by Celeste Raye
“Life is still in her, but just barely. Get her some help, and I never want to see the two of you again.”
“You can't take me away from my own pack. They’re mine by blood.”
“So you say. Now they're my pack. If you want to contest that, I am sure that Nik can take care of it for me. He will be your Alpha.”
Nik was just as surprised as Franklin was. It was unheard of, and while neither one of them may have quite agreed with her, they weren't going to argue with her either. It was the first time that Nik saw his wife as the strong witch that she could be. He could see the energy surging through her, feel it in the air and see it through her eyes.
Freya stayed long enough for her orders to be carried out. Franklin had every reason to leave Jillian there, but instead, he took her into his arms and fled. There was love between them, and even in one of their darkest moments, Freya could see that. She could see it, and she wanted it with Nik.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Alpha ceremony was done not too long after Lachlan was killed. Freya was told the rest of the secrets that Nik had discovered. Freya had believed him, but at the same time, she had wanted to see it for herself. Nik took her to see Star and Freya remembered the final pieces that had been taken away from her. The ones that hurt her the most.
Nik became the Alpha for both the Rand and Domin families. It was the first time that the two sides had been brought together in over a century. Most of the truth was never brought to light. It would be too hard to try to explain it all; just enough was said so that people would be able to follow him.
There were a few tense moments where a couple of the Domin family approached him like they would defy his rise to their leader, but it quickly fizzled out. Nik had a reputation for being fierce. Freya had seen it firsthand, but it was always for her, to save her.
Not long after Nik’s rise to power as the leader of the largest pack ever, Freya found out some more good news. She was expecting their first child, and nothing could have prepared her for the joy that started to take over.
It was only when she got a visit from a witch, the same one that had helped them before, that everything changed again. Freya was starting to learn that happiness was temporary.
“What is it you have to tell me, Glenda?”
“I thought that you should know the rest of the story, Freya. I know that you feel betrayed by your family, and rightly so, but I want to offer you a small token. A reason, if I can offer you nothing else.”
Nik looked over at his wife, and he knew that whatever it was that was going to be said to her was going to rock her. Freya had been through enough, and he wanted to shield her from what was going to happen next. Nik wanted to tell the witch to stop talking and leave, but he knew that it was not going to help Freya. She needed to know the truth, whatever truth it was now. At this point, nothing would surprise him.
“So, tell us what you came here to tell us, witch.”
Glenda cast him a dirty look, but Nik ignored it. He had never cared for witches, and even though Freya was one, that stance hadn’t changed. She did not use her power for influence like other witches.
“I want to tell you about the prophecy.”
Nik felt something tingling in the back of his neck, and he was the one that was leaning forward to hear more. Nik had already heard about it once before in passing. Several times, actually. He needed to know what this prophecy was. It couldn't be good, considering that it had made Jillian do so many horrible things. Although it could have been Jillian herself that was evil.
“What prophecy?”
Freya was asking the question because she had heard nothing about it. That was something that Nik had decided didn’t need to be said. He had kept that part to himself.
Glenda was a bit surprised because she knew that Nik had learned of it. She knew that he had kept it from her. She cast a questioning look to him, but then kept going.
“Your mother did all of this for a reason, Freya. I will not justify her actions, but I will say that she did have a reason. There was a prophecy foretold right before all of this happened. It is because of the curse of the Phoenix family. Your real father.”
Freya just nodded her head, and she was waiting for the rest of it. Nik had seen that face before. It was the same face that she had given him when he had told her about the first set of secrets that he had learned.
“If the Phoenix family ever were to have a child, it would spell the end of all shifters.”
Nik was about as shocked as Freya was. He had learned of the prophecy, but to actually hear what it was about was something different altogether. What did she mean by the end of all shifters?
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that your family has been cursed for a very long time. It is something that cannot be lifted. Your family is never supposed to intersect with another dragonkin bloodline. Especially not a strong family like the Rands. The idea was to keep your DNA from continuing on. They wanted it to end your family once and for all.”
Freya felt her heart sink. What was going to happen to her baby? She wasn’t worried about the whole race, not at the moment. All she could think about was the fluttering baby inside of her. She already loved her more than she could have imagined possible. It was a piece of her and Nik’s love.
“That has to be wrong. I have heard before that prophecies are always being changed. This will be too.”
Nik could see the pain in her face and the determination never to let it happen. If sheer will were enough, he knew that she had it in spades.
“I am sure you’re right. We won’t let anything happen to our child.”
Glenda tried to interject, but Nik stopped her. “Thank you, witch. We have had enough truth for today.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Freya held Calypso, and she knew that everything was going to be fine. Everything was right in the world. How could it not be, when she was holding her beautiful daughter in her arms?
She looked over at Nik and laughed. “You can stop looking out the window, Nik. The world isn’t going to end. She is born, and nothing happened. It’s all going to be okay.”
Nik smiled at her, and she felt happier than she ever had before in her life. It was such a pure feeling that Freya knew that she wasn’t going to be able to top it. It was perfect, maybe too perfect. Freya had gotten everything she wanted.
“I know that it’s not going to end. I just, I don’t know. That prophecy has me freaked out. Maybe that’s the point of it, you know: get into our heads so that we drive ourselves crazy.”
She laughed at his words. “I don’t think that is what it is about. Really. Come here and hold your daughter. I have a phone call to make.”
Nik didn’t ask who she was calling. He knew that she was calling Jillian. As much as he hated the idea of it, he knew that it was for the best. She needed to talk to her mother, no matter how crazy the woman was.
He held Calypso in his arms, wondering what was going to happen next. He’d gone to see Glenda and learned more than he should have. While he had assured Freya that the world wasn’t going to end, he’d known that the prophecy wasn’t going to come true: not yet.
“I am going to have to watch over you like a hawk, my little girl. I am going to make sure that nothing happens to you ever.”
The baby opened her eyes, and they were blue for a moment before they turned the same shade of green that her mother had. Nik wasn’t too sure what that meant, but like his wife, he could feel power coursing through her. There was still no telling what sort of powers she would have. Nik didn’t like witches, but he knew that he would love her if that were what she was.
Freya came back in with misted eyes a while later. Calypso was asleep in his arms, and Freya smiled at the scene.
“You are the most adorable man.”
He just shook his head. “I am supposed to be fierce, Freya.”
She waved him off. “Everyone else can think that, but I will always know you for
what you are.”
“Yeah, and what is that?”
“Soft inside.”
She took the baby and laid her down in her bassinet. When she turned around, Nik had her by the waist, pulling her in for a kiss.
“Stop. Not in front of the baby.”
He pressed something into her back. “I want to show you how soft I am, wife.”
That made her giggle low in her throat and they retreated out of the room. He pushed her against the wall and kissed her lips. It felt like the first kiss. It always did with her.
How could anything so right ever be wrong?
“Are you sure you’re up for my needs?”
She sighed. “I suppose I will have to manage.”
He growled at her and she ran towards the bedroom, stopping when she got to the door.
“You coming?”
Nik agreed, trying to keep his mind on the prize. He had years to worry about prophecies and curses. Right now, all he wanted to think about was Freya. His wife. His love. The woman that he’d loved for more than half of his life, even when the memories were taken away. She’d always been there, and one meeting had brought it all back.
“Honey?”
“Coming.”
Nik walked into the bedroom, pushing the last words Glenda told him out of his mind. He could worry about it later. They had time, and life was pretty damn good right now.
“The end of the dragon race comes from the ashes of the final Phoenix, born of a Rand.”
Dragon Shifter Redemption
(A Dragon Shifter Romance Story)
The Dynasty Club
By Celeste Raye
Book 4
Prologue
“Calypso, if we get caught, I think your father will actually kill me. You know how much he hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you, Kevin; he just hasn’t gotten to know you yet. He doesn’t know how great you are and how great you can be. You should let him see that.”
Kevin shook his head; Calypso was trying her best not to get upset about it. She was ready for things to move along in their relationship, but he was the one putting the brakes on it. That fact alone drove her crazy. How was he able to turn her down in such a way? He shouldn’t be able to, as far as she was concerned.
Calypso started to kiss him, wanting nothing more than to shut him up. He seemed to have too many things on his mind. “Why don’t you stop thinking about everything that can go wrong and think about what can go right?”
Kevin wasn’t going for it, and she realized very quickly. She started to take her shirt off and was happy to see that it was enough to keep his mind off of things for the moment. As much as she liked to believe that they were ready, she was starting to see that they weren’t. They might never be, if Kevin couldn’t man up a little bit and stop being afraid of her father.
“You know how much I want you, Calypso. I want you bad, but your dad really will kill me. You know he told me as much?”
She didn’t care, not even in the slightest. All she could think about was Kevin finally putting his hands on her. That was what she needed more than anything else, and Calypso always got what she wanted. She had her eyes on him and no matter how much was against them, Calypso was ready for the next stage. Calypso was ready to grow up.
“He is not going to kill you. I’ve told you this before. I know you have some crazy thoughts in your head about him, but he’s just a guy.”
“His eyes glow.”
“And you were smoking that day. Obviously, you shouldn’t have, if you’re seeing glowing eyes.”
Every time that Kevin gave a reason to stop what they were doing, she made sure to pull him in another direction. She played with her blonde curls and tried to give him a sexy look. In her mind, he would see it and go right to her, but in practice, it was far more different than she could have ever imagined.
“I saw what I saw, Calypso. I know that you don’t believe me, but I saw it.”
Calypso knew that arguing with him was only going to frustrate her even more. She tried all the ways she knew to get his attention, and she was running out of ideas. At this point, all she wanted to do was force him to want her, no matter what that looked like, she really didn’t care. Calypso had thought about it too much. She knew that tonight was the night, even if Kevin didn’t know it yet.
“Come on, Kevin. If you aren’t sure, why are you still with me?”
He hesitated a bit too long, and that made her nervous. Why was he finding it so hard to come up with an answer? She liked to think that it was an easy problem to solve and understand.
“Because I think I love you, Calypso. I know that we’re young and there is all of this stuff against us, but I do love you. I think I do.”
It was about as sweet as Calypso could hope for, and she leaned in for a kiss. It was the kiss that was going to start everything, ignite them both in flames of need. That she was sure of.
What she didn’t see coming was her father bursting through the door and yelling at the two of them. Kevin was out of there quickly, running with his tail between his legs, so she had to face him alone.
“What the hell are you doing, Calypso?”
“Just getting to know my boyfriend a little better.”
He thundered at his daughter to get dressed. Calypso had never seen him so angry, so she moved when he yelled.
“You are never to see him again. I will send you far away from him, away from the Kevin’s of the world. You know what you are, Calypso. You can’t pretend that you’re anything different. You know that, don’t you?”
Calypso knew he was right, even if she resented him for it.
“We love each other, Dad. You can’t keep us apart.”
She was upset, and he just shook his head like she was being a child. “Honey, in a few weeks, you’ll forget all about Kevin. Just trust me. There is someone far better out there for you, more like us.”
Calypso didn’t want to hear it. It felt like every time she turned around; something was done to keep her safe. It was hard to be afraid when she didn’t see any danger. Now he was going to send her away, and Calypso knew that she was never going to be able to forgive him.
Chapter One
“I don’t see why this is such a big deal, Mother. You know that I already know what I am. What can I learn there that I can’t learn here with you?”
“It’s just a rite of passage. If your father were still around, he would be the one teaching you.”
“No, if father were still around, I would be locked up somewhere, where he’d never have to deal with me.”
“I know that you’ve always felt that way, honey, but it’s not the way it was. He just wanted to keep you safe.”
“Safe from what?”
She saw her mother’s face change. It hardened, and she wouldn’t meet Calypso’s questioning eyes. Her mother knew something, but like every other time she’d wanted to know more, she was told that there was nothing to worry about. It was a lie then, and she knew that it still was.
“From forces that are beyond us. Just trust me when I tell you that your father has done everything possible that he could to keep you safe.”
“I remember all of the witches and shamans, other magical people that he would bring me in front of. He would always have them put protection spells on me. At one point, I thought I would never have friends because no one could get close.”
“That didn’t happen that way though, did it?”
Freya smiled at her daughter, hoping that she would see.
“So, it was a good thing, Calypso. It was all how it was supposed to be. He loved you more than you can ever imagine. You have to know that. He may have been hard on you, but it was for a good reason. I want you to know that. Your dad loved you, and he’s up there, smiling down on you right now. Never think otherwise or think that you’re alone.”
Calypso was going to tear up if she wasn’t careful, and that wasn’t something that she wanted to do at all. She was putting her ma
keup on in front of the vanity. The party for her birthday was at the Dynasty Club. It was a place that she had heard her father talk about a lot, but she was never sure if she was going to see it for herself.
Now she was going, and the last thing she wanted to do was get all emotional. But she was confused and her mother’s insistence on talking about such subjects was making matters worse.
Her mother came up behind her with another calming smile. She put a little tiara on her head. Calypso told her it was silly, but Freya assured her that diamonds were never silly.
“You will do well here. Frank is a great man. He will teach you everything that you ever wanted to know about who you are and what you can do. You’re not in the boarding school anymore, so now you will have to learn how to protect yourself.”
“Come on, Mom. You don’t have to be too serious. You’re starting to freak me out.”
“It’s nothing like that. I don’t want to alarm you; I just want you to be aware. We have enemies, and one day, you very well may have to defend yourself. I want you to be ready, and Frank will do that.”
“I don’t need all of this.”
“Yes, you do, dear. I am sorry, but you do.”
Calypso pressed her for more answers, but none were forthcoming. As much as she hated to admit it, there was something in the back of her mind, nagging at her.
“Will you not tell me what it is? If you want to keep me safe, wouldn’t it be better if I knew the full story?”
Calypso waited for an answer from her mother, but it was clear, like every other time she wanted to know something, that she wasn’t going to get the answers she sought.
“Knowing would do more harm than good. You have to believe me, honey. I would never keep you in the dark unless I thought that I had to. I know you don’t agree with being sent off, but it was necessary. Your father did all of it because he loves you so much.”
