The bank took three days to move the money in the vault to one of the safest banks inside Paegeia.
That evening, Dad entered Blake’s room, and he tapped him with his cane. “Enough now. You need to wake up.”
My throat resonated with low laughing as Sleeping Beauty refused to open his eyes.
I hated that.
“I have a proposition? We own more than a couple of properties in Areeth and Tith, not half as many as I had in Etan, but enough. We can try to make one of them our home, or we can rebuild the castle in Etan and then stay there.”
My eyebrows melted together. “Etan?”
“It’s our home. It wasn’t the place’s fault what happened there, Elena. Besides, Leo thinks it’s a great idea to face my fears by taking the throne in Etan again.”
It was scary to think Dad had to live in Etan.
“There are still a lot of trials that have to take place. They are setting them up where the actual deeds have taken place. I have to be close, but I will understand if you do not want to live there.”
“No, Dad, if that is our home, I don’t care. If it’s Etan, then it needs us.”
A trifle of a smile came to him. “I’ll get everything set up. I want you to go back to school and learn as much as you can.”
“I’m not leaving Blake, Dad.”
“When he wakes up. But until then, you will get tutors as you are falling behind, Sweet Pea.”
I nodded.
“Okay.” He winked and got up. He looked at Blake before he walked out.
I stared at Dad and sighed.
“Etan?” Blake asked, and air skidded down my throat as my head flung to his. “After everything, you want to go back and live there?”
I shrieked and crawled onto the bed next to him and planted kisses everywhere on his face.
Laughter drifted from his throat as he touched the sides of my face. I couldn’t help the tears that rolled down my cheeks.
“Stop crying. I’m okay.”
I sniffed. “You almost slept for two weeks, Blake. What is it with you and two weeks?”
“Sorry.” His blue eyes stared at me. “I’m so tired.”
“Yeah, well, you slept enough.”
He huffed. “I missed the reunion.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t wait for you. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Is he everything you ever dreamed of?”
“He is. You missed one hell of an ancient meeting. He told them it’s time for a new council.”
“Say whaaat?”
A quiet laugh shivered out of me. “I need to go get your mom and dad.”
“Just promise you’d come back.”
“Of course.” I got up from the bed and rushed to my father’s room. Sir Robert was still with him, speaking in soft tones about planning to move back to Etan.
“He’s awake,” I said, and Sir Robert rushed out the door followed by my father.
Dad kissed me on top of the head as we walked back to Blake’s room. “If I knew he needed a scolding, I would’ve done it a long time ago.”
I snickered under my breath, knowing my father was going to take the credit for waking Blake up.
Voices came from his room as Sir Robert spoke to him and I rushed to Isabel and Sammy’s room. I knocked on the door and Sammy opened up.
“Your brother is awake.”
She shrieked and stormed out of the room. Isabel’s soft crying came from the bed and I went to her. I wrapped my arms around her. “I know the feeling.”
“I’m so happy. Finally.”
I walked with her and a laughter barked from her mouth as we heard my father giving Blake the speech.
“Are you done?” Blake asked.
“No, I can’t remember everything I want to say,” Dad said.
“Save it. She is my dent.”
“Yeah, something I wish I could forget.”
Laughter came in waves.
“I need a word with you alone. Later on tonight,” Dad said.
“Okay.”
Isabel rushed in and hugged her son, speaking to his chest.
“Mom, I always come back.”
“Still, you scared me.”
“I’m fine, just tired.”
“You’re tired? That is not normal.”
I looked worried, and my gaze flickered to Dad standing there, staring at him with knitted eyebrows.
“I need your aunt to do some tests, find out what is the cause. You’ll be okay.”
“Mom, I’m fine. Just let me rest.”
She nodded.
I stayed as everyone left and he pulled me onto the bed.
“I thought you were tired.”
“Yeah, well. I missed you. Are you really thinking of going back to Etan?”
“No, he wants me to go back to Dragonia. But I told him not until you woke up.”
Contentment hooked his smile with closed eyes.
“I’m with your mother. It’s not normal to be this tired, Blake.”
“I’ll be fine.” He kissed me on my lips. Even the buzz faded and it scared me shitless. Tears welled up in my eyes as his eyes opened.
“Don’t cry, I’m fine.”
I stayed with him as he slumbered in and woke up again while I watched a movie. We spoke. He didn’t dream about anything and it sounded so sad. He missed all this time, and he didn’t even spend it in a nice place.
A knock sounded at the door, and it was Dad. He wanted a private word with Blake, and I left.
BLAKE
The tiredness refused to leave as King Albert stood in front of me. He had put on some weight. His cheekbones weren’t so defined anymore and the old king seeped through again.
“I’m so sorry, Blake.”
I shook my head. “I’m just glad they got to you in time.”
King Albert frowned. “They? What is the last thing you remembered?”
“Goran, my back hitting a wall hard, then nothing.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “What did Goran say to you?”
“Goran?” I shook my head. “You were there. You heard what he said when I wanted to kill him.”
Elena’s father came closer and touched my head, closed his eyes and opened it again. “I begged you to show him mercy the way you showed Elena mercy in that ring.”
I nodded.
“What did he whisper to you, son?”
My eyebrows knitted, trying to remember if he’d said something. “Nothing. He saw his chance and blasted me away with a spell.”
“No, he said something to you and then he blasted you away.”
I shook my head. The king was delusional. I would’ve remembered if Goran had said something to me.
He sighed.
“When Goran voiced it, I knew it was a mistake, as he discovered you didn’t yield, you submitted.”
“I still yield.”
“There is a difference, Blake. An enormous difference. What did he tell you?”
“He didn’t tell me anything.”
The king closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “I’m not delusional. What did you dream about?”
“Nothing.”
He got up from my bed and paced with his hand cupping his chin, staring at the floor. I knew that look, too well. He rubbed his neck and kept staring at the carpet as if it was going to reveal the answers to our debate.
“Don’t tell, Elena, please? She is already so worried about me. We can figure this out by ourselves.”
“If I don’t know what he told you, I won’t know what to do.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“She won’t like it.”
“Please, she can’t know about this.”
He nodded. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m awake. I’m back now and that’s all that matters.”
The king smiled and came toward me. He cupped my neck and pressed his head against mine. “You are just as noble as your father. But keeping secrets takes a toll on the ones you love. Haven’t you seen that with your own eyes?”
“Fine, I’ll tell her when I’m better.”
He tapped my cheek. “Much better.”
Elena slept next to me that night. She sneaked in and I wished I had the strength to make love to her, but I had none.
I fell into a deep sleep and dreamt for the first time in a long time. The dream was so vivid. I flew through the clouds as if Elena was in danger. Etan’s castle appeared gigantic in front of me as her screams reached my ears. I opened my mouth and rained fire on the walls. My tail struck with meaning against each brick and it felt real, too. The structure vibrated through my being. I kept on hitting the wall until parts of the wall finally caved.
Dragons that were trapped flew out first, followed by more dragons. Dragons that I knew. Jeff and George were among them. Lucian was on Tabitha, followed by Jaco in his dragon form. Last was my father, with King Albert on top of him. He looked skinny again.
“I always knew you wouldn’t let me down. I’ll see you soon.” Dad flew with the king to freedom, but there was no sign of Elena. Her screams rushed through my scales, and I jumped awake in my bed. The tiredness lifted off me. It was as if someone pulled a concrete slab from me and I could breathe.
What did any of it mean? Was it my sight that was busy waking up? No, Jaco wouldn’t leave her and neither would her father.
Elena walked into the room and gasped. She rushed to me and climbed on to the bed, crawling into my arms and sobbed.
“Hey, I told you I’m not going anywhere.” I pressed my lips on top of her head.
“A month! You slept an entire month!.”
“No, I was awake yesterday, remember? We spoke.”
She shook her head. “You woke up a month ago after you fell asleep for two weeks and you didn’t wake up the next day, or the day after. It’s been a month! What is going on?”
She sounded deranged, but I got what she was saying. I fell asleep and woke up a month later.
“I was tired, but I’m not anymore. I’m fine. Look.” I got out of bed and a needle was in my arm. Invitro feeding? What the hell was happening to me?
I tried to will it away for Elena’s sake and grabbed her arm and pulled her into me.
I stood in front of the window with her, just holding her tight. “I’m okay, love, and I’m not going anywhere. Whatever that was, it’s gone. I don’t feel it anymore. I promise.”
Elena grew too still in my arms. Something was wrong. “What is it?”
She pulled away from me and wiped her tears. “My father addressed the people this morning. Goran escaped last night. Someone broke them out of jail and they are gone. No trail of them.”
I froze as the dream in my head of destroying a building and freeing king Albert and his men jumped into my head. I wanted to go to her when she screamed.
No, it was just a dream. It wasn’t real. It was just a coincidence. I was here, sleeping, getting better.
“I’m awake now. Nothing will ever harm you.”
