Riding Lightning: A Reverse Harem Dragon Fantasy Adventure (Starcrossed Dragons Book 1)

by Erin Bedford

  “Which will serve you well in picking a mate.” His mouth formed a stern line as he towered over my short frame, making me feel even smaller than I was. Had he gotten taller in the last few minutes?

  “Picking a mate?” I squeaked not sure I had heard him right.

  “Yes,” Ned nodded, “I have come to take you home. It is your time to choose a mate and provide an heir for your kingdom.”

  My mouth dropped open, and I shook my head in disbelief. “No. There has to be some kind of mistake. I was sent to this dimension because I wasn’t worthy enough to mate, remember?” I raised my brows at him. “Aeis is the heir, not me. My genes are not worthy of leading our people.” I recited back the words my own father had said to me on the day my sister was announced as the next heir.

  “Things have changed,” Ned said his eyes softening.

  Getting mad at Ned wouldn’t help things. After all, he had been one of the few who had tried to fight my father for me. One of the only ones, actually. My mother was so far under my father’s thumb she wouldn’t dare question him in private let alone in front of the whole Western Court. If my brother hadn’t died four months before he would have stood up for me, but as it was, we were all too wounded by the loss for me to have brought it up at that time. Even now, part of me was glad I hadn’t, even though if I had, maybe I wouldn’t have had to leave the only home I knew and relearn everything in the human world.

  “Well, I don’t care!” I spat, anger suddenly gripping me. “He wanted to banish me so I wouldn’t try to take the kingdom away from his precious Aeis. He can’t just change his mind whenever he wants.” I stomped away from Ned and back into the center of the living room. “If you haven’t noticed, I’ve made a life for myself here. No thanks to him. Dumping me here without anyone to direct me, he might as well have sent me to the Outlands.”

  “And that is exactly why we need you back.” Ned gestured around the quaint apartment, “You’ve made a home, found employment and friends in a world you didn’t know. Without anyone to guide you, you have thrived all on your own. Waesigar is in turbulent times.” He shook his head sadly. “We need someone like you to help calm the fires.”

  I forced myself not to snort at the imagery. Then I asked the one question which had been bugging me since Ned arrived. “What about Aeis? She’s who you all wanted, the one fit to rule. Are you just going to toss her aside? Maybe send her here in my place?” I waved my arms around the room wildly.

  “No,” Ned answered in a calm voice which caused my anger to cool a bit. “There is no need to cast her out. She’s no threat.”

  A heavy feeling settled in my throat, and it bobbed up and down as I asked, “Ned, what happened to Aeis? Why are you really here?”

  Ned’s eyes fell to the ground, and he sighed miserably. “Your sister is alive and well but has been found barren.”

  I gasped, my hands going to my mouth. As dragon shifters, it was hard enough to have children. Most shifters couldn’t carry the child to term without shifting in some aspect, and doing so caused so much stress on the body, the child often didn’t survive. But being barren? It was a fate worse than death to our people. Having a child was everything. Even more so than making sure the child was from a strong and worthy bloodline. It was no wonder Ned was here.

  “So,” I said, trying to keep the bitterness from filling my voice, “it’s not that you need my ability to survive, it’s that you have no one else.” I shook my head angrily. “I did exactly what my father thought I would, and I’m not even there.” Delirious laughter left my lips, and before I realized it, I was giggling until my stomach hurt and tears ran down my face.

  “I wished there was some other way, Maya, I really do.” Ned approached me, placing his hands on my shaking shoulders. “Still, the reason for your return doesn’t matter. I believe this is a blessing for our people. I wasn’t lying when I said we needed you. Too long have our people focused on strength and tradition. It has caused many of the troubles we are having now. Things will never change if we do not start at the throne.”

  While I sympathized with Ned, I didn’t really saw how that had anything to do with me. Sure, I was the only remaining royal child of the Western Lands, but that didn’t mean I could fix them. I could provide an heir keep our line going, but that didn’t mean anything would change. Nevertheless, my opinion didn’t have much value. Whether I wanted to go or not, my father would find some way to get me back to Waesigar and doing what he wanted, regardless.

  Wiping my face with the backs of my hands, I breathed a deep sigh. “I guess I don’t really have much of a choice, now do I?”

  “No, not really,” Ned apologized, and oddly enough, I knew he meant it.

  “Fine.” I pulled away from his embrace before I broke down again. “But I’ll need to get some things. Call some people.”

  I couldn’t just pick up and disappear without a trace. I had too many people here who would start to wonder where I went. Bianca and Ryan would move hell and high water to find me if I didn’t leave them word. I’d also need to let my job know I was going on personal leave and hope I still had a job when I came back. If I came back.

  Starting to gather my things, I settled a depressed look at the answering machine. I guess I wouldn’t be getting drinks with Bianca after all.

  2

  “I can’t believe you are leaving me!” Bianca cried out from the couch where she had thrown herself in an act of despair. “Who am I going to go shopping with?”

  “I don’t go shopping with you now,” I pointed out before shoving a few more things into the bag Ned had reluctantly allowed me to bring. When Bianca and Ryan came over my cousin had made himself scarce, which I was thankful for. No need to explain what he was doing here or why he was dressed up like a character from the video game I’d just helped create.

  “But you could if you were here to try!” Bianca jerked her arms out in front of her in an over-exaggerated manner.

  Ryan chuckled as he came out of the kitchen. He’d been pretty quiet since I told him. Only nodding his head as I tried to explain my sudden need to go home. We had just talked about it yesterday, so maybe he’d been a bit more prepared than Bianca.

  “She’s not dying.” Ryan sat down in the only other chair in my living room. “You should put yourself in Maya’s shoes. She hasn’t seen her family in how long? Four years?”

  “Five,” I corrected, holding my hand up and displaying all five of my fingers like a toddler who had just learned to count.

  “Exactly.” He jerked his head back to Bianca, “Your family lives in town. Hers lives in a completely different country. Imagine how that would feel?”

  Bianca chewed on her lip, her mouth turned down in a frown. “I would hate it. I couldn’t fathom not having Sunday brunch with all my siblings or seeing my parents. You must feel horrible.” She jumped up from the couch and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry I tried to make this all about me.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” I patted her back with a small smile. Even if Bianca could be a drama queen, I couldn’t ask for a better friend. It almost made me wish I was bringing her to Waesigar. There I’d always been the lesser dragon, so my friends had been in short supplies.

  I took a step away from her and looked at my two friends. “I’ll be back before you know it. You won’t even have time to replace me.”

  “Ha!” Bianca snorted. “Who could replace you?”

  “Right.” Ryan stood and walked over to join in our group hug. “There’s no way we’d even dream of it. Besides, you have to come back to help make Waesigar 2. The higher-ups are already talking about expansion packs!”

  I laughed at Ryan’s enthusiasm. He really had landed his dream job working at Mist. While I enjoyed my job, it was just a means to an end. I guess part of me always thought I’d end up going back to Waesigar. Even as I found myself fighting it.

  There was just one problem though. What was I really gaining by going back?

&n
bsp; Not a whole hell of a lot. My father would keep our family in control of the Western Lands like he always wanted. The kingdom would get an heir. And I would get what? A child and a mate I would be duty bound to stand by?

  “All right, alright.” I dropped my arms to end the hug. “I still have to finish packing and talk to my landlord. So, you crazies need to get out of here before I change my mind.”

  “Well, in that case…” Bianca started with a grin.

  “Out.” I pointed a finger toward the door with a shake of my head. Though I smiled, my throat threatened to close from fighting back the tears. I forced them back until I closed the door on them and the little life I’d made for myself here.

  I took a deep breath as I collapsed against it, back pressing against the cheap wood, and gave myself a moment to lament the loss of my life. Unshed tears slid down my face, and I let myself wallow for a moment in my fate.

  Alright, that’s enough, I thought and rubbed the tears from my face. This was no time to fall apart. I’d go with Ned without a fight because I had little doubt he would drag me kicking and screaming if he had to.

  Besides, I really wanted to stand in front of my father and tell the bastard I had no desire to rule or be his little breeding mare. The look on his face would make everything worth it. Or at least I hoped it would be.

  Pushing off the door, I went about packing. It was hard to choose what to take and what to leave. After all, there was always I chance I wouldn’t come back. How was I supposed to choose what to leave behind?

  In the end, I decided to take things which had sentimental value. Some pictures of Ryan, Bianca, and me, a baseball cap from my very first game, and a handful of books from my favorite authors. I wanted to share them with Aeis since she shared my love of reading.

  A sudden thought came to me, would my mate love to read? Would I even like him? I didn’t dare hope to love him because, in the end, it didn’t come down to love, it came down to who could get me pregnant. With any luck, I’d be lucky enough to tolerate him.

  Sighing at my own dark thoughts, I zipped my bag just as Ned came back in the apartment.

  “Are you ready?” His eyes settled on my bag. “Is that all you wish to take?”

  My eyes downcast, I struggled with the need to take more, but after a moment, I turned to my cousin. “I’m ready.”

  Getting to Waesigar wasn’t something one could easily do. There was no taking the train or a crowded plane ride. Waesigar resided in another dimension entirely, which could only be entered by way of a portal. But there were rules about creating portals and not just anyone could make them. Ned apparently had the authority, or he wouldn’t have been the one to retrieve me.

  “Is this really where you’ve picked to summon a portal?” I asked, looking around the empty parking garage. It had been a few blocks away and was jam-packed with cars, but since everyone else was working, it was empty of people.

  “This is where the ley lines are strongest,” Ned said, raising an eyebrow at me. He gestured around the parking garage. “We could have gone somewhere closer, but you insisted on talking to your friends, so we missed a chance at opening others.”

  “Fine,” I said, remembering how that conversation had gone. Oddly, enough, the argument with my cousin had been easier than I’d expected. Maybe it was because he felt bad for me? I wasn’t sure, but either way, I appreciated it. “Thank you, by the way.”

  “For what?” he asked, meeting my eyes with a look of uncertainty. It struck me as odd because my cousin was always the picture of confidence.

  “For letting me wish my friends goodbye.” I held up my small travel bag. “And for letting me take some things.”

  He looked at me for a long time before nodding. “You’re welcome.” For a moment, it seemed like he’d say more, but instead, he just lifted his hand and muttered a spell under his breath.

  Sparks of eerie green light leapt from his fingertips, leaving glowing contrails in the air as he shoved his hand against the very air itself. The reality before him tore, splitting open to reveal a pulsating rip in the fabric of space and time. With a grunt, he grabbed onto the ragged edges of the portal and jerked it violently sideways, widening the opening until it was large enough for us to enter through.

  “You’ve gotten better at that,” I commented as he lowered his hand. I’d never been able to create a portal. I could levitate objects and even close my curtains with a swish of my hand, but the ability to create portals was well beyond my skill level.

  “I know.” Ned gave me a confident grin before gesturing forward in a mock bow. “After you, your highness.”

  My lips twisted into a grimace at the title. Five years without it, and I couldn’t say I missed it. Nor all the responsibilities which came with it.

  When I didn’t move, Ned straightened, his eyes trained on me. “Stalling will only cause to anger your father. We are already a day behind schedule as it is.”

  “What? Did he expect me to drop everything and come running? Like a good little lap dog?” When Ned stayed quiet I scoffed, “he did, didn’t he? Not that I should be surprised. He always thought his wants were so much more important than anyone else’s.” I sighed and then pushed my shoulders back. This was a pointless argument, and we both knew it. “Well, then let’s get this over with.”

  Before Ned could say anything else, I stepped through the portal. The magic swirled around me tingling along my skin. There was a brief moment where my body was pulled in to different directions – not a painful feeling more like pressure – before I left earthly dimension and entered the dragon world.

  The darkened sky of Northern Waesigar greeted me with its twinkling lights, giving me the first reminder of the differences between this world and Earth. I’d left Earth around three o’clock in the afternoon, but based on the moon’s position in the sky, it was late evening here.

  My family’s castle stood before me. The portal had taken me to the outskirts of the palace. We were at the back gate the servants usually took. It seemed my father didn’t wish to publicly announce my return.

  I felt Ned step through the portal before I heard him, and as I turned to look at my cousin, he gave me a slight smile and moved to stand next to me. He breathed in deeply as if the air on Earth had been mediocre in comparison and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Welcome back to Waesigar.”

  His words made my stomach sink. I was really back home. I remembered all the nights I had claimed I wouldn’t come back even if they begged me. That I’d rather chew off my hand before I stepped foot in Waesigar again. Yet, here I was, doing the very thing I had promised I would never do. The sudden urge to turn around and run back to Earth hit me like a kick in the teeth.

  Ned’s hand tightened on my shoulder as if he could read my thoughts. I swallowed hard and forced myself not to move. Evidently, that satisfied him because he dropped his hand and started forward. When I didn’t immediately follow, Ned twisted around to look at me. “Come, you cannot stay out here all night. Your father wishes to introduce you to your suitors.”

  My mouth dropped open, and I stuttered as I caught up with him, “Suitors? As in more than one? He couldn’t possibly already have someone picked out for me. He didn’t even know I would come back.”

  Ned made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. “Your father is nothing if not confident in his ability to control those around him. You should be grateful he is even giving you a choice. The two males he has chosen for you to meet are both good matches and would do your kingdom proud.”

  I could just imagine what that meant for my suitors. Probably large boorish males who cared nothing for intelligence and all for brute strength. Besides, I was pretty sure that despite what Ned said, if my father had picked them, they weren’t for me.

  Still, I had to admit, part of me was curious. My father would choose the best. Not because he cared anything for me, but because he wouldn’t want weak offspring. With any luck, that meant they’d at least be nice to look at. A small
consolation, I know, but hey, it was something, right?

  Ned led me through the gates and into the palace. I received a few curious looks from passing servants. Probably more because of my odd clothing than my being there. The jeans and gaming t-shirt were not something even the lowliest of servants would be dressed in. Most dressed in what earthlings would consider upper middle-class clothing. My family had a penchant for suits and full-length gowns. I shuddered at the thought.

  “Your old room has been cleaned, and clothing has been provided for you,” Ned told me though I hadn’t asked. He must have noticed the looks we were getting as well.

  “I’ve grown since I’ve been here last,” I couldn’t help saying, purposely being difficult.

  “I’m sure you will make do, but if nothing fits, I will have a tailor sent for.” When I didn’t reply, Ned became silent. I followed behind him down a corridor and up a flight of stairs until we finally reached my room.

  I stared up at the double metal doors. They were the same as before. Ned pushed the door open to reveal the room within. It too was the same. My four-poster bed was covered in a dark red duvet. The large wooden wardrobe I used to hide in as a child stood against one wall. The rug where I’d spent countless hours reading still laid in the middle of the room. I wondered if it was still as soft as I remembered.

  “I’ll leave you to change.” Ned gestured around the room before turning to the door. He paused at the frame and gave me a warning glance. “Your father will want to see you, so don’t leave him waiting longer than need be.”

  As the door shut behind him, I stuck my tongue out. Childish? Yes. But it made me feel better.

  I tossed my bag on the bed and gave in to my curiosity. Taking my shoes off, I let my toes sink into the rug. Yep, exactly like I remembered.

  So soft, it was like stepping on a cloud, and for a moment, I almost contemplated taking a nap on it. As I knelt down to run my hands over the threads, a knock came to my door. I sat up, startled, and as I turned to look, it swung open to reveal my sister, Aeis.