by Bonnie Vanak
He frowned. “I’ll make them accept you, Em. But there’s something I don’t understand. That troll was the greediest Other I’ve ever encountered. And yet he loves his daughter.
“People aren’t black and white, Alex. There are those who do the wrong things for the right reason.”
Alex nodded. “I’m going to shift, test the magick shield and then return. Once I do, get her and climb on my back quickly as possible.”
He walked off a little ways and then stretched out his arms. Iridescent blue, green and silver sparkles swirled around him, a brilliant dance of light and magick. Emma clutched Alice’s hand as the girl gasped.
She didn’t blame her. Alex’s shifting into his true form always impressed her.
And then a silver dragon, with cobalt horns and a forked tail, stood in the place of Alex. The dragon was large as a 747. He turned, blue gaze centered on her, moonlight glinting off his scaled body.
Magnificent. The dragon flew upwards, soaring into the sky, as her hair rippled back with the wind created by his enormous wings. Relief filled her. The troll had dropped the magick shield, as promised.
Alex dove downward, and landed. The other girls had shifted into their much smaller dragon forms. Emma ran toward Alex.
She lifted Alice onto Alex. The girl clung to one of the enormous spikes lining his silvered back. Emma climbed on as well behind Alice, wrapping her arms around her.
“Hang on tight,” she told her. “It gets pretty windy when he lifts off.”
Alex was a pureblood with powerful muscles. He could easily execute a vertical takeoff, but she wasn’t certain about the others. He seemed to question this as well as he looked at the other dragons.
They tried to lift off, but fell back to earth after five feet. Emma’s stomach tightened. They were running out of time.
Alex held out his tail straight. Get them to climb onto my tail.
Startled, she nearly dropped her arms around Alice. Did he just speak into her head? Or did she imagine this?
Hurry Em!
She turned to the other dragons. “Climb onto his tail.”
They did not move.
“Now! He’s strong enough to lift all of you! Hurry unless you wish to stay here and be sold as slaves.”
The dragons lumbered over to Alex, and clutched his thick tail with their forepaws. Alex beat his wings, making the grass rustle and the tree limbs bend. Em’s hair flew backwards and her gauzy gown rippled in the ensuing breeze.
We’re going to make it. They would be home free in a few minutes.
Hugging Alice, she told her, “We’ll be safe soon, honey!”
They cleared the barrier and then below, the door to the brothel burst open. A tall man dressed in a dark tunic and trousers, his long white hair rippling in the wind created by Alex’s wings, rushed outside, his arm around Simon.
Emma’s blood iced as her Fae senses tingled. Jaeden.
“Prince Alex,” the Fae sang in a voice that scraped against her skin like razors. It was ice and steel, and so very dark.
“Prince Alex, I have your ring. I claim your kingdom! Return Emma and you will get it back.”
Hovering above the building, Alex roared and shook his head.
“Very well,” Jaeden sang out. “Consider what I will do to you, as I do now to this betrayer.”
Jaeden removed the silver sword hanging on his belt. He held it up to the terrified troll’s neck. The scorched scent of terror filled Emma’s nostrils.
“No,” she whispered.
“Papa,” the little girl screamed, reaching out for him.
Emma clutched her tight against her chest. “Don’t look, sweetie.”
But she did, staring helplessly down as Jaeden sliced off the troll’s head. He held it upward, and shook the bloodied head. “Your kingdom for a ring, Prince!” Laughing, the Fae tossed the head into the field.
Alex opened his mouth and poured flames down upon the brothel. But the flames spread out across the magick shield and died.
Jaeden wiped the sword against the troll’s dead, collapsed body. “I’ll see you again, Prince Alexander, and you too, Emma of Clan Ciamoth.”
Alex lifted his front left leg and extended his middle claw in a clear “fuck you” gesture to the Fae.
As Alex soared off, and the girls let go of his tail to fly on their own, Emma had a terrible feeling the Fae wasn’t lying.
She would see him again. And next time, Jaeden would not let her go.
Chapter 7
You could tell a lot about a dragon from the way he flew with other dragons.
Two hours after they had fled Jaeden’s brothel, soaring through the night sky, Alice fell asleep in her arms. Emma stared at the distant stars, glittering overhead like a promise.
The girl dragons flew in timid formation, slow as an old propeller plane on its last gasp.
As Crown Prince, one might expect Alex to take the lead, to zip ahead in an impatient rush, much like drivers she’d seen on the busy interstate. Instead, he hovered behind, deliberately flying slower, even though she sensed his impatience. When they had flown together in tandem, Alex had always urged her to fly faster.
Not now. He made no attempt to nudge the slower dragons with the tip of one broad wing, nor did he pass them. In the back of the pack, he kept a watchful eye.
Alice, clinging to Emma, had kept crying and did so until she fell asleep. It would take some time for her to recover from this trauma.
Two hours later, he took the lead, directing them to descend. They landed in the front yard of a large, two-story house. She slid off Alex’s back, still clutching Alice.
When she turned, Alex had shapeshifted back into Skin, conjuring jeans and a black polo shirt and loafers. The girls shifted back to Skin and conjured simple dresses.
Emma held Alice as they trudged to the front door. “What is this place? Is it safe?”
“Safe enough. It’s my cousin Sebastian’s vacation home. We’re in Utah, near the mountains.”
On the wood front porch, he crouched down by a clay flower pot. “I would have liked to go further, but not with this little one. She needs sleep, and the girls need rest. They can’t fly as far.”
He lifted the flower pot and removed a gold key from underneath.
Emma shook her head. “Key beneath the flower pot? Seriously? Like, no one would ever think to look there.”
“The house is warded against Skins, and dark magick.” He pushed the key into the lock. “If you were not of Sebastian’s bloodline, you couldn’t gain access. Since you’re with me, you can enter.”
He opened the door to a marble floor foyer, and ushered the girls inside. Alex locked the door behind them. Emma walked into the living room, her eyes bugging out. Though Sabrina’s palace was palatial, it was a royal castle. She had never been to a commoner dragon’s home so lavish.
And yet so comfortable. Tasteful leather chairs and two sofas arranged before a stone fireplace, with silver lamps that emitted a soft golden glow. There was a wet bar in one corner with a mirrored wall and glass shelves containing an arrangement of liquor bottles.
Tempted to head for the bottles, she set Alice down instead upon one of the sofas. The little girl, cheeks still damp, curled up in a fetal position. Emma’s heart ached. She took the embroidered throw of a dragon in flight and covered Alice.
Alex ran a hand over the dark bristles on his cheeks. “There’s bedrooms downstairs and upstairs.”
Very gently he picked up Alice and walked down the hall with her. The other girls followed, exhaustion evident on their faces.
But none of the girls wanted to sleep in the guest beds. Alex considered, adjusting Alice in his arms. “There’s a basement, with beds down there. Would you all like to stay together? But if you do, you need to watch Alice.”
The girls nodded.
After settling the girls in the basement, she and Alex climbed the stairs to the second floor guest bedroom. She hated basements, hated being where she coul
d not see sunshine, even if it was night. But the girls wanted to be together, and felt safe here.
No sleep tonight. The fear gripping her since her kidnapping returned. Even if her abductors would forget about her, Jaeden would not. By now he would have sent his thugs hot on her forked tail.
Alex opened the first door on the right after they cleared the stairs. The bedroom was decorated in white and blue tones, with white furniture and a pretty periwinkle comforter on the queen-sized bed.
“You can bunk here, Em. I’ll take Sebastian’s room.”
But she could not let him walk away, now that they were housed in a safe place. Emma took a deep breath. Maybe Alex would hate her for not telling him earlier, but she had to let him know the truth now.
Fear congealed inside her stomach. Losing his friendship would hurt worse than the punches her attackers had given.
Maybe tomorrow she’d tell him.
And then she thought of the consequences of what might happen if she didn’t confess the truth and her heart dropped to her stomach. This wasn’t about her any longer. Alex had to know.
As he started to walk away, she called out. “Wait. I need to talk with you.”
He followed her to the bed, where they both sat.
“Alex, I have something to confess.” She gathered his hand in hers. Please, don’t hate me.
“What is it sweetheart?”
That endearment filled her with guilt. She knew he would not be as forgiving or happy once he heard.
“The dragons who abducted me, and assaulted me last month…they weren’t from Clan Fury.”
He went very, very still.
“Or my clan.” She inhaled a deep breath, gathering all her courage. “They were from Clan Drakon. Your clan.”
Frowning, he searched her face. “I don’t understand. Why would strangers from my clan wish to harm you?”
“They weren’t strangers, Alex.” A lump formed in her throat, making it difficult to breathe. “Their names are Maurice, Vincente, Nils, and Clayton. Your cousin, and your friends.”
Smoke poured from his nostrils. Inside, his guts quivered and his stomach clenched hard. Alex sprang off the bed and paced, unable to sit still lest he burn the canopy of the pretty bed.
His friends. His best friends, who had fought with him, advised him, laughed with him.
They hurt his Em. And she lied about it.
Painful pressure squeezed his chest. Alex stopped pacing and forced his temper under control. He looked at Em, who had gone quite pale.
“Why did you lie to me? You said the dragons were from Clan Fury. Four red dragons from Clan Fury. Dragon’s breath, I was set to strike at four RED DRAGONS from that clan who fit the description you gave me! What the holy hell were you thinking?!”
“I didn’t want to hurt you. I thought it was best if I swept this under the rug. They only attacked me so I’d stay away from you, Alex, and let the marriage with Sabrina proceed.”
“Hurt me? Em, you lied to me! You, the only person I could ever trust to tell me the truth!”
He tried to leash his raging temper, but the thought of his friends, whom he trusted implicitly, laying a hand on Em, made him see red. “They hurt you! And you wanted to ‘brush it under the rug’ as if it were a piece of godsdamn dust? Do you realize what you could have done? Had I gone through with my attack my clan could have gone to war!”
“Alex…”
Whirling, he punched at the wall, his fist sailing through plaster. Alex’s claws emerged. He raked them over the silk wallpaper, shredding it. Spotting the pretty lamp, he picked it up, yanked it out of the electrical socket and threw it against the wall, smashing it. Had to smash something, had to release all this rage and frustration.
Why? Why?!
“All this time you knew it was my friends who attacked you and you said nothing. Nothing! Did it ever occur to you that with this vile action they did, this heinous deed against you, that I could no longer trust them? Are you fucking blind? Only a half-breed dragon who didn’t know better would have done something like that!”
Shaking with grief, fear and rage, he stopped and examined his knuckles, the white plaster all over them. And then Emma spoke in a small voice.
“I warned you to get that temper of yours under control.”
He sucked in a breath, and groaned, realizing the hateful words he spewed at her. At Emma, who had been a victim, and he was treating her as ill as the criminals themselves.
Alex turned, ashamed of losing it. He’d always been so damn careful around her. And now he’d called her the worst name ever. Half-breed. Yes, she’d been wrong to keep this from him, but instead of discussing it calmly, he’d failed to control himself.
Emma drew herself up, tears glittering in her eyes but her spine was ever so straight. “Yes. I am a half-breed and perhaps a moron for trusting you. They did it to keep me away from you, Alex. They said if I told anyone, especially you, they would return and kill me and chop me into tiny pieces so no one would ever find me.”
Grief pushed aside the rage and shame. “Oh Em. You didn’t think I could protect you? I would have set sentries to guard you around the clock.”
“Maybe I should have told you earlier, but I was too scared.” A big, fat tear rolled out of her right eye and down her cheek. “Perhaps they should just have let me witness you in a rage like this. It would have saved me the bruises, and the humiliation. Because beating the crap out of me didn’t make me stop loving you, but calling me a half-breed just might have worked.”
His guts churned. Loving him. She loved him, and never admitted it. Another secret she held from him. Never had he felt this miserable, or ashamed. She had opened up to him at last, and he’d unleashed the beast of his rage. “Em, I’m sorry.”
“Get out,” she said dully, hugging herself. “I’ll fly back with you and the others tomorrow, but after that I never want to see you again.”
He headed for the door, and then turned back to look at her. She still sat on the bed, so very straight and still. “Em, I am sorry. I didn’t mean it. You’re not a moron. I am, for disrespecting you by losing it. I would never hurt you for all the gold in my kingdom. And now I have.”
Alex left, closing the door behind him, hating what happened between them, hating his cousin and friends for the crime they’d committed against Emma.
But most of all, he hated himself for losing control of his temper once more. He’d pushed away the only woman who truly loved him, faults and all.
And he wasn’t certain he could ever get her back.
Chapter 8
Alex woke up after midnight, his senses tingling. Tossing back the sheets, he raced nude to the window. Someone, or something, was outside.
Yet he felt no danger, only a sense of serenity replacing the earlier friction. Drawing aside the drapes with the back of one hand, he stared down at the expansive yard.
Em was dancing in the moonlight. Alone. Anyone could see her from the air, perhaps his bastard friends and cousin who hurt her. Sebastian’s home was open to them as well. Yet he still felt no panic or worry, only a deep sense of peace.
Throwing on clothing, he then dashed downstairs. At the door, he hesitated. Charging ahead recklessly again. Need to slow down, and take heed.
Alex opened the door quietly and went outside, heading for a thick elm tree. Clouds gathered in the distance, signaling an approaching thunderstorm. He hid behind it to guard her as she performed her Fae dance. But soon he became too enthralled with her dance to watch the night skies for threats.
Clad only in a light gauze gown of amber and white that sparkled with fairy dust, she twirled. Em once told him the Fae adored to dance beneath the full moon. It was a good time to catch them, but to beware if one did, for the fairy magick could enthrall. Certainly it enthralled him now. Or perhaps it was the woman weaving and dipping to the tune only her Fae ears could hear.
She dazzled him, this dragon-Fae of amber and white. Her mixed colors sparkled in the moonli
ght and her large blue eyes held much wisdom and sorrow. He wanted to chase away the sorrow, and replace it with pleasure.
Hold her tight and never let go, delving into all her secret places, and licking her all over, and then to finally claim her as his own. When he’d kissed her, all his dragon senses flared to life. They said a dragon’s soul mate could be told with a single kiss. But perhaps Em’s Fae blood prohibited it.
He wasn’t certain. All he knew was this mad urge to claim her, make her his own.
Alex had never been possessive about anything before, except his gold coins. The crown, the title were all treated with indifference, a fault his father often reprimanded him for. But with Emma, he felt a fiery possessiveness, and urgent male need to stamp his mark upon her, to claim her in the flesh so no other dragon could touch her. No other male would dare even kiss her once he made love to her.
Enchanted, he watched her dance, flinging her arms out as if to embrace the rain riding on the night wind, or the stars themselves.
His Emma. She would be his, tonight. They would be damned for it, but that mattered little. He could not think nor breathe for the sight of her dancing in the moonlight, her skin glittering with Fae dust, her long hair billowing out as she spun and laughed and sang.
Need arrowed through him, the sheer sexual instinct to take her and fill her with his seed, making sure no other male would breed her.
He closed his eyes for a moment, seeing Emma swollen with his child inside her belly. His penis hardened at the thought. She must be close to her time, for he could scent the change in her. Perhaps she was more dragon than she’d thought.
Emma began to sing, the notes pure and clear. So haunting and mesmerizing, he could only stay still and listen, totally enthralled. Now he knew what Fae magick truly meant, for he was helplessly captured by her voice as surely as if Emma had tossed a net of pure enchantment over him, making him her hapless prisoner.
