The Vampire Touch 3: A New Dawn

by Sarah J. Stone

  No one said a word. The grand church was completely silent, watching the historic moment between their Queen and future Prince. Because she was the sole ruler, he would outrank her as King, so he had to have the rank of Prince. But it didn't bother him. He knew they were partners, and if it ever came down to it, she was born into this role, and would likely be better at it then him.

  “Into this union, Queen Eliza and Nathaniel now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be lawfully wed, speak now, or else forever hold your peace.”

  Luckily, no one said a word. Eliza didn't think they would, especially after everything they had been through. The people of Jeffro had always liked Nathaniel, and they had always supported the two of them in public, even when it was unofficial

  “I charge you both, here in the presence of Creator and the witness of this company, that if either of you know any reason why you may not be married lawfully and in accordance with Creator's Word, do now confess it?”

  “No,” Eliza was fast to answer. “There is no reason why we should not be married.”

  “And Nathaniel?”

  “No,” he answered, according to the script. “There is no reason why we should not be married. There is about a million why we should, though, so could we hurry it up?”

  There was laughter throughout the crowd and Eliza rolled her eyes.

  “Queen Eliza,” he turned to her “Will you have this man to be your husband; to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?”

  “I do,” she answered. It was two simple words and yet it meant so much. Nathaniel gazed into her beautiful eyes, so stunned as always by her beauty.

  “Nathaniel , will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?”

  “I will,” he said, his voice quivering. After this, they would never spend a moment apart. He would wake up beside her every morning, and be able to hold her hand every day. That fact was mind blowing to him, and he couldn't wait to get started.

  “Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?” the priest turned to the whole crowd.

  “We do,” everyone answered.

  “Bless, O’ Creator, these rings as a symbol of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other,” the priest said, and indicated that Desmond and Sienna should hand over the rings. They were intricate, twisted gold, and looked like the crowns they would wear.

  “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, ” Eliza said, pushing the ring onto his finger. He stroked her hand, and then switched, so that he could put the ring on her.

  “I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you,” he whispered, sliding the ring onto his beautiful Queen.

  The priest looked between them, satisfied that part was fulfilled.

  “Now that Queen Eliza and Nathaniel have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife. Those whom Creator has joined together, let no one put asunder,” he said.

  Eliza and Nathaniel held hands, knowing that it was almost over. In rehearsal, Nathaniel had blazed this part into his mind. He couldn't wait for the final words to be said.

  “Bless, preserve and keep you; the Creator mercifully with his flavor look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may faithfully live together in this life, and in the age to come have life everlasting. Amen,” the priest prayed over them.

  “And also with you,” everyone echoed.

  “Queen Eliza and Nathaniel, having witnessed your vows of love to one another, it is my joy to present you to all gathered here as husband and wife. Nathaniel, you may kiss the bride.”

  Nathaniel grinned and dipped her down, to the applause of the crowd. Everyone roared and cheered, as Nathaniel brought her back up.

  But there was one more thing to do before they walked down the aisle.

  “Eliza, Queen of Jeffro,” said the priest, as head of the church. “Now, that you are married to this man, do you name a successor?”

  “I do,” she said “I name Nathaniel, my husband, as Prince of Jeffro, my heir and the future father of my children.”

  “Then let it be known that Nathaniel, husband of Eliza, is to now be known as Prince Nathaniel, Regent of Jeffro. God save the Queen!”

  “God Save the Queen!” came the cry as everyone dropped to their knees.

  Nathaniel grabbed Eliza's hand, as they advanced down the aisle. They had to greet the public on the steps, as their first official duty. He felt Sienna at his back, not just as the maid of honor, but as the Baroness, to greet the public, as well.

  And, as he came to the end of the church aisle, there was Prada, standing there. He had wanted her to come, but she had been on assignment, deep in Dramoon politics. However, it appeared that as always, Prada had found a way. She was dressed in field clothing, and she cocked an eyebrow at him, and then bowed.

  “Oh, no, Princess,” he said. “You do not bow to me.”

  “Maybe one day we can rebuild Powys,” she said with a smile. “But you focus on Jeffro for now.”

  “Aye,” he said. “I'll see you around.”

  “You will,” she said. “Congratulations”

  He smiled and took Eliza's arm again. The church doors flew open, and he found them immersed in a crowd of what felt like the entire planet. The crowds cheered, yelled, wavered flowers, and bowed.

  “Oh, my,” Nathaniel said, and Eliza gripped his arm.

  “You get used to it.”

  “I imagine you do,” he said. “But with you by my side, I'll get used to anything.”

  “Did you mean what you said to Prada? About rebuilding Powys with her?”

  “Today one planet, tomorrow an empire.” Nathaniel smiled as he turned to Sienna, at his back. “What do you think, little one?”

  “You're always thinking about us, about others,” Sienna said. “We're okay , Prada and I. Enjoy your wedding day.”

  “I am thinking like a Prince,” Nathaniel grinned, and Eliza squeezed his arm.

  “You are,” she said. “But that isn't why I love you.”

  “Do you love me because I'm a witch?” he asked.

  “I love you because you're my soulmate,” she said.

  “You're my soulmate,” he echoed, kissing the top of her head. This wasn't the way he had planned his career, but it was the happiest outcome he could imagine. They were safe, they were with the ones they loved.

  “Then we will build an empire together,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

  “As long as we are together,” he said, “then we can do anything.”

  Nature had a plan for them, he knew, and he believed that this was the plan all along. The intention of Nature could be nothing but having them together, for the rest of their lives. This was where they fit, where they belonged. This was the path that they walked.

  *** THE END ***

  Dragons of Umora Box Set (1-5)

  Sarah J. Stone

  Book 1: Cole

  Chapter 1

  You are not my son.

  Those were the most devastating words he could think of. He would rather hear that his parents were dead, that his older brothers, the Crown Prince and the Duke, had disowned him. Anything but the fact that he was not who he thought he was.

  His blood boiled in his veins as he stood in the middle of the grand hall, the gleaming thrones mocking him. Cole had been born the third Prince of Umora, a planet so advanced in c
ivilization that there was no pain, no suffering, and virtual immortality through science. Everyone on Umora was some sort of shifter, some sort of magical creature–whether it be wolf, lion, or otherwise. The dragon shifters, however, had always been the royal family, ruling over those beneath them. The witches, the werewolves, and the lions all bowed down to the dragon shifters.

  Cole always believed his place in the world was at the top with everyone bowing down to him. He knew that his magic was better than the rest of his family's, but he never thought anything of it. It was a gift, after all.

  What he didn’t know, however, was that he was a half-breed witch and dragon shifter–a bastard orphan left on the door steps. He could now claim potential royal blood from both sides. Or, from neither side. He was everything and nothing at the same time.

  He should have inherited the richness of the witches and the power of the dragons.

  Instead, he lost it all when his father admitted the truth.

  There would be no throne for Cole on Umora, no happy ending here. He had been cheated out of everything by matters of his birth.

  Cole saw only red as he spun around, looking at the murals on the walls.

  This explained so much about his life, about his feelings, and about why he felt like he never fit in. Growing up, it became apparent that he was different than the rest of his family. His magic did not come in the same way theirs did. He could not focus in the same way, could not create the same things. Cole needed to eat more than the rest of them, and more frequently. Alexander seemed to only nibble twice a week, and Nicholas took great pride in large feasts and social meals. But Cole was always ravenous, always strong, and always a moment away from rage.

  His rage was so different than Nicholas's rage. Nicholas was simply a kind soul and fiercely loyal, but also ready to destroy anyone who came near those whom he loved. Cole seemed to rage out for no reason, and he, himself, admitted that he threw tantrums when he didn't get his way.

  Everyone was unfair to him. His brothers were allowed to do things that he wasn't. His parents let his brothers lead wars and lash out. But Cole was punished unfairly, even by his brothers. They always treated him like a mischievous child, who didn't know how to handle himself.

  Death was nothing to him. Feeding for the sake of something to do was nothing to him. He loved the attention, loved the power, but hated how they scolded him.

  And now, it was clear that this was not the place he belonged. All these years of trying to fit in, and he wasn't really one of them anyways. They didn't want him; that much was clear.

  He continued spinning, barely seeing, barely thinking. His anger was uncontrollable, and his rage lay in front of him. He wanted power. He wanted control. He wanted to show them what he was capable of. He was not a child to be scolded, nor was he someone to be put aside.

  And that is when he spotted Earth–painted blue, small, and fragile–in the upper corner of the wall.

  If he could not have Umora, if they thought he didn't belong here, he would show them where he did. He would find his own Kingdom; he would make his own throne.

  He knew how to take control of a planet. That was nothing foreign to his family. They kept peace and ruled over several planets in the system. One simply needed to purge the planet, control its people, and make them fear you. Only then would they bow down.

  Cole turned on his heel and stalked out of the throne room and into the records hall. The records hall contained scrolls of all nature, including rules for unlocking magic on each planet. The Gods who had created the planets, millenniums ago, had written down the secrets to unlocking each one, in the ancient tongue of each planet.

  "Cole," a not-so-distant voice called.

  The unexpected sound startled him; he had thought he was alone in the hall. But his brother, Alexander, was standing there, looking majestic and comfortable. But then again, why wouldn’t he be? He belonged here.

  "We've been looking everywhere for you."

  Cole smirked, "And why would that be? Seeing as how I don't belong here? Do you want to lock me up, too? Toss me out of the only home I've ever known?"

  "Cole," Alexander took a step further. "I know we've had our differences. But there was no reason for the tantrum you threw."

  "Tantrum?" Cole sputtered. "Tantrum? Is that what you call a reaction to finding out your whole life is a lie?"

  When his father had finally told him the truth, Cole barely remembered what he had done. All he remembered is rage; all he remembered was his dragon brain taking over.

  It was only after coming back to his human form that he heard about the destruction he had caused. He had flown–flown until his wings hurt–and killed whatever had lay in his path. The reports said that he went to neighboring planets, breathing fire, tearing up villages, and leaving civilians dead in his wake.

  They had trembled in fear when they saw him coming, bowing to their knees and begging for mercy. But he didn't care about their pleas, nor did he care about their tears.

  If his family was going to tell him that he was some half-breed monster that didn't belong, he would show them how he didn't belong.

  Let them say he was a criminal; let them say he was a monster with a black soul.

  "That is what I call it when it was followed by the amount of destruction you caused, yes," Alexander replied. "Cole...the people...."

  "You and father have done much worse in your so-called 'peace keeping missions,'" Cole spat. "Following in his footsteps, as if he's always been around to encourage us."

  He knew it wasn't much of an excuse, but there was no excuse that mattered, really. If Alexander was questioning him, then he would not see reason. Alexander was always calm, controlled, logical, and frankly, in Cole’s eyes, boring. He thought carefully about every word that exited his mouth.

  "He is not the kind of King I want to be," Alexander growled.

  “Poor, poor Alexander,” Cole teased him. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Always acting as the martyr. Had Peter still been alive, your life would be so easy, wouldn't it?”

  Alexander's eyes flashed at the mention of their oldest brother. Peter was supposed to be King, and Alexander would have been his second in command. But Peter struggled with his own identity, trying to come to terms with what his life's purpose was, and it was never meant to be. It had been two years since Peter vanished, flitting into the black magic world that was simply known as the Other. No one had ever returned from the Other, and the weight fell heavily on Alexander's shoulders. He had lost his confidant, his mentor, and his best friend. And suddenly, he would rule the land when their father perished.

  “Don't you mention him,” Alexander said, although his voice trembled with emotion. “Peter fought a fight he could not win. But the rest of us are still here. And it does not change the fact that–”

  "The fact that I am no longer your brother, just some bastard orphan," Cole cut him off, standing tall.

  "That your rage may have killed people," Alexander answered. "You know that when we transform, control is harder..."

  Cole simply smirked.

  "So, you intend to rule passively? Kill them with kindness, is that it? And be nice to your bastard brother, who was born into a terrible life, but got lucky."

  "Cole...."

  "Forget it." Cole had found the scroll he needed. "Forget all of you. I was born to rule, and if you won't accept me here, I’ll find another kingdom!"

  Alexander's eyes widened.

  "Where are you going?"

  Cole smirked, drawing the magic around him.

  "It's a magic trick, brother," he said, and snapped his fingers.

  He felt the familiar magic swirl around him. Magic was always his comfort zone, his safe place that he could go to–a place that baffled his brothers.

  The golden light filled his soul, and he felt his dragon wings spread. It was only for a moment though, to make the impact with the ground easier. His wings retracted, and he found himself sitting on grass.

/>   It took a moment for him to adjust to the air. It was different than on Umora, not thicker or thinner, but different.

  The scroll was still clutched in his hand–the key to controlling this race. Humans were weak minded, he had always been told. It was simple magic.

  That is, if he could unlock it. He couldn't even read the words that were written, the characters unfamiliar.

  It had seemed like such a good plan in the moment, standing tall against Alexander. But Cole was smart, and he knew he'd never figure this out without help.

  He pulled his knees up to his chest, laying his head on them, thinking.

  There must be people who worked with ancient texts around here. He could probably intimidate someone into helping him. It shouldn't take long for someone who knew what they were doing. This weak-minded planet could be his by this afternoon.

  And once one planet was his, there were more for the taking. He would show them.

  Cole slowly stood up, glancing down at his clothes. Squinting to catch a glimpse of people in the distance, he snapped his fingers and became dressed like them. He wanted to remain undercover, at least for now.

  In his world, if he faced this problem, there were only a handful of people he could go to–archive managers, elders, perhaps travelers. But he had no idea who those people would be here, or where to find them.

  "Oof!!!"

  He was so wrapped up in his own head, distracted by his thoughts, that he didn't notice the girl he bumped into until it was too late.

  The force sent him stumbling back a few steps, but she tumbled right to the ground, as if she was a limp rag doll.

  He wanted to roll his eyes and walk away; humans were so weak, especially compared to the force of a Dragon. But what she said next stopped him.

  "I'm sorry."

  He paused.

  "You're sorry?" he said in complete confusion. His English was rough, but he had paid some sort of attention when they had taught it in school. "I bumped into you. I should have been watching where I was going," she said.