by Meg Ripley
Archard headed in even deeper. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but Kaylee’s words echoed in his mind. She said she didn’t belong there; that there was nothing left for her on Charok. It made him wonder what could possibly be left for him. He had the caves, but he knew that no one would return to them the way the prophecy predicted. Kaylee had already come, as an heir to the Queen, but she had turned around and left him, too. Was there much point in him protecting this territory any longer? He didn’t even have his family there now.
As he studied a detailed picture of royal guards marching along the bottom of the cave wall, each roaring their wrath for anyone who dared to assault the Queen behind them, he felt like a complete failure. How did the generations before him perform such an impossible task? Were all royals so stubborn? The Queen in the painting was a similar color to Kaylee, a pale green. Her face was proud, yet beautiful. Perhaps Kaylee was just like anyone else of her line. It was her determination, after all, that drove her to always be looking for something more to life. When she let go of that, she was fun and carefree. She had flaws, certainly, but those flaws were part of what he liked about her so much.
No, loved. She’d mentioned that word, even though they hadn’t said it to each other. Archard knew they didn’t have to. He did love her. But how could he love someone when he was supposed to be her servant?
Archard continued to advance into the mountain, finding the older paintings that didn’t have nearly as much care and detail as the newer ones. Instead of being sectioned off, with each piece carrying a central theme, it was more like the graffiti Kaylee had explained to him on Earth. Random pictures and words were recorded wherever the owner felt like putting them. He’d dismissed them as old and worthless, but he was seeing them with new eyes now.
A fat dragon lay on its back, picking bones out of its teeth, and another one was stuck forever between its two forms as it tried to fly off a cliff with the legs of a man still dangling beneath it. But at least someone had been serious at one point, because a poem was scrawled off to the left.
None is safe from the spell we call love.
It haunts him, no matter where he hides.
And if, by chance, he happens to escape,
Then in his heart only misery will abide.
Archard stared at the words. He’d seen them before, but they’d never meant much to him. He never imagined that he would be one to turn away from true love. But did the poet know the dilemma of loving someone who wasn’t meant for him? Did he have any idea what it was like for a man to fall in love with the woman who could be his Queen? Judging by the careful script and the small drawing of a dragon laying with his wings spread around him like a wet blanket, he probably did.
Hell with it. He could be completely wrong, but Archard didn’t care anymore. He couldn’t just give up and let this go. He might not be able to perform the duties of his forefathers, but he’d be damned if he’d let himself be a weak man. Turning back toward the entrance, he ran until his two feet on the packed sand turned to four, the tips of his wings brushing the roof of the cave. The torch fell and fizzled against the rock wall, and he burst from the cave and into the air.
Kaylee was nowhere on the mountainside. He’d spent far too long poking around in the cave, and there was no telling where she’d gone to get the ingredients for her spell. In his duress, Archard couldn’t even remember what they were. He closed his eyes and spread his wings wide, letting his instincts tell him where to go. He caught an air current that pulled him down to the foothills and over the woods. Damn. She could be anywhere amongst the thick trees, and so could the ogres. He should’ve told her that it wasn’t safe; that at the very least, she could stay on the mountain with him until she was ready to leave.
But a flash of movement caught his eyes. She was there, by the stream. He crashed through the treetops and splashed down into the creek, shaking the cold water from his foot as he shifted back to the form she was more familiar with. Her eyes were red and puffy, and by the way she held her mouth, he knew she was going to send him away again.
“Kaylee, you’ve got to listen to me. I love you. I don’t care if I’m supposed to be a royal guard.”
“But that’s what you’ve always wanted,” she started to argue.
“No! I don’t care about any of that, not in the same way that I did before. It’s a legacy, and it’s one that I’m proud of, but life isn’t the same as it was for the dragons who lived here a generation ago. It’s time that I accepted that. And that even if things hadn’t changed and the Great Curse had never been cast, I still wouldn’t care. I’m supposed to be with you, Kaylee, and I’m going to be, royal guard or not.” He let it all out in one breath, fearing that if he stopped for even one moment, she would find a way to change his mind once again. “You told me to go away, and I Iistened to you because I wanted to make you happy. But I’m not ever going to go away again, because that’s not what makes me happy.”
Her face reddened a little more, and then she fell into his arms. Her sobs racked her back and shoulders, and Archard simply held her.
She wiped her eyes on the backs of her hands and finally looked up at him, still beautiful despite the tears. “I’ve made so many wrong decisions, and I can’t seem to make the right one. Things are cloudy when I’m around you, but they’re even worse when you’re gone. I love you, too, but I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he assured her. “We can be here on Charok or on Earth. You can be a Queen or an archeologist. I can be a royal guard or find something else to occupy my time. I just know that I want to be with you, and I don’t care what any being from any time or any planet has to say about it. We just have to love each other.”
“You’re right,” she said, tears and laughter mixing in her throat. “You’re absolutely right.”
After contemplating the choice for a time, both dragons knew they’d be much happier on Earth, but decided to spend one last day on Charok together. The following day, they’d recite the spell that would send them back to Earth forever.
18
Kaylee looked in the mirror, shocked at the transformation. She was used to the version of herself that was ready for an expedition, with her hair barely tamed by an elastic band, a clean face, and practical clothing. But when Lucia and Naomi stepped back and finally let her see herself, it was like a completely different person stood there.
“I don’t know how I didn’t see it before,” Lucia remarked, her eyes sparkling. “You look like a Queen.”
Kaylee blushed. “No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do,” Naomi argued, straightening the short train of the brilliant white dress. “You always have, even when you’ve tried to hide it. I think we’ve got you all ready physically, but how are you? Are you ready for this?”
Leave it to her mother to be focused on how she felt. That was one of the many things she loved about Naomi. “More ready than I thought I could be. Everyone always says they’re so nervous, but I’m really not.” She hadn’t been nervous about any of it, not when she went to pick out a gown, not when they settled on a venue, and not even as the day approached.
Naomi winked. “That just means you’ve found the right one.”
A knock sounded on the door. Naomi cracked it open to make sure the groom wasn’t trying to sneak a peek at the bride, and then she held it wide to admit Julian.
“If you ladies don’t mind, I’d like to have a word with my daughter.”
Naomi, Lucia and the bridesmaids cleared the room, adjusting their shoes and giggling. Kaylee looked to her father expectantly.
Julian kissed her cheek. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” She ran her hands down over her dress. “I hope Archard likes it. I know he thinks this whole ceremony is a little over-the-top and too human, but he’s humored me so far. I can’t help that all these Earth traditions rubbed off on me.”
Her father sat down in one of the numerous chairs in the bride’s dr
essing room. “You don’t have anything to worry about, dear. I’m pretty certain Archard would do anything for you. I mean, he did travel to another planet and back for you.”
She shook her head and smiled. “I’m glad you approve. It’s all happened so fast, but I’m so happy. I love him so much.”
“I know you do. Listen, I know we don’t have a whole lot of time before the wedding starts, but I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. This whole thing about your lineage was a lot to take in, and—”
“Dad, don’t. We’ve been over this.” Julian had explained that he and his friends had each taken the last of the Queen’s eggs and crossed over to Earth to keep them safe with Varhan’s help. Once they’d come to Earth and the eggs had hatched, they’d each raised their dragonlings as their own children.
“I know we have, but it’s bothered me so much. You were so upset when you got back. I’d been horrified once I realized you’d left, and then I thought I was going to lose you for good because I hadn’t told you the truth. I only did it because I thought it would be best. I didn’t think we’d ever really have a chance to go back to Charok, and I wanted you to have the most normal life possible.”
She smiled at the old dragon. “Thanks to you, I’ll never be normal. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. There is one thing I’ve been curious about, though.”
He watched her expectantly. “What’s that?”
“Do you think my heritage has anything to do with my gift for languages? Was the Queen that way?” It was something she’d thought about off and on ever since she’d first seen and understood that prophecy in the royal cave.
“I don’t suppose we’ll ever know. It could be that, or it could be simply that you were born with bit more brains than the rest of us. Is there anything else?”
“No.” And she meant it. Kaylee had spent plenty of time thinking about her true mother and where she belonged in the world, and she would think about it plenty in the future. But for now, she was happy to set it aside. “Not today.”
“Very well.” He took her hand. “Let’s get you down that aisle.”
The wedding was just as beautiful as she’d hoped, and perhaps even more so. Kaylee felt like a glowing haze had descended over her eyes, showing everything in its best light as she and Archard exchanged their vows. The peach and lavender roses she carried and that had stood proudly in centerpieces on white tablecloths were breathtaking. Her maid of honor, Nora, and her bridesmaids were the epitome of style and grace. Her parents and honorary uncles were noble and distinguished. Even her brother was on his best behavior, and since Kaylee had found out about his threat to Archard, she was watching him closely.
Most of all, her new husband was the same strong, caring soul she’d come to know better over the last six months.
Only her feet ached from being on them so much, and she kicked her shoes off under the table as they finally sat down to eat. “You look hot in a tux. I’ll have to find ways to get you in one more often.”
Archard raked his eyes down to her dress and back up again. “You look incredible, but I think you look best wearing nothing at all.” The deep blue of his eyes was a sea of mischief, but it was one she could swim in for all of eternity.
She touched his thigh suggestively. “Keep talking like that and we’re going to have to cut the party short.”
“Is that a challenge? Now that the champagne has been uncorked, I don’t think anyone’s paying much attention to us.”
Archard grabbed her hand and rose from his chair, bringing her with him as he made an escape from the grandiose hotel ballroom. He slipped into the stairwell across the hall and pushed her up against the wall. “I’ve been dying to get a hold of you all day. I haven’t seen you since last night, and I don’t think I ever want to be away from you that long again.” He kissed her deeply, his fingers exploring her body through the soft material of her gown.
“I’d tell you that you’ll get your wish, but you might not. Dr. Morrick has invited me to another dig. I leave in two months.” She kissed him back, delighting in that warm, strong body. She hadn’t been able to get enough of him, even knowing they would be permanently bound for the rest of their lives. He’d been so completely right when he’d come after her on Charok. It wasn’t simply his duty to be with her, it was their destiny to be together.
Her husband squinted one eye while he calculated the dates in his head. “Sounds to me like it’ll just be an extension of our honeymoon.”
“I haven’t even told you where it is yet,” Kaylee laughed, wiggling her fingers under the jacket of his tux and absorbing the heat that came through his shirt.
“I don’t care,” Archard replied. “It could be an island, the mountains, or the desert,” he continued, kissing her after he listed each location. “I’ll explore the world with you if you want, as long as you’re willing to take me with you.”
Her heart melted for the millionth time. He had a way of doing that to her. “Sounds wonderful.”
“For now, though, let’s see if we can sneak up to the room and back down again before anyone notices.” Archard swept her up into his arms and trotted up the stairs to their hotel room.
She knew many languages, and now she knew the language of love.
Shared Mates
Shifter Nation: Werebears Of Glacier Bay
1
River
I took to the air, feeling the changing wind shift my position as it ran over and under my wings. My sharp vision allowed me to see far into the Alaskan skyline. In the distance, another eagle soared high and circled as I did.
I see you over there, Peter, I thought to him through our clan’s mental link.
Anything interesting your way, River? he asked.
I could sense the others in our clan who were in eagle form and got an impression of what they were doing. Many of us were Rangers at Glacier Bay National Park. We were not only a clan who worked together like a team, we also literally worked together. They were like my family. And some of them were my family.
Only this gorgeous view, I thought back to Peter. Hey, Aunt Kath. How’s it going on the west end?
Beautiful as ever. And quiet.
My wings carried me far over the mountains, giving me a grand view of the ice shards below. On the gravely beach lay a family of sea otters, bathing in the warmth of the sunlight. I felt content and at peace. And then everything changed.
I felt a new presence shift in. Levi. My stomach sank and I almost landed so I could shift back. He was greeted by everyone—except me.
You could at least say hi, River, he said.
Hi.
He started talking about some rescue mission he’d just finished reporting on. He was bragging, as always, and I tuned out. Our breakup wasn’t new, but it hadn’t gotten any more amicable over the last few months. He still chased me, thought he still owned me, and refused to move on. I had considered changing clans over it, but that would mean moving and getting a new job since we were all so close. Usually, our closeness was a good thing; not so much when you didn’t want to be anywhere near someone in your clan. At least he wasn’t a Ranger, so I got a break while I was at work.
I decided I wouldn’t worry about him that day—or any day, for that matter. I wasn’t going to let him interrupt my newfound freedom and independence. I pushed Levi far from my thoughts and focused on the sparkling water below me. Then something odd caught my attention, so I swooped down for a closer look.
Part of the Margerie Glacier had calved and was now floating in the bay. I noticed the difference because this glacier was in my daily patrol path. Calving wasn’t a big deal; it happened often with so many glaciers around. The reason I flew closer and felt my heart speed up was because I also spotted a bright green kayak in the water, floating upside down.
The falling pieces of ice must’ve flipped the kayak and tossed its passenger out. As I got close enough to see more details, I saw a man clinging to the kayak, kicking furiously in the frigid water be
low. Nearby, I noticed a second kayak: bright orange with another man holding on to it for dear life.
Attention search and rescue, I signaled to my clan. I have two kayakers by the Margerie Glacier flipped in the water.
They responded immediately by changing their courses to either join me or to head to the station to gear up and zoom out in a boat.
It was too cold. I calculated the time in my mind. How long will it take them to get to the station? To radio the others? To get to the boats and ride over? They would be fast, but it would take far too long. These kayakers had seconds, not minutes, before hypothermia would set in.
I had to do something to help them, so I swooped down and extended my sharp talons as I neared the closest kayak, the green one. I grabbed the edge with my claws, flapped my massive wings a few times to start the momentum, and the kayak flipped back over. The man stared at me in shock.
I flipped the second kayak and took off, pumping my wings back toward the sky, and perched where I could see them climb back in their kayaks. As long as they stayed out of the water, they’d be okay until the crew got to them.
When the team neared, I circled the kayakers to make it easier to locate them. I watched the boats come from one side while the ambulance got as close as it could on the ground.
River, do you see our ground crew? Peter asked.
He circled around the Ranger station, tracking the progress of the eagle boat team coming in.
Sure do. They’re in place a few hundred feet from the kayakers, just on the other side of the glacier.