The Dragon Finds Forever (Nocturne Falls Book 7)

by Kristen Painter

  Monalisa’s father might not care about the results of the rematch, but Van did. This would be his last fight. And he wanted to leave the ring victorious.

  “Still at it?”

  He turned to see Monalisa walking toward him. “Just a little bit more.”

  “You’ve been down here for two hours. How much more could there be left to do? Not that I’m complaining if you want to stay shirtless for a little longer.”

  Grinning, he used his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow. “The rematch is only four days away. I need to be ready.”

  Her smile turned a little sad as her gaze slipped to his brace. “I know.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I will be fine.” He wasn’t sure how, but Pandora would come through. She always did.

  “Okay, well, I’ll let you get back to it. I just wanted to tell you that I’m going to take Grom out for a bit, then I was hoping we could go into town. Maybe get some dinner?” Her smile brightened. “I do have my father’s credit card, so whatever the most expensive place is, let’s go there.”

  He laughed. “We can do that.” A night out with Monalisa would be good, especially if they could forget about the rematch for an hour or two.

  She started back toward the steps, then stopped in front of the vault door. “Where does that lead, by the way? The way the floor above this is laid out, it’s like there shouldn’t be anything there. Unless it goes into the side of the hill.”

  He stiffened. That was exactly what it did. Then he forced himself to relax. Monalisa had been brutally honest with him, laying her whole life out for him to judge. There was no reason he couldn’t share a little with her. Even if it meant revealing one of his most closely held secrets. “It does go into the hillside.”

  She glanced over her shoulder. “For real?”

  He nodded, then grabbed his towel to wipe the rest of the sweat off.

  “Wow, that’s cool. So is it like a fallout shelter?” She grinned at him. “I want to be on your zombie apocalypse survival team.”

  He laughed as he pulled his shirt on. “No, it is a vault. It’s for…” How much was he willing to tell her? If he wanted a future with her, everything. “I keep my hoard in there.”

  Her face screwed up into a question. “Your hoard?”

  “I am a dragon. We have hoards.”

  “You mean like treasure?”

  “Exactly like that.” He expected her eyes to light up or a big smile to come across her face. Clearly, he still had a lot to learn about Monalisa.

  Because she frowned. “Oh.”

  “You think that is a bad thing?”

  She shrugged. “My father has a hoard. Not saying you’re anything like him, not at all, because you’re obviously not. It’s just…I don’t know. Great wealth has a way of making people do things they might not otherwise.” She gave him a brief smile. “Of course, for all I know, you could have a random stamp collection and an old Studebaker in there. Treasure is in the eye of the beholder, right?”

  “No stamps. Or cars. Also, nothing that will change who I am. I promise. A dragon’s hoard is for times of need, to enable them to take care of those they love and need to protect. It is something we fiercely protect as well, but things will never outweigh the value of a person. Not for a dragon.”

  Her smile returned. “That’s nice to hear. My father certainly doesn’t feel that way, but then, his hoard is pretty massive.”

  “Mine is…” Showing her would be easier than explaining. He limped over and put his hand on the bio scanner. The laser read his print, then cogs turned and the locks clicked. When the last one sounded, he grabbed the handle and pulled the enormous door open.

  The lights inside flickered on automatically.

  Her mouth rounded in amazement. She blinked twice, then finally pointed at the space in front of her. “Now that is a hoard.”

  Monalisa understood instantly what it meant that Van had shared this with her. He trusted her. It was a staggering revelation after all they’d been through. For him to put that sort of faith in her made her feel a little unworthy. And very, very lucky. “I won’t tell a soul about this. I promise.”

  He nodded like he’d already known that. “You want to go in?”

  More than she wanted to put a very expensive dinner on her father’s credit card. “Can I? I won’t touch anything.”

  He laughed. “It is no fun if you don’t touch.” He tipped his head toward the vault. “Come. I will show you my favorite pieces.”

  He held his hand out for her to go ahead of him. She walked in and took a look around. It was exactly what you’d imagine a dragon’s hoard might be. Piles of gold coins, chests full of bejeweled trinkets, shelves laden with gold and silver objects, crystal bowls overflowing with precious gems. Everywhere she looked, things sparkled back at her in the low light.

  She did a slow turn, taking it all in. “How can you pick favorites?”

  “They are the ones that have meaning beyond their value.” He walked to a glass case and stopped in front of it. “Like these.”

  She joined him for a better look. “Fabergé eggs.” Three of them, each more spectacular than the next. “Of course you’d pick those. They’re Russian, like you.”

  His eyes stayed on the treasures. “Yes, but these were also my mother’s.”

  The significance of that hit her hard. He’d clearly had such a different childhood than she had. She looped her arm through his. “You must miss her very much.”

  “I do. She was a remarkable woman.” He bent his head toward her. “Much like you.”

  She let out a soft, quick laugh. “I’m not remarkable.”

  “But you are. The burden you bear…many would have crumbled long before now. Or turned to the side of darkness. It would be easier, would it not?”

  She thought about that. “Yes. If I was a team player and just happily went along with my father’s plans, he’d be thrilled. He might have even given me that stupid coin by now. But I can’t do that. I can’t even pretend. He’s so awful.”

  “We will find a way to make you free. That is my promise to you.”

  She smiled at him. “Thank you. I hope that can happen. I don’t know how much more of life under his thumb I can take.”

  “It will happen. You will see.” He tugged her forward. “Come, I will show you the crown jewels of a kingdom that no longer exists.”

  She followed him, but part of her was lost in the thought of what could be. If she actually got her freedom, she could do anything, go anywhere, be anything. Nocturne Falls would figure into all of those possibilities.

  “This sapphire is nearly fifty carats and—”

  “I want to move here.” She stared at him. “When I get free, I want to move to Nocturne Falls.”

  He put the scepter down. “I want that too.”

  “I don’t have any money, or a place to stay, and I don’t have any skills, but if you’ll help me, I promise I will pay you back.”

  “Of course, zolotse. I will help you with whatever you need. You can stay here.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful for that offer, but I don’t think that’s the best way for us to get to know each other. We’ve been forced upon each other this week, and that’s turned out okay, but I want…I need to know what it’s like to live on my own. My father’s never allowed it.”

  Van nodded. “That makes sense. I believe I know a place you can rent very reasonably.”

  “Thank you for understanding. And for helping.” She squinted at him. “What is that word you called me?”

  “Zolotse?”

  She nodded.

  He hesitated, looking almost sheepish. “It means my gold.”

  His explanation left her speechless.

  He leaned in and kissed her. “You are a treasure to me.”

  She threw her arms around him in a hard embrace. “Thank you.” She’d never known anyone so kind or so concerned with what happened to her. Even if she nev
er got free of her father, Van had shown her that there was more to life than what she’d experienced. That there was compassion in this world, not just commands.

  He put his hands on her shoulders, eased her back, and gazed into her eyes. “You helped me see that retreating from the world was no way to live. And gave me purpose again. Also, my dragon side has decided it wants you very much.”

  She laughed. “Oh really? Your dragon side wants a Will-o’-the-Wisp?”

  He nodded. “And as you can see around you, what my dragon side wants, it usually gets. Of course, you are not just a priceless treasure, you are a person with feelings and your own mind, so if you do not want me…” He shrugged playfully.

  She poked him. “I want you.” She felt her cheeks get hot. “You’re the first man I’ve ever said that to.”

  “Good.” He beamed. “I would like to be the last.”

  “Sure, you say that now, but wait until you get to know me.” She loved teasing him, this easy back-and-forth. It was new and fun and felt exactly like what she’d always thought falling in love would feel like.

  “I will prove it.” He limped toward one of the chests filled with coins, grabbed one, and limped back. “Your father may not have given you a coin, but I will.” He held it out. “From me to you. A gift to prove my intentions are true and real.”

  She stared at the coin. It wasn’t the one she’d always dreamed about, but it suddenly seemed so much better. “I don’t know what to say. You don’t have to do that. I was only teasing.”

  He leaned on the crutch, still holding out the coin. “Accept it, Monalisa. A dragon doesn’t share his hoard with just anyone.”

  Smiling, she took the coin. The gold was warm from his touch. “Thank you. That’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”

  The doorbell rang, and they both looked up.

  “I’ll get it.” She could get up there before he could anyway.

  “Thank you.” He motioned for her to go ahead of him. “I’ll close the vault and be right behind you.”

  “Okay, see you upstairs.” She took a few steps toward the door, then went back and kissed his cheek. “Thanks again.”

  He grinned. “Go ahead, or I will give you everything in here.”

  She laughed and ran off, getting to the door a few seconds later. She opened it to see Pandora. “Hey, how are you? Come on in.”

  “Thanks.” Pandora stomped the snow off her boots before entering. “I’m good. How are you guys doing?”

  “Pretty good. Van’s on his way up.”

  “Great.” She unzipped her coat. “Then I can talk to you both at the same time.”

  Grom came barreling up from the basement and practically knocked Pandora down. She laughed and crouched to love on him. “Hiya, Grommy, how’s my boy? Did you miss me?”

  He licked her face, making her laugh some more, then took off in an excited dash around the house, brushing past Monalisa and knocking the coin from her hand.

  She scooped it up, slipped it into the pocket of her jeans, and started for the kitchen. “You want some coffee or something? I was going to make another pot anyway.”

  Pandora stayed by the door. “What did you just pick up off the floor?”

  “Nothing.” Then, realizing Pandora might not entirely trust her yet, Monalisa backtracked. “A coin. Van gave it to me. You can ask him when he comes up.”

  Pandora stood, her expression bright. “Is that from his hoard?”

  “Y-yes. But like I said, he gave it to me, so—”

  “Holy cats. He means business.”

  “What? Why?”

  Pandora’s eyes widened a little. “That is a coin from his hoard. Dragons don’t give up parts of their hoard to just anyone. He’s serious about you to give you that. Like, thinking-about-the-future serious.”

  The weight of the coin in Monalisa’s pocket became a palpable thing. “Should I…what should I do?”

  “Do you like him that way too?”

  She nodded. “I do. I really do.”

  “Then nothing. Hang on to it. It’s kind of like a dragon promise ring.”

  Monalisa glanced down at her pocket, impressed that Van thought so much of her. “Wow.”

  Van appeared at the top of the steps in the kitchen. “What is wow?”

  Monalisa’s head came up. “Um…”

  “Hey, Van.” Pandora waved and leaned against the counter. “I was just telling Monalisa that Charisma and I have finally talked Marigold into using an online dating site.”

  He frowned. “That is not a good idea. Those sites are full of weirdos.”

  Pandora rolled her eyes. “Hey, Mari’s not getting any younger. And Saffie needs a male role model in her life.”

  “She has Stanhill.”

  “And he’s a peach, but maybe someone who isn’t several centuries old.”

  “Bring her around here. I will be her role model.”

  Pandora snorted and made a face at Monalisa. “We’re not trying to frighten the child.”

  He sighed. “Then what is wrong with Cole? You did agree to marry him.”

  Pandora cut her eyes at him. “She needs a daddy of her own.”

  He nodded. “I suppose that is true.” He grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, then held it out to them. “Ladies?”

  They both declined.

  He shut the fridge, twisted off the top, and drank half the bottle before walking over to them. He gestured to Pandora with the bottle. “So, have you come to tell me you can fix my leg?”

  Her happy expression faded. “About that. I’m really sorry, but we’ve hit a dead end.”

  Van’s heart sank. “This is bad.”

  Pandora held her hands up. “I know, it’s not what I wanted to tell you, I promise, but we’ve scoured the books in my mom’s library, we’ve talked to the rest of the coven, even consulted Alice Bishop—”

  “Who’s that?” Monalisa asked.

  “She’s the oldest, most powerful witch in town. Pretty much works exclusively for the Ellinghams. Namely, Elenora Ellingham. They’re the family that founded Nocturne Falls. Anyway, Alice is kind of Elenora’s assistant, seeing as how the grand dame saved Alice from the Salem trials way back when.”

  Monalisa’s brows shot up. “Old and powerful. Got it.”

  He growled softly to get their attention. “I am going to lose this fight. How is it not possible for you to fix this?”

  Pandora sighed. “It’s like this. If you were a normie—” She glanced at Monalisa. “That’s a nonmagical human.”

  Monalisa nodded.

  Pandora continued. “If you were a normie with the venom of a supernatural, we could extract that without too much fuss. If you were a supernatural with some kind of regular poison in your system, we could most likely deal with that too. But you’re a supe with supe poisoning. The only spell that we thought remotely might work also carried the risk of you ending up no longer a dragon.”

  Van jerked back. “Unacceptable.”

  “That’s what we figured too.”

  The spot between his brows was starting to throb. He rubbed it. “I will lose again.”

  Pandora put a hand on Van’s arm. “Listen. I know things seem bleak, but we have a theory. First, I need to ask—you’ve tried to shift into your dragon form, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “So what happens?”

  He shrugged. “As soon as the change begins, the pain intensifies. It’s like I’m being bitten all over again. I cannot complete the change.”

  “What stops you?”

  He looked at Pandora and wondered if she’d heard anything he’d just said. “The pain. Did I not explain that well? It was bad. I blacked out.”

  She sighed, pursing her lips like she was a little exasperated with him. “That’s awful, but I get that. Is that all that stops you, or is there some supernatural shutdown that happens?”

  He frowned right back at her. “Is that all? The pain caused me to pass out. I do not think you unde
rstand what I am saying.”

  “No, I get it. Intense pain. And you’re out like a light. But no other supernatural reason? At least nothing you can sense?”

  “Pandora.” Monalisa wrapped a strand of hair around one finger. “Where are you going with this?”

  “Well…” She put her hands on the counter behind her and pulled herself up to sit. “We think you can shift. And by shifting, you’ll force the venom to run its course. That’s why it hurts so much. It’s burning itself out of your system.”

  He dipped his chin to stare at her. “You want me to try to shift again?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I will just black out again.”

  “How long ago did you attempt to shift?”

  “Right after the fight.”

  “Then it shouldn’t be like that now. Time has passed. There’s less venom in your system.”

  “But maybe I pass out because shifting would be worse. It could be my body’s way of protecting me. Shifting now could be worse.”

  Pandora’s smile went slack. “That probably won’t…I mean, there’s no way—”

  “Wait a minute,” Monalisa said. “Could his trying to shift injure him more? What’s the worst-case scenario here?”

  Pandora sucked her bottom lip under her top teeth. “That’s the tricky part. We don’t really know.”

  Monalisa shook her head. “Then he can’t do it.”

  He took her hand, squeezing it for reassurance. “If it is the only way?”

  Monalisa looked at him. “You can’t. You have no idea what the outcome will be. What if it makes your leg worse? Or…hurts you in some other way?”

  “I won’t let it go that far.”

  “How will you know?” She blinked hard, eyes shining bright. “Please don’t do this on my account.”

  “I don’t have a choice. If I step into that ring unhealed, it will be very bad for me.”

  “Forget the fight,” she pleaded. “This is my problem, I’ll deal with it. I’ve been dealing with it for years.”

  He enclosed both her hands in his. “Monalisa, what you dealt with in the past, you did alone. No more. Going forward, we do this together.”