by Juniper Hart
“Daisy, baby, please don’t listen to anything Maylei said. She’s just bitter that she wasn’t offered the kingdom. She doesn’t know anything about how the kingdom feels about you or how strongly I love you. I beg you, forget everything she said and please don’t cry.”
He brushed away her tears, but Daisy turned her cheek.
“You’ve prepared to be a king your whole life. I just learned about dragons this year. This is too much for me right now, and I really need to be alone.”
“Don’t say that,” he urged, his eyes showing his fear.
“I’m not leaving you, Nyle,” Daisy clarified as her lip quivered. “I need space, though. Time to think without a dragon trying to get into my head.”
He was silent, his expression pinched with worry and anxiety. “Where are you going? I need to know you’re safe.”
She shrugged. “Probably to my mom’s.”
“Probably?” he questioned.
“Nyle…” Daisy groaned.
“Okay, okay… I’m sorry. Please call me if anything happens, or if Forrest shows up.”
Daisy nodded and then turned to walk away, but he pulled her right back in. His lips seized hers in an urgent, but passionate kiss, his hands cradling her face. When he pulled back from her lips, his forehead leaned against hers.
“I love you more than anything, Daisy. More than anything.”
Daisy’s hand went to one of his on her face, her thumb rubbing the back of his hand. “I love you, too. More than I can ever put into words.”
He kissed her again, but then she pulled away and headed toward the door. Her heart ached more with every step. She hated that so much got in the way of them simply being together. Was love supposed to be this hard? Daisy moved to one of the town cars. The driver on duty opened her door for her. She managed to tell him her mother’s address while holding back her tears. As the car started down the driveway, she made the mistake of looking back. Nyle stood on the steps of the palace, watching her leave. It killed her inside that she hurt him by leaving, but it would be best for both of them. Daisy could wrap her mind around what a marriage to a dragon king entailed, while Nyle could start to work through the emotions surrounding his father’s death.
She watched as the trees transitioned to houses and then buildings as they drove into the city. The drive seemed to take forever. She wanted to be away from all dragons and cry in her mother’s arms. Daisy wasn’t sure how much of help her mother would be since she had just discovered dragons, but she knew her mom would try her best to help. If nothing else, she would be a good listener.
When the car finally came to a stop outside of Cassie’s house. Daisy quickly exited the car without waiting for the driver to open her door. She asked him to leave, but the driver insisted on waiting for her.
Daisy didn’t bother to knock on the door and just let herself into the house.
“Mom,” she called weakly, tears starting to slip down her cheeks again.
Cassie popped her head through the kitchen door. “Daisy, what’s wrong?” she asked when she saw her daughter in such distress.
Before her mother could even reach her, Daisy broke down sobbing. Cassie guided her daughter to the couch, sitting down and letting Daisy lay her head in her lap. For several minutes, Daisy couldn’t even speak through her sobs. Her entire world had been turned upside down so many times, she couldn’t bear it anymore. It all came flooding out, every tear she had ever held back.
“Why are you crying so much? You need to calm down and breathe,” her mother pressed as Daisy started wheezing.
Daisy couldn’t stop. Her gut feeling told her that her relationship with Nyle would end badly. Either they would be forced apart, or one of them would end up being hurt.
Her mother ended up turning her on her side, rubbing her back to try and help calm her. After a while, Daisy’s crying finally eased enough for her to speak.
“All I want to do is be with Nyle. I love him so much. Yet, everyone wants us apart and no one approves of us—not even his sisters or his mom. All I can think about is how happy we were in Virginia when we were away from all the drama and stress of his family and kingdom. His people need him, and I know that. I’d be okay with the thought of ruling with him, but they don’t want me. He keeps trying to tell me everything will be fine, but I can’t get over the feeling that it won’t be. If we go through with the wedding, something is going to happen. I haven’t done anything for them to hate me. They are just judging me based on my genetics. It isn’t fair at all.”
Cassie’s hand combed through Daisy’s wavy locks and listened to her daughter’s grievances.
“Well, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but maybe there’s a reason everyone is against it,” her mother said timidly.
“What?” Daisy exclaimed. “I thought you liked Nyle.”
“I did like Nyle, but I love you. I need to look out for you, sweetie. You’re blinded by your love for him and can’t see past it,” Cassie sighed. “Forrest told me some things about Nyle and his family; things I don’t think you even know or else you wouldn’t be crying over him. He’s not a good man, Daisy.”
Daisy sat up, rubbing one of her eyes with her wrist. “What are you talking about? He is a good man. He just took you on vacation for your birthday. He treats me well. He’s affectionate, loving, gentle, and kind. I don’t think he’s ever even raised his voice to me. Why are you letting Forrest get in your head? You don’t even know him.”
“Because when it concerns you, I’m not taking any risks,” Cassie stated firmly. “Nyle has used people all his life. He said that Nyle himself has killed several of Forrest’s people. Nyle’s father was even worse. I can’t even begin to describe the atrocities he committed.”
Daisy stared in awe at her mother. Her confusion turned to hurt and anger. “Why are you siding with him over me? I know Nyle better than anyone. You should trust me more than the stranger who impregnated and left you.”
“Don’t you talk to me that way!” Cassie hollered at her daughter, jumping to her feet. “Everything is going wrong around you, and you’re blaming everyone else. You have to stop and ask yourself if you are the problem. There has to be a reason that no one wants you two together.”
“They are all judgmental assholes!” Daisy yelled right back.
“Are they? Or are they looking out for their best interest and yours?” her mother asked.
Daisy felt herself on the verge of hyperventilating. What if her mother was right? She had always been a voice of reason for her, but it was impossible to tell since Forrest had been getting into her head.
“I have to go,” Daisy whispered, darting to the kitchen.
“Where are you going? Daisy get back here. Let’s talk this out,” Cassie called after her, but Daisy was gone.
She ran through the backyard and quickly got through the back gate. Making her way into the small wooded area behind the house, she was out of sight before getting her phone out. Her finger hovered over Nyle’s contact. Should she call him? What was stopping her from hitting the call button? Instead, Daisy called a taxi.
10
Nyle didn’t stop pacing the halls, unable to keep still while he was away from her. Something didn’t feel right, but he didn’t know what it was. She was just at her mother’s house. Surely, she would only stay for a couple of hours and come back feeling better. Daisy just needed some time away from all the pressure, and it was understandable. She was raised as a human her entire life and was days away from becoming queen of a kingdom of dragons that she believed despised her. If only she understood how serious Thalydias’s decrees were, no one would dare disrespect them. Except, of course, for his sister. Oh, how he longed to ring Maylei’s little neck.
Hours ticked by. With each moment that passed, Nyle’s nerves frayed more and more. What if Forrest had been there and told her more lies? Or even worse, what if Forrest had managed to kidnap her?
Just when he felt he couldn’t take her absence any l
onger, his phone rang. He was so excited, he didn’t bother to glance at the caller ID before answering the call.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“What?” a male voice said.
Nyle’s brow creased, peeling the phone back to look at the number. It was one of the palace drivers.
“Sorry, I thought it was someone else. What’s going on?” he asked.
“Is Miss Maddow spending the night at her mother’s? She didn’t say anything about it, and I haven’t seen her. Her mother even left the house a while ago.”
Anxiety choked Nyle. What if something had happened to her? Daisy was extremely courteous, especially when it came to his staff. The uneasy feeling in his stomach grew exponentially.
“Don’t move. Keep an eye on the house. I’ll be right there.”
Nyle hung up the phone and ran as fast as he could out of the palace. He wished he could just fly there, knowing it would be much quicker, but he knew better than to draw attention to himself. Jumping into his fastest car, the tires squealed as he gunned it down the driveway, not bothering with the standard safety precautions. When he pulled onto the main road, he recklessly weaved between cars to get down the street as fast as possible.
He made record time on his trip into the city. When he got stuck behind traffic, Nyle punched his steering wheel wildly, his horn blaring each time his hand collided with it. Nyle was practically crawling out his skin, the forty-five-mile-an-hour zones felt as if they were specifically put in place to torture his soul.
When he finally approached Cassie’s house, he noticed Cassie’s car pulling into the driveway. Throwing his car into park, he jumped from the car.
“Where is Daisy?” he yelled over to Cassie as he jogged over to her.
Cassie turned in surprise and took a couple of steps back. What was that about?
“I thought she ran off to be with you,” she replied.
“She ran off?” he questioned.
She nodded, “We had an argument, and she bolted out the back door.”
Nyle was momentarily dazed by anger. “And you didn’t think to go after her?” he snapped.
“She was mad. I thought she needed time to cool off,” Cassie replied defensively.
“What did you fight about?” Nyle asked, taking a few more steps toward her.
She backed up with every step he took. His eyes narrowed. Something was definitely up.
“About you,” Cassie said coldly.
“What about me?”
She averted her eyes, awkwardly shuffling the shopping bag she had in her arms. “I don’t think you two should be together, and she didn’t want to hear it.”
“Why shouldn’t Daisy and I be together? We’re in love.”
“Haven’t you ever heard the phrase ‘if you love something, set it free’? That’s exactly what you should do,” Cassie snapped, finally marching toward her house.
“Forrest got into your head, didn’t he?” Nyle scoffed.
“You can’t blame Forrest. He told me about who you and your family really are. I’d be a terrible mother to encourage my daughter to be with a monster like you,” Cassie hissed.
“You don’t know whether the things he told you are true or just words to get you wrapped around his little finger. You’re playing right into his hand. He and the Elementals are the ones that should frighten you.”
“Pretty sure they didn’t lock up some poor girl and throw away the key, just because she was going to tell people that you and Daisy were together. And I also heard that you hit that woman,” Cassie snapped. “That’s just sick that you would put your hands on a woman. How could I encourage her to be with you after knowing that?”
Nyle’s jaw dropped. How did Cassie know about Mylora? More importantly, how did Forrest? His mind raced with possibilities. Had Forrest been colluding with Mylora? How did he know she was locked up instead of dead? Something wasn’t right about that, and Nyle was going to get to the bottom of it. First, he had to find Daisy.
“You wouldn’t think Mylora was a ‘poor girl’ if you knew what she did to your daughter.”
“What do you mean?” asked Cassie.
“I don’t have time for this, Cassie. Mylora is far from innocent, and that is a fact.”
As Cassie went to unlock her door, Nyle spoke, “Do you at least know where she went?”
“Like I said, I thought she was going to you. Maybe she gathered some sense and is running far, far away.” She slammed the door.
Nyle stumbled backward, a hand to his forehead. Where could she possibly be? It was then he realized that in all his panic, he had not even tried to call her. Shaking his head, he reached for his phone and dialed her number. Before he could even put the phone to his ear, he heard the call go straight to voicemail. What if Cassie’s disapproval had been a final straw for Daisy? Nyle was on the verge of tears as he made his way over to his car. He waved at the driver who was still sat waiting, to let him know he could leave.
Climbing into the driver seat, he rested his head on the steering wheel. Where could she have possibly gone? She didn’t have many close friends, so he didn’t think it was likely that she was at someone else’s house. His mind tortured itself with thoughts of the last time she had snuck away from him and ended up in Mylora’s clutches.
“Think, Nyle, think,” he mumbled to himself, tapping his forehead against the wheel.
Daisy said she wasn’t leaving him right before she left, and she also said she loved him. She didn’t lie to him; she was a terrible liar. She had said she wanted to get away from the drama, and since her mom had only made things worse, she had to be headed somewhere to be completely secluded.
With that thought in mind, Nyle opened his phone and logged into his bank account. When they moved to Virginia together, he had set her up with her own accounts and credit cards. He never wanted her to have to ask for money.
Luckily for him, his family owned the bank. With one quick call, he was able to get the details about her last transactions.
“Looks like the last three purchases, from oldest to newest, was a taxi, a purchase at a Starbucks, and a plane ticket purchased at JFK Airport. Is everything okay, Mr. Flamme? Has there been a breach of your account?”
A plane ticket? Tears stung his eyes.
“No. Thank you for your help. Those were my purchases.”
He hung up the phone. Where could she have gone? What if she was never coming back? His entire body ached with worry. As he thought over the information the banker had told him, a sudden parallel was made. He knew exactly where she was. Nyle placed another call. As soon as the other end picked up, he ordered.
“Get the jet ready. I want to leave as soon as I get there.”
11
Daisy didn’t walk through the door of her home in Virginia until almost midnight. She was emotionally and physically drained, but even just two steps inside, and she felt at ease. Memories of Nyle came flooding back. Everything had been so perfect. Every day was filled with smiles and laughter. She made her way up the spiral staircase, taking in the beautiful architecture of the home. Beautiful, polished logs acted as support beams with walls constructed from logs and stone. The home was serene and cozy, completely out of touch with everything around them. Just the way she liked it.
She walked to their bedroom, shuffled over to the massive bed, and curled into the light gray duvet. Daisy cried so much that day that she had no tears left. Her body ached for sleep, yet her mind was restless. Her eyes went to the glass wall, taking in the beautiful view of the night sky and the silhouette of the dense forest that surrounded the house. Nyle and Daisy had spent countless nights lying in bed cuddling, taking in that same view while they chatted happily about their future together.
She wished with all her heart that they could be taken back to those days. Her heart couldn’t handle that so many people wanted them to end their relationship. They were good people, and yet everyone seemed disillusioned to that. She cuddled into the pillows. The scent of N
yle’s shampoo filled her nose, which brought her comfort and pain at the same time. Without thinking, she hugged it to her. She wasn’t used to sleeping without him.
Then, she paused, realizing she was doing the exact thing Asalei had been doing after her husband’s death. Her cheek pressed to the pillow, clutching it. The loneliness started to crush her, unable to get her mind off Nyle. Reaching onto her nightstand, she grabbed the stereo remote and turned on some music, hoping that it would help her drown out her thoughts.
Daisy finally passed out. Her dreams were the perfect escape. She dreamt of Nyle and being together on his yacht off the coast of Florida. They laid on a couple’s lounge chair, her head resting on his shoulder. She could feel the warmth of the sun and hear the ocean waves. They talked light-heartedly about nothing in particular. He combed his fingers through her hair. It was simple and peaceful, her mind finally easing after so much chaos.
As she slept, Daisy’s back grew warmer. She cuddled into the warmth instinctively. Then, she felt fingers gliding down her arm. At first, she thought she was dreaming, but slowly she became more aware of her body and could feel the touch. Daisy’s eyes fluttered open, her head turning to see a familiar pale face peering down at her.
Nyle’s honey eyes were glossed with tears as he looked at her.
“You scared the shit out of me,” he breathed, a couple tears falling from his eyes. “I thought something had happened to you. I didn’t know if the Elementals or someone got to you.”
Daisy was riddled with guilt, frowning deeply as she reached to stroke his cheek. “I’m sorry. I panicked. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You should have called me.”
“You would have tried to get me to stay,” she rebutted and shook her head. “I had to get away, Nyle. Your sister, my mom, your mom…”
“I know,” he sighed. “I wish they all would have just stayed quiet.”
