Fated Magic (The Fated Saga Book 2)

by Sariah Skye

  “But—I—what?!” Completely stupefied like a deer caught in the headlights of a pickup, I didn't know what to do next. My next thought was, Maxxus and I. Usually the ruling dragons were a mated pair at least on paper. Of course, since homosexuality was fairly common, one or both monarchs would have consorts on the side but they were almost always mated. Bonded. Married. I could only think of a couple situations where it wasn't so, and only half of the situations like this one: where the mate had died and someone else had been named in the interim.

  This would mean officially marrying Maxxus. My heart skipped a beat at this idea—after all, it probably would have happened had not for all this magical intervention but there was one problem.

  Surely there had to be a better choice. Like my grandfather, or my parents, my brother and Kiarra—actual Court members! Dragons that were liked and respected and probably had some idea of what they were doing. “Um... But what about grandfather? My parents? Braeden and Kiarra? Anyone else? Come on, this is insane!”

  “They would make great rulers except, everyone has been Shadowtouched. I cannot trust that they either won't compromise the safety of the Court again—like Nicodemus—or not go completely mad. We have taken great strides in healing, but I'm not sure if everyone can even be fully healed. I cannot take that risk in having someone like that on the throne.” The queen explained.

  Daniel, who had been uncharacteristically silent, spoke up. “Um, I hate to say it, but, even your brother is slightly Shadowtouched, Leo,” he said. “The queen is right; you and Maxx are the only logical choices.” He glanced, regrettably at his brother who had lifted his head with conviction. He stood and declared:

  “She is right.”

  My mouth fell agape. “Gabriel! You have to be kidding! I am not a Queen!”

  “And I am not a King!” Maxxus insisted, a growl of dismay in his tone.

  “Yes, you are. You can be,” Gabriel said. “Old stories have been passed down in my family; pink dragons have been on the throne before. They were wonderful, benevolent rulers; usually appointed in times of distress on a kingdom. After a war, or the loss of someone very important. It makes sense.”

  Maxxus snorted. “You're okay with this?” he asked. He rose to his feet and crossed his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowing at Gabriel, challenging his position. “You realize that the king and Queen are usually mated, right?”

  Gabriel scoffed. “Of course. Leo, I love you with all my heart, or, at least I think I did, but, with the best interests of the kingdom at heart, I cannot allow myself to get in your way. The threat of the Shadows has not been eradicated. Cyril is not gone; at least, not for long. He will come back, and he will try to seek vengeance on the Court. What better way to protect it, then to appoint the one drake that can stop him?”

  I raised my brow at him and smirked, laughing crazily at the idea. “Oh come on. Even Shadowtouched my grandfather would make a better ruler than I would all by himself.” I turned to the queen and pleaded, “Seriously, there is no law that says you have to be mated. You can appoint my grandfather to rule with you until the Shadows are gone. Then we can have a proper election.”

  The queen unfolded her arms and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Leorah. I implore you to consider my proposition. I am... struggling. Right now, I'm fine as your Loremaster has just left us but as the hours wear on, I feel my sanity slipping. The Shadows have a strong hold on me. I don't even trust myself here for one more day, but I will hold on with his help and the help of his fantastic alchemists and witches until you can accept this and officially take the throne.”

  I felt my heart screaming against my ribcage so hard I thought it would burst, overwhelmed by all the confessions and new ideas placed in my head.

  The queen wants me to be the next Queen. Me.

  “Is it truly a good idea, though? I've not exactly been the kingdom’s favorite dragon so far. They won’t react well to me and Maxxus' appointment. In fact, they might think I somehow manipulated you into this as some part of an evil scheme,” I said, speaking the last two words in a mocking tone.

  The queen considered this. “They might at that. But in time, they will learn and realize that you have their best interests at heart. And, your sorcerer is correct: with the Shadows and Cyril a threat, having you and the one dragon that's always stood by you—with the exception of your brother, of course,” she said, nodding respectfully to Braeden who just bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment. “Well, it is a good idea. And, Maxxus isn't Shadowtouched. Somehow, none of you are,” she said, motioning to Gabriel, Daniel, Maxxus, Kiarra and I.

  I smacked my hands against my face and cursed. “This has to be a dream...”

  “Maxxus,” she said, turning to the tall, statuesque green dragon. “You served on the Court as a guardian. You've already been protecting us for some time. It only makes sense you would rule with Leo, and it wouldn't have to be permanent. As soon as the threat of the Shadows is gone, you can have a proper election and abdicate your role. But in the meantime, you can see how this is our best move, right?”

  Maxxus sucked in a breath and bit his lip before looking at the queen and giving a slight nod. “You make a good argument.”

  “But! I—” I continued to protest, narrowing my eyes at his betrayal—surely, he couldn't think I'd make a good Queen, there was no way. I wasn't even on the radar before as a logical choice to rule. My head felt fuzzy and my cheeks flushed. A pair of hands helped guide me back to the chair as I felt my breath quicken and my chest become heavy... Clearly, I was having the beginnings of a panic attack. Yeah, that was it.

  Gabriel knelt in front of me and, with a finger, tilted my chin up and forced me to look into his eyes. “You know you have to do this, right Leo?”

  “But—

  A choked sound escaped my lips. “But, what about after the Shadows are gone, and we leave the throne? Maxxus and I will still be bonded and we will no longer be on the throne. We'll just be... you know!” I hadn't decided one way or another if I actually wanted to be officially Bonded with Maxxus. I mean, why wouldn't I, but... this way? “Sorry,” I said shamefully at him, seeing the brief wounded look washed over his face.

  He waved off my apology. “None taken. But... I think it's a good idea.”

  My mouth fell open. “You have to be kidding me. Both of you!”

  “It's a logical argument no matter how you slice it,” Gabriel spoke. His eyes became playful. “Spock would approve.”

  I shook my finger at him, glaring. “Oh no, don’t you use my fandom against me!”

  Chuckling, Gabriel sighed. “Look, Leo. Think of it. Someone went in and erased your memories like they did, and now we know the details. Nothing happened between the two of you. It wasn’t an argument or a fight or something that happened to split you up. You were split up because you got too close!”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but the words caught in my throat. I looked at Maxxus who was very quiet. “Okay, that’s a good point. Shit… but am I—are we even ready for this, Maxx?” I asked, looking at him.

  He slowly raised his head, expression stern. “I’ve been ready for this for years. You know that.”

  “I—” I snapped my mouth shut. My gaze dropped to the floor, not wanting to look at either of them. This was true, absolutely insane.

  A pair of long arms wrapped around me. “A minute, please?” Maxxus spoke, and Daniel and Gabriel took a few steps back.

  I sighed, daring to gaze at him… into those damn blue eyes and my soul softened. “Is this really the way we wanted it? I mean we only have had our memories back for a short time.”

  The corners of Maxxus’ mouth quirked. “If you don’t want this, Leo, it’s fine. We can wait. We don’t have to be bonded. It’s just easier.”

  “Is this really a good time to be breaking tradition, though?” I groaned.

  Maxxus’ hand raised to gently push the fringe out of my eyes that had fallen. “Leorah, I love you. Always have. This isn’t ideal,
but, the where or how doesn’t matter. I want to be with you, and I don’t care how it happens. I don’t care if we have to be on the throne, living in Pineville, or a cardboard box on the street or with the Brownies in Morenden. I just know that I have to be with you. You have the kindest heart and that’s exactly what Anarach needs right now. They need you. I need you. We all need you. But you have to agree to allow us to need you. Please?”

  I bit my lip nervously, not wishing for my words to betray my feelings right now. How did I feel? Overwhelmed? Nervous? Yes. But when I stared up into his gorgeous eyes, and they peered into my spirit, my heart skipped a beat and I knew that, I wanted it to. It would happen eventually, anyway. No time like the present.

  I let out a low groan. “You guys are killing me.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Daniel piped up in sassy agreement.

  I pointed a stern finger at him. “You hush. And you—” I glared at Maxxus and Gabriel in turn. “Traitors,” I spat venomously.

  They exchanged a smirk with each other. That was almost more disconcerting than the whole royalty bit: those two, getting along. Being in agreement.

  I slapped my face with my palms again. “Oh my gods… everyone's gone insane. Certifiable, batshit insane...”

  The queen gave a small laugh. “So... you’ll do it?”

  I threw up my hands in exasperation. Even I had to admit, reluctantly, they made a good argument. Everyone. As much as I wanted to return to Castle Danger—and my friend, Kit and my cat—I couldn't abandon the realm in its hour of need.

  My parents made the ultimate sacrifice for me; short of losing their actual lives. If they hadn’t, I probably still wouldn’t be here. If they could do that, surely, I could do this.

  I glanced over at steel-faced Maxxus with an anticipative look. He grunted a nod, leaning over me and planting a sweet kiss on my cheek, near my ear. “We can do this, my Queen,” he whispered softly. My heart palpitated at his words and his proximity. I swayed myself around to gauge his reaction. He, too, nodded and with a wide grin.

  With a long, heavy sigh, weighted with the air of a hundred wind storms, I turned back to the queen and squinted my eyes shut as I uttered, “Okay, fine. I'll do it.” I dared to open them, and I saw a feeling of relief wash over the queen. She clapped her hands together triumphantly and leaned over give me and Maxxus tight hugs. From across the room, I heard Kiarra screeching happily, jumping up and down like a pogo stick on speed.

  Daniel let out a pointed cough. “Surely, you'll need the services of an accomplished Seer, of course.”

  The queen laughed and nodded. “You are welcome in the palace. We haven't had an official Seer in some time, this should prove interesting.”

  Daniel did a little happy jig at this.

  I groaned, still in shock at what I agreed to. “So, what's next?”

  “We'll perform the Binding tonight, and arrange for the official Coronation for, say, three days from now,” she added thoughtfully. “That should give me enough time to get all the proper pieces in place and... that will be it. The kingdom will be yours.”

  I looked up at Maxxus and smiled wryly. “Um, I guess... will you marry me?” I asked comically, with nervous laughter.

  Maxxus' mouth opened wide, feigning offense. “Isn't that supposed to be my line?”

  I snorted, and face-palmed myself once again. “I have to be out of my mind...”

  Chapter 25

  “I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm doing this!” I spoke into the palms, covering my face, repeatedly, as Kiarra fawned over my hair and makeup. She paused momentarily to reach over and pry my perma-facepalm away. For the past hour or so now, I'd been in a constant state of ohmyfuckinggod, whatamithinking? I felt like I should be walking around with a giant screen shot of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the bridge of the Enterprise, holding out his hands going “What the fuck are you doing?” like the viral meme.

  She tittered lightly. “Just be glad I have all this stuff here with me, Leo. I can't believe... your room,” she said, motioning around us to the eccentric teenaged décor. “Not a single eyeliner to be found.”

  “Eyeliner? That's the least of my worries,” I pulled my hands away from her and scrubbed them across my face. I dropped them to my side, finally, on the bed we were perched on. Kiarra was kneeling behind me, futzing with my hair. It had grown out some since my time in the little faerie salon in Castle Danger; the front part was considerably longer and somehow she was twisting it around a curling iron and pinning things in various areas. I couldn't see it—refused to see it yet—as I was still in shock at what I agreed to do.

  Ruling. The kingdom. With Maxxus. The queen had agreed to stay on, as the official Advisor but she'd formally lose her title as Queen, becoming Duchess Valessia. If one or more of the monarchs stepping down was still alive, they generally stayed on to help ease the new rule and the kingdom into normalcy. A tough task, given these tough times.

  I heard a gentle knock on the other side of my door. Kiarra’s grumble was audible. “Maxxus, go! It's bad luck to see the bride before a wedding!” He'd already tried to come in three times to comfort me, but Kiarra refused to allow him in. I assured her that was a silly human superstition that bared no weight here, but she wasn't hearing it.

  The knocker behind the door ignored Kiarra's protests, and slowly pushed it open.

  Kiarra groaned, and leaped off the bed. “Maxxus, enough! I already told you—” but she stopped short when she saw who it was.

  My mother emerged from the other side of the door, cautiously.

  My mouth slowly fell open as I eyed her. Instead of her normal, jaded demeanor, her blue eyes were rimmed with tears and she wore a nervous frown instead of her usual scowl.

  Kiarra gasped and promptly apologized. My mother just offered a smile and patted her on the shoulder. “Might I have a moment, please?”

  Kiarra nodded intently. “Of course.” She turned to me briefly and shook an admonishing finger. “Don't touch your hair. I'm off to get you a dress.”

  “Ugh...” I said, rolling my eyes. Back my face went into my palms as she disappeared out the door.

  My mother just stood there with hesitance. She looked around the room, shuffling her hands nervously from front to back. I motioned to the chair and offered for her to sit down. She obliged and offered me a smile. “So... I heard that you and Valessia spoke. In detail.”

  “We did.” Was all I said, not sure where she was going with this. Was she mad I knew? Relieved? Would anything change now?

  Her head that had been hanging low whipped up, and the tears fell openly from her eyes. “You know?”

  “Everything.” My vision blurred as the tears fell from my own eyes.

  “Leo... I...” My mother's voice quavered. She looked at me, with a pained expression and barely uttered an “I'm sorry” when I surprised myself by sliding off the bed and nearly jumping like an Olympian into her lap.

  “Mother!” I cried like a little girl, right into my mother's shoulder. I heard her gasp as her arms reached around my upper body, squeezing, holding on for dear life.

  Years and years of unexplained resentment. Questions and disappointment all suddenly made sense. I never understood how she could be such a good mother to Braeden, but so terrible to me. She had no choice; she had to. And by making that choice that made her the best mother of all.

  “I am so sorry, Leorah! I should have told you; we could have just pretended, but I was so scared they would take you away and—” my mother wailed openly, shaking slightly as she sobbed into my hair, probably ruining Kiarra's handiwork but, I didn't care.

  We stayed like that for—I don't know how long. Could have been minutes but felt like hours. Finally, when we pulled apart, we looked at each other’s flushed, tear-stained faces and just burst out laughing.

  “I don't know why I'm laughing, none of this is funny!” She roared, frantically wiping her face with the sleeve of her beautiful, blue velvet robes.

  “I don�
��t know!” I exclaimed, shaking my head. I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Perhaps we're crazy.”

  She nodded. “Definitely.” I finally peeled myself from her embrace reluctantly and slid back up on the edge of the bed. My mother reached out and clutched my hand, smiling warmly. “Gods, Leorah... I cannot tell you how sorry I am that you had to deal with any of this. I'm sorry for the ruse, I'm sorry for the potions and the block. I'm sorry I hid your magic from you, and you and Maxxus' relationship.” She heaved a huge, heavy sigh. “If things had been how they should have been, you never would have faced all that ridicule, you and Maxxus would have probably courted for a long time and probably been Bonded for real—not for force right now. It's so messed up.”

  I squeezed my mother's hand. “I wish I could say I forgave you, but did you have to be so convincing?”

  She laughed. “I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry everyone got dragged into this mess. It turned into one big convoluted disaster from the get go. But... I'd do it all over again, and again if it meant saving your life.” She spoke earnestly. “And actually, we weren’t all that convincing.”

  I lifted a brow in disbelief. “Come again?”

  “Your father and I just didn’t have it in us to be outright mean all the time. So, we planted those memories in your head, as we were removing them,” she explained with a dry laugh.

  I snapped my fingers. “So, it’s true? Memories were added to take the place of the ones you took away? What did you fill my head with, then in place of Maxxus?”

  She smiled sheepishly. “Well, you loved the human world so much, we just filled you with hour after hour of human TV, books and pop-culture. It made you so happy when Aleron would come back from Earth with a new human trinket; it was the least we could do for taking away your memories.”

  My mouth fell open in surprise. “You’re kidding me, right? You are the reason I’m some crazy fangirl—fandragon?”