by Renee Carr
Ivy had no trouble falling asleep, dreaming of a bigger stage, a better gig; and perhaps, somewhere in the audience, a Prince Charming to stand by her side, and love her for exactly who she was.
Chapter 1
“Nathan.”
“Mmph,” Nathan answered. He recognized that there was a voice calling his name, but he also recognized that it was his youngest brother, Cory, who asked him questions at least a hundred times a day. He could guarantee that whatever Cory wanted did not need to be answered right away.
“Nathan!”
He rolled over, his eyes feeling like sandpaper.
“Yes, Cory,” he said. “Keep in mind that the next words coming out of your mouth better be necessary, or I will attach you to the ceiling.”
His mischievous younger brother smirked at that.
“I dunno. Do you want to see Devon or not then?”
“Devon’s here?” Nathan nearly fell out of bed in his haste to sit up. “What? Why?”
“Something to discuss with you,” Cory said with a shrug. “I asked him what he wanted, but he said he would only discuss it with the great Dragon King himself. Something about Kings only business.”
“Alright,” Nathan ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll be out in a moment.”
“So to be clear,” Cory said. “The next time the werewolf Alpha comes to visit without telling us, you want me to let you sleep?”
“Go away,” Nathan growled at him and Cory grinned and scampered off. As soon as he was gone, Nathan put his head in his hands. He had gotten to sleep only two hours before, and he felt like he was walking under water. There had been far too many days when he was working until the sun rose lately. He didn’t mind when he was in the thick of it, dealing with matters of the Kingdom. But when he woke up the next morning, he certainly wondered why he couldn’t seem to balance his time a little better.
As King of the Dragon Kingdom, Nathan’s crown was the largest of all the supernatural creatures. Dragons were on top of the hierarchy of the other shifters, and they acted as the top of the courts whenever there was a dispute.
Nathan’s rule was fairly new, having only sat on the throne for the last five years. As the King, he ruled with an iron fist of justice. No one was above the law, and he didn’t hesitate if someone went against him. He preferred order and elegance, rather than chaos and showmanship. Those who knew him said that he was a strong leader, never swayed by any external factors. The Kingdom and his crown came first, before anything else. He was known for working through pain and hardship, as long as the Kingdom still benefited from his work.
Despite all the praise he received, he often felt like he was just the stand-in, a King who never should have been.
His older brother, John, had been the heir to the throne. From birth, John was trained, educated, prepped and shown everything about being a King. In Nathan’s opinion, John would have been the greatest King the Dragon Kingdom would have ever seen.
Unfortunately, for the Kingdom and for Nathan, John’s battle was internal, not external. He suffered under the weight of the crown, and his own demons eventually overtook him. Nathan missed his brother dearly, and he tried every day to do what he thought would make John proud.
Part of that was not killing the other two remaining brothers, no matter how annoying they were. The middle brother, Joshua, was the captain of the guards, a moody and reckless force who would obliterate anyone who came within arm’s length of his brothers. Joshua’s moods were unpredictable, and often gave Nathan emotional whiplash.
Cory, the youngest brother, was technically supposed to be more protected than the King. He was considered the last hope for the throne, and whenever there was any threat, he was immediately pulled into safety, in case the rest of the line failed in battle. As a result, Cory pushed boundaries, often looking for ways to taunt his brothers and the royal court. He knew that the consequences against him could never be too severe, and he took advantage of it. His choice of words this morning were just a small sample of what he was capable of.
Nathan eventually dragged himself out of bed. Under normal circumstances, he would be thrilled to learn that Devon had arrived. Devon was the werewolf alpha, and one of the things that Nathan had accomplished during his rule was to unite the two races, who previously were always at war with each other. Devon and Nathan always shared a secret smile whenever someone congratulated them on ending the feud between their two races. It hadn’t been intentional, although they nodded like it was. Their lack of feuding came from a friendship born out of common struggles, both on the throne and in their families. They found themselves too similar to argue about almost anything.
The fact that he had shown up without warning, however, worried Nathan. Like himself, Devon loved schedules and routines. An unannounced arrival meant bad news.
Nathan made it to the library where Devon was waiting within a few minutes. The werewolf alpha stood upon the arrival of his superior, but he held out his hand rather than bowing.
“You look exhausted,” he said to Nathan, who gave him a wry smile.
“You mean two hours of sleep isn’t enough?” he answered. “You look frazzled yourself. Have I forgotten we had a meeting?”
“No,” Devon said. “Unfortunately, I come under....frustrating circumstances.”
“Sit,” Nathan said. “Tell me.”
“I’d rather show you,” Devon said, pulling out his tablet. He opened up a picture gallery, and Nathan’s heart sank, as soon as he saw the thumbnails.
They were gruesome images of corpses, complete with fresh blood. However, these weren’t regular murders that Devon was showcasing. Each picture contained what was clearly a werewolf corpse. They were fully transformed, but Nathan could identify them as werewolves by their size. They were on the sides of roads, mostly, or in forested areas. What bothered Nathan the most was ones lying in some sort of old warehouse, freshly dead.
“Who is that?” Nathan squinted at the surrounding corpses, trying to see if he recognized any of them.
“....They are Ben’s parents,” Devon answered and Nathan sucked in a breath. Ben was a descendant of the other royal werewolf line. Depending on the descendants of each line, the two families seemed to trade the throne every few generations.
“You don’t have the bodies?” Nathan asked.
“No,” he said. “By the time we went back for them, they were gone. We have people on it, but... here...”
He scrolled in on one image.
“What do those wounds look like you to you?”
“Those are dragon wounds,” Nathan said. “At least, from what I can see. There’s no other creature that has claws that size.”
“Yeah,” Devon shut down the tablet. “That’s what I thought too.”
Nathan sighed, glancing at his best friend.
“I’m sorry,” Devon said, at last. “I knew I had to come to you.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Nathan apologized. “I will find who did this, and they will be held responsible.”
“It might be hard to track down,” Devon said. “If I can’t find the bodies. Did you want to put resources towards it?”
“Yes, of course,” Nathan said. “Whatever resources you need, feel free to ask for. We’ll find who did this.”
“I know,” Devon said. “I don’t blame you for it. I’m just worried that it will restart a feud.”
“One more thing on top of a never-ending pile,” Nathan answered.
“Tell me about it,” Devon said, as he leaned back. “I wanted to come right to you though. Sending those pictures through the wires could mean they were leaked somewhere along the way. And that would mean disaster.”
“How is Ben doing?” Nathan asked. He had met the young prince a few times, and he thought he was a well-spoken and intelligent young wolf. Devon’s crown prince, Connor, was rough around the edges and likely to rule with an iron fist. But Ben was calmer and less opinionated, more interested in the world around him and always curious a
s to what the next step in life was going to be.
“He’s...alright,” Devon said. “Considering.”
“Obviously, he’ll want revenge,” Nathan said.
“He does,” Devon replied. “But he understands that things must be taken slowly, to not damage this fragile relationship that has been built. Connor is more difficult to control than Ben if I’m honest.”
Connor was Devon’s son and was anticipated to be the next werewolf Alpha. At the moment, though, Nathan and Devon struggled with thinking beyond their own generation.
“You were right to come,” Nathan assured him. “Are you considering going back tonight, then?”
“To Earth?” Devon replied. “In the morning, actually. I have other business here on Knorpp that I thought I could take care of today.”
“Do you want a room, then?” Nathan asked.
“Yes, that’d be lovely,” Devon replied. “And preferably at least 8 hours to sleep, but I know that you can’t guarantee that.”
“That’s a fantasy that does not come with wearing a crown,” Nathan said. “Especially when your youngest prince shouts your eardrums apart at the crack of dawn.”
“I did tell him to be respectful,” Devon answered, with a grin. “I’m enjoying the quiet of being away from mine.”
“Don’t rub it in,” Nathan said. “Will you be back in time for a royal feast, at least?”
“I can be,” Devon said. “Now is the best time to show that we are still united.”
“I’ll make sure that the press is alerted,” Nathan said. “So that it can go out on the wires and show that we are condemning this attack together.”
“Oh, I didn’t bring...” Devon looked down at his traveling clothes, and Nathan smiled.
“We can do something about that,” he said. “But tomorrow morning, I’m going to come with you.”
“To Earth?” Devon answered, surprised. “That’s not like you.”
“I need a night out,” Nathan admitted. “Before I light someone on fire around here.”
“Ah,” Devon said. “In which case, I know just the place. I regret I won’t be able to join you, but I can make sure you are treated like a VIP.”
“The perks of an Alpha,” Nathan said, with a smile.
“Please,” Devon said. “The perks of a platinum credit card. There are some things that money can’t buy. Knorpp really should look into these programs.”
“I’ll take it into consideration,” Nathan replied as he got up. “Do you need transport?”
“I have some,” Devon said. “Thank you.”
“I’ll see you tonight then,” Nathan said, as he got up. He shook hands with Devon, and let him leave the room first.
Devon had transferred the photos directly to his phone, and the Dragon King took a closer look at them.
There was no doubt that those were Dragon wounds on the body. But he thought it was incredibly sloppy of any Dragon to kill a wolf and just leave them out in the open. Whoever was doing this was clearly not a practiced assassin.
“Brother?” Joshua stuck his head in the room. Nathan bit his lip to silence a frustrated scream and glared at his brother.
“Yes, Joshua?” he said. “Which part of the palace is on fire at the moment?”
“None,” Joshua replied. “Unless Cory has set something on fire in the last three minutes. Our wonderful cousin, The Duke, is here to see you though.”
“Right,” Nathan was not the biggest fan of his cousin, the Duke. However, if his father had taught him anything, it was that keeping his nobles close was a good strategy to keep the throne. “I’ll see him now. But there are some things I need.”
“Such as a sword?” Joshua asked, with a grin. Nathan’s dislike of the Duke was well known. It wasn’t that the Duke was necessarily a bad person, or even that he was annoying to speak to. There was just something about the Duke that had always rubbed Nathan the wrong way. And when John had died, the Duke did not seem entirely happy that Nathan was next in line. They got along because they had to, but Nathan was glad that the Duke lived on Earth, far away from them.
“Tonight, we will be throwing a feast for the Werewolf Alpha,” Nathan said. “And I want it covered. Every reporter, every photographer who covers the supernatural news needs to see that we are united. And then tomorrow morning, you will cancel all my appointments for the day.”
Joshua’s face contorted in confusion.
“Tomorrow you have...”
“Did I ask you to question my choices?” Nathan said. “Or did I ask you to do as I say?”
“Tomorrow, you have...”
“Joshua,” Nathan begged, the air going out of him. “Cancel my appointments for tomorrow and not another word.” His tone made Joshua realize how important Nathan’s mission was.
“Can I at least ask if you’re somewhere where you’ll need a protection detail?” Joshua asked. “Since it’s my job to make sure you don’t die?”
“I don’t need protection,” Nathan replied. “And I’ll be back the following morning. Not a word to anyone, do you hear me?”
“Yes, sir,” Joshua replied and turned to let the Duke in. Nathan took a deep breath. He just had to get through today without strangling anyone and then he would free. Once on Earth, he had a wild night planned and no one was going to interrupt him.
Chapter 2
“You’re Ivy, right?”
Ivy jumped, turning around. She had been frantically digging in her bag for her music and she was pretty sure she had forgotten it.
“Yes,” she said. There was an older man standing practically on the strap of the bag she had put on the ground, with a grin on his face.
“I’m Sandy,” he said. “I own the place.”
“Oh,” she pushed her long red hair behind her ear. “Right. Nice to meet you.”
She held out her hand, but Sandy ignored it. Instead, he leaned in, his lips puckering. Ivy pulled back, immediately shocked.
“What are you doing?”
Sandy raised an eyebrow.
“Relax, baby girl,” he said. “I’m just giving you a South Bar welcome.”
“Handshakes are fine,” Ivy said, coldly. This wasn’t the first time she had to deal with some handsy man before the gig even started. “If you don’t mind.”
“That’s boring,” Sandy said. “Look, you know what kind of place this is, right? We make stars here.”
“I’m aware of what my performance has to be,” Ivy said, holding his gaze. “Don’t worry about that. I just don’t feel like getting started beforehand.”
“You are lucky that your voice is like gold, girl,” Sandy said and left her standing on the stage.
Ivy resisted the urge to throw her purse at him. She took a deep breath and bent back down to try and find her music in her bag.
South Bar was known for being the place that talent agents and record executives went undercover, looking for the next big star. Ivy knew that she had to look perfect, elegant and yet sexy, naughty and yet innocent, all at the same time. She had prepared for performing at South Bar since she first moved to the city, with a tiny singing resume and less than half of what she needed for rent in her pocket.
She had found success with her voice from her first audition. Ivy booked work regularly enough, in bars and lounges across the city. However, whenever she got a lucky break, it seemed that it was always ruined. Some man on site made a move, or they wanted her to change her style, or they wanted to rewrite her lyrics to make them soulless. She knew what she wanted and what she stood for, and she wasn’t willing to compromise.
She knew that people judged her because of the way she looked. With long red hair and piercing green eyes, Ivy was a force to be reckoned with. She had legs that went on for miles and an effortlessly toned body. She loved miniskirts, and high heels, looking for blouses that dipped practically down to her navel. People took one look at her and assumed that she didn’t have a brain in her head, or wasn’t capable of thinking for herself. Sh
e was quick to set them straight, and she didn’t care how sharp they said her tongue was.
“Ah-ha,” she found the USB key she was looking for and brought it over to the sound engineer. He plugged it in without a word, and Ivy was grateful that at least someone in this place seemed to know what their job was and what lines they shouldn’t cross.
Satisfied that her soundtrack was going to work, she grabbed her bag and went down to the small, cramped dressing room. She had changed in worse, but she resented that a place like South Bar didn’t have a better place for performers.
She was halfway through struggling into her dress when a knock came at the door.
“Ivy Wilde?”
“Just a minute,” she said, pulling up her shoulder strap. “What?”
“Sorry,” a young female bartender, with a name tag that said Shelley, stuck her head in the door. “Just wanted to tell you that the entire VIP section has been sold out, but it’s just one guy.”
“What?” Ivy answered, in confusion. “How does that make any sense?”
“Our VIP section is off to the side?” Shelley said. “With the red tables?”
“Yeah, I know where it is, but how does one guy sell out a section?”
“He bought all the tickets,” Shelley said. “He’s a regular of ours, but supposedly he bought them for a friend who likes to be alone.”
“Who’s his friend, a millionaire?” Ivy answered.
“Uh...I dunno what he does, actually,” Shelley said. “I don’t know much about either of them. But it’s just one guy, so we want to make sure you know to cross the ropes and play to that side of the crowd. It can be hard to see from the stage.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Ivy said. “I play to the whole audience.”
“No problem,” Shelley seemed friendly enough and Ivy regretted her tone.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just that your boss was...”
“Yeah,” Shelley immediately knew what she was talking about. “I’m sorry about that. He’s always like that.”