“Seriously?”
“I’m not sure why you’re surprised. I’ve had a lot of downtime over the years.”
“Did you ever go to school when you were younger?”
“Yes. The local town school, until the age of about thirteen. Then I joined my father’s ship business as an apprentice architect and engineer… His dream had always been for me to take over running the family business.”
He placed my feet back on the ground. I slipped my hand in his. Rather than returning to the piano again to relieve Ashley and Landis, I let Caleb lead me away from the dance floor, away from the lights and noise. We walked in silence and stopped again once we were far away enough for me to barely hear the music. I knelt down on the sand, pulling Caleb down with me. We lay on our backs, gazing up at the dark sky.
After a pause, I turned my head toward Caleb. “Does this island feel any more like home to you now than when you first arrived?”
To my delight, he nodded. “It does… After the battle we just fought side by side, it would be hard not to feel camaraderie for the people of this island.”
I reached out and brushed my fingers against his cheek before leaning forward to kiss his lips.
“You are part of this island,” I said. “Part of this family. This place wouldn’t feel complete without you now.”
I held his hand and rested it over my navel before looking back up at the sky. I let out a sigh. I couldn’t deny that this wedding had made me imagine what it would be like to one day wed Caleb. I could almost imagine him standing there at the head of the aisle, watching me as I walked toward him, my arm looped through my father’s. It made me shiver.
I was about to lean forward and kiss him again when a wave of shouts broke through our peace. We sat up and looked back toward the crowd. The music had stopped, as had the dancing. Everyone was looking out toward the sea. I followed their gaze and gasped as I finally saw what they saw.
A horde of one hundred dragons, racing toward us in the distance. Although I knew they came in peace now, the sight of them still sent chills down my spine.
The dragons and their prince had returned.
Just in time to crash the party.
Chapter 8: Rose
The dragons were headed straight for the Port. Caleb and I lost no time in jumping to our feet and rushing towards the jetty to greet them. Others were less enthusiastic. They remained where they were on the beach, watching as the dragons drew closer and closer. My parents broke free from the crowd to join us.
The four of us stood at the edge of the jetty. My mother’s grip tightened around my father’s forearm. The dragons had crossed the boundary now—I could only assume that Mona had cast a spell upon Jeriad and his companions before they left, allowing them free entrance—and they were so close that I could begin to make out their features. I spotted the silver-orange scales of Jeriad, and the grey-blue body of Ridan. I also spotted several others who had accompanied them during the first visit. But right in the center of the crowd was a dragon larger than any I had seen before. He had piercing amber eyes, and his shimmering scales were pitch black laced with gold. I had thought that Jeriad was intimidating, but this magnificent creature made him pale in comparison. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the prince.
The horde soared over our heads and began to touch down in the clearing behind the port. Their landing was so deft and skillful, the ground barely shook. A strong wind built up around the area as their massive wings beat all around us.
The clearing was in no way large enough to hold all of the dragons, so as their feet hit the ground, they changed into their humanoid forms, making space for the others to land. Caleb, my parents and I walked slowly toward the clearing, and waited at the border until each of them had transformed. My eyes roamed the crowd of virile men in search of the prince. It didn’t take me long to find him.
He was the most imposing and striking among them. With locks of thick dark hair that touched his sculpted shoulders, he retained his bright amber eyes. He wore a silken black cloth draped over his deep tan chest and his teeth were pearly white as he exchanged a word with Neros. Complete with a chiseled jawline, he looked like some kind of Grecian god.
My father looked down at me. “I suggest just the two of us approach first.”
He held out a hand. I let go of Caleb and took it. We left him and my mother behind as my father and I began walking toward the dragons.
The prince stepped forward with Jeriad. As we approached within a few feet of them, my father and I stopped. Now that we were closer, I could see that the prince was almost exactly my father’s height. The prince’s eyes left my face and fixed on my father.
“Welcome,” my father said, gripping his hand in a firm shake.
The prince nodded slowly.
“How do you like to be addressed?” my father asked.
“You can call me Theon,” the prince replied, his voice deep and rumbling.
“This is Derek Novak,” Jeriad said, “fire-wielder and king of this island.” He gestured toward me. “And this is his daughter, Rose Novak, the maiden we had come to retrieve.”
I couldn’t hold the prince’s gaze as he looked directly at me. I stared down at the ground. My father’s grip around my hand tightened.
“Just so that there are no misunderstandings,” my father said steadily, “my daughter is already engaged. But there are plenty of other worthy women on this island.”
Engaged. It was strange hearing my father say the word. I supposed that it was a good idea to tell the dragons this. It would make my relationship with Caleb seem more fixed and unlikely to be swayed.
“So I have been told,” Theon replied. “But it is a shame… I could have made your daughter very happy.”
There was a tense silence, and even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could practically feel his gaze blazing into me. My cheeks grew hot. Too hot for comfort. I was sure that they had turned a tomato-red color.
I was relieved when my father changed the subject. “Would you like a tour of the island, Theon? Or would you like us to take you straight to your accommodations?”
“There will be time for a tour later,” Theon replied. “For now, my men and I would like to rest. It’s been a trying journey.”
“Of course.” My father turned back to my mother and Caleb, waiting a dozen feet behind us, and beckoned them over. I was relieved when Caleb walked to my side and placed an arm around me.
“Would they prefer to fly or walk?” my mother asked my father.
Jeriad overheard my mother’s question and answered before my father could. “We’ll walk. I know where the mountains are already. They’re not far from here.”
And so we set off through the woods. We walked the whole way in silence. I still couldn’t get used to these men. Even when they were quiet, they exuded an intensity unlike any I’d ever experienced before. It was exhausting just being in their presence.
I was glad when we finally arrived in the clearing outside the Black Heights. My parents walked up ahead and pushed open the door to the inner chambers. I was curious to see what the witches had done with it. Caleb and I waited until all the dragons had entered before we followed them into the mountain. We walked along a winding lantern-lit tunnel in the direction of the storage chambers.
When we arrived in the first one, I gasped. It was totally unrecognizable. It had been fashioned into some kind of grand entrance hall.
Gone was the rough stone floor, and in its place was luxurious black marble. The walls were covered with rich velvet drapes and a grand chandelier hung in the center of the room, casting soft light around the walls. The dragons’ mutters of approval filled the chamber. From here, we exited through the door to our left and entered another tunnel, which soon widened into a broad hallway with carved rosewood doors on either side of us.
“The apartments along this hallway as well as the ones on the floor above us have been especially designed according to Jeriad’s specifications,” my mother said.
“We hope you will find them to your liking.”
The dragons began dispersing along the hallway.
“Theon,” my father said, turning to the prince. “We were told that you had special requirements. Your quarters are along here.” My father gestured to our left, toward a particularly large door right at the end of the corridor. We began walking toward it, and Jeriad followed. On reaching it, my father handed Theon the key. Theon opened the door and stepped inside. We followed inside after Jeriad entered behind the prince.
The beauty of the apartment took my breath away. The floors were the same black marble and although the furnishings were simple, they were elegantly done. Everything seemed to be designed to give the feeling of space. Although there were no windows, the high ceilings and minimal design of the place made it feel cool and airy, and all the furniture appeared to be crafted out of iron. We walked from room to room, admiring the job our witches had done and watching for Theon’s reaction. So far he seemed satisfied. We stopped at the last room—the bedroom. The bed was huge, much larger than my parents’ queen-sized bed, and the sheets and pillowcases were made of deep orange satin. Half a dozen cushions were piled up near the velvety headboard.
Theon turned to face us, a small smile on his face. He nodded courteously. “Thank you.”
Still holding my hand tightly, Caleb motioned for us to follow my parents, who were backing away now. We reached the front door with Jeriad and were about to close it behind us when Theon spoke again. He was looking directly at Jeriad. “You may leave now, Jeriad. Get some rest. I will let our hosts know about tomorrow.”
Jeriad nodded and backed away, strolling down the corridor to find his own quarters. We all turned to look back at the prince curiously.
“We don’t want to waste any time in making acquaintance with the maidens on this island.” Theon’s amber eyes roamed toward me once again, making my skin tingle. “So if it’s agreeable, we would like to arrange the introduction for tomorrow. Noon would be a convenient time for a ball. I trust you’ll be able to manage this.”
With that, he bowed slightly once again and closed the door, leaving us all standing and staring at each other in bemusement.
A ball?
I could tell from my parents’ faces that they had no more clue what Theon meant by it than Caleb or I did.
“A ball,” my father murmured.
“A ball,” my mother repeated, frowning. “Rose, do you know what he means by this?”
“Oh, sure,” I said. “I throw balls for dragon shifters every Friday.”
Chapter 9: Rose
“A ball.” I repeated the word again as we left the mountains. Since Theon had closed the door on us, my mother thought it best that we didn’t knock for clarification. We looked around for the dragons who might still be strolling the corridors, but they had all retreated into their rooms and we didn’t want to disturb them in case they were sleeping already.
So we were left to our own devices in figuring out what exactly Theon had meant.
“Come on,” my mother said, a look of amusement on her face. “How hard can this be? They just want us to arrange for a formal introduction to all the interested ladies.”
My father already looked fed up with the whole affair as he ran a hand through his hair. He looked at my mother, then at me. “Can I leave this ball business to the two of you?”
My mother chuckled, and nodded. “I think that would be best.”
My father heaved a sigh. “Good. I have other, more pressing matters to see to now. I’ll catch you around.”
He left us and began making his way across the clearing toward the forest, leaving me, my mother and Caleb. I looked at my boyfriend. “Honestly, you’re not going to find this interesting either,” I said.
“Agreed,” Caleb said, rolling his eyes.
My mother looked at Caleb, then back at my father who’d almost disappeared in the distance. “Hey, Derek!” she shouted across the lawn. My father spun around. “Take Caleb with you. He can help with whatever it is you need to do.”
Caleb looked relieved to be let off the hook, and as he walked over to join him, the two men disappeared into the woods.
My mother turned back to me and held my hand. “I think it will be good for Caleb and your father to have some time alone, man to man.”
“Great idea.” I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “And I’m happy to have some alone time with you, Mom.”
She smiled and kissed me back. Then she let out a sigh. “So, the ball. Firstly, where do you suggest we hold it?”
I frowned, rubbing my face in my hands. “Well, when I think of balls, I think of Cinderella. The classic fairytales. They are all normally held in some kind of grand hall. I guess the closest we have to that is one of the chambers within the Black Heights themselves?”
“Hmm,” she said. “Or we could ask Corrine to help us set up on the beach. We held a wedding there today, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be fit for a ball.”
“Yeah,” I said, “but it wouldn’t really feel like a ball. It would feel more like a party, or something. I think we should hold it in the largest chamber we have in the mountains.”
My mother smiled. “Okay. I trust your judgment more than mine, dragon girl.”
We re-entered the mountains and took a sharp left turn. Eventually, after passing along several tunnels, we reached the chamber we’d had in mind. It was the largest that we were aware of. It was currently filled with sacks of grain and emergency supplies.
We stepped inside and looked around. “We’ll need some help from the witches in making this place more… fairytale-ish,” I said.
“Okay,” my mother said. “Now we’ve decided on the venue, we need to think about music.”
I began thinking over my music sheets and which pieces would be most suitable. But really, I wasn’t worried about this. I wasn’t lacking in knowledge of classical music, thanks to my father, and I was sure that this would be pleasing to the dragons. “Don’t worry about music,” I said. “I’ll sort that out. What about food?”
“The dragons said that they would be satisfied with whatever the humans eat. So that shouldn’t be difficult. We’ll set out a buffet, something similar to what we had today at the wedding.”
“Okay.”
There was a pause as my mother and I looked at each other. It dawned on me—and I was sure on her too—that we’d both been avoiding the most important element of our ball.
The damsels themselves.
They still had no idea that I’d hooked them all up with these dragons.
“The single ladies,” my mother said, reading my mind.
“Yeah,” I said, my mouth drying out.
My mother gulped. “Well, it’s getting late now. I suggest we make a trip to the Vale early tomorrow and break the news to them then.”
It would have to be real early if the ball was at noon. Many would want at least a few hours to get ready.
My stomach churned at the thought of none of them being interested. I had just assumed that dragon shifters would be appealing to them.
Now I just had to pray that this assumption was correct.
Chapter 10: Derek
Caleb approached me across the clearing. Our eyes met, then we looked away and walked through the forest in silence. Even now, I still didn’t find myself fully at ease in the young man’s presence. I wasn’t sure that I ever would. A small part of me resented my daughter staying with him in the mountain cabin. I wanted her at home. After all she’d been through, it had been heart-wrenching not having her sleep at home.
“Rose thanked you earlier for saving my life,” Caleb said quietly. “But I haven’t yet.”
I shook my head. “Don’t mention it.”
Caleb had saved both my and Sofia’s lives from Annora’s curse, going against his own people and risking his own life in the process. Saving him from Rhys was the least I could do.
We didn’t talk again until we arrived back at my pentho
use. I led him straight to my study. I had a hundred and one tasks going through my head that needed to be done, but now that Caleb was here with me, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do any of them. It dawned on me that, apart from Rose’s recounting of everything that had happened to them since she’d been away from the island, I still knew very little about this young man. And that was something that I wanted to change.
“Take a seat,” I said, gesturing to the chair opposite mine across the desk. “Do you drink?” I asked the question more out of interest than out of desire to give him alcohol.
Caleb shook his head. “Not anymore.”
I raised a brow, pleased by his answer. “All right. Would you like some other refreshment?”
“Thanks, but I’m fine.”
I sat down in my chair, folding my fingers together and resting them on the table, continuing to look steadily at him. “Since we have this time together, why don’t you tell me your story, Caleb?”
Surprise played across the vampire’s expression. “My story?”
“Yes. I still know very little about you, other than that we owe you our lives. I would like to know more… For example, how did you first become a vampire? What were you before you became one?”
Caleb’s eyes darkened. “That’s a long story,” he said. “But if you have time, I’ll tell it to you.”
I glanced at the stack of papers on my desk, filled with notes and to-do items. I didn’t really have time. But I would make time for Caleb.
As he began to recount his story, starting with his life as the son of a ship merchant, I found myself listening with rapt attention. His gaze was distant, and he seemed to drift off in some parts of the story, reliving his memories afresh. By the time he’d finished, hours had passed. I hadn’t spoken once throughout, not even to ask a question. I was both deeply moved and also surprised by how much this vampire reminded me of myself during my darker times, before I met Sofia.
He paused after he finished, looking down at the table.
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