by Donna Grant
“I’ve seen the two of you together. There’s no denying the attraction.”
“That doesn’t mean we’re mates.”
Eilish nodded in agreement. “What do you think is keeping you apart?”
“We’re from two different worlds.”
“So were Ulrik and I.”
Eurwen rolled her eyes. “You two are from the same planet. That’s not true for Vaughn and me.”
“But you can overcome that. If you want to.”
“Then there’s the fact that I have to return to Zora.”
Eilish lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I don’t think Vaughn would mind moving.”
“We’re not allowing any Dragon Kings from Earth to reside there.”
“Oh,” Eilish said, her eyes rounding. “Really?”
Eurwen nodded. “Brandr would never agree to it. He doesn’t even want any more visiting. He also told me that if I choose Vaughn as my mate, he’ll banish me.”
“Damn. That could be a problem.”
“Exactly.”
Eilish flattened her lips for a heartbeat. “And you would never want to live here?”
“I have a duty to Zora. Just as Vaughn has responsibilities here.”
“It sounds like you’ve considered things with Vaughn then. You must feel something for him.”
Eurwen looked away. “It doesn’t matter what I do or don’t feel. It can never work.”
“If it’s meant to be, it’ll work. Somehow.”
“Spoken like someone who hasn’t had to make a choice like mine.”
Eilish shrugged, her lips twisting. “Maybe not like yours, no, but every mate has had to make a conscious decision to give up the lives we had—and sometimes even our families—to be with our King.”
“You didn’t have to give up family immediately, though, did you?”
“Others did. I’m not trying to make light of your situation.”
Eurwen dug her toes into the sand. “I realize you’re trying to compare what a mate goes through with what I’m dealing with, but it isn’t the same.”
“Do you want to be with Vaughn?”
Eurwen hesitated, unsure of how to answer that.
“All right,” Eilish said. “Let’s try this a different way. Do you like being with him?”
That was easier to answer. “I do.”
“That’s a step forward. Tiny steps are still steps.”
Eurwen smiled at Eilish. Was this what having a friend was like? If so, she had missed out on a lot. The topics she and Eilish discussed now were things Eurwen would never be able to talk about with Brandr because of his hatred for the Kings and everything they represented.
“That smile didn’t last long,” Eilish pointed out.
Eurwen wrinkled her nose. “Vaughn and I met a very, very long time ago. I knew who he was, but he had no idea of my identity. I made sure of it. We had an incredible night together, and I left while he slept so he wouldn’t start asking questions.”
“I take it there wasn’t much talking that night,” Eilish said with a knowing smile.
Eurwen chuckled. “Not a single word. The attraction was too intense.”
“So…no talking during cuddling? Surely, the two of you cuddled after.”
Eurwen thought back to that night and sighed wistfully. “When we finally grew exhausted, yes, he pulled me into his arms.”
“Oh, my God,” Eilish exclaimed with wide eyes. “That does sound like an incredible night.”
“More than you could possibly know.” Just thinking about it made Eurwen long to return to it. Things had been so simple then. Or perhaps she hadn’t realized the complications that she and Vaughn spending time together could cause. Most likely, she was just naïve.
Eilish let out a long whistle. “Sounds like Vaughn made an impact.”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“How long until you saw him again?”
Eurwen adjusted her hands on the edge of the hammock. “Not until he came to Zora.”
“I don’t understand,” Eilish said, a deep frown creasing her brow.
“Brandr and I made a pact to never interact with the Kings.”
Eilish shook her head, her confusion evident. “Any King?”
“Any.”
“Ever?”
“Ever,” Eurwen confirmed.
Eilish blinked and looked out at the water. “The attraction you spoke of with Vaughn must have been great for you to ignore your pact.”
“It was.”
“What did your brother say when he found out?”
Eurwen was glad that Eilish wasn’t looking at her. “I didn’t tell Brandr until Vaughn was in our realm.”
Eilish shook her head again as she briefly closed her eyes.
“Exactly,” Eurwen said. “If Vaughn is my mate, would I have been able to stay away from him all this time?”
“I wouldn’t have been able to stay away from Ulrik,” Eilish said as she turned her head to Eurwen.
Eurwen raised her brows, nodding.
“Damn.”
The two were silent for a long time. Eurwen kept thinking about Vaughn’s face when he left the cavern. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him, but she should’ve known it would come to that. She had known he wanted something more. It felt nice to be with him, but by going with him to Dreagan, she had allowed him to think there could be something between them.
“Things change,” Eilish said. “You opening the doorway between our worlds and allowing your parents—as well as Vaughn—into Zora might have altered things.”
Eurwen looked at Eilish. “I wish it were that simple, but it isn’t.”
“It all comes down to what you want. Not what your brother wants for you, or even what happens on your world. It’s what your heart and soul need. What you can’t live without. I think that has already begun to change. You just haven’t noticed yet.”
“Maybe.”
Eilish flashed her a smile. “You did come to Dreagan. With Vaughn, I might add.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Care if I sit?” Ulrik asked.
Vaughn bit back an angry reply. “I’d rather you didna.”
“Too bad.”
Vaughn rolled his eyes as Ulrik lowered himself to the ground beside him.
“This isna the Vaughn I know,” Ulrik said.
“People change.”
“We’re no’ people.”
Vaughn fisted his hands as his irritation spiked. “Dragons change.”
“You should be fighting for her.”
“If she doesna feel I’m her mate, it’s pointless.”
“But you think she’s yours.”
Vaughn turned his head to look into Ulrik’s gold eyes. “I know she is.”
“Sitting here willna get you your mate. Go after her.”
“You make it sound easy.”
Ulrik’s lips twisted as he issued a half-shrug. “It is.”
“She’s known who I was from the beginning. She’s known where I was the entire time. If she felt I was her mate, she would’ve returned to me.”
“A dragon would’ve, aye. She’s only half-dragon.”
Vaughn shot him a flat look. “Do you think I doona know that? I’m all too aware.”
“All I’m saying is that she might feel things differently being only half-dragon. Her Fae half may interfere with her discovering her mate. Right? You can no’ deny there’s a chance.”
“There’s a chance. But I doona think that’s true.”
Ulrik frowned. “Why do you say that?”
“They doona want any Kings in Zora. No’ to live. No’ even to visit.”
“But…Con and V are there now. Varek was there. You were there.”
“Varek wasna there of his own volition. From what Eurwen told me, Brandr wasna happy she built the doorway to allow Con and Rhi in.”
Ulrik’s lips flattened as he nodded. “Then you arrived.”
“That’s when Eurwen told
him that the two of us had met long ago.”
“I’m guessing he didna take that well.”
Vaughn lay back to look up at the sky, linking his hands behind his head. “You could say that. Eurwen willna consider living here. She said her place is on Zora, ruling with her brother.”
“And they doona want us there,” Ulrik said into the silence. “Shite.”
“Precisely,” Vaughn replied in a dry tone.
Ulrik released a sigh. “Eurwen might well want you, brother, but she finds herself torn between two places.”
“There’s no way around that.”
“There’s always a way.”
Vaughn snorted. “Doona throw my words back at me. I said them regarding legal issues.”
“You can no’ deny it works in this scenario, as well.”
“You’re trying to give me hope.”
“And you’re giving up entirely too easily,” Ulrik retorted. “The Vaughn I know doesna back down from a fight.”
Vaughn rolled his head to look at Ulrik. “This isna a battle, my friend.”
“It’s a battle of your heart.”
“When did you become so romantic?”
Ulrik’s gaze drifted away. “There isna a King here who hasna spent lifetimes yearning for his mate. The Fae and even the mortals continually search for the other halves of their souls. We’re lucky that we’re able to discern it.”
“The Fae and humans can—and do—live without their mates, even if they find them. We can no’.”
Ulrik’s gaze jerked back to him. “You’re needed here.”
“That isna true, and you know it. Dreagan would continue. The Kings would continue if I died. That is true of any of us. We doona have a purpose anymore. We accepted the mortals here, gave them a home. And then let them dictate how things would be. We allowed them to push us until we had no choice but to send the dragons away.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. We had a choice. We chose to be true to who we are.”
“Aye. I’ve told myself that for a long time. Now, I wonder if I’ve been telling myself a lie.”
Ulrik lay beside him. “You say that because you’ve been to Zora.”
“Eurwen and her brother have the humans contained to a certain place. Dragons doona venture there, and the mortals are no’ allowed on the dragons’ side.”
“Ah, but they do cross.”
“No’ many,” Vaughn argued. “Eurwen and Brandr have given the dragons a place to prosper and grow.”
Ulrik drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. “That is working for them now. It willna always. What do you think Brandr and Eurwen will do? What do you think the dragons will do if the humans attack?”
Vaughn’s heart clutched in his chest because he didn’t want to answer that question.
“They’d stop the humans by any means necessary,” Ulrik said for him. “We both know that. Varek told us that Zora is similar to our realm thanks to Erith, but it doesna hold the magic that chooses us as Kings.”
“Nay,” Vaughn replied softly.
“It’s that magic that kept us in line, so to speak. It chose only the bravest and most lethal dragons to lead. But first and foremost, those dragons needed a good heart. There is nothing like that on Zora for the dragons or Eurwen and Brandr.”
Vaughn briefly closed his eyes. “The twins are so intent on no’ making the same mistakes we did that they willna be able to see that they’re making new ones.”
“From what you and Varek have said, Zora is beautiful. That will all change the moment Eurwen and Brandr feed their dark side and kill the humans. The Eurwen you know now will be gone.”
Vaughn didn’t like to even consider that situation.
“Varek likes Brandr, but Brandr willna listen to anything any of us has to say.”
“Eurwen might.”
Vaughn looked up at the stars above him. “I’m no’ so sure.”
“We should try.”
“There’s no reason for either of them to even consider what we’re saying because nothing changes on Zora.”
It was Ulrik’s turn to snort. “Oh? Some person Jeyra called the crone managed to pull Varek from our world to theirs. I’d say that’s something to think twice about.”
“I forgot about that.”
“Understandable. You just found the woman you’ve spent eons combing the Earth for.”
Vaughn met Ulrik’s gaze. “The crone needs to be found so we can figure out what she did.”
“And make sure she can no’ do it again. My thoughts exactly.”
“I have to return to Zora.”
A smile pulled at Ulrik’s lips. “That you do. And while you’re there, remember why you’re so good at being a lawyer. You’ve got a gift.”
“For understanding and using the humans’ legal system,” Vaughn stated with irritation as he sat up.
Ulrik followed him, shaking his head. “That’s only part of it. You have a cool head, Vaughn. You’re able to hear what others say. You doona just listen, you understand. You’re also able to get them to understand you. That isna something to discount. It’s time you realized your gifts and used them properly.”
Vaughn nodded, a plan beginning to form. “Aye.”
“And while you’re there, you might also want to spend some time with Eurwen.”
“If she’ll allow it.”
Ulrik grinned as if he were hiding something. “Oh, she will.”
Vaughn frowned as he cocked his head to the side. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll see once you’re in her realm.”
“I’m no’ supposed to go back.”
Ulrik got to his feet. “Says who? The door isna closed. Besides, Con is still there.”
That was a good point. Vaughn stood and faced his friend. “There’s still a chance this willna work.”
“What would you rather do? Sit here and slowly die? Or go to Zora and fight for your mate and her realm?”
“You know the answer,” Vaughn replied tartly.
Ulrik laughed and slapped him on the back. “It’s the answer for any King. You just needed to be reminded of that.”
“Thank you.”
“You would’ve come to that conclusion alone. I just helped you get there quicker. Shall I bring you to the doorway?”
Vaughn grinned. “Of course.”
Ulrik held out his arm with the silver cuff. It had been given to him by a Fae and allowed him to teleport. The instant Vaughn put his hand on him, Ulrik jumped them to the Dragonwood.
“The doorway is there,” Ulrik said, motioning with his hand.
Vaughn knew they were in the right area, but that didn’t mean Eurwen had left the doorway open. “Are you sure?”
“Rhi put the two white pebbles on the ground to mark the doorway,” Ulrik explained.
“That makes things easier for us.” Vaughn took a step, then paused. “There’s a chance Eurwen willna be happy to see me.”
Ulrik’s nose wrinkled as he shrugged. “She feels something for you, brother. The more time you spend together, the more she’ll see it. It doesna matter what realm you’re on.”
Vaughn knew Ulrik was right. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to chase after Eurwen. He had searched for her all this time. He would continue for as long as he had hope that she cared for him.
Ulrik was right. Eurwen did feel something for him. It was there in her kiss, in her touch. Even in the way she smiled at him. Either she didn’t know her feelings, or something else was holding her back. It was time he pushed to find the answer—for both of them.
And if she ultimately rejected him and left him without a mate, at least he could look back and know that he had done everything he could.
Vaughn looked over his shoulder at Ulrik. “I doona know when I’ll return.”
“Con and V will have your back there. We’ve got you covered here,” Ulrik said with a grin.
Vaughn squared his shoulders. It hurt that Eurwen had left to
return to her realm, but had he actually expected her to stay after what had transpired between them? He took a deep breath and took two steps. With the third, he was in Zora.
Ulrik released a sigh of relief as Sebastian walked out from behind a group of trees.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” Sebastian cautioned.
Ulrik looked into his topaz eyes. “There was no other choice.”
“Let’s hope Eurwen reacts as we hope.”
“And Eilish doesna skin me alive,” Ulrik said with a grimace.
Sebastian laughed. “Oh, she will. I just hope I’m there to see it.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Zora
* * *
Brandr woke with a start. For a second, he couldn’t remember why he was in Eurwen’s cottage. Then, it all came back to him.
He slowly sat up. Con and Rhi were gone. V was with Claire on the bed, both with their eyes closed. Next to the bed was a bassinet. Brandr stood and walked to it. When he looked inside, he saw the bairn bundled tightly in a blanket. The child looked innocent as it slept peacefully, completely unaware of the turmoil its arrival had instigated.
Brandr couldn’t stop looking at the tiny bundle with its wrinkled face. He reached inside and gently brushed the back of one knuckle against the bairn’s forehead. Brandr didn’t know why he wanted to touch the baby, but once he had, he couldn’t pull his hand away. Dragon magic ran through the infant. It wasn’t as powerful as V’s, but there was no denying that it ran throughout the bairn.
He dropped his arm to his side and looked at Claire and V once more. The look of panic on V’s face waiting for his child to be born was something Brandr would never forget. He didn’t know why none of them had felt the Fae magic that prevented the baby from being born, but he was glad that he’d been here to help. He didn’t want to think about what could’ve happened had he not.
As a Dragon King’s mate, Claire was essentially immortal. The only way she could die was if V died. The way Usaeil’s magic had held the bairn would’ve killed it within Claire’s womb. A cesarean would’ve needed to be performed just to get the babe out. And neither Claire nor V would’ve ever been the same. Brandr was shocked that his grandmother had been so callous. He had to remind himself that she had been Dark.
