by Lola Gabriel
For two years, they had been searching for the elusive way to transform her into the immortal she was supposed to have been, all those centuries ago but there seemed to be no answers. Slowly, she had come to terms with the fact that it might never happen and with that knowledge, a new doubt had emerged.
Ara was beginning to wonder if that was why Titus had not proposed to her.
He claimed that he loved her and not Isabella, but she could not help but wonder if there was still some part of him which clung to the desire he had felt for her.
“Ara, talk to me,” he insisted. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly, pulling away. “It’s nothing.”
“Where are you going?”
“I should get ready. They’ll be expecting us,” she told him, turning her head so he would not read the expression on her face.
“Before you do,” he replied, refusing to release her arm. “I want to ask you something.”
Ara forced a smile on her face and looked at him.
“Yes?”
To her shock, he dropped down on one knee, pulling a ring box out of his breast pocket and smiled up at her with gleaming eyes.
“Would you do me the honor of being my wife?” he asked, his face filled with plaintive yearning. “I have wanted to ask you for quite some time, but I always wanted to ensure that you were comfortable and safe, and that you didn’t feel the need to say yes out of some misguided loyalty for me.”
Arabella gaped at him, tears welling in her eyes.
“What?” she choked. “How could you ever think that?”
He shrugged, a pink tinge touching his cheeks as he clasped her hand.
“I have been a lone soul for so long, Ara, it is difficult for me to be sure of how to read other people but you…you, I feel like I have known forever. I have no doubt about you, but I needed to be sure you felt the same.”
Ara swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded eagerly.
“Of course I do!” she squealed as he slipped the massive diamond onto her slender finger. “How could you ever consider that I didn’t?”
She exhaled, allowing the tears of happiness to slip down her cheeks and Titus rose to swing her into a huge hug.
“I love you, Arabella.”
“I love you,” she murmured, burying her face in his neck.
“We’ll keep a lid on our engagement announcement until after Anders and Sawyer’s wedding next month,” Titus said. “We don’t want to show up their announcement…even though we’ll be happier than them.”
He grinned at her slyly to show he was only he was half kidding, but something occurred to Ara, and she began to laugh. Titus stared down at her in surprise.
“What’s so funny?” he asked curiously.
“No matter what happens at this function tonight, at least I won’t be Sawyer,” she chuckled, and Titus snorted as he realized what she was thinking.
“Yeah,” the tech genius conceded. “I wouldn’t want to be Anders bringing a dragon slayer to the party.”
“Where is the dragon slayer?”
Anders cringed at the assessment and offered King Rui a tight smile.
“Sawyer will be along in about an hour,” he replied. “She had a rather important stop to make before coming.”
“Killing dragons, no doubt.”
“Father, she saved us, in case you’ve forgotten. Besides, that was two years ago. When are you going to let it go? If not for Sawyer, we would not have even known how we could be killed.”
“I do not have to let it go,” King Rui grumbled. “Forgive me if I worry about mortals who carry around garrottes in their back pockets.”
“Soon, you won’t have to worry about that,” Anders murmured, enigmatically, turning to fix himself a drink at the bar. Before his father could ask him what he meant, Anders changed the subject.
“The castle looks great, Father. I’m shocked with all the upgrades.”
“Estrella insisted,” he growled, glancing around for his wife. “I feel like everyone is running my life these days. You are inviting people to my home for some ludicrous announcement, and my wife is wasting money on frivolous things.”
“Father, electricity and central heating are hardly frivolous,” Maximum declared, strolling into the ballroom, his hand clamped around Poet’s. Behind him, Marcus and Addison entered, both appearing uncomfortable but hiding it well.
“And where is Estrella?” Marcus asked smoothly.
“Hello to you too, Marcus,” King Rui snapped.
Marcus was saved from having to respond as Cassius arrived, carrying his sleeping child in his arms.
“Where is my grandchild?” Rui boomed, stalking toward them but Cassius backed up protectively.
“No, Father, he’s sleeping. We had the worst time getting him to sl—”
Rui heard none of it, snatching the slumbering boy from his arms and instantly, Audren woke, his face contorted in confusion at the unfamiliar surroundings.
On cue, he threw his head back and wailed.
“Oh great,” Brooklyn muttered from behind Cassius. “Is there alcohol around here somewhere?”
Max chuckled and nodded toward the bar where she instantly moved.
Rui temporarily distracted by the arrival of his grandson, the brothers and their women congregated into a small circle.
“Where are Ansel and Titus?” Marcus asked.
“Isabella is here!” King Rui announced, and everyone cringed in unison.
“Arabella,” came the collective correction, but the old dragon turned his focus back to Audren as Arabella walked into the huge hall, her eyes widening with each step she took.
“Holy shit!” she mumbled. “Look at this place!”
There was a nervous chuckle, and the group opened to allow her in, Titus appearing a second later.
“Ansel just arrived. He’s officially world champion and retired.”
Another round of murmurs flooded the room, but it was abruptly followed by an awkward pause.
Finally, Marcus cleared his throat.
“What the hell are we doing here?” he demanded. “I mean, as much as we’re happy to be here. Why are we here?”
The question was directed at the king, but Rui had flittered out of earshot, chasing after the toddler who had ceased screaming long enough to indulge in a game of tag.
“I called you here,” Anders explained, and he was met with several pairs of surprised eyes.
“Why?”
He wasn’t entirely sure who had asked the question, but the answer was the same.
“Why don’t we wait until Sawyer gets here,” he suggested. “She will have all the answers you need.”
“This is all very cloak and dagger,” Ansel muttered, appearing annoyed. “You’re acting like Father.”
“I heard that, Ansel. I am no happier about this intrusion than you are,” the king replied, nearing the group. “But, I have allotted for entertainment while we wait and Estrella sees to supper.”
“Entertainment?” Ansel snorted. “Such as—”
His voice caught as a man was led toward the center of the room in chains by a silent giant who seemed to have stepped out of the middle ages.
“Is that Thurmond?” Anders whispered to Max. “He looks like shit!”
“Yeah,” Max chuckled. “I’m not even sure if he’s a dragon. He just refuses to die.”
But Anders was fixated on the half-dead man dressed like a clown who stood before them, filthy and malnourished. His chains were heavy and the lawyer was shocked he could move at all given his state.
“What is the meaning of this, Father?” Cassius asked, staring at his father in horror, but Ansel seemed to know what was happening.
“Oh my god…” the boxer choked, looking at Nora who swallowed a smug smile of disgust and awe.
“Entertain us!” Rui growled at the emaciated man, donning a jester’s costume. “Dance, sing, and don’t stop until I say so.”
> Gaunt eyes looked up and fear overcame his face as he saw Ansel and Nora.
“What the hell is this?” Titus roared, but Ansel held up his hand.
“This is Jerome,” he explained pleasantly. “He kept Nora captive for years.”
“I do not see any entertainment!” The king snapped again. “Dance! Dance, monkey!”
With agony in his face, the brothers watched as all the women turned away. All but Nora, who continued to stare at the man who had stolen years of her life.
“King Rui, this is most cruel.”
Everyone spun to stare at the newcomers.
“Opal!” was the joint cry.
“Ruby,” the witch replied, strolling into the room, her flat-soled shoes squeaking against the marble of the floor. She was accompanied by a younger girl, but the resemblance was uncanny. They were both descendants of the witch who had cast the immortal spell upon them.
“This is just getting too bizarre,” Titus muttered, and Marcus nodded in agreement.
“It will all make sense in a moment,” Anders explained. “When Sawyer arrives—”
“I’m here,” his fiancée cried breathlessly, smiling. “I found her.”
“Who else is coming?” King Rui snapped, his patience about broken as he stared at the witches in his midst. “Why have you asked them here?”
“We need them,” Anders explained. “We need all of them.”
The final guest showed herself, an albino woman with white eyes, wearing a black cloak.
“Who is this?” Max demanded, stepping forward as if to protect Poet from danger. “Anders, what the meaning of this?”
“Let me explain,” Sawyer offered. “Cerys, come in.”
Reluctantly, the woman shuffled forward and everyone realized she was blind.
“Cerys is a witch,” Sawyer began. “She is the one who has been able to convert some mortals into shifters for the Northmen.”
“We should kill her right now!” Rui roared, rushing toward her but Anders stopped him.
“Father, for once in your life, you need to stand down and listen.”
“Cerys, you can speak,” Sawyer told her gently. “Why don’t you tell them everything?”
“The Northmen were never true dragons,” Cerys sighed. “They were too cruel and the little royal blood they had was tainted through ages of rapes and plunders. It is why they were unbalanced and did not adhere to a code as you did.”
“And yet you helped them!” Ansel spat. “What does that say about you!”
“She had no choice,” Ruby interjected, staring at the witch with a newfound respect. “I have heard about you and the abuses you have suffered. I never knew that it was fact, but there have been whispers around the community…”
“It is true,” Cerys sighed. “They blinded me, kept me in chains and brought me hundreds of people to transform. No matter how I tried to explain that they would die if their blood did not contain royal genes. So many people died in their desire to grow their weak army, hellbent on getting revenge on you but there were some who made it through, and they remain free. Sawyer has released me from a long and humiliating life. I owe her a great debt.”
“Why are you here?” Rui snapped. “Anders, if I had known what—”
“Nora and Brooklyn will get to live out eternity with their mates because they are dragons. Now, the rest of us can, too. She is here to transform Addison, Ara, Poet and me,” Sawyer interjected, cutting off the king. “If they want to be changed into immortals as I do.”
The women inhaled sharply, staring first at Sawyer, and then at their partners in shock.
“She just said that…we could die if we’re not suited,” Arabella cried.
“You are suited,” Titus reminded her. “You are a descendant of Isabella.”
“And you are already a princess,” Max told Poet, his heart racing with excitement.
“Not me,” Addison muttered, lowering her head.
“Yes, you,” Sawyer said softly. “That is why I brought Ruby. She has the gift to see if you can be transformed.”
Addison’s head whipped up and she stared at Ruby who nodded reassuringly.
“You have the gene, Addison. You all do. I imagine that is why the princes have been drawn to you. Instinctively, they have always known.”
“But your family has lied to us before,” she whispered. “Opal told the princes the spell would only last for three days and here we are!”
“I am not Opal,” Ruby told her gently. “Times are not what they were. I have no feudal upset with the princes, and I have nothing to gain by your death. You are a candidate for this…if you want it.”
Addison looked at Marcus, who gently reassured her with a warm smile. “Of course I want to do it!”
Cerys nodded slowly.
“Then I will lay the spell on your four now. Please, step forward.”
The women turned to stare at the men in their lives, worry and fear sweeping through them, but ultimately, they knew the decision was theirs alone.
“You won’t regret it,” said Nora. The four turned to Nora who smiled reassuringly at them. “Trust me.”
Her words seemed to inspire the confidence they needed and they clasped hands, approaching Cerys who swept around them in a circle, drawing a chalk circle about them with perfection, despite her impaired vision.
They didn’t question her ability, closing their eyes as they continued to hold hands, each lost in their own thoughts.
We each found our mates, our reasons for living. Now we will be with them forever, Poet thought, happiness welling in her heart.
I get to spend eternity with Marcus, thought Addison.
This is going to kill me, Arabella thought, terrified. I only just found my soulmate and I’m going to die!
I did it! I found the solution. Now our army will be stronger and we can breed more and take over the last of the Northmen. Together as the family we were meant to be, Sawyer thought and she exhaled.
Below them, the earth began to tremble and suddenly, Cerys’ words filled their ears, a low hypnotic chant which sent them into a trance.
The ground was splitting and their eyes flew open, eyes wide as the watched the marble crack, but to their surprise, the men did not seem to notice as if only those within the circle were affected.
“Is this normal?” Addison cried, her fingernails digging into Poet’s hand but no one had an answer. How could they? None of the women had ever experienced anything like this.
A flash of lightning bolted through the room and suddenly all was silent.
One by one, the women looked up and stared around the room.
“My eyes are so clear,” Poet murmured, spinning around.
“I can hear them in the kitchen,” Addison replied, her face twisting in shock. She jumped as she caught sight of Sawyer’s glowing amber eyes.
“Did it work?” Ara asked but as she opened her mouth, a streak of fire escaped and everyone jumped.
“I’d say it worked,” Sawyer commented, laughing as she ran toward Anders.
He opened his arms to embrace her, holding her body to his and inhaling her deeply.
“Thurmond!” King Rui yelled for his manservant. “Bring us champagne! This calls for a celebration!”
Everyone turned to gape at the old man in shock.
“Really, Father?” Marcus demanded. “You’re calling for champagne?”
The king’s smile turned into a full leer as he nodded.
“Of course! You know what this means? We will finally have the legion I have always wanted!”
The agglomerative groan reverberated through the room, rocking the crystal goblets on the tray Thurmond brought forward.
“Father, this is not about you,” Max sighed, slipping his arm around Poet’s waist and kissing her neck softly. “This is about finding our soulmates and finally being together.”
King Rui waved his hand dismissively.
“Of course, of course,” he replied impatiently, rai
sing a glass. “To being together. Forever.”
“Hear hear!” they toasted, but before anyone took a sip of the sweet, expensive liquor, they turned to their counterparts.
Each was thinking about how much they had overcome to get where they were in that moment. Who would have thought two years ago that such a gathering could be feasible? Who could have imagined that they could be as happy as they were in that moment, surrounded by witches and the king dragon?
It just goes to show that you never know what the future holds, someone thought, but everyone else heard the sentiment and nodded, lost in the eyes of their loved ones.
For the time being, it looked like the future held them together.
Royal Dragon Curse
Dragon Shifter Romance Collection
Royal Dragon Curse
Text Copyright © 2019 by Lola Gabriel
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
First printing, 2018
Publisher
Secret Woods Books
[email protected]
www.SecretWoodsBooks.com
Mate’s Baby
Royal Dragon Curse
Mate’s Baby
Text Copyright © 2018 by Lola Gabriel
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.