by Lola Gabriel
“You head back,” he told Gia. “I’m going to swing by the office for a few minutes and take care of some paperwork.”
“Today, Lennox?”
“Yes, today. I have no idea how things are going to change after this announcement, and the last thing I want to worry about is backlogged signatures.”
Gia studied him with intense blue eyes. “You don’t think this is a good idea, do you?”
“It was a unanimous decision, Gia. I wouldn’t have voted yes if I didn’t think it was a good idea.”
She stopped walking and stared at him fully. “Why did you vote yes?”
“Really?” Lennox asked dubiously. “You really have to ask me that?”
Gia’s small features relaxed, and she stepped closer to him, looking up into his face with affection. “For me?”
“For us, of course.” He leaned down to softly press his lips to hers.
“Do you think that’s why the others did, too?” Gia asked him after pulling back from the kiss, and Lennox shrugged, holding her against his solid body.
“Who the hell knows or cares what the others are thinking,” he chuckled. “But if I had to guess…”
“Go to work,” Gia said, rising onto her tiptoes to place another soft kiss on his lips. “I’ll see you back in the residence.” She untangled herself from his arms and made her way toward the palace, leaving Lennox to stare after her for a long moment.
Things are about to change around here, he thought, for all of us. I hope we’re not making a mistake.
Lennox’s offices were situated in the commercial sector of the palace, and no sooner had he entered the suite than his cell rang.
“Let me guess,” Lennox commented dryly. “You’ve changed your mind about tonight.”
“What? No. Why? Have you?” Owen demanded. His voice was laced with nervousness.
“No…”
“Why do you sound so uncertain?”
“Okay, stop making me second-guess myself, Owen! What do you want?”
“I was actually calling to see if I could borrow your blue tux.”
“Seriously? You have an entire closet dedicated to tuxes! In a variety of colors, if I remember correctly.”
“Yeah,” Owen agreed, “but Kennedy really likes blue on me, and my best one is at the dry cleaner.” Lennox guffawed. He could not imagine Owen having his wardrobe dictated to him by anyone. “Don’t laugh at me!” his brother snapped. “Can I borrow it or not?”
“Yes, of course you can. I can’t wait to see how your eyes sparkle with your bowtie,” Lennox sighed in a dreamy voice.
“You’re an asshole.”
“Likewise, brother.”
“I’ll have Castor swing by your suite and pick it up.”
“I’m at the office, but I’ll tell Gia to expect him.”
“Thanks.” There was a slight pause, and Lennox waited for his brother to continue his thought. Owen only cleared his throat.
“Spit it out, Owen,” Lennox sighed, flopping down onto his high-back swivel chair. “What are you thinking?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing,” his brother answered quickly. “I’ll see you later.”
The call dropped before Lennox could utter another breath. He exhaled slowly and placed the cell on the wide desktop, a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. He’s having second thoughts about this. Are we doing the right thing, after all we’ve done to get here?
Instantly, an image of his dark-haired wife filled his mind, the memory of how quickly they had met and fallen in love overtaking him. Lennox hadn’t been lying when he said that he had voted yes for her, for them. He had everything he ever wanted.
We are doing the right thing for everyone, he concluded, dismissing the warning in his gut. It’s high time we made things right around here.
“What’s that look for?” Kennedy asked as Owen disconnected the call to his brother. “What did Lennox say?” Her intuitive green eyes seemed to be boring into him, but Owen simply smiled.
“He said I could borrow his tux,” he said, not wanting to trouble his lover. “Remind me again why we left Greece to come back here?”
“Because we belong in the Hollows,” Kennedy purred, curling closer to him on the couch. “And I missed my dad.”
Owen grunted. “I miss the house in Greece.”
“We still own it,” she reminded him. “Maybe after all this is over…”
“It’s not going to be over, Ken. It’s just going to be…different.”
Her emerald gaze widened. “You think so? You think that much is going to change?”
The problem was, Owen had no idea what was going to happen. Certainly, it would not be an announcement that empowered them. Why did he care so much? It felt like he was turning into a control freak, just like Wilder.
Except that Wilder was not a control freak—not anymore. He was off doing whatever the hell he did these days, his presence barely documented around the palace.
“What’s on your mind, Owen?” Kennedy asked him gently. “It’s not too late to change your mind, you know?”
“I’m not changing my mind,” he told her firmly. “Anyway, you’re misconstruing my expression for concern. It’s not that at all.”
“Oh? What is it then?”
He grinned slyly at her. “You’re the worst, you know that?”
“Why?” She seemed genuinely confused by the statement. “What did I do?”
“You know me too well, and you’re constantly ruining the element of surprise.”
A slow smile formed over Kennedy’s lips. “Surprise?” She sat up, her blonde tresses spilling down around her shoulders. “Do tell! I love surprises.”
“You wouldn’t think so by the way you always spoil them,” Owen joked. “But since you can’t wait…” He turned away from her, his heart hammering slightly in his chest. He had waited long enough to do this. The time had never been quite right to him, but he knew that there was no better time than right then. That night would mark a new chapter in all their lives, a freedom like they had never known in their entire existence.
It scared Owen slightly, but it also filled him with elation, a hope for the future.
“What are you doing?” Kennedy demanded, craning her head to look at what he was fiddling with.
“Try having some patience, woman!” Owen exclaimed, pivoting his body back to her. Kennedy’s eyes bulged as she took in the ring box in his hand.
“Oh… Oh, Owen,” she murmured.
“I was going to do this after the gala tonight, but since you’re so damned impatient…” Owen grinned at her lovingly, popping open the box as he dropped to one knee. “I should have done this a long time ago, Ken. You know I love you more than anything in any world.” She nodded, tears pooling in her eyes as she stared into his hazel gaze. “We’re inseparable as it is, but I can’t imagine my life without you. I can’t remember my life before you. I don’t ever want to imagine it.”
“You won’t,” Kennedy interjected quickly, dropping to her knees to join him. “I can’t wait to become your wife.”
“Yeah? Even if it means you won’t have a title?”
“I will have a title: Mrs. Owen Parker.”
They smiled at one another. Kennedy blinked frantically as tears flooded her eyes, and Owen reached to put the engagement ring on her finger. “Will you marry me, Kennedy Solstice?”
“Yes, Owen Parker, I will.”
He reached forward and drew her into a tight embrace, raining kisses down her cheeks. “I love you. I will always do right by you.”
“You always have,” Kennedy whispered back. “I have no doubts about us.”
A knock on the door to the study caused them both to turn, and Castor entered without invitation.
“Mr. Parker, your brother— Oh! Forgive the intrusion!” the Lycan choked as he saw the intimate moment. “I… I was—never mind.” He spun to leave in a rush, but Owen called out to him, laughing as he rose. He extended his hand toward Kennedy
, and they stood, grinning.
“It’s okay, Castor. I guess you’ll be the first to know, then. Kennedy and I are engaged.”
Castor’s face lit up, and he gaped at the couple with happiness. “Oh! A Lycan-dragon union! This is fantastic news for the kingdom, Mr. Parker!” he gasped. “Your children will be powerful princes!”
Kennedy and Owen exchanged a look, their beams fading slightly. The memory of the child they had lost was too fresh still, even though it had been months. Even though it had happened early in the pregnancy, it was still devastating to both of them.
Castor had no way of knowing about that, however, and Owen didn’t fault him for making the comment.
You best get used to people asking when you’re going to have kids. It’s inevitable. “What were you saying about my brother?” Owen asked, eager to change the subject.
“Oh… yes,” Castor mumbled, his face still shining brightly. “Mr. Keppler Parker and Princess Bryn have arrived, but I will have them wait—”
“Nonsense!” the duo chorused in unison. They were both impatient to see Keppler and Bryn, who rarely showed themselves in the Hollows.
“Show in my brother and his wife. The women will have to compare notes on being sisters-in-law,” Owen joked, making Kennedy laugh.
“It’s true. I should pick her brain. She has all the dirt on married life, doesn’t she?”
“She has all the dirt on Keppler, too. Make sure you get me something good,” Owen murmured conspiratorially, squeezing her hand.
“I’ll do my best.”
“I’ll show them in,” the Lycan butler, who also served as the palace driver, announced, almost skipping from the suite. Owen couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction to the news.
“It’s good to know that he thinks the news will be well-received.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Kennedy demanded. “I’m the daughter of an alpha, and you’re a dragon prince—” She abruptly stopped speaking and seemed to reconsider her words. “We’ll keep this quiet until after the announcement from the general public,” she suggested. “It might look like we’re making a political play otherwise.”
Owen agreed. Matters were about to get very confusing in the Hollows, if not outright disastrous. But he wouldn’t allow the dark thoughts to overshadow his newfound joy. He was engaged to the woman he loved. What else could he possibly want?
“Is it weird that I’m uncomfortable down here?” Bryn whispered, which caused Keppler to snicker.
“Considering you were banished for eons and hunted when you did return, I’m gonna go with, no, not weird, my love.”
“Good. I was starting to feel paranoid.”
Keppler looped his fingers through hers. “This is a huge step forward for us. After tonight, we will truly be able to wash our hands of the Hollows once and for all. This is what we wanted, isn’t it? To live on the Sunside without the restraints and obligations?”
“I guess.”
“You guess?” Keppler laughed in disbelief. “You always complain when I have to come back here, and you never come yourself.”
“I don’t know, Kepp,” Bryn muttered. “I feel like it’s a bad idea. Change has never boded well for the Hollows.”
“And yet we have all learned to adjust,” he reminded her. “We’re not the same dragons who came here eons ago. Back then, taking over the Hollows was the end all and be all. Now we’re all in different places.”
“I can’t believe Wilder sold you half his companies and let the rest go.”
“Yeah, he’s like Jimmy Carter building houses for Habitat for Humanity or something now,” Keppler chortled.
“I think it’s sweet,” Bryn said uncertainly, looking about uncomfortably, but Keppler wasn’t buying it. “Sweet” was not an adjective his wife freely used.
“You think it’s bullshit, don’t you?”
“Yes and no,” she answered slowly, lowering her voice as she stepped closer to him. “A part of me wants to believe he has decided to retire and be with his growing family, but…”
“But what?”
“Cassia gives me the impression that he’s growing restless,” Bryn continued, “which doesn’t really surprise me. You can’t go from type A to meditative monk overnight. Wilder’s just not built that way. If you guys go through with this, I’m afraid that he’s going to snap out of it one day and freak out.”
“I don’t think you give my brother enough credit. Is Cassia suggesting he’s unhappy?” A frisson of alarm sparked in Keppler’s gut at the thought, but Bryn shook her black mane of hair vehemently.
“On the contrary! She says he’s always smiling, happy. He’s a great father and an attentive husband…”
“What else does your cousin say that makes you so sure this isn’t permanent?” Keppler insisted, feeling like his wife was holding back.
“Nothing,” Bryn insisted. “I just feel like I’m right. Cassia hasn’t tapped into her full potential yet. She’s too new at this sorceress thing to understand her husband.”
“And you think you know Wilder better?”
Bryn scowled. “Are you twisting my words?” she demanded, and Keppler shrugged, a slight annoyance creeping through him.
“I think you’re looking for a reason to call this off tonight,” he responded. “Although I can’t understand why.”
“I am not looking for a reason to—” Bryn took a deep breath. “You know what? I’m not going to fight with you, Keppler. I’m telling you that I have a weird sense that things are not going to go as smoothly as you think. Whether we have to deal with the aftermath now or later, I have no idea, but there will be one; I promise you.”
“Noted.” Keppler clamped his mouth shut as Castor hurried toward them, his face brighter than it had been when they had first announced themselves to him.
“Mr. Owen Parker and Miss Solstice will see you now.”
Keppler eyed him warily. “What took you so long?” he demanded. “Did you catch them in the act or something?”
Castor flushed crimson. “Of course not!” he protested. Bryn swatted Keppler’s arm.
“He’s just kidding, Castor. Lead the way.” She moved ahead haughtily, and though Keppler could see she was irked with him, it was too late to continue the conversation now.
We’ll kiss and make up later, he promised himself, feeling a spark of warmth surge through him as he thought about it.
Cassia stepped out of the shadows, watching as Keppler and Bryn moved down the hall toward Owen and Kennedy’s suite. Her pulse was racing, and she bounced her baby in her arms, glad that Twila had remained still as she listened to her brother-in-law and cousin talking.
She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. She’d gotten wind of the fact they had arrived, and her intention had been to greet them. But when Cassia had neared, she had heard her name and stopped to listen.
Is that what Bryn thinks? she wondered to herself. That Wilder is going to get bored of his life and want to return to the way things were before?
Admittedly, she didn’t know what that meant. She had little in the way of reference to how things had been in the Hollows prior to her arrival. After the Big Shift, Wilder had become a different being, his priorities apparently changing overnight. As Bryn had said, he was the perfect family man and husband, tending to Cassia and Twila tirelessly while still working on his humanitarian efforts to restore the broken parts of the Hollows. It had been his idea to give up his businesses and focus strictly on repairs, but he had since expanded his interests. Between building and planning, Wilder was also seeking out a way to get the trolls and chimeras to the Sunside safely.
“They shouldn’t be the only ones forced to stay down here,” Wilder had told her. “What if something like this happens again? They shouldn’t be trapped here to die. There must be a way to immunize them against the sun’s harmful rays.”
Cassia was proud of him, as any wife would be. She supported his decisions, even if she didn’t necessarily agree with them—like the
decision Wilder and his brothers had collectively, unanimously made, for instance. Cassia couldn’t be sure who had even suggested for such a bold move, though she suspected it had been Wilder, relinquishing even more control.
Could Bryn be right about him? Would he grow bored or angry in a few months? A year? Two? By then, it would be far too late to do anything about it.
Twila began to fuss, her breaths escaping in small puffs of angry smoke.
“All right, little one,” Cassia murmured. “Let’s find you something to eat.”
“Mama!” the one-year-old protested. “Mama, eat!”
“Yes,” Cassia agreed. “Let’s find your daddy and get a snack before we get ready for tonight, okay?”
The baby proceeded to babble, jamming her teething beads in her mouth. Cassia had a bad feeling about the teeth coming through the baby dragon’s mouth. She didn’t know how to prepare for such a thing, and she doubted Wilder would be much help in the matter. Idly, she wished to meet the sister-in-law she had yet to lay eyes upon: Penny. Her baby was a mortal hybrid. Maybe they could swap stories.
But even as she thought it, Cassia knew that Twila was nothing like Jason, even if they did share the same bloodline. Twila was a third-generation dragon. She was a rare specimen, and Cassia was both terrified and excited to see what her daughter would morph into.
She knew that she was mostly on her own from a mothering standpoint. It’ll be trial and error for all of us, Cassia mused, bouncing Twila in her arms as she walked toward the palace entrance. She suspected she would find her husband in the Trenches, even though it was almost time for the gala.
Well, at least it was almost time to get ready for the gala. Still, Cassia knew Wilder would keep working until the last possible minute.
“Ah! There’s my baby niece!” Reef announced, striding through the entrance and startling Cassia. She had only met him a handful of times since arriving, but she knew there was still lingering bad blood between him and Wilder, although she wasn’t sure about the entire story.