Elena was so upset with me. She hardly spoke a sentence during the flight home. It felt amazing to have her in my arms, and the way she slept, tightly snugged, made me feel needed again. I would do anything for her, anything.
When we reached Paegeia, plenty of Sun-Blasts and Fire-Tails in their human form sat on top of dragons with fire dancing on their palms.
Elena got emotional when she saw the welcome Paegeia arranged for her. Her lower lip carried a slight tremble, but that was about it.
I tried to be gentle. It was time to fix the bond again, but I did not know how.
We landed, and I slid down Emanual’s wing first.
The reporters went crazy with their flashes and kept yelling my name as Elena glided off Emanual’s wing.
I heard my mother’s voice and when I turned to find her in the ocean of people, Tabitha jumped into my arms and planted her lips on my mouth.
I let go of Tabitha, and her smile faltered. “Everything okay?”
My gaze flickered to Elena. My dad took her side and was guiding her down the aisle that the guards created by keeping the media away. Flashes danced off her as she kept her head low. “No, we need to talk.”
Tabitha’s eyes flickered past me and back before she nodded.
“Blake.” My mother flung her arms around me and squeezed tighter. I missed her violet scent. I never thought that I would miss home this much, or her.
“I was terribly afraid when a couple of dragons entered last night with a few injured ones. Quite scared you would be among them.” Her light gray eyes grew and her British accent stressed every word.
“Mom, I’m the Rubicon, seriously.”
“You are still my son. Where is your father?”
“With the princess.”
“Is she genuinely—?”
“I knew the second I saw her.” I took a huge breath. It was over. We were back home. I stroke my hand over my face.
“Princess?” Tabitha asked.
“Later,” I said. “I have to go, speak to Helmut about everything.”
Mom nodded, and I left. Why did my mother bring Tabitha here?
I walked to the steps where all our luggage sat at the bottom. My duffle bag lay among Dad’s and Herbert’s. Elena only had her backpack that was still on my back.
I ran up the steps, and Helmut’s advisor stopped me. I hated the prick. He was tall, had gray streaks in his black hair that he cut in a posh style. A gray suit draped elegantly around his body. He trimmed his beard—Gerard Von Eck. The guy was a slimy, scaly Green-Vapor Dragonian.
“Blake, I think it’s best to stay away from the princess until the claiming.” He squinted, staring down at me.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. The beast inside of you might not want the princess here.”
“I spent five hours behind her on top of Emanual. If I wanted her dead, she would’ve been dead weeks ago,” I sneered.
“Just protocol. Helmut thinks it’s for the best.”
“Get out of my way.” I shoved him to the side. The guards on the step pushed their lances into the air, blocking my entry.
Emanual walked past the entrance in a robe. “Emanual,” I yelled and his gaze flickered to me. He sighed and walked outside.
“What the fuck is going on?”
He pushed one lance away and rushed the rest of the steps until he stood in front of me. “Blake, it’s just protocol. I’ll speak to Helmut.”
“You gotta be kidding me?”
“You know how they can be. I promise, I’ll speak to him.”
I nodded and pulled Elena’s bag off my shoulders, handing it to Emanual.
He grasped the handle tighter.
I turned around and walked down the steps.
“Run along now,” Gerard said.
One day was going to be the day that I would sink my teeth into him.
I swooped up my duffle bag and walked back to the crowd where Mom and Tabitha still waited.
“Blake?” Mom asked.
“Stupid protocol. If I wanted her dead, she would’ve been.”
Mom stroked my arm. “Let’s go home. We can wait for your father there.”
Sammy shrieked and jumped into my arms as I stepped through the entrance.
I laughed and kissed her on her head. My sister was always so light. She would be a great friend to Elena. They were both the same age. Maybe she could help her make peace with dragons, faster.
“I missed you.” She pulled her reddish-brown hair out of her open face with a headband. Intelligent amber eyes stared at me—the same color as Dad. The dimple on her chin disappeared as her lips sprawled into a smile.
“Believe it or not, I missed you too.”
She giggled, and I squeezed tighter. “Is it true? You have a rider.”
I nodded.
“What?” Tabitha asked. My sister tensed in my arms. She never liked Tabitha that much, to be honest. I put Sammy down and looked at Tabitha.
“I’m going to make tea, anyone wants a cup.”
“I’ll help,” Sammy said and followed my mother to our kitchen.
“Yeah, we need to talk.”
She nodded and followed me up the squeaky stairs to my room.
Mom and Sammy’s spirits were still high as they whispered about Elena.
I opened my door, and familiarity welcomed me. It felt good to be surrounded by my belongings. I planted my duffle bag on the bed and went over to the cupboard and put layers on my body.
Mom cleaned up. That night was such a blur of chucking clothes into a duffel bag and creating a mess everywhere.
Mom made my bed and carried clean bedding. A rosy smell replaced the pot that clung to the air. My guitar hung from its hook against the wall.
I found my Cammy on the nightstand, fully charged, but off. I reached for it and switched it on. The dresser, my desk, the carpet with the burn stain, everything was spotless.
I pulled my arms through a shirt as Tabitha flung her arms around my torso from behind and I have to admit, nothing felt normal anymore. Something shifted inside of me.
I rubbed her arm.
“I missed you.”
“Tabitha?” I pulled her arm from me and sat on the edge of my bed, pulling my hands through my hair.
“You don’t have a rider, Blake. You said it yourself—”
My gaze flickered to her. Ice blue irises stared back at me. Her snow white pixie cut hair fitted her oval face. She sure was beautiful. “She is my rider. I felt it the second I saw her. She looks like King Albert.”
Tabita bit on her lower lip as she folded her arms. “So, many dragons and riders don’t have a—”
“You know what we will become.”
“Blake, seriously. What about me?”
“What about you?” My eyebrows furrowed. “You know how I feel, Tabitha. It was just a fucking scratch.”
“Don’t say that!” She crossed her arms.
“This is my rider, my salvation.”
“Your salvation?” She chuckled. “Listen to yourself. What the hell happened on the other side of the wall?”
“She did, okay. I’m sorry. I can’t mess this up.”
“She is not your match.”
“She is my match in every single way. I’m sorry, Tabitha. It will not work. I’m tired, so please.” I motioned at the door.
She huffed and rushed to the door, opened it and slammed it with a bang behind her.
I fell onto my bed. I lied about being tired, but what else could I tell her that would not hurt like crap. There was nothing.
She just needed to accept it.
Staying away. Humph. They were idiots. I didn’t feel an ounce of negativity when I was with her.
They were fucking it up more. I have to fix whatever we had, otherwise the bond might never heal.
Dad came later that night and I got out of my room, skidded down the stairs and found him and mom speaking in the kitchen.
He was smiling as he spoke, even a bit jolly, as Mom would say. She listened with wide eyes and a smile that crossed her lips.
He looked at me standing in the doorway and his eyes softened as his body expelled from the deep breath stuck inside of him.
“Dad, what the hell. Why—”
“Just for a while, Blake.” He leaned with his hands on the table. “The Ancients are afraid that you might want to kill her now that you are back in Paegeia.”
“That is insane.”
“Just humor them, please.”
“Humor them. I need to fix the bond.”
“Bond?” Mom asked with knitted eyebrows as her hand flung to her chest.
“They already share something. She can order him,” Dad answered.
Mom’s gaze flicked to me and back to Dad. “Robert, she hasn’t even claimed him yet?”
“I don’t know. We never had a Rubicon like Blake. I don’t have the answers, Issy.”
“I’m not a threat to her,” I begged.
“I know. It’s a direct order from the Ancients.”
“Fuck!”
“Language!” Dad spoke. I liked him better on the other side.
“You said nothing comes between us, Dad.” I pointed my finger at him. “To fuck the rest. The bond comes first. Now you tell me to be patient. Decide what it is!”
“Blake, she hasn’t claimed you yet. I spoke to Helmut. I told him the truth. He will speak to the Ancients. You have my word.”
I shook my head. “So what, I can’t see her, for how long?”
“I don’t know.”
“This is horseshit, and you know it. If I wanted her dead, she would’ve died a long time ago.”
I stormed out of the room.
“Her orders already affect him?” Mom asked.
“Yes, and that is not all. The bracelet he made, she has the same one. I don’t know how she got it, Issy. I’m terrified as I’m out of my comfort zone in this one.”
“How is he with her?” Mom’s tone was gentle.
Dad humphed. “Not what I expected. She has a very calming effect on him. I didn’t have one ounce of problem with him on the other side.”
I shut the door behind me.
“One ounce of problem?” I hissed. What was he expecting? She was my only hope.
ELENA
The room was way over the top. It was half the size of the houses I grew up in.
A lush creamy carpet stood in contrast with the dark charcoal curtains and blinds. There was even a lounge in his room with a coffee table and a big slim screen TV, or I think it was a TV. Walls opened into a room closet. We never had an entire room for a closet.
A colorful abstract painting took up half of the one wall, and they made the bed for a king. It was colossal, with satin bedding and pillows. My eyes skidded to the corner by the window, where they stacked the rest of the pillows against each other. Dad slept on the bed. He had a drip on his arm and his face adorned purple and green. The only sign of an explosion was on the tip of his ears and the tip of his nose that looked painful. His upper lips carried a split, where dried blood caked around it. Dad’s nose looked broken with dark purple swollen eyes. His one arm was tightly bound to his chest. They wrapped his torso with bandages. He looked weak and drained. I concentrated on his chest, raising and deflating. It was the most important part for me. He would heal, he would be okay as long as he was breathing.
I felt horrible knowing now that this was all my fault. Him not having a life, that he did everything because of me. That crap weighed like a ton on top of everything else.
“Why don’t we let your father rest,” the queen said.
“Can I please stay?” I begged.
She smiled and nodded. “I’ll let the staff make you a bed on the couch. Let me know if you need anything. You want something to eat?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine.”
“Okay.”
She closed the door; she was super kind.
I sat on the throne-like chair that was close to his bed. I dragged it closer to Dad’s bed. It was heavy.
It was comfortable as I leaned into it. I wasn’t tired, but I could close my eyes and sleep again. I took off the flimsy jacket and pants and folded it neatly and placed it on to the table with the vase that carried tulips. I kept seeing that girl jumping in Blake’s arms and kissing him.
Tears pooled in my eyes. I was so stupid. To think a guy like that would fall for someone like me. She was a Chloë Bishop, even prettier. She had white hair, which tells me she could be a dragon, his dragon.
It wasn’t fair. Why did he do this to me? Why did I fall in love with him? He could’ve toned down on the promises, too.
I sat down back in the chair and wiped my tears and sniffed, leaning my head against the backrest.
“That chair can’t be comfortable, Bear.” Dad croaked.
Relief escaped my lips as my lower lip wobbled. I got up and leaned over him.
“Shh, you are home. Safe. How was it?”
“Horrible. And then they came.”
Dad closed his eyes, squeezed them shut, and a tear rolled down his temple. He opened them and looked at me with glistening eyes. “Did he hurt you?”
“A little, but the guy with the healing took it away. There’s not a scratch.”
Dad’s lips curved. “Swallow Annex. Learn this and make peace with this world. It’s your home, Bear.”
“Dad.” I sighed.
“No, you have responsibilities and I wish I wasn’t such a big coward and told you the truth earlier. You could’ve died, Elena. Robert was right. I should’ve tried harder to get word to Paegeia, phoned Matt. I toyed with both our lives. The love I have for you made me lose perception. I’ve never been as terrified as I had when I woke up here and they told me you are not here with me.” Tears pooled in his eyes.
I touched his chin. He was so warm. “Don’t cry, please.”
He pulled me down to his chest. “You need to try, Bear. It will not be easy, but you have to give it your best. Train hard, and learn as much as you can. It’s not just for the world and Paegeia, it’s for both of you.”
“Dad?”
“Elena, what don’t you understand? If the Rubicon turns dark, he will take you with him. You need to tame him before it happens.”
I still struggled with that part. It wasn’t fair.
“I know it’s a lot, but you will be a rider and dragon. It doesn’t matter if he is dark or not. He will still be your dragon. You are the one that controls both your fate.”
“How long do I have?”
“We don’t know. King Helmut told me he was already showing some signs. So we don’t have a lot of time, Elena.”
I nodded.
“I’m sorry, Bear. I should’ve trained you.”
“We can’t fix the past, Dad. Unless there is a dragon that can jump back in time.”
Dad chuckled tiredly and groaned. “Don’t make me laugh, please.”
“Sorry, why don’t they heal you.”
“Not everyone has the luxury to get healed by others.”
“You are my father! You kept me alive until now.” I wanted to cuss, instead I pulled my hands through my hair as I leaned on his bed, close to him.
“It’s not what I mean, Bear.” He smiled and took a piece of my hair that fell from my ponytail and placed it behind my ear. “They can only heal humans.”
My gaze flickered to his, and tears pooled in his eyes. What was he saying? He wasn’t human.
“I showed you the last time how real our world was and I almost scared you to death with my other form.”
“You’re a beasty?”
His lips curved. “Dragon. I’m a Copper-horn. I had a bond with your grandfather, Louie. He was my Dragonian. I was there when your father was born and was part of his life until we parted. I knew him and loved him as much as I loved you.”
“Is my grandfather still alive?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I didn’t give him my essence.”
“Why not?” I whispered with knitted eyebrows.
“He wasn’t like your dad. He treated me like I was his property and not as an alliance. Your dad changed that with a war.”
“A war?” My eyes grew.
“Your dad was the greatest king that ever lived, Bear. I’m sorry that you won’t meet them. They were a power couple. Ruled with the soul, heart, and mind. You can’t get a better monarchy than that.”
Warmth spread through my core. I wished I knew them. How would it have been if they raised me? I pushed the what if to the back of my mind? “So, I didn’t process your dragon form.”
He shook his head.
“Dad, I was ten. What were you thinking?”
He laughed again, clutching his ribs.
“Sorry.”
“I’m grateful for laughter and the pain. It means that I’m still alive.”
“Wait, if you were my grandfather’s dragon and my dad was like 250 years old when he had me. How old are you?”
“Four hundred and fifty years, give or take.”
“Fox was older, and he looked half your age.”
Dad chuckled. “I haven’t morphed in a long time, and if we don’t morph, we age. I know it’s a crappy one. The dragons like Fox and them, they don’t care if humans see them or not. If a human sees them, they make sure it’s the last thing they saw.”
I got his meaning. They killed them.
“You didn’t morph because of me?”
He touched my face. “I couldn’t. Sorry. I didn’t want to scare you like that again. I couldn’t afford to lose you like that again. Dragons can pick up other dragons when they morph. I was afraid that if Fox was close, he would’ve found us.”
I hugged him softly. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t. Raising you was my greatest honor, Elena. I’ll do it again in a heartbeat.”
I smiled. “Even though I literally caused your gray hair.”
He chuckled and complained again.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t. I’m glad you are alive. That they got to you in time.”
“Me too. I was way too young to die. I’ll give it my best, okay. For the love of blueberries I didn’t want to turn evil too.”
Dad smiled and touched my face. “I’m happy to hear that.”
I laid down next to him on the bed, in his good arm. It was the safest place for me right now. Well, second safest. Dad had lost that first spot the second I fell asleep in Blake Leaf’s arms.
