequences. But you are right, we should protect them all. This is our fight after all.
I was hoping this wouldn’t end in a fight, Ivan told him.
This might not end up in a fight in the fae realm, but something tells me a fight is coming. Grandma Hannah told us to hurry because something is stirring. You know how she senses these things. Since we brought the pendant to Wishing Moon Bay, I doubt it’s anything good.
His dragon was right. A fight was coming, and all Ivan could do was try to protect those he loved and stop innocent people from getting dragged into a battle that wasn’t theirs.
And Larisa and her family? His dragon puffed loudly. This fight is theirs. They are a part of this as much as we are. But they are innocent, and they are loved.
I plan to protect them at all costs, Ivan said firmly. I don’t want Larisa to get hurt. We must protect her, even if that means making sure she is as far away from Wishing Moon Bay as possible.
Do you mean to send her back to the world beyond? His dragon shook his head. It was rare for the two sides of Ivan to disagree.
If that’s what it takes to keep her safe. Ivan put the keys in the ignition and started the engine. The car spluttered as if choking, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d driven it. Thankfully, it rumbled into life, and he put the car in drive.
But have you considered the cost? The true cost might be more than we’re willing to pay, his dragon warned.
Because Larisa won’t leave if we ask her to. Ivan had thought this over. He had a plan. If he asked his brothers, they would take her away from here. They would take her somewhere safe. Perhaps to Fiona’s.
If you make her leave against her will, she might never forgive us, his dragon replied.
Isn’t it better that she’s safe? Ivan could not bear the thought of his mate getting hurt. Humans were no match for dragons. If this ended with a fight between Ivan’s dragon and the dragon shifter who killed their father, he wanted Larisa as far away as possible.
We were brought together for a reason, his dragon said sagely. However this plays out, whatever has to be done, we are supposed to do it together.
His dragon was right. Ivan knew it deep in his soul. But he also knew that he’d sworn to protect his mate and nothing was going to make him break that promise.
“Where did you go?” Larisa was watching him as he drove toward the hotel.
“I’m right here,” he assured her.
“Your body might be, but your head went somewhere else.” Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him then she covered her mouth with her hands. “Were you talking to your dragon?” She tapped the side of her head. “You have a connection, don’t you?”
“We do and yes, I was talking to him, but I was also thinking about what lies ahead of us. If we find this other dragon shifter, it might not be safe for you.” His jaw tensed as he waited for Larisa to answer.
“I know it’s dangerous. And I know you swore to protect me.” She leaned back in her seat and stared straight ahead.
“But?”
“But I am here to protect you, too. This works both ways and you shouldn’t forget that.” She half-turned to look at him. “We’re in this together and you need to accept that. I suspect your dragon needs to accept that, too.”
Tell her I am not the one who thinks she should be shipped off to somewhere safe, his dragon ordered.
“I’m the one who thinks you would be safer away from me. From us.”
“Ah. And your dragon, what does he think?”
Tell her I think that the safest place for our mate is by our side, his dragon replied.
Ivan gripped the steering wheel. Did he really want Larisa to hear what his dragon believed?
I’m right, his dragon said. You know I am but you’re not ready to admit it yet.
No, I don’t think I am.
“Ivan?” Larisa wasn’t going to let this go.
“My dragon thinks we’re stronger together. He thinks that we should face whatever comes at us side by side.” He inhaled deeply, steadying his breath. “And he’s right. But that doesn’t mean I agree with it or wouldn’t ask you to leave.”
“But you wouldn’t make me leave.” She reached for his hand. “Before we go any further, you have to promise me that you won’t force me to leave. Or get your brothers to kidnap me. I can look after myself.”
“Against a dragon?” Ivan pulled into the parking lot in front of the hotel. “You’re no match for a dragon shifter.”
“And you think you are?” Larisa reached for his hand as they sat together in the car. This might be the last time they were alone for some time.
“I don’t know,” Ivan answered honestly. “I’ve never fought another dragon.”
We should have spent more time with Fiona and her family, his dragon said. We should have practiced fighting with them.
That might not have ended well, Ivan replied. If one of us got hurt...
If we go into a fight with another dragon and we are not prepared, it might end in more than hurt. His dragon puffed out a plume of smoke. And if this dragon is vindictive then he might hunt down our mate wherever she is.
“And that’s why we’re supposed to do this together. You and me. On our own, we might not accomplish anything. But together, we could beat whatever comes our way.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “You might be the shifter. You might think that you love me already, that your feelings for me are stronger. And you’re probably right. But there’s a connection between us.”
“Larisa.” He cupped her face in his hands. Her eyes shone with tears as she held his gaze.
“I might not be a shifter. I might not understand or fully experience the same emotions as you. But I do know this... You are my mate and there will never be anyone els
e for me. Ever. So we do this together because I have as much to lose as you.”
Ivan nodded. “I think I understand that now.”
“Good. Make sure you don’t forget it.” She pulled away from him and wiped her hand across her eyes. “Come on. Let’s get going. The sooner we start, the sooner this will be over.”
His dragon grinned as pride swelled his heart. Larisa is a mate worthy of a dragon shifter.
I just hope we are worthy of her, Ivan replied.
Chapter Thirteen – Larisa
“Take care of yourself.” Valerie hugged Ivan tight, she looked so small next to her son, but she had an inner strength that Larisa admired.
In the days ahead, Larisa would need to dig deep and find the same kind of strength. Whatever lay ahead was not going to be easy. She didn’t need a witch’s crystal ball to know that.
Grandma Hannah’s words haunted her. Something was stirring. What did that mean?
She looked around at Ivan’s family who were all gathered in front of the hotel, even though it was way too early in the morning. They should all be at home in bed. Not out here with ill-concealed worry evident on their faces.
“Don’t worry, Mom.” Ivan hugged Valerie and kissed her cheek. “We’ll be back before you know it.”
“I hope so.” Valerie let him go and took a step backward. For a moment she held his gaze before she nodded and turned to Larisa. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.” Larisa accepted Valerie’s hugs, she liked Ivan’s mom a lot. Down to earth and strong, she was a woman who had raised six boys alone while running a successful business. But the thing that impressed Larisa the most was the love her sons and their mates obviously had for her.
Raising six boys was one thing, raising them well was another.
“Look after him for me,” Valerie whispered in her ear.
“You can count on it.” Larisa inhaled deeply, fighting back tears as she held Valerie close.
“Here are the keys to my truck.” Aiden handed over the set of keys to Zara. When they arrived at the hotel, Aiden had been waiting for them with the offer of his truck. It was built for all-terrain and since none of them knew what was waiting for them in the fae realm or where they might need to travel, it seemed sensible to accept the offer.
“I’ll look after it, big brother.” She flung her arms around Aiden’s neck.
“Hurry back.” Aiden closed his arms around his sister and looked at Karros who nodded. “Take care of each other.”
“We’re going to the fae realm, not the moon,” Zara replied lightly but they all knew the risks involved.
Taking a dragon into the fae realm was bad. Even as an outsider, Larisa understood this as fact.
“I’ve spent my whole life telling you not to go there,” Valerie said. “I wish there was a way for you to avoid this.” Her forehead creased as she shook her head. “But I do believe this is your fate.”
Ivan nodded. “I believe it, too.”
“Take care.” Ivan’s brothers and their mates said goodbye one at a time as if they would never see him again. Larisa’s sense of unease deepened but Valerie was right, this was the way it was meant to be.
This was their fate.
After all the hugs and goodbyes, Karros, Elise, Ivan, and Larisa eventually began their trip to the fae realm.
“Have you taken the spell?” Karros asked.
“I’m going to do it now.” Ivan took the small vial out of his pocket and held it up to the light.
“It’s still swirling around and around like a galaxy out in space,” Larisa observed.
“It seems a shame to drink it.” However, Ivan popped the stopper from the bottle and swallowed the contents in one go.
Larisa held her breath, expecting him to clutch his throat and fight for his breath. But as he leaned back in his seat, he seemed perfectly normal. “How do you feel?”
“The same,” Ivan replied.
“It takes a little while to work,” Karros reminded them.
“And how will we know if it’s worked?” Larisa asked. What if Grandma Hannah was trying to lure Ivan into the fae realm so they could capture the dragon?
She ran a hand through her hair. Damn, why was she so paranoid?
Because of her father. He’d lived with the fear that one day he would be recognized as a suspected killer and arrested by the police.
“We’ll know,” Karros replied gently.
“When you say we, you mean you both will?” Larisa asked.
“We can sense Ivan as a dragon,” Zara explained. “My shifter senses what he is, I can identify most shifters these days. Dragons were a little tricky for me, but once you have met one and identified them, they are quite unique.”
“Only quite unique?” Ivan teased.
“You leave a metallic taste on my tongue,” Zara replied.
“And Karros. You’re not a shifter but you know that Ivan is a dragon.” Larisa could understand how Zara identified Ivan, but she didn’t fully understand how a fae could.
“There’s something about him. It’s like when you catch something out of the corner of your eye. A shimmering... I can’t explain it and it’s easy to miss. At first, I thought my brain was tricking me. But now I’m pretty good at seeing it.” Karros turned in his seat and looked over his shoulder at Ivan. “It’s still there.”
“What if it doesn’t work?” Larisa’s anxiety was spiraling.
“Then we don’t go,” Zara answered simply.
“We’re going,” Ivan replied.
“It’s too risky,” Karros said firmly.
“No, if the spell doesn’t work, Zara is going to drive straight to Grandma Hannah’s house and she can do the spell directly. I heard it’s more potent that way.” Ivan’s tense jaw told Larisa he intended to go whether they went along with it or not.
“Let’s just give it more time before we start to make new plans,” Zara said. “There’s no point overreacting.”
“You’re right,” Ivan answered and leaned back in his seat.
“Why don’t you try relaxing?” Larisa placed her hand on his shoulder and massaged it. “If you’re tense, it might take longer to work.”
A small smile crept over his lips as he turned his head toward her. “How can I relax when you’re so close?”
“Do you want me to get out and walk?” She moved closer. “Why don’t you think of flying to the mountains and sitting on that favorite peak of yours?”
Ivan stared at her for a moment before he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “I can’t picture it without you being there anymore.”
“Then picture me there. We’re staring out at the view below, the breeze coming down from the higher peaks is cool, it caresses our skin.” She watched his face, his eyelids dropped, and his mouth curved up in s smile.
“I like the breeze caressing your skin,” he murmured.
She slapped his arm lightly. “You’re not taking this seriously.”
“I’m taking it very seriously.” His eyes flew open as Zara swerved to the right.
“Sorry!” Zara sounded breathless as she righted the truck.
“What happened?” Larisa put her hand on the back of the passenger seat and pulled herself straight so she could look out of the front windshield.
“The spell worked.” Zara rubbed her hand over her cheek. “One minute, Ivan the dragon was there and the next he was gone.” She glanced sideways at Karros. “Has it worked for you, too?”
Ivan opened his eyes and stared at Karros while the fae looked at him, turning his head to one side and then the other. “Yes. There’s no shimmer.”
Larisa let out a long breath. “So that’s it, we can go.”
“We can go,” Zara confirmed and eased her foot down on the gas. The truck sped forward, and they left the town behind, the houses thinning out until there were hardly any signs of buildings. The fields gave way to trees and Zara turned off the road they had been following and drove along a narrow track that wound through the
trees.
“Here we go.” Karros glanced at Ivan once more as if to make sure the spell was still working.
“This is the portal?” A shiver of apprehension passed through Larisa. If the spell stopped working, they would be in trouble, but they had reached the point of no return. Ahead of them, the air shimmered and it was hard to see what was beyond the distortion. This was the portal.
“Are you sure?” she asked Ivan.
“Yes.” He placed his hand over the pocket where she kept the pendant. “Are you?”
She nodded. “Where you go, I go.”
“Then we’re going to the fae realm.” He threaded his fingers through hers and they held hands as they passed through the portal between worlds.
“It doesn’t look any different,” Larisa observed as they drove through the portal and out the other side. There were houses and a couple of stores clustered together with cars and trucks parked outside.
“What did you expect it to look like?” Karros asked drily. “We don’t live in tiny fairy houses...”
“Karros, just because we’re in the fae realm, it doesn’t mean you get to use that attitude,” Zara warned him.
“Sorry,” Karros called out. “My fae-ness got the better of me.”
“I blame it on the change in air,” Zara said. “He always gets grumpy until he readjusts.”
“I didn’t mean to be rude.” Larisa shuffled forward in her seat and stared out of the window. “I just expected it to be different.”
“We’re on the border between the worlds. The people and buildings here have inherited traits from both worlds. The deeper you get into the fae realm, the more things seem different. There are palaces and some more ornate buildings. But those belong to the classes who think they are above the rest of us.” Karros sounded more like his normal self.
“Flora is the daughter of a fae lord,” Ivan told Larisa.
“Flora? Aiden’s Flora?” Larisa had no idea she’d been hugged by a fae lord’s daughter this morning.
“Yes.” Ivan glanced at Karros.
“We were engaged,” Karros turned in his seat. “She dumped me for a shifter.”
The Dragon Shifter's Desire: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance Page 9
