Finally, the crowd quieted down, and the new king and queen descended the platform. His arm was straight out in front of him, and hers was on top of his. They walked slowly, and everyone bowed or curtsied as they went by. Some reached out gently to touch her, their eyes shining.
“But so far?” Peter asked.
“It's not the life I expected,” she admitted. “But it is where I belong.”
She smiled at her as they exited the church. He wasn't sure how to navigate this world, even when he’d lived the first time. But with her as his queen and his wife, he was confident he would be just fine.
***THE END***
Book 4: Nicholas
Chapter 1
“You will take over the throne duty, the appearances, and meet with the House of Lords on Tuesday, then, while we are occupied,” Alexander said, glancing to his younger brother, Nicholas, across the table. “It's a duty that you used to do often when I was King. I have no issue with it.”
“But not until Tuesday,” Nicholas replied, raising an eyebrow. The dragon lord, Second Prince of the planet Umora, was calm about it. He even had a smirk on his face. But his head was calculating exactly how many hours it was until Tuesday morning.
“Yes, I just said that,” Alexander, the current prince regent, his older brother, and the former king before their eldest brother Peter returned from the Other, the Dragon heaven, sighed. “Honestly, Nicholas, one would think that you aren't listening at all.”
“I'm listening!” Nicholas protested. “I just want to make sure that I have heard you right so you aren't wondering where I am on Monday. I will be here on Tuesday, then.”
“Why? Where are you going until then?” Alexander asked. Nicholas gave his easy smirk.
“Does it matter? You are prince regent now that Peter is back. All the dragons, all the wolves, all the shifters, have to come to you if they can't get to the king, no matter where I am. I have business to attend to, on some of the outer realm planets that has been pushed to the side since we started this mad hunt to find Father. And, frankly, Alexander, I am not sure he is still here. He returned from the Other, yes, but it's been quiet for months. There is nothing to say he couldn't have slipped back into it.”
“That is wishful thinking, Nicholas,” Alexander waved his hand. “But for now, it is allowed. Go if you have business to attend to, and try to slide back in the door before 9 on Tuesday morning, hmmm?”
“8:59, it is, Brother,” Nicholas smiled, heading straight to the antechamber. The antechamber of the throne room was the easiest vortex not only to Earth, but to the other planets in the galaxy. The universe was filled with shifters of all kinds: dragons, wolves, bears, lions, and more. Some of them were more prominent on certain planets than others. There were also witches of various varieties, sorcerers, prophets, physics, mages who used magic of types he couldn't even begin to remember. Earth, water, black magic, ancestral magic; the list went on. At the top of the chain, however, were the dragon princes, fueled by magic and ruling for thousands of years. In a lot of ways, he was just a blip in the spectrum, a moment in time. But this moment of freedom was his.
“Nicholas.” His sister-in-law, Ariel, almost ran into him. Ariel was Alexander's wife, a once marriage of convenience that was turning out quite well. Raised on Earth and working mostly as a dancer, the fiery redhead also happened to be the queen of the carapaces, magical beings that could suck magic from anything around them. The carapaces and Ariel had a broken relationship, and although she hated them for abandoning her as a child, she ruled them as queen by being the daughter of the two most powerful families. She was mouthy, confident, strong, and Nicholas' favorite sister-in-law. She had been dragon queen in their equal opportunity society until Peter married an Earth girl. Now, crown princess suited her just fine. “Where are you going? Off to visit your secret girlfriend?”
“My secret girlfriend who no one knows about,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “And even though I am the worse secret keeper in the world, I've managed to do it for years.”
“Of course,” Ariel replied. “Are you going to Earth? I have some things you could take.”
He paused for a moment, horrified that his secret was out, and then realized she must have guessed that from the way he was dressed. The dress on Umora was much different than Earth, but he kept a regular stock in his closet of clothes that would help him fit into various planets. Today, he was wearing dark dress pants and a white shirt, overlaid by a grey vest. His brown hair was swept back, and he had taken care to clean up his scruff this morning. His eyes, with a hint of dragon yellow, were dulled against the white shirt, and he chose black cufflinks to offset the outfit. He could be just a well-dressed businessman, off to attend to affairs.
“Sorry, precious. I don't have time to be running errands on Earth,” Nicholas said. “Next time, perhaps?”
“Mm,” she shrugged. “I'll get Cole to take them when he takes Enya.” Cole, the youngest prince, was also married to an Earth girl, and they visited regularly. “You're lucky I like you, or I would accuse you of rushing off.”
“Accuse all you want,” he said. “It won't make me like you any less. I'll see you on Tuesday, yes?”
“Bye.” She was used to him running off. Having been married to Alexander for over fifteen years, she was closer to him than the other girls. He also enjoyed her company more because she never pried or judged. If he was running off to some important task, she wasn't going to stand in his way.
Once she was gone, he closed both the doors. He listened for a moment, making sure no one's desperate footsteps were coming toward him. It was common for dragons to burst into the antechamber to transport themselves various places with their magic.
All was calm, and Ariel seemed far enough away to use his magic at full strength.
He closed his eyes, letting the magic swirl around him. He wanted to do it carefully, undetected, which took a little bit more time and energy. The last thing he wanted was someone following him.
He felt it swirl from the tips of his feet up to the top of his head. With one long breath, he waited until he was completely engulfed and then flicked his wrist.
When he landed, he had to blink twice to make sure he was in the right place. It was a vortex he had never transported to, even when it was open before. A year ago, the carapaces had raged war and closed many of them, sucking the magic out of the ground, thanks to their newfound numbers. When the veil had dropped between this world and the Other, it brought back many who had died, including tyrants like his father. These days, they had no idea where his father was, and at the moment, he didn't really care. He knew that some carapaces had died as a result of his returned father's attacks. Their death meant the vortexes they had been blocking were now open, which was at least one useful thing that heinous old man had done since he returned.
He was in the middle of a large city, but it wasn't his final destination.
He wished he could transform into dragon form and just soar there. But ever since Peter had revealed himself one too many times on Earth as a dragon, they had to be extra careful. So instead, he got his bearings and headed toward the train station.
He reached into his pocket, turning on the cell phone that he got specifically for his time on Earth. He didn't expect there to be any messages or calls, but he did want it on just in case.
He was in luck for the train schedule, and boarded right before it left. It was a four-hour trip, and Nicholas' heart beat faster every moment. He had waited a year; he thought four hours would be easy. However, the hours ticked by, and he thought he would die of anticipation before he made it to his stop.
Finally, the conductor announced the stop. He practically flew off the train, his feet hitting the pavement.
He looked at his phone, the glaring numbers telling him that it was almost two o'clock
Slow down, he told himself. You have plenty of time. You have two hours to spare.
He knew he had to get there before four o'clock or it wo
uld be too late. He only had this one location, this one bit of information.
When he had researched it, it had said the place he was looking for was only a four-minute walk from the train station. The street names threw him off, however, and he got lost for at least fifteen minutes before he found his way.
He had seen–from his research–that the place he was looking for was inside a mall in the center of town. It was a small town, and the shopping center seemed to reflect that. There was barely anyone inside it, which made it easier to navigate his way into the men's wear store.
He had been born a prince, and so pre-made clothing was hardly something that suited him. All of his clothing was hand-stitched by a tailor, made to fit him like a glove. Even the clothes he was wearing now were made for him, bought nearly two years ago on his last trip here. Men's fashion on Earth, it seemed, hardly changed, and so he could pass it off as brand new.
“Can I help you?” came a voice. He spun around to find a rather tall, thin woman, staring him down. He supposed he had been staring too long at the vest in front of him. Really, he just wanted to kill time, but he supposed he had been a little suspicious about it.
“Yes, I'll try this on,” he grabbed it, having no idea if it was his size. But she simply pointed to the back where the fitting rooms were.
“Someone will let you in.”
“Excellent,” he said, trying to calm his beating heart.
In the back was a row of fitting rooms, pristine, white, and shining. There was a girl with short hair, cut like a pixie with her back to him. She was sitting on a stool, putting clothing from a table where people had flung reject items back onto a hanger.
“How many?” she asked, and he stopped moving.
“Just one, love,” he said.
She spun around so fast that she nearly fell off her stool. Her large eyes met his, and she nearly cried.
Nicholas bit his lip to hold back his emotions as well. It had been a year since he had seen Rosa–the longest year of his life. But now, she was right in front of him.
“There's always been just one,” he said softly.
She slowly reached for the Number One to hang on his door, sliding off her stool. On shaky legs, she indicated he should follow.
“I'll just give you this one,” she said, her voice low. She waved him toward one of the larger stalls, and he stepped in. Looking around to make sure that no one was watching, she stepped in behind and shut the door, and then she flew into his arms. “What are you doing here?”
He kissed her furiously, his hands everywhere at once. He could kiss her forever, holding her tight against him like they were made to fit together.
“Rosa, Rosa, I missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too, my love,” she said, in between kisses. She wanted to melt into him, to never let go. “We're safe here for a moment. There are no cameras here.”
“Good,” he said. “Oh, I was so afraid I wouldn't find you. After they moved you, I was lost. I found out you worked here, but I couldn't find where you lived.”
“I knew you would find me again somehow,” she said.
“Give me your address,” he said. “I will meet you there when you get off at four.”
“And never leave?” she asked, pleadingly. He leaned down to kiss her again, wishing it were so.
“One day, my love,” he said softly, placing his chin on her head as he held her. “One day, the world will be safe for you and me.”
Chapter 2
Nicholas had fallen in love with Rosa when they were little more than children. She had been a princess, an heiress to the witch coven Halloway, and they had always moved in the same circles. When she wore a crown on her head, draped in jewels and ball gowns, it had been acceptable for him to hold her hand, to stare at her. They got on famously, and there had been talk of marriage. Witches were fueled by magic, their bodies not operating like humans. Their hearts beat because of magic, and their brains functioned because of magic. They were almost nothing but magic taking a human form.
But the Halloway line had faltered and then fell. Ancestral magic, the kind that they used, needed four living coven members in order to practice and flow. It was easier than one thought for a line to fail. A brother has no children, another one only has three, a battle, or an accident. Within three years, the Halloway line fell to the crucial four, and six months after that, one.
Rosa was ripped away from public life by other witch covens. She was put in hiding, moved from planet to planet, house to house, each time her identity was discovered. She had to support herself, most of the time; the covens helping her had little money themselves. Her death would mean the death of that line forever. She could barely use magic, and each time she did nearly killed her.
Nicholas knew that people surrounding the dragon princes tended to die. They lived a dangerous life, and although they were strong, wounding them was as easy as killing the ones they loved.
And he could not live in a world where there was not Rosa. He simply could not function and could not breathe. She was the most precious thing in the world to him, and he needed her to live, even if they were apart.
And so, their relationship fell into hiding. He found out where she was each time she was moved on his own accord. He could not trust anyone to know he was always looking for her.
When he found out, he went when he could, visiting her no more than twice a move. Any more than that, and it would raise suspicion, he thought. Being seen in the vicinity of the same man twice was a coincidence; three times was not.
They never had public dates; they never went to dinner or held hands in the park. But it was enough for him to simply hold her at night and know that wherever he was in the universe, she was safe.
He was not surprised when he got to the address that she had given him, but he was disappointed. Rosa's job did not lead to luxurious living quarters, and it seemed the covens were giving her no help this time. He wished he could help, but any money coming from his accounts to hers might arouse suspicion. Even paying a bill she normally couldn't would raise eyebrows as to how, and so he could do nothing but leave her a few dollars each time.
This time around, she had slipped him a key to a studio apartment on the second floor of a building that he wasn't sure was any safer than the world knowing she was with him.
It was sparsely decorated, with beat up furniture, and a bed in the middle of the room. Normally, if he got to a place earlier than her, he cleaned up, made dinner, and waited. But he could see nothing to clean up, and there was barely tea in the cabinets.
Sinking onto her bed, he stared at the cracked ceiling as he waited. It was cold, but the heat was probably set low to avoid a high bill.
This was no life for a princess. She deserved a palace, a crown, and servants. Instead, she looked to be barely surviving.
Rosa got home shortly after 4:30 and fell into his arms right away.
“I can't believe you're really here,” she said, trying to snuggle as close to him as possible. “I've spent so many nights dreaming; so many days hoping–”
“Shh, love,” he kissed her head, drawing her into his lean body. “I'm here now.”
“For how long?”
“Technically, until Tuesday morning,” he replied, “but I don't know if it's safe to stay that long.”
“No one is watching,” she assured him. “No one notices anyone here.”
She felt thinner than she normally did. She was small-boned, but her normally lean stomach was concave, and her shoulder bones popped through the top of her arms. She moved to get under the covers, shivering, and he wished he could light the whole room on fire to warm her.
“How was work?” he asked, trying to make the situation normal. “Do you like working there?”
“It's a job,” she rolled over to face him. “It was the highest paying job I could find, so I took it. We get commission on top of an hourly rate.”
“Ah, so I should have bought ten vests,” he said, and she s
miled.
“If you are in need of them, yes,” she replied. “But let's not talk about work now. Do you want some tea?”
“I'll make it, love,” he said, as they both sat up. “You worked all day.”
“I worked four hours, actually,” she said. “It was supposed to be eight, but they cut my hours from this morning, which is a terrible hit on the paycheck.”
He didn't know what to say to that, because he had never been in that situation before. All he knew was that it was terrible, and he wished he could help.
“The tea is in the bottom cabinet,” she pointed him in the right direction. “I have sugar, but I don't think I have milk.”
“Leave it to me,” he kissed her head and got up, going to boil water in the beat-up kettle. While he prepared the fixings for tea, he watched her out of the corner of his eye.
Rosa had always been quiet and thoughtful. Everything she said and did was pre-determined in her mind, and she often moved slowly. It hadn't ever concerned him until recently. She had never had his high amounts of energy, but something had changed. He knew her well enough to know what she was thinking just from the movement of her eyes. Now, as she got up to do a few things, she seemed to be constantly calculating where the next place she could sit down was to put away an item, charge her phone, close a book. There was a couch, the window ledge, a dining room chair, and the edge of the bed that she moved from.
The kettle boiled, and he poured the tea, bringing both mugs to the table.
“Are you all right, Rosa?” he asked, as she fiddled with her phone. She looked up and gave him a smile.
“Yes. I'm just tired. Perhaps we could have an early night?”
A Wolf's Touch (Wolf Mountain Peak Book 3) Page 93