I phoned Dad, and he sounded normal. He wasn’t angry that I hadn’t called him last night, and I made up a bunch of stuff, lied through my teeth that would bite me in the ass someday. He loved that I had a great time with my friends and said he would see me soon.
An hour later, Blake knocked on my door to tell me he was going to fly to Tith. He kept kissing my lips, making it more difficult to say goodbye.
I closed the door as my gaze found Becky. “How was it?”
“Not horrible.”
“I told you it wouldn’t be with someone that loves you that much.”
“I just wish I could stop blushing and being that shy.”
“I’m sure it will pass the more time you spend with him like that.” We both laughed as we couldn’t even say the word sex.
“My dad is going to kill me.”
“Which one?”
“Both, I assume.”
“Hey, then do what I do.”
“Which is?”
“Take it to your grave and pretend you are a virgin until your wedding night.”
I was one until my wedding night and I was proud of that, too.
I could still feel the magic of the ceremony coursing through my body and the heightened emotions I felt. It was how Blake felt. It brought tears to my eyes and I would never forget that. They loved deeper and stronger than humans. I wouldn’t be able to carry those sorts of emotions. It would tear me apart.
I packed another bag just before Lucian would knock on my door.
When I finished packing, I put the bag at the door and waited for Lucian. Becky kept me company, speaking about her fears, and did not know what was going to happen if the war was going to reach Dragonia.
“It’s too far from Tith. I doubt it would.”
“Still, war is scary.”
I nodded.
The knock came on my door and I told her goodbye with a hug. I opened the door and found Tabitha standing behind Lucian.
“She’s coming with us?”
“My mother.” Lucian didn’t sound happy about that.
Tabitha said nothing as we walked to Master Longwei’s office.
It was silent, and I prayed Lucian wouldn’t ask a thing. Tabitha would blab it out to my father. Who knows what he would do? Tabitha knocked, and Master Longwei opened. “Come in.”
I plopped down on the seat as Tabitha just stared at Lucian when he showed her the chair.
Great!
She plopped down next to me as I stared at Lucian. His lips curved as I strapped myself in, not saying a word to the ice princess next to me. The doors finally closed.
“You and Blake had fun?”
“My relationship with my dragon has nothing to do with you.”
“Just remember, he was mine first.” She tried to push my buttons, but I was way too high to give in to her sulking.
The elevator dropped and stopped. I took a deep breath, and speed pushed us forward. It was so fast, but the pain grew less each time I took an elevator ride. We came to a halt, and the doors opened. Blake smiled when he saw me, but it disappeared when he laid eyes on Tabitha. I strapped myself out and climbed out of the elevator and walked to him.
“The queen wanted her here.”
“It’s okay?” Blake said and kissed me on my lips as Tabitha got out.
“Elena.” The queen walked in and touched my arms. I smiled and walked out the room with Blake.
“Tabitha, thanks for coming.”
“Lucian is on his way.”
The queen didn’t answer as we walked down the hallway. Blake took my bag to my room and closed the door behind him for a kiss. He lifted me up, and the kiss became much greedier this time.
“Stop, we can’t, you horn dog.”
He grunted and put me down. He opened the door and walked out of the room just as Lucian and his mom walked with Tabitha down the hall.
“Stop looking at me like I’m a bad influence.” Blake looked at Queen Maggie.
“Well, the verdict is not out on that one yet.”
“I’m not.”
I laughed with Lucian, and we walked down the hallway. Tabitha was really quiet, but something told me it was busy sinking in that Blake would not return to her. I wished she could just go through the dent process already.
We walked to the war room, which looked completely different now. My mom came, and she rushed to my side. She pulled me into her arms and kissed me on my head.
“Blake,” Tanya spoke.
“Tanya. Are you going to treat me like crap, too?”
“Only if you break her heart, but I know you won’t.”
He smiled.
“So, how is everything at school? And you took out so many people from Etan. I wish I could go through, but I promise Maggie to help here, if there is going to be any trouble.”
“Like what?”
“Wyverns. They treat him as their king. They could ambush us. There need to be a few dragons here to protect the vulnerable.”
“Use my fire if you have to,” Blake said.
“Blake?”
“I’ll be fine.”
I nodded.
“So you are not staying?” Mom looked at him.
“No, my father wants me there.”
“Wish I can go,” Lucian sulked.
“I need you here, Lu,” Blake said.
“I know. I promise she will be here when you get back.”
“You better get back.” I pointed my finger at his chin.
His lips curved and wrapped his arm around me, kissing me on my head. “Remember what I said.”
“Jako,” Tanya said as Dad stood behind Blake with arms folded.
“You need to make peace with this,” Blake said without turning to look at my father.
Dad grunted and smiled at me as he pulled me away for a hug. Tanya laughed as she shook her head at Dad and grabbed Blake around the neck for a side hug. “He will never understand, as he isn’t part of a dent. Nobody will.”
“Yeah, don’t throw that word around the ice queen,” Lucian said with a pout.
Tabitha stared at him.
“She is Chromatic, Lu. It’s not normal for Chromatic dragons to become your slave,” Mom said.
Blake laughed.
“You said it wasn’t slavery.” Tabitha looked at Lucian.
“Joking,” Mom said to Tabitha, and looked at Lucian again. “The longer she rebels, the more she is going to love you. They feel guilty afterward.”
“After what?” Lucian asked.
“Not for you to know,” Mom said.
Blake laughed. “Now her, I always liked.”
“Yeah, Kate wasn’t such a fan after we discovered this one is a little girl. She thought it would be a boy and when there was no penis. I wish you could’ve seen her face. Bless her soul.”
“She was worried?” I asked.
“Like losing her head type. Even hyperventilated.”
“Tanya,” Blake warned.
“What? It’s the truth. Why do you think she gave you those stares?”
“I know. It made sense after I discovered this one actually exists.”
“She liked you, Blake. She just couldn’t tell you the reason for those glares.”
“That is good to know. I always wondered about that one.”
Tanya laughed.
“Thanks for clearing it up. Enormous weight off my shoulders.” Blake rolled his shoulders.
“Stop talking shit. When are the two of you leaving for the creepers?” Mom was so chilled.
“Soon. We are waiting for the people that are going to help plant the bombs,” Blake said.
“Are the bombs ready?”
“Yes, they will come down,” Dad said.
“So serious.” Tanya pouted at Dad, and he shook his head and walked away.
“Still not forgiven,” she mumbled.
“Give him time,” I said.
“It’s fine. What I did to that man is unforgivable, Elena.”
“Well, I’m glad you are here.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” She pulled me in for another hug and planted her lips on my head. She was freakishly tall, but I loved her in my own messed up way.
An hour later, I stood in front of the creepers again. Blake and I started taking in scientists and troops that were going to help us plant the bombs.
When the group was inside the core, one scientist spoke, explaining how to attach the bomb that looked like a curled up metal spider. One push of a button unfurled the claws, and that was when you should put it against the root. The scientist showed us and the legs clamped itself around a root.
The creeper gave a small shudder and then it went back to sleep.
The other scientists made haste, plucking the flowers and putting it in special boxes that hung from straps around their shoulders.
The verdict was still out on whether they had special qualities, as the time frame wasn’t enough. They had to be magical to still glow after you pluck them.
Blake, Lucian, Dad and I stayed close to our group. Not that Blake loved it, as we couldn’t make any arrangements to meet later tonight.
Blake plucked a flower and put it behind my ear. I chuckled as Dad’s eyes were on us again and Blake rolled his eyes as he walked to the next root to attach a bomb.
I walked closer to Dad. “You really need to ease up on him.”
“It’s not in a father to ease up on the other man in their daughter’s life.”
“Yeah, well. I’m sure he is going to get it from the other father, too. There’s always one parent giving them a break, Dad.”
“Okay, I’ll see how Albert would treat him, and if it’s like me, I’ll think about it, okay?”
“You are still the first man in my life. Nothing will change that.” I kissed him on his cheek and took my flower from behind my ear and put it behind his.
He fluttered his eyelashes, eliciting laughter from deep within me.
We carried on planting bombs. The dilapidated houses with creepers growing through the house gave me the chills. The guys always rushed to see what they could find or whether there were any signs of skeletons in there.
I stayed well clear of them.
When our stomachs grumbled and one half of the side facing the rest of Paegeia had bombs attached to them, Dad called us to go eat. We took out the scientists and replaced it with a second group, which almost took another hour.
I was beyond ravenous.
A feast of a meal waited in the war room. The queen and Mom, with the staff’s help, transformed the entire area for tonight’s dinner. We sat down at the long table and dug in.
Blake and Lucian made small talk as Tabitha sulked. Lucian was completely ignoring her. It didn’t look like it bothered her for a second.
I prayed Lucian would be wrong about her not going to let this Blake thing go. What sort of life would he have?
After dinner, Lucian asked if we could have the evening off. Dad said to be back at ten in order to take the scientists out of the creepers.
I nodded.
Tabitha didn’t come. Thank heavens for miracles. We climbed into Lucian’s Range Rover, and he slowed down near a parking area.
“Ten o’clock, Blake.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“We are leaving him here?”
“He has other friends too. It won’t be as if he is alone.”
“Go, I’m fine,” Lucian said.
“You sure?”
“Yes, I’ll tell your dad you were with me the entire evening.”
“Thanks, Lu.” I kissed him on the cheek and Blake growled.
“Oh, can it? It’s not like I’m sleeping with him, seriously.”
Lucian laughed as I scooted out.
Blake stared at me as I closed the door.
“Stop it. He is my friend too, not just your blood-brother.”
“Fine, I’ll pretend as if I didn’t hear that.”
“Where are we going?”
“For me to know and you to wait and see.”
“Party pooper.”
He walked with me over the street, and through the park that headed to a forest. My heart thumped as thoughts of what he was planning rushed through my head. I wasn’t nearly that adventurous yet.
He left me on the edge of the forest and went in, getting ready to disrobe, and the trees rumbled slightly as his dragon came out.
A gigantic figure crawled out, and I felt sorry for him as he looked comical trying not to push against trees.
When he was out of the forest, he stood up and opened the paw where his bag hooked around one of his talons. I placed his jeans, shoes, and shirt inside the bag and hopped into his palm.
He flew up toward a mountain, a different one this time as we were in Tith and not in Elm.
It was the same mountain that Dad took me every night and we descended, with the moon shining behind us.
He opened his paw for me to climb out and I hooked his bag over his talon again, thinking that he was going to go back into the woods, but he morphed back in front of me and heat rushed up my face.
Blake’s laughter came when I looked down. “You need to get used to that. I thought at least this morning shower would’ve helped a bit.”
“It does, but still not there.”
“Then no woods if there aren’t other people around.”
He zipped his jeans and I couldn’t help but to stare at his bulgy shoulders and sculpted arms. Not to mention his defined chest. No wonder Tabitha struggled to let him go. But he was more than just a beautiful guy. He was just as beautiful inside as outside, too, and he was all mine for infinity.
