by Zara Zenia
“There you are.” I blink against the glow of the sunlight piercing through my sensitive eyes as they try to adjust and adapt to the blinding light.
I form a protective shield over them with my hand and glance around at Roger, Brent and Ken who are congregating around a tree as if they are getting ready to perform some ritualistic sacrifice or something.
“You certainly took long enough,” Ken sneered and crossed his arms, sizing me up with his eyes that trailed me from head to toe.
Brent nudges his brother with a jab of his elbow to Ken’s gut, shutting him up promptly. “We are glad you are back,” he says, thankfully changing the subject to my relief. “We need to talk about the plans for the future and what our next steps should be.”
I glance at Roger for reassurance, which he gives me by way of a swift nod. “Sure,” I say and look at all of them. “I’m ready to discuss the future.”
“Good.” Brent walks toward me and clamps his hand on my shoulder with a little squeeze. “Thank you.”
I stare at him, utterly baffled. “For…what, exactly?”
“Katie has gotten to you to,” Roger says as his eyes gleam. His lips curl into an amused smirk. “We are a family now.”
I know exactly what he’s talking about now. Before, I didn’t understand how we could all come together. After having sex with Katie, everything makes sense now. It’s as if I’m viewing the world with a new pair of eyes. Katie’s strength is rubbing off on me, just like it is for the rest of them. I’m not jealous. I’m at peace, just as Katie told me to be.
“These last few days have really brought the world into focus for me,” Brent says as he addresses the four of us. “Judging by the way we are all getting along better and the serene aura and vibe now flowing through the den, she is having an exhilarating effect on you all too.”
Brent pauses and glances between us, waiting for recognition and agreement which oblige to him with nods and murmurs of liberation.
“If we can find a way for the vampire trafficking to stop…” I mention and trail off because I’m not really sure how to solidify my proposal.
“I agree,” Roger chimes. “We want to save our kind.”
“And you will.” Brent’s eyes flash with genuine nobility.
“How, exactly? If you don’t mind me asking?” I stare at Brent.
I’m not trying to be rude or undermined any authority he has as the king of Ethwan. I just want to make sure that when I arrive on the planet, that my life clock doesn’t start ticking away.
“I know that you are concerned about the vampires’ life span on Ethwan,” Brent says with a nod, almost as if he can read my mind and empathizes with my fears.
“There is another way,” Ken advises with a glance at his brother who sighs.
“It’s true.” Brent locks eyes with Roger and me. “There is a scientist on Ethwan that has been helping me try to narrow down the problem and come to a conclusion on how to save the vampires currently residing there as slaves.”
“Really?” Roger’s eyebrows raise in authentic surprise.
“What has the scientist been working on?” I ask, getting excited.
“Well,” Brent begins with a proud smile and a gleam in his eyes. “I don’t know the details yet. I haven’t been back on Ethwan for long enough periods of time yet to sit down with him and assess the leaps and bounds they’ve made. I trust this advisor, and I know he won’t let us down.”
“That’s why we need to return to Ethwan as quickly as possible,” Ken adds.
I toss an apprehensive gaze at Roger. He’s not usually as cynical as I am, nor is he as temperamentally argumentative. Nevertheless, I question them regardless of the fact that Ken and Brent are standing right in front of us and can hear the private thoughts that explode from our tongues during the conversation.
“Are you okay with all this?” I shake my head and chuckle wearily.
Roger contemplates a moment, allowing his mind to process and digest the information before blurting out a response. That’s just the way he is. He’s stoic and better at dealing with qualms between groups.
“I am considering it…” he trails off and kicks the dirt with the tip of his shoe. He shoves his hands in his pockets as if he’s sheepish and afraid to look directly at me for a reaction.
“Don’t forget about Taylor,” I remind Roger with a warning.
Brent and Ken exchange a look of puzzlement. “Who is Taylor?” Ken questions as his brows knit and furrow into curiosity.
“Taylor is the one who turned us,” Roger explains, jumping in before I get a chance to run off on a tangent.
We have their full attention now. Ken and Brent take a step closer to us. “That’s interesting,” Brent says with narrowed eyes and a hushed voice. “It sounds like it might throw a wrench in the wheel though.”
“Maybe,” I shrug defensively. “We are called by him whenever he needs us. We are not supposed to reject him when he needs us.”
“The entire vampire species needs you,” Ken argues. “What will you say to those that are dying and in desperate need of help on Ethwan, right now at this very moment?”
“Well when you put it that way…” I trail off as the guilt and magnitude of Ken’s statement ravages me.
“Think about it.” Roger approaches me as the brother I have come to know and love. “We are happy here on Earth, but for what purpose?”
“I don’t know—”
“That’s right,” Roger states, interrupting my sentence before I have the chance to finish it.
“We just kind of…I don’t know,” Roger flails his arms animatedly by his sides. “Up until the point where we met Katie, we just roamed the planet, aimlessly and without substantial direction.”
“If you want to leave now,” Brent advises with a glance at his brother for support, “I won’t protest.”
Ken sighs dramatically but in the end, he relents with a groan. “Fine, I won’t put up a fight either.”
“You guys really need us,” I whisper as I study them.
“We do.” Brent has no trouble admitting that fact. “But you have my word. If you aren’t comfortable going with us from this point and forward, you can walk away with no backlash.”
“No hard feelings?” I ask wearily with a raised eyebrow, deliberating in my head.
“No hard feelings,” Brent reassures with a nod.
“If you come with us though…” Ken adds, “you will find a purpose and you can help us rule the planet.”
“I like those odds.” I shrug and glance at Roger.
“Me too.” His expression is solemn.
“What about that freak of a relative you have?” I ask. “Michael?” I pull their attention to the maniac who is trying to destroy the planet along with the entire universe around it.
“That’s why we need you to join forces with us to help take him down,” Brent confesses.
“It’s not a bad offer,” Roger states.
I walk in a circle, but I’m careful not to begin a pacing session. There isn’t a lot of time left to weigh our options. It’s now or never.
Brent’s voice rings through my ear, shaking through my bones and sending ripples to ponder through the core of my soul.
“What are you doing on Earth that is so important?” he questions. “Isn’t being with Katie, and protecting the vampires a better option?”
Chapter Forty-Eight
Brent
When we walk back into the den to discuss our plans and communicate everything with Katie, we find her sitting on a chair. Her expression is somber and stoic, almost flat. She looks like a blonde goddess, glowing through the darkness.
The chair is facing the door as if she’s waiting on our return and expecting us, but in a calm and rational way. Katie is not the type to panic. I can feel her trust bouncing off the walls. She radiates a warmth into the den that shelters my mind from any storm that would try to tear me apart inside.
She remains seated as she watches us emerge from the d
arkness to join her in the den. It’s frigid in here, and I rub my arms as chill bumps stretch across my skin. I’m not used to a cave like environment like this, even though I haven’t been spending very much time on my home planet of Ethwan lately.
Katie’s lips curl into a delicate and ethereal smile as she greets us one by one. “What took you so long?” Her voice is smooth, intoxicating.
Ken is the first to approach Katie. He kisses her softly on the cheek and tenderly cradles her hand in his. It’s a gesture that warms my heart. He’s finally seeing the light and becoming softer as a dragon. He’s learning to be gentler and less brazen, a quality that is profoundly hard to achieve for a dragon.
“Are you ready to come with us now?” he whispers in hushing lull.
Katie stares between us, our new family. She doesn’t answer right away. She’s looking to us for approval. She wants to know the outcome of our deliberation and to make certain we are all one hundred percent on board with the idea of the future.
If we are not all operating in unity, then the entire plan is bound to fail. None of us want that to be the outcome, especially Katie. I can see it by the way her eyes are struggling to find harmony in the four of gathering around her in a circle.
Her eyes dart from left to right, as if she’s following a ping pong match and trying desperately to keep up with the ball.
“Katie?” Ken coos again to her, swooning under the captivating spell of her presence. “Are you ready to go home?”
She stands up this time and locks a gaze with each and every one of us, individually. I am the first one to stare into the piercing penetration of her ocean blue eyes. I nod in confident silence, gleaming at her to coax her along emotionally.
One by one, we each nod to her in agreement. We are all conforming to one purposeful goal, and we need each other to accomplish everything we set out to do.
“We are all here for each other, and for you, Katie,” I reassure her.
She flutters over me and rests her petite hand on my chest. “I know.” Her voice is a song. “I trust every one of you.”
“We are meant to be together,” Roger adds. “Everything happens for a reason.”
“How very cliché of you,” Ken snorts but in a playful way.
Roger rolls his eyes and laughs. “I wonder if I’ll ever get used to your quips?”
Ken pats Roger on the back with brotherly affection that makes me relieved. “It’s something you’ll come to know and love, I promise.” The two of them share a few more banters back and forth, roaring with laughter.
I couldn’t imagine a better way to start our new lives together and to fly back to Ethwan, on a light note of conformity and lightheartedness.
“Let’s go then,” I tell her and take her hand, squeezing it in my own. Her skin is warm and inviting. The thrill and rush of opportunity for the future buzzes through my veins with electric, enhanced joy.
We climb in the spaceship outside of the den, which has expanded from the two seater, into a larger vessel to hold all of us. The roar of the engine boosters make it hard to hear one another. I am the last to board the ship and close it behind me. “Do we have everybody?” I ask and glance around to make sure.
“Yep,” Carl nods. “The gang’s all here.”
We snap ourselves into our protective harnesses and I glance over at Katie who looks tranquil and open-minded. She’s a free thinker. She knows what she has to do. Her hands fold in her lap with meticulous determination.
I push the throttle to full power and the engines blast through the trees, blowing the limbs around as if a mighty hurricane is barreling through the woods. “There’s no turning back now,” I tell everyone with a grin.
I’m met with engaging expressions of enthusiasm and excitement. In an instant, the spaceship bursts through the sky.
“I just have to do one thing,” Katie proposes. “Not right now, but soon.”
I glance over at her with curiosity. “What is it?”
“I need to make sure my sister Eva is aware of everything that is happening,” she admits.
“Of course,” I nod and pat her thigh. “For now, you need to go to your new home. Ethwan awaits you and expects you to land as their Queen.”
Katie’s cheeks blush with a boasting thrill. “I can’t wait.”
She glances down to the Earth as the ground becomes tinier and shrinks thinner, the farther away we soar. With a nostalgic wave, she gives it one last goodbye kiss and never looks back.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Katie
I’m thrilled that everybody seems to be getting along better now. The guys are no longer fighting among themselves and their general temperaments have eased toward each other.
We are coasting along in the spaceship and Brent advises us that it shouldn’t be much longer before we arrive on Ethwan.
“I would like to take a bath before I get there, if you don’t mind?” I request of the four of them.
They glance between themselves.
“Sure,” Brent and Ken say in unison.
“I want to be clean and shiny for my new Kingdom,” I admit with pride. “I want to be respected and loved.”
“You will be,” Brent assures me with a smile. “The dragon shifters of Ethwan will welcome you with loving, open arms.”
“That’s good to know,” I sigh with relief. “I’m just glad you guys are on board with the plan and the situation,” I say with a tiny chuckle.
“We have to admit, it’s slightly unconventional,” Roger laughs.
“I know.” I nod and give them a look flashing with gratitude. “It feels comfortable and natural though, being with you all. Mating with all of you…” I trail off.
“It’s a wonderful experience for us too,” Ken says and surprises me with his lighthearted nature. “We need you as much as you need us.”
“That is the perfect recipe for a family built on the foundation of trust,” I admit with a grin.
Roger squeezes my hand. “We are behind you every step of the way,” he whispers gently. His eyes are warm, kind and genuine.
“I’m not anxious about it at all.” Ken shrugs with nonchalant indifference. “I’m comfortable with our little arrangement.”
“It’s not a terrible set up,” Brent adds.
“It’s better than ending up alone,” Carl laughs. “That to me is a bigger nightmare than anything else I could ever imagine.”
“You guys are really important to me,” I say and find myself getting a little choked up. A knot forms in my throat as fresh tears of joy sting my eyes. I wave my hand dismissively in the air. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m getting so emotional all of the sudden.”
“It’s okay.” Roger tenderly strokes my arm while Brent cups his enormous olive hand over my own. “We are here for you. We understand this is a lot to take in.”
“Honestly I can understand why I’m so emotional,” I chuckle lightheartedly. “I mean think about it. How many girls can say they are lucky enough to even have one guy love them, much less four?”
“Yeah.” Carl smiles. “It’s true, we are all massively in love with you.”
“You are the future Queen of Ethwan,” Brent states proudly. “We should be the ones feeling lucky.”
“Thank you,” I whisper in his ear, feeling remarkably humbled in this moment of peace and paradise between us in the galaxy swirling past us.
“At first, I didn’t trust the dragon shifters,” Carl confesses with a nostalgic laugh. “I hated you guys.”
“Believe me,” Ken waves a hand in agreement. “The feeling was mutual to you vampires.”
“Katie is the common ground who helped us see the light,” Roger states. “Although I have to agree with my brother. I didn’t trust the dragon shifters either,” he says almost apologetically.
“We are all brothers now,” Brent reminds them, playing the role of big brother with grace and elegance.
“I don’t know if I can say I hated any of you,” Roger
adds as an afterthought. “But it was a struggle in the beginning.”
“Every rainbow that emerges from a storm is something to believe in,” I tell them wisely. “We endured the storms together, and now we are on the other side and staring at the sunshine as it glows on all of us.”
“Yeah, the unrelenting heat,” Carl groans.
“We are working on a solution to that,” Brent reminds him gently.
“I hope so,” he says and props his feet on the empty chair in front of him.
“I can’t wait to be your Queen,” I admit to Brent with a smile, squeezing his hand while I attempt to change the subject on a more positive and futuristic light.
“I will undoubtedly need you by my side always,” he beams.
“I will not let any of you down,” I tell them, and I genuinely mean it. “You all have sacrificed so much for me. I owe you everything, including my life.”
“I trust the future as we plan to walk it together,” Ken states.
“Me too,” the rest of us say in unison even though we didn’t plan it that way. It’s just another glimmer of hope that bursts through my heart and showers me with solace.
Chapter Fifty
Brent
“We’re here.” I take Katie’s hand as she climbs out of the car.
“Whoa.” Carl stares up at my magnificent palace, right in the heart of the Ethwan kingdom.
“Have you ever seen anything like it?” Katie boasts, zestfully.
“Nuh-uh.” Carl shakes his head and playfully swats Roger in the arm. “Are you seeing this?”
“Incredible,” Roger whispers as he too stares up at the grandiose and elaborate stone walls of the palace.
Carl instinctively wipes the sweat off his brow under the intensity of the bright yellow sun and unrelenting heat.
“We can go inside now,” I reassure him with a pat on the back.
Katie grabs me by the elbow and hooks her fingers around my arm. “Why aren’t you hiding?”
