Light filters in through the window, casting the room in an orange glow. I dress and my gaze turns to my single glass slipper by my bed. I trace my fingers over the crystal as I remember the night of the ball.
A tear slips down my cheek as I swallow against the lump in my throat. I love him… and it’s hard to think of him with another. Even if it is for his good.
I sit up in bed and place my hand to my chest as if that will somehow help the terrible ache in my heart. I wonder if this pain will ever go away. I wrap my fingers around the stone pendant as I blink back my tears.
Crying will not bring him back, nor will my sadness. I have to move on, but I do not know how. Part of me wonders if I should leave for Arnafell; start a new life far from here and away from my memories. But another part of me prays that somehow I’ll see him again, even as impossible as that may be.
With a heavy sigh, I push down my sadness and raise my hands. I focus on each word as I recite the spell of binding. I have to refresh it twice a day to bind my wicked stepmother and stepsisters so that they remain kind to me, even though they do not want to be this way. Red and purple tendrils of mist hover around my palms, then shoot away with lightning speed to find their targets.
It has only been less than a fortnight since I first cast the spell, but I have noticed its effects beginning to wane. My stepmother’s magic is strong. She fights the binding spell each time it is cast, and I worry that eventually it will stop working.
When I make my way downstairs, my stepmother sees me. For a moment, she appears angry. She opens her mouth to speak, but her face twists into an unnatural smile, and she greets me warmly instead. “Ella? Where have you been?”
“Nowhere that I wish to tell you about, Stepmother.”
“All right.” Her mouth curls in a half-smile that’s as strange on her face as I imagine it must feel to her. “Have a lovely day, dear.”
“Stepmother?” I call before she walks away. “Mr. Malforn sent another messenger to inquire about the wedding. He is supposed to arrive here today. I have told him many times it is cancelled. But perhaps he needs to hear it from your lips when he arrives.”
“Of course.”
“And Stepmother?”
“Yes?”
“You and your daughters will be moving upstairs to the servant’s quarters. I expect you to be finished removing your things from the lower floor by nightfall. Is that clear?”
“Yes, my dear stepdaughter,” she replies, the smile twisting more into a snarl despite her honeyed words.
I suppose I could turn them all out into the street, but they never did that to me, so I do not feel inclined to, either. Besides, I would not wish life in one of the workhouses on anyone. Despite all she and her daughters have done to me, I have no wish to be cruel.
My mind is troubled as I make my way to the garden. I need to figure out what to do if my stepmother is ever able to break through the spell I’ve cast upon her.
Ten days have passed since I last saw Ryvan. I cannot stop thinking about him. As I sit in the garden, I touch my fingers to my lips, remembering the feel of his warm mouth on mine. I wrap my fingers around the stone necklace he made for me, feeling the faint pulse of the magic within. It is as if part of him is still here with me. Closing my eyes, I can picture his face so clearly.
“What is the meaning of this?” a man’s voice calls out.
My head snaps toward it, and I scowl as soon as my gaze lands upon Mr. Malforn.
His eyes are blood red, full of rage as he rushes toward me.
I raise my hands to conjure a binding spell on him, but too late. He hits me with the back of his hand. Pain explodes across the side of my face as I fall back. I scramble to stand, but he grips my neck in an iron vise, dragging me toward him. “Did you really believe I would just let you go?” he snarls. “You are mine and I will have you as my wife.”
He tightens his hand around my throat. My lungs burn, desperate for air as I claw at his arms and hands. Darkness gathers at the edge of my vision as I struggle to break free.
A large shadow passes overhead, and my eyes snap open. My jaw drops when I spot an enormous dragon circling above. His silver scales shimmer as they reflect the light of the sun.
“Ella!” My heart stops at the sound of a familiar voice, and my eyes snap to Ryvan as he flies off the back of the dragon and races toward me.
Malforn relinquishes his grip and I fall to my knees, coughing and sputtering as I draw in great gulping breaths.
Ryvan barrels into Malforn, slamming him to the ground. He wraps his hand tight around his throat as he glares down at him. “How dare you touch her,” he grits through his teeth.
“She is my property,” Malforn wheezes. “And I have come to collect.”
Ryvan’s eyes turn into obsidian orbs as he bares his fangs. “She is mine, and you will not touch her.”
Without warning, Malforn pulls a knife from his vest and slashes the blade at Ryvan.
In a blur of movement, Ryvan twists the knife from Malforn’s hands and plunges it deep into his chest.
Malforn’s eyes are wide as blood gushes from the wound. He opens his mouth as if to speak, but only a choked gurgle escapes him.
“You will never touch her again,” Ryvan grinds out.
I watch in satisfaction as the light fades from Malforn’s eyes, and he stills.
Ryvan turns to me. His eyes are full of panic as he drops to his knees and gathers me in his arms. “Where are you hurt, Ella? Tell me. Please.”
He traces his fingers lightly over my bruised neck and face as his eyes brighten with tears. “The protection spell must have worn off,” his voice quavers. “Forgive me, my beloved. I should have come for you sooner. I—”
I cup his cheek. “It’s all right, Ryvan. I’m fine. You saved me.” A tear escapes my lashes. “What are you doing here? I never thought I would see you again.”
His eyes are full of pain as they stare down at me. “I could not bear to be apart from you any longer.” He drops his forehead gently to mine. “I know you asked me to let you go, but I cannot. You are my heart, Ella.”
Tears sting my eyes and blur my vision. “Eryl told me you need a mate with strong Light Magic who can balance your Dark Magic—to help you control it and keep it hidden. I am only human, Ryvan. I cannot protect you like Lorala can.”
He gently combs his fingers through my long, chestnut hair. “You worry for me and yet I was always afraid I would be the one to hurt you, Ella. I never feared for myself… I worried only that I might follow in the path of King Erebyr and bring harm to the one I love most.”
Another tear slips down my cheek, but he brushes it away with the soft pad of his thumb as his glowing green eyes stare deep into mine.
“I was wrong, Ella. I will never become like the Dark Fae King of old that everyone feared. I know now that I can control the darkness within me.” He pauses. “I know this because of them.”
My heart pounds and I watch in stunned silence as he gestures to the silver dragon as it lands in the garden before us. I notice a human woman seated on his back. His green eyes lock onto mine as his vertically slit pupils contract and then expand as he stares down at me.
I draw in a shaking breath. “Ryvan, who is—’
I stop abruptly as the dragon shifts into two-legged form. He catches the woman about the waist with his hands and gently lowers her feet to the ground. She is slight and delicate compared to his massive, muscular form. Her long hair is like spun gold spilling over her shoulders. Her eyes are as blue as the sea. As my gaze travels over her, I note the slight swell of her abdomen and realize she is with child.
Ryvan pulls me up with him to stand. “Ella, do not be afraid. This is Alara and her mate, Veron. They helped me cross the veil to find you.”
He turns to Veron and his human mate. “Veron is the dragon the burned the city of Bryndor to ash.”
I inhale sharply. Everyone knows of Bryndor and the devastation visited upon it by dragon fire. Although it was many years ago, the city has never fully recovered. As I stare at Veron, his arm wrapped protectively around Alara, I can hardly believe he is the same dragon that committed such a terrible crime.
“He is changed,” Alara says, answering my unspoken question.
As I study her and Veron, the realization hits me. “You are the cursed dragon by the sea, are you not? And you”—I turn to Alara—“escaped, and he nearly destroyed your village trying to get you back.”
“I did not escape. Veron let me go to see my sister. The stories were mistaken.” Alara smiles warmly at me as she leans into Veron. “I am happy with my dragon mate, and we have finally come to an understanding with the King of Eryadon, though it seems the rumors still persist. I assure you; my husband no longer burns down cities searching for treasure.”
He wraps his wing possessively around her as he places a tender kiss on her temple. “I do not need to search for gold and wealth when I have the greatest treasure in the world right here in my arms.”
She rests her hand on her slightly rounded abdomen, and he does the same, curling his tail around her ankle. Veron’s gaze meets mine. “Alara balances me—the good and the bad. Before I met her, I cared not for the lives of any but mine. She showed me a different path. Because of her, I no longer succumb to my darker instincts. I love her and I would never harm her.”
Ryvan takes my hand, drawing my attention back to him. “Do you not see? Dragons are powerful beings. Evenly matched to Dark Fae in their powers of destruction and ruin. When I met him, I realized that if a dragon is able to control his dark nature, I would never be capable of harming you. You are my heart, Ella. I know now that I am strong enough to balance the darkness within me, my beloved.”
A broken sob escapes me. “But if I am not enough to help you find balance… if you were discovered, they’d put you to death, my love.”
A smile tilts his lips. “My people already found out what I am.” His gaze darts to the dragon. “When Veron came to Anara, I thought he meant to attack us. I fought him before I realized he had not come to wreak havoc and ruin. Over half the guards of the castle witnessed me use my Dark Magic to defend the kingdom.” He pauses. “They know I am Dark Fae.”
Hope fills me. “They know and they did not try to—”
“The law against Dark Fae is already changed,” he explains. “Before the evil reign of King Erebyr, Dark Fae used to be the Kingdom’s greatest warriors. My people were reminded of this when none but me could stand against a dragon.”
Taking my hand, he drops to one knee. “Please, Ella, return with me to my kingdom. I love you and no other. Please, accept me. I am already yours, my love. And I long for you to be mine.”
Happiness blooms in my chest as I smile down at him. “I accept you, my love.”
He stands and gathers me in his arms. He spins me around in a slow circle as I touch his face, reassuring myself that he is really here and I am not just dreaming.
His glowing green eyes stare deep into mine a moment before he seals his mouth over my own in a claiming kiss.
Veron clears his throat, startling us both. My cheeks flare with heat as we turn to face him.
“Would you like us to take you back to the veil?” he asks
“Yes,” Ryvan answers. He turns to me and pulls my missing slipper from his satchel. He hands it to me. “Before we leave, you will need your enchanted slippers. Until we are bonded, they will allow you to remain in Anara. Once you are mine, the magic that protects our kingdom will recognize you belong to it as well.”
I rush back into the house and retrieve my other slipper. When I come back outside, he bids me sit down on a bench in the garden.
Ryvan kneels before me and gently guides the glass slippers onto my feet. When he is finished, he takes my hand and presses a tender kiss to my knuckles as he smiles up at me.
He turns his gaze toward the house and then arches a brow. “Your stepmother? Your stepsisters?”
I grasp my stone necklace. “I used a binding spell on them, forcing them to be kind to me.”
He clenches his jaw. “It will not last once you are gone.”
Veron steps forward. “Ryvan told me that your stepmother is a blood witch. They are dangerous enemies to have.”
I understand the unspoken question behind their words, but I cannot bring myself to order her death.
As if my very words have summoned her, she walks out into the garden. She does not bother to conceal her true form as she stands before us.
Veron and Ryvan growl low in their throats as my stepmother smiles sweetly at me, revealing two rows of sharp goblin teeth. “If you leave, I will search for you and I will make you pay for enslaving me with this enchantment, my dear Ella.”
Her words sound kind despite the threat behind them. It is easy to see that the enchantment is already beginning to wane. I’ve not renewed it this afternoon yet as I normally do. She continues. “I will hunt each of you down for daring to cross me, and—”
Veron shifts into his dragon form in an instant. Opening his mouth, he releases a stream of fire, burning her to ash.
My jaw drops as I stare gaping.
His eyes burn with anger before he turns to his mate, his expression one of guilt.
Alara reaches up to run her hand along his massive jaw. He closes his eyes and leans into her touch as she whispers. “It’s all right. I understand why you did it.” She places her other hand on her stomach. “You were protecting us and our child, my love.”
When he turns back to us, he kneels for his mate to climb onto his back.
Ryvan wraps his strong hands around my form and lifts me up, settling me over the space between Veron’s shoulders as he takes the seat behind me. He wraps one arm around my waist and pulls me back into his chest.
Once we are all settled, Veron flexes and extends his wings. They billow out like great sails as he lifts off, ascending up into the clouds. We’re so far up, I’d probably be frightened if not for Ryvan holding me. I trust that he would never allow me to fall.
The castle guards watch Veron warily as we land in the courtyard. A smile tugs at my lips because this is a welcome distraction. Instead of all eyes on the Dark Fae Prince and his human mate, everyone is observing the dragon and his human mate.
As Ryvan lifts me off Veron’s back, Alara climbs down to bid us goodbye.
I embrace her warmly. “Thank you for everything.”
I turn to Veron. Unsure that a hug would be appropriate for a dragon, I simply thank him as well.
He dips his massive horned head in acknowledgement.
“It would be lovely to see you both again sometime,” I offer.
“I would like that, as well.” Alara cradles her stomach. “I would like our child to have many friends and allies as he grows. He will be the first of his kind, as far as we know.”
We watch them fly off until they disappear into the clouds.
When we can no longer see them, Ryvan turns to me and flashes a handsome smile. “Come. I am eager for you to meet my father and grandfather. Eryl will be glad to see you again as well.”
I loop mine arm through his and the guards bow low before us as we enter the castle.
