Aris: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Stratham Dragons Book 1)

by Sarah J. Stone

  He knew there was a whole world out there with so many things that had to be done. But he was content here and now.

  But in the middle of the night, he got up, sliding slowly away from her arms to gaze out the window.

  The night was clear, and the stars were shining brighter than they were in America. The moon was full and perfectly white over their window. He cracked open the window as quietly as he could and climbed out on the windowsill.

  The air was slightly chilly, and the noise of traffic outside was louder than he liked. But he drew his knees up, blocking both the cold air and hopefully the noise from his sleeping angel as he watched the night sky.

  Somewhere in that mess of stars and planets was Umora. He had lost track of where it was and lost track of where they were.

  And tonight he had lost track of where they were going, he admitted.

  Oh, how his brothers would laugh if they could see him now. He had stormed away in such a huff, in such a fit of anger, to rule this planet. To show them he was better than the fate they left him with.

  They would not praise him for being holed up in a cheap hotel with a weak human girl, with no one bowing or scraping.

  He fiddled with the dirt on the windowsill, tracing a pattern with his nails.

  Was this about them? Was this about showing them what he was worth? Showing his father that he was more than a bastard orphan child? Or was this about him and reaching his true potential? Or was it just about finding happiness?

  Behind him, he heard Enya cough, and he glanced over his shoulder. She shifted in her sleep, but she didn't wake, so he remained on the windowsill.

  What was happiness, really? Was it measured in grand halls with thrones and crowns?

  She coughed again, causing him to turn completely this time. She was restless, her body trembling with cold.

  He felt remorse right away, and came off the windowsill, closing the panes behind him.

  She coughed again, and then her breathing grew harsher.

  “Enya?” He approached her cautiously. If she was alright, he didn't want to wake her. But she twisted, and he knew she was in pain. Just as he lay a hand on her, she woke with a blood-curdling scream. It startled him, and he jumped as he realized her scream was not terror, but pain. “Enya, what's the matter?”

  “I can't!” Her hands flew to her head. “I can't. It hurts. I can't…”

  And then, to his horror, she went completely limp in his arms.

  CHAPTER 10

  “ENYA!” he screamed in her face. He didn't know what to do. Flexing his palms did barely anything, but he placed his hands on her stomach anyways, trying to help.

  The screams brought knocks on the door, and he threw it open. Cole had never been one for accepting help, but he never needed such help.

  “Monsieur?” said a bleary eyed and confused hotel staff member.

  “Please!” he pleaded, pointed to her limp body. “Please, my…my girlfriend, please. She's sick.” He could barely remember the words in English, but the hotel clerk seemed to understand. He rushed to the bed, and one look at Enya had him rushing to the phone. “What are you doing?” Cole demanded. “What are you doing? Are you calling for him?”

  “Monsieur,” he snapped his fingers. “CPR.”

  “What?” Cole babbled. He had never felt so helpless or so useless in his life. He was a sovereign prince. He was a dragon lord. But he could fix nothing with this world, it seemed.

  “Here!” the staff member threw the phone to him and immediately went to Enya, compressing her chest. Cole didn't know much, but he knew life was leaving her.

  “Bonjour?” said a voice in his ear, but he couldn't speak. Whatever emergency phone call he was making would not be in time. “Bonjour?”

  Silently, he put down the phone, closing his eyes. There was no magic left, but there was something he could always do, no matter what state he was in.

  It was his last hope and he was quite sure that they wouldn't come. But he had to try, even if it meant the end of his life.

  He closed his eyes, trying to focus his energy away from there. His heart was breaking, and hot tears were running down his face as he focused his mind back to his planet. Back to his brothers.

  Nicholas. Alexander. I am here.

  He had spent this whole time guarding his location and his thoughts from them. If they knew he was on Earth, they had no idea where. And he suspected they were doing him a favor by not finding him.

  Nicholas, he called again. Nicholas was the middle brother, the one that often took care of him and came to his aid. Alexander was to be King. He was always far too busy to listen to his youngest brother's cries for attention. Find me.

  There was silence in his mind. He could barely feel any life left in Enya, and the hotel clerk was panting in frustration and panic. He could vaguely hear the man screaming at him, begging him to use the phone. But Cole knew this was his only shot.

  Brothers, he said. I will lay down my life for her.

  Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning. He felt it in his very soul. He took a step back as he felt a large gush of wind.

  When he opened his eyes, he was only half surprised to find both of his brothers standing there in dragon form. They barely fit in the hotel room, knocking things over. The hotel clerk turned white and slumped against the wall. Alexander, who was the smaller and yet the more regal of the two, snorted, blowing magic in the man's direction. He slumped peacefully to the ground, and Cole recognized the illusion. What little magic dragons had was quite useful.

  The majestic dragons regarded him wordlessly, and he used his mind to hear them.

  Please. She is dying.

  Alexander's yellow eyes looked right into his. If you return, you will be jailed. You cannot escape what you have done.

  Nicholas's thoughts penetrated his mind. She is human, brother. And she is almost gone. She may not survive the jump, yet alone long enough for us to heal her.

  “You must!” Cole practically screamed at them. “You must, please. Please.”

  Do you accept the price? Alexander regarded him.

  “Yes,” Cole said, and realized he had to do more than that. He sank to his knees, humbling himself. He had never done anything like that. He refused to bow to his father half the time. But this was different. This wasn't about pride or ego. This wasn't about him. “Please. I have no magic, though. You must take me, too.”

  The two dragons looked to each other, and for one terrifying, heart stopping moment, Cole wasn't sure they were going to help him.

  His childhood flashed before his eyes – playing in the meadow, laughing through the palace. They had been so innocent and young. And once, they had not been so different. When had it become them versus him?

  He then suddenly realized that he had made it so. He had chosen to distance himself. He had chosen to run.

  They had always been there for him and always tried to protect him.

  Hold on, little brother, he heard Nicholas say as Alexander approached the bed. Cole went to Nicholas, wrapping his arms around the dragon’s long neck.

  Alexander ducked his head, putting it against Enya's now still body. Her life force still beat, but just barely.

  Cole felt the familiar magic swirl around him, and he closed his eyes.

  Please. He didn't think he had ever prayed before. He wasn't exactly sure who he was praying to, but he needed to do something. He had never felt so helpless.

  He felt a jolt – a start – and then, the ground became solid again beneath them.

  He felt his own magic rush back and fill him. He was strong, and he was home.

  He opened his eyes, finding them in the royal palace.

  And to his horror, he saw his own guards marching towards him.

  “Nicholas.” His eyes flew to his brother, who had taken human form beside him. He saw such disappointment in his brother's eyes and such sadness. Nicholas had fought his own battles so many times, and yet he had always been there to protect Co
le and to make sure he was safe. Now, Cole saw nothing but pain. “Please,” he pleaded. “Please will you protect her? Please.”

  “Brother,” Nicholas said. “Give yourself over to them now.”

  “Please!” Cole felt hot tears streaming down his face. “Brother, if you will do nothing else for me, please do this.”

  It was clearly tearing at Nicholas. But eventually, he placed a hand on Cole's shoulder.

  “It will be done,” he said, and Cole nearly broke down sobbing.

  The guards put handcuffs on his wrists, and looped their arms through his. Just a few months ago, these same guards had protected him as he walked through the streets. Now, they were stone faced, dragging him through the palace. They refused to look him in the eye and refused to speak. Once, they had been friends, allies in mischief and in life. Now, they were his undoing.

  Cole did not try to fight and did not attempt to struggle. He didn't want to do anything to endanger Enya. He needed her to live, even if it meant his life.

  CHAPTER 11

  Dragging Cole away meant Enya was left with several tall, menacing dragon lords. She was barely coherent, and her vision was blurry. She couldn't even make proper words, and she wasn't sure if they would understand her anyway.

  Her vision practically blacked out as they approached. She couldn't even scream, she could barely tremble.

  “Please,” she managed. “Please.”

  And then there was nothing but darkness.

  When Enya awoke, she had no idea where she was. Her thoughts didn't make any sense, nor did the fuzzy feelings in her head. She felt like she couldn't breathe, couldn't move, and couldn't do anything.

  And then everything rushed back into focus.

  She was in a room with a very high ceiling and marble columns along the wall. It was a room fit for a king.

  That was when she realized where she was.

  She was at the Royal Palace of the dragon lords. Cole had brought her here because she was dying, and he had risked his own life to do so.

  Slowly, she sat up, expecting her head to pound and her breathing to become short.

  But to her surprise, there was nothing that pained her or that even made her wince even temporarily.

  Her fingernails had full color, and her eyes were wide open. She felt like she had the most restful sleep of her entire life.

  Was this it? Was she cured? After all this time, after all this chaos, was it as simple as this?

  The doors opened, and she jumped in the air.

  In walked a tall, thin man, with reddish-brown hair, and she saw his yellow eyes flash. She knew that this was Cole's brother, Nicholas, whose dragon form had reddish-brown scales.

  She pushed herself back on the bed, and he smirked, putting his hand out.

  “It's alright,” he said in his heavily accented voice. “You won't come to harm under my hand.”

  She froze, and he didn't advance, seeing that she was frightened.

  “Do you understand?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “Good. My English is not–”

  “It's alright,” she said, picking at the blankets. “Maybe 10 years of learning, with two years of no practice?”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes.”

  “I'm a translator back on Earth,” she said. “So, it's my job to know those things.”

  “Oh,” he replied. “Is it a good job?”

  “I'm a student,” she replied. “So, probably. Is Cole–”

  He waived his hand.

  “How are you feeling?”

  She recognized the deflecting question right away and chose not to press on. Cole may love her, but she knew from his stories that Nicholas was the muscle, the strength, and the most viscous. Angering him was never a good idea.

  “Good,” she answered. “Am I cured?”

  “No,” he said. “But it's an improvement.”

  “Why am I not?” Had they not promised her that?

  Nicholas's face clouded, and she felt like something was horribly wrong.

  “Please can I see Cole?” she asked, and Nicholas sighed.

  “You are summoned before the King as soon as you can stand.”

  “The King?” she said. “Your father?”

  A darker cloud passed over his face, and her heart thudded.

  “Isn't the King your father?”

  “Our father is dead,” Nicholas said. “My brother, Alexander, is King.”

  Enya gripped the blanket, her jaw falling open.

  “What? When? But wouldn’t Cole have known?”

  “Cole's link to the magical world when he was on Earth was not strong enough to feel the sudden decline of power from the throne. When we came to you, we did not want to distract him.”

  “I'm sorry,” she said, and a moment passed between them. She knew that she had to be brave and strong right then. It wasn't just because she was a million miles away from Earth in the presence of dragons who could kill her. It was because her boyfriend had just lost his father, and he would need her to be his rock.

  Nicholas held his head high, although she could see that his eyes were full of emotion.

  “Will you come before the King now?”

  “Yes,” she said, finding her legs strong enough to support her, “I will. Do I need to...” She looked down at her clothing and was shocked to find that she was wearing a long, flowing, blue and white gown. “Never mind then.”

  “Come with me,” Nicholas said, and she followed him out of the room

  The rest of the palace was even more grand than the bedroom she was in. She had a feeling it had been standing for thousands of years.

  Everyone they passed in the hallway was staring at them, mostly with raised eyebrows and some whispers. Nicholas didn't even acknowledge them, and Enya kept her head down.

  The throne room made her gasp when she entered it. It was the most majestic of all, straight out of a movie. There was a raised throne, made of what looked like ivory, and marble columns with ridges carved into them. The ceilings must have been three stories high, painted with murals of dragon history.

  And on the throne, in human form, sat Alexander. To his right, to Enya's surprise, was what looked like a human woman. Tall with shocking red hair and pale skin, the woman had green eyes and perfectly arched eyebrows. This girl was from Earth. There was no doubt about that.

  “Bow,” Nicholas snapped, and Enya dropped to her knees, unsure of how long she was supposed to be down there.

  “Rise, “Alexander said, after a moment. “Bring her a chair.”

  “I'm alright,” Enya spoke out and he raised an eyebrow.

  “So be it. You may stand. Do you know why you are here?”

  “Cole brought me here?” she tried. Alexander's English was slightly better than Nicholas's, although not as good as Cole's. She couldn't tear her eyes from the human woman sitting on the throne beside him.

  “Yes,” Alexander said, accepting that. “But Cole forfeited his rights when he left here. My father's wish was that he be tried for his crimes.”

  She knew what he had done, and if she didn't, she could guess. He had alluded so many times to being so terrifying, to killing, and to maiming.

  And yet, somehow, that didn't change who he was. She simply saw him as a sweet, misunderstood creature – one she was in love with.

  “This does not surprise you?” Alexander asked, and she stood her ground.

  “This is your world,” she said. “But there is perhaps a side of Cole that you don't know.”

  “Tell me,” Alexander shifted in his seat. “What do you know about my brother that I may have over looked?”

  “That he's kind,” she said. “And considerate. He may seem like he has a tough exterior and that he's focused on power. But I can't tell you the amount of times that he's held my hair while I've thrown up, or made sure that I was alright. The day we left, he went to get my luggage, my things, and even got me breakfast. He put aside his pl
ans for world domination when I had a raging fever, and wouldn't leave my side. He held my hand, he got me water, and he made me feel as good as he could get me with his limited magic. He's soft, he's gentle–”

  “And you're in love with him,” Alexander said, dryly.

  “Yes,” she said, in shock, her eyes darting to the redhead. “Surely, you can understand that.”

  The two of them exchanged looks, and the redhead smirked, but said nothing. Enya was now even more confused than before, but she knew better than to ask.

  “Can I see him?” she asked Alexander.

  Alexander looked behind her. “Nicholas, can you take her to the prison? Cole is not restricted on visitors. Let her have as long as she needs.”

  “What will happen to him?” she asked, a sudden feeling of dread filling her.

  “We have yet to decide,” Alexander replied. “That will be all.”

  “What do you mean, you have yet to decide?” Enya asked, but Alexander waived his hand, and it was clear the conversation was over.

  Nicholas took her gently by the elbow, and she jumped.

  “If you'll follow me,” he said, and Enya froze up.

  “What will happen to him?” she repeated, but Nicholas pulled her out of the throne room.

  “A word of advice,” he said. “You do not question the word of the King. If Alexander asked you to stand on your head, then you do it.”

  “Is that...” Enya tried to put the pieces together. “That is the Queen? His Queen? His wife?”

  “Ariel?” Nicholas raised an eyebrow. “Sort of.”

  “What do you mean, ‘sort of?’” she asked. “Are they engaged to be married?”

  “Ariel has been with my brother for the last 15 years, but it's complicated.”

  “Because she is human?” Enya asked.

  “She is stronger than a human,” Nicholas replied. “She is a carapace. A breed of human that can block magic.”

  “Why would you want to block magic?” Enya asked, confused.

  “Some dragons and other creatures enjoy being in their human forms and not feeling any sort of pull. Alexander is one of those people.”