Lu and I had put a system in place. He kept a journal of my behavior, too. I was going through some books that might point me in the right direction. I doubted it was linked to any ability of mine. I mean, why would a part of me disappear and then come back, missing days? It made little sense.
During the night, it was the only time that I could find out what was wrong with me. Why I was losing days and why it sounded like the old me during those days.
I treated Elena extra carefully. This Yo-Yo Blake must be what was putting up the walls again. What was she going through? It frustrated me that I couldn’t ask her. But Lucian spoke to her regularly. He even asked Tabitha to keep an eye on her, and the snow dragon was way too eager to do it.
Christmas break was coming closer and so far I had missed no days. There weren’t any time lapses yet. Elena was much better and the old Elena, the one that couldn’t get enough of me, was back. It was like everything was forgotten.
But it wasn’t for me.
I flew back to Etan early in the morning, skipping the last day of school, as she would take the elevator later that day.
Etan was a closer distance from Elm. I landed way before she got to the palace.
They’d built on like crazy since the last time I was here with her, and Etan resembled the majestic city it was fifteen years ago.
There was no sign of hardship or that the castle was almost destroyed. They were still building on the West Wing, which had belonged to Queen Catherine the last year of her life.
“Blake?” King Albert said as I rushed up the steps.
“Wow, that’s all I can say. The place looks brand new. You know magic would have sorted this out in a jiffy.”
“You will learn that there is something magical about fixing something with your hands too.”
Dad laughed, handing me a robe, and I put it over my head.
“Let me take you to your room,” King Albert said.
“I have a room in the castle of Etan?”
“My daughter said one of us has to be lenient, and Jako isn’t that one.”
I chuckled as I followed him. It almost looked the same as I remembered.
Queen Catherine’s picture was back up where it belonged, and the staircase was as grand as ever.
“Elena here yet?”
“No, she isn’t. We are going to have Christmas at Tith. A lot of my men are still not ready to set foot in Etan.”
“I can imagine. They are not as brave as our king facing his fears.”
“I had Leo.”
“How is he?”
“Coming less and less. He is weaning me off him.”
Dad laughed as it sounded like King Albert was a little kid having to get weaned off a pacifier.
“I don’t care where we are going to hold Christmas. As long as we are all together.”
King Albert tapped me on the face and walked up the steps and down the hall to the East Wing.
Almost all the rooms were done. I hadn’t seen Jako yet. He probably had his own cottage or something on the property.
The king and Dad stopped in front of a door, and the floor creaked as King Albert opened it. “That is for me. I’ll know when you leave your room at night.”
I chuckled as he opened the door and an enormous room, bigger than I’d ever had, stood gigantically in front of me.
“I hope your quarters suit you, Blake. Welcome home.”
“This is way too much.” My eyes landed on the PS and system on the wall.
The gigantic windows let in the sun. My mother always said that the East Wing got the most sun.
A beautiful sofa, with a four-poster bed the size to fit a dragon, took up half the room.
My father pressed the middle door, and it opened. I smiled as it was a walk-in closet.
The railing was still empty, but I would fill it with clothes soon. The feeling in the pit of my stomach was slightly foreign. Behind the wall, I knew it was only temporary. This wasn’t temporary. This was truly mine.
My gaze met King Albert’s. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” King Albert tapped me on the cheek again.
“So we all have rooms at the castle?”
“We do. The manor is still getting revamped,” my father said. “Your mother is here somewhere, probably in the kitchen. You know how she is with the staff. She thinks she is one of them.”
It elicited a few laughs.
“Issy is an exceptional woman, Bob. I told you that from the beginning, when you still only had eyes for Tanya.”
“Say whaaaat?”
Dad stared at King Albert, who looked at me and back at Dad.
“He didn’t know?”
I laughed. “That is why you don’t like her?”
“No, no. I don’t like her because of other things.” Dad glared at his rider, who tried to suppress his laugh. Dad growled and walked with huge strides out of the room.
The king and I burst out laughing.
“He seriously had a thing for Tanya?”
“I thought you knew.”
“It’s my dad. He would take things to the grave.”
“Well, I’m afraid that one is out of the bag now.”
ELENA
I got a text from Blake saying he was home and my father had given him one hell of a room.
The corner of my lips curved, reading it, and in less than half an hour I would see this wonderful room.
I was glad that Dad Albert showed him some leniency, as Dad Herbert refused.
I was actually looking forward to our first Christmas this side. The last one we hardly celebrated. I wondered what this one was going to be like.
The last few weeks were just perfect, too. There were no more episodes with Blake, but I still wondered what that was about.
My bags were packed, and I said goodbye to Sammy, Tabitha, and Becky.
“We’ll see you at Christmas,” Sammy said.
“Of course. Then I’ll see you too, or are you going home?” I looked at Tabitha.
“To the colony? They disowned me after Lucian claimed me.”
“What?” I asked as Sammy’s mouth gaped open.
“Don’t worry. I don’t care. It’s as it should be.”
“Tabitha?” I dropped my bag and walked closer to her.
“It’s how things are on this side, Elena. So you will see me on Christmas.” She smiled.
“Maybe your Christmas present will be Lucian with a huge red bow around him.”
She laughed. “I wish.”
I gave her a hug. “You need to tell me about this colony and its messed up rules.”
She nodded in the crook of my neck.
“Merry Christmas.” I looked at Becky.
“Oh, I’ll see you too. Dad is still one of your father’s men. My mother told me about an invitation, something about them spending a first real Christmas together. I can only imagine how crazy my mom has been the past few days, knowing that she’s going to spend Christmas with not one royal, but a bunch of them.”
“I can’t wait to meet your dad.”
“Yeah, he is pretty okay for a father. He can’t wait to meet George, and I’m super scared about that.”
I laughed, as I could only imagine. “I’m sure your mom will be lenient with him. Okay, then I’ll see you guys on Christmas.”
I walked to the door and went to Master Longwei’s office.
Lucian was taking an elevator to Tith, and I took one to Etan. I was all alone.
“Merry Christmas, Elena,” Master Longwei said.
“You are not coming for Christmas? I heard my dad has invited so many.”
He chuckled. “I haven’t replied yet.”
I touched his hand. “If your granddaughter is going to be there, please come. She is family, and we should spend Christmas with family.”
He nodded as he slipped his hands out of mine and opened the elevator door.
I got into the seat and strapped myself in as Master Longwei took my bag that would follow via another way. It was always there before me.
“I’ll answer your father’s invitation soon.”
“See you on Christmas Day, Master Longwei.”
The doors closed, and the elevator trip became easier.
It opened in my father’s office, and Dad Herbert waited for me.
“It’s way too much, Bear. Blake having a room—”
“Stop, stop, stop. He is my dragon, Dad.”
He growled.
“You forced me to claim him. You can’t take it back now.”
“I know. That makes me regret the entire thing.”
“And you told me so many times I couldn’t date because of him. So buck up. The time has come. My real dad doesn’t even have a problem with this.”
“Your real dad doesn’t see the little baby anymore. I grew up with her.” He wrapped his arms around me.
“Stop sulking. Make peace with it.”
He kissed me on my head. “I’m going to miss our intimate Christmases. He invited the entire kingdom, or that is what it looks like.”
“Well, I can’t wait to see what a royal Christmas is going to look like.”
“It’s at Tith, I’m afraid. Your father’s men—”
“Yes, he told me. It’s okay. As long as we are together, I don’t mind where they decide to hold it.”
He kissed me on top of my head as we walked arm in arm out of the room and almost bumped into Blake.
Dad growled, and Blake smiled at him.
“Welcome home, Elena,” Dad Herbert said and walked away.
Blake and I chuckled at Dad, and I was glad that Blake didn’t tease him.
“He struggles.”
“He needs to get over it,” Blake grumbled. “Your biological father is brilliant at this Dent thing.”
“Because he knew since the day he held me, Blake. And he is the king.”
“True.”
Dad Albert ran-walked down the hallway, and I ran toward him and jumped into his arms.
“Welcome home, cub. Let me show you your room.” He put me down, and we ran like little kids down the hallway to my room.
“Stop running,” Sir Robert yelled.
“Sour puss,” Dad said and pulled me into the room.
There was a creak in front of my door that made Sir Robert and Blake laugh, but I didn’t ask what the joke was about.
The bedroom had a gigantic bed carrying white fluffy linen. Purples and grays broke the white, and I gasped as black and white pictures of my mother showcasing emotions covered my walls.
“She was so beautiful,” I said.
Dad gave me a one-arm hug. “She would’ve been a great mother, the best.”
She laughed in one, like she was super happy, and scowled in another one. She looked sad in the third one and threatened to break my heart. I touched it.
“She didn’t hide her emotions, carry them on her sleeve,” Dad said.
Contempt, shy, and last was a photo of her and my father, in love.
“I love it.”
He took me through to the bathroom, which was gigantic. A big shower with glass doors filled half of the bathroom and a spa bath the other half. White tiles with gold trimmings ran up the walls and a double basin was separate in another area with the toilet.
“It’s big.”
“Fit for a queen,” Father said.
“Not yet, please?”
Dad laughed at the way I looked at him and hugged me again. “Okay, I won’t speak about the coronation until you graduate. How does that sound?”
“Music to my ears.” I looked around in the room. “Thanks, it’s perfect.”
“I’m glad you love it, Elena. You can fill it with whatever you want. I even left you a wall open to paint. Your grandfather was exceptionally gifted, which I knew by looking at the wall in Tith. It’s a talent that you share. Which brings me back to one of my walls.” Dad elicited a couple of laughs.
“You have to. Helmut cannot have a war room with that epic wall and I don’t have one. What would the people of Etan think if you paint walls at Tith and don’t extend your courtesy to your own home?”
“Okay, fine. I’ll paint you a wall, but only during summer breaks. It’s not a two-week process either. So you need to be patient.”
“Oh, I can be very patient.”
I knew there was a double meaning to that patient, as he had been in prison for over 15 years, not to mention waiting a further two months because Blake wasn’t ready to rescue him the second I’d told him that my father was still alive.
Dad’s lips pressed hard on my head. “Welcome home, sweet pea.”
The two dads left, and I shook my head as Dad Herbert showed Blake the universal I’m-watching-you sign.
I shook my head as Blake thought my father was hilarious.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind as I stared at my mother’s photos.
“I asked so many times why I didn’t get one feature of hers.”
“Are you kidding? I see her in you all the time,” Blake said.
“I look nothing like my mom.”
“You did that night.”
“Oh, so you remembered seeing me there?”
His lips quirked. “Of course I do. I even thought that you might be her, but saw fast you weren’t.”
“I wish I knew her.”
“She lives in all the people that loved her, Elena. When my Crown Tail gift doesn’t hurt anymore, I’ll show you.”
I couldn’t wait as I learned about the nifty side of the Crown Tail’s gift. One touch could show you everything as if you were there.
We stayed for a few minutes longer, and then Blake took my hand and pulled me toward his room.
The floor board in front of his door creaked under the soles of my feet as he pulled me over the threshold into a mother of a room, fit for a prince.
Well, he was sort of a prince, as he was married to a princess.
“What is with the loose board?”
“Oh, your father, he said it is his alarm system.”
It made little sense, and then the revelation hit me. I couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled out of me.
It sounded just like my father, to be honest.
He was going to kill Blake if he discovered we’d gotten married in secret. I sat down on his bed as he put on a song and reached out for me.
“What?”
“Dance with me, M’lady.”
“I can’t dance.”
“Oh, c’mon.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me up and moved with me to the song. He was exceptionally great at dancing as his hand played with mine, laying in his gigantic one.
I needed to tell him that my mother knew, but I was so scared that he was going to lose it, so I left it for another day. I just hoped that Mom was going to keep it quiet for now.
“I need to apologize for my behavior the past few months.”
“Stop, please. You can have an off day.”
“Off day, sure, but what sometimes left my mouth? Sorry that you had to endure that.”
“Already forgiven. I love you, and I love all sides of you. Even the dragon,” I whispered.
He laughed. “I am the dragon more than the human, Elena.”
“Then I love him the most.”
His lips tugged softly upward. “Our first Christmas.”
“And then your birthday.”
His smile faltered, and the look on his face turned comical. “Who told you?”
“Your sister. I was with her when she bought your Christmas gift and birthday gift and felt like an idiot that I’d never asked when your birthday was. New Year’s baby.”
“Yeah, I always need to be first.”
I laughed at his reply. “She told me that many people think it’s on April Fool’s Day. What is that about?”
“April Fool’s Day. I don’t like to spend my birthday with others than family and close friends, so…”
“Blake?” I shook my head.
The song ended. “I love you, Elena Malone Watkins,” he mouthed the Leaf and kissed me on my lips.
My lips fanned out in a closed-lip smile before they brushed against the soft, warm lips of my husband.
This Christmas was going to be perfect. I could feel it.
