by Tonya Brooks
The dragon's head swung sideways, saw what their daughter was doing and roared his fiery wrath into the night. Before she knew what was happening, he had touched down in the courtyard, and Ainsley had been magically removed from the saddle. She grasped hold of the rock balustrade to steady her legs as all hell broke loose.
***
Dragan shifted to his human form and clothing materialized on his body courtesy of his mage as he stalked across the courtyard toward his vexing daughter. Unaware of his fury, Ember leaned over the balcony and called out, "That was so cool, Dad. Mom's afraid of heights but she was really having fun."
"Ember, come down here right now," he grated out between clenched teeth, hands fisted at his sides.
"Now my liege," Brendyn began in a placating tone and was silenced with a quelling look.
"Dragan, what's going on?" His mate demanded as she came up beside him and grasped his fist in her hand. His fingers unclenched and interlocked with hers, the touch calming him somewhat, but not enough.
"Ember was filming us," he bit out furiously. "After I specifically told her such things are forbidden. There can be no record of our kind. Ever. It's the only way we survive."
"Oh, no," Ainsley said anxiously and looked as worried as he was furious. "I'm sure she didn't mean any harm."
"She disobeyed me," he growled.
"She's a child, Dragan," his mate protested.
"She is a dragon shifter," he snapped. "As such, she must learn to obey the tenants that all shifters follow or she'll bring destruction down on us."
"You're overreacting," she accused.
"And you're naïve," he shot right back.
Ainsley gasped indignantly and snatched her hand free of his. "I may not know everything there is to know about dragons, but I know an ass when I see one."
"Mom, what's wrong?" Ember asked as she walked into the courtyard. Dragan snatched the phone from her hand and tossed it to the mage so he could destroy the video. "Hey, give that back!"
"Did you hear none of what I told you this morning, Ember?" He demanded of the girl. "What possessed you to video me?"
"I thought mom would like to see herself flying," she admitted and seemed genuinely confused that he was angry with her.
"That was a very thoughtful thing to do, baby," his mate interjected. "But if your dad tells you that you can't do something that could jeopardize the secrecy surrounding shifters then you can't do it for any reason."
"I don't understand why it's such a big deal. Anyone on the ground looking up could see you," she protested.
"Which is why Brendyn casts a hazing spell over us when we fly. People may see a shadow moving across the sky, but it's impossible to discern what it is." When the mage cursed a blue streak in their native tongue, Dragan braced himself for the worst and demanded, "What did she do?"
His expression as grim as he'd ever seen it, Brendyn admitted, "She's been texting someone about you, and she also sent her the video."
Dragan's roar of fury thundered through the courtyard and echoed off the mountains surrounding them. "Who have you been texting?" He snarled and barely suppressed the smoke from billowing out of his nose.
"Ember!" His mate gasped in surprise. "Tell me you didn't."
Their daughter's eyes filled with tears as she admitted, "It was just Pammy. She won't tell anyone."
"Who is this person?" He demanded furiously.
"Her best friend," His mate informed him. "They share everything."
"Not anymore," Dragan decreed as he advanced on his daughter with fire in his eyes. "Pammy is now a threat to our existence which means she'll have to be dealt with, as will anyone she may have told."
"Dealt with?" Ainsley repeated with a frown. "Just how do you plan to deal with her?"
"A complete assessment will be made and either her memory will be erased or she'll be silenced," he decreed and nodded at the mage to see that his instructions were carried out. With a nod of his head, Brendyn disappeared.
"You have got to be kidding me," his mate insisted and looked as outraged as she sounded. "Dragan, she's twelve, and you sound like a power-mad mob boss."
"Do you think I like making decisions like this?" He demanded. "As the dragon king, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of my kind. Regardless of what that entails."
"Dad, no!" Ember wailed. "You can't hurt Pammy. She's my best friend."
"You should have thought about that before you involved her," he accused harshly, determined to impress the importance of the situation on his stubborn offspring. "Her fate is in your hands, Ember."
"Mom!" The girl cried brokenly, and it was obvious that she was terrified. "Don't let him hurt her."
"Stop it, Dragan," her mother insisted and wrapped her arms protectively around their daughter. "The man I know and love could never do something so heinous."
"I will do anything to protect my family, Ainsley. Anything," he bit out forcefully because he would be completely ruthless when it came to a threat to their safety. If the human population found out about shifters it could lead to the complete annihilation of the entire species.
"If you do this you won't have a family to protect," she threatened. "Ember and I will leave and never come back."
Dragan never even blinked though the pain that slashed and clawed at him was worse than any battle wound he'd ever endured. Because nothing would stop him from protecting his mate and child. Not even their defection. "So be it," he said tonelessly and walked away from the only happiness he'd ever known.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Brendyn popped in on the girl and found young Pammy sound asleep in her pink ruffled canopy bed. Picking up her phone he quickly scanned it searching for any evidence that she might have shared the texts that Ember had sent her. Relieved that she hadn't, he cast a spell to erase those memories from her young mind.
That done, he magically erased the evidence from the phones and the service provider's records, so the secret was safe once again. He hoped this mistake didn't cause a problem between Dray and his daughter, but the girl had to learn how severe the consequences of her actions could be. The fear of losing her best friend should do it.
Transporting himself back to the castle, he found Dragan standing at the balustrade alone; his shoulders slumped, head bowed in defeat. "The situation has been resolved, my liege," he informed his best friend. "The girl had not shared the information and all record of it has been permanently erased."
"They are leaving, Brendyn," the other man said tonelessly. "You must go with them and fulfill the prophecy."
Despair gripped his heart at the ramifications of that command. "Dray, there is still hope," he insisted.
The best friend that he had ever known turned to face him with dull, lifeless eyes and expression more bleak than he'd ever seen. "All hope is lost, old friend," was the completely emotionless response. "I'm entrusting my mate and daughter into your keeping. Take care of them, Brendyn, as you have cared for me all these centuries."
Tears filled his eyes as the mage lowered his head and pressed his clenched fist against his heart in a show of respect. "It has been an honor to serve you, my liege, and a privilege to be your friend. Rest assured that I will obey your final command as I have always done."
"Then I wish you Godspeed," Dragan said solemnly and turned back to the balustrade to stare into the dark chasm below.
His heart heavy with grief and despair, Brendyn entered the castle to assist his charges by any means necessary. Just as he would always do from this moment forward.
***
The breath had frozen in Ainsley's lungs as Dragan walked away. Seeing him angry when she arrived had been terrifying, but not nearly as much as this cold, ruthless attitude. He wasn't the gentle, caring man that she had fallen in love with. This was the Dragon King with all of his fearsome power.
His implacable expression had assured her that no amount of reasoning would change his mind. That he was willing to lose them assured her just how serious h
e was. There was nothing that he wouldn't do to ensure their safety and prevent the secret of dragon shifters from being revealed. Even if it meant harming an innocent child.
The knowledge shattered her heart, and her newfound hope of a happily ever after died a cruel, agonizing death. Choking back a sob of pure despair, she had led her crying daughter inside the castle. Packing their belongings had only taken a few agonizing minutes, and they descended the staircase to find a solemn-faced Brendyn waiting for them.
"The situation has been resolved, Princess Ember," he said gently. "Your friend is fine though she has no memory of the information that you shared with her."
"Pammy is really okay?" Her daughter asked tremulously.
"She is sleeping peacefully in a ridiculous pink ruffled bed," he assured her with an attempt at a smile.
"Thank you, Bren," Ember choked out as she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Would he have done it, Brendyn?" Ainsley demanded. "Would Dragan have harmed Pammy?"
"Nay, my lady, he would not," the mage assured her seriously. "Dray would never condone an innocent child being harmed for any reason, but sometimes the threat of such tactics are necessary to ensure mishaps do not occur again."
"Thank God," Ainsley breathed in relief that she hadn't been completely mistaken about him. Dragan had only used the threat of hurting Pammy to teach their daughter a lesson that she'd never forget. She was so going to kick his ass for scaring them both half to death. And for letting her believe that he was capable of such cruelty.
"I'm going to miss you," Ember told the mage as she released him.
"Nay, Princess, you will not," he denied. "For where ever you go, I shall remain your faithful shadow. You still have much to learn, and it's my sworn duty to teach you."
"You're coming with us?" The girl asked in surprise.
"That I am," he agreed and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"That's not necessary, Brendyn," Ainsley denied since she had no intention of leaving. But she and her mate were going to have a very serious talk about his child-rearing methods.
"I assure you that it is," he contradicted. "Honor will not allow me to refuse my liege's final request."
"His final… What does that even mean?" She demanded as a chill of foreboding danced up her spine.
"Dragan has chosen not to walk the path alone, Lady Ainsley," he imparted sadly. "We must respect his wishes even if we do not agree with them."
Walk the path alone. That was the same phrase that Brendyn had used for dragon shifters who had preferred to end their own existence rather than live without their mate. Dear God in Heaven. Did that mean that Dragan was planning to take his own life? Because he thought she was leaving him?
"Where is he?" She choked out brokenly. "Where is Dragan?" The mage looked toward the courtyard, and she followed his gaze. The man that she loved was standing on the balustrade, arms held out by his sides as she had seen him do before. He's just going to let his dragon loose, Ainsley assured herself.
But she knew it was a lie.
Before she could react, he stepped off the ledge, his body disappearing over the edge just as it had before. "No," she denied and shook her head vehemently. His dragon was going to emerge, and any second he would fly up into the sky. Any second now. He was going to fly. Dammit, he had to fly!
"Dragan," she screamed brokenly before a debilitating pain nearly ruptured her heart. It felt as if it were being cleaved in two, much as his must have felt when he severed it. For her. The pain of losing him was so intense that it felt as if her soul was dying. Or that the other half of her soul had died.
Wave after wave of excruciating despair washed over her. She was consumed by grief so thick that it choked the breath from her body. Tears were streaming down her face, and she could barely think for the agonizing screams ringing in her head. The sound of her soul crying out at the loss of the man she loved more than life itself.
Ainsley collapsed to her knees, hands reaching out, blindly searching for something to ground her. "Are you all right, Lady Ainsley?" Brendyn asked urgently, concern shining in his blacker than night eyes. He grasped her hands, and raw power flowed from him into her, the letter singeing her tender flesh as a charge of electricity crackled through her veins.
The world began to turn upside down and sideways before she was flung into a realm of spirit and shadow. A woman with long white hair dressed in medieval garb stepped out of the darkness, her eyes pure white and devoid of color as they stared right through her. 'Heed me, Ainsley,' her melodic voice commanded.
'Who are you? How do you know my name?' She queried in confusion yet she did not fear the woman or the unknown place.
'I am Meriwin Pyrrhus, and you hold my son's heart,' she imparted solemnly. 'Guard it well lest all hope is lost.'
'I don't understand,' Ainsley responded.
'Since the dawn of time, every dragon king's mate has been given the gift of foresight,' the older woman explained. 'Accept it, heed the prophecies, and they will serve you well. Ignore them at your peril.'
'What does that mean?' She demanded urgently as the older woman began to fade into the shadows surrounding her. 'Please tell me what it means!'
'Behold the future, Ainsley. Ignore the gift and all hope will be lost,' the voice said inside of her head as the image faded from view. 'All hope will be lost.'
"All hope will be lost," she sobbed the words aloud as images began to flash through her mind. Images of the life that lay ahead of her. In a matter of seconds, she saw it all. Every detail of a future filled with heartbreak and loneliness without the man she loved. She even felt the pain, the anguish, the absolute desolation that Dragan would experience.
"Please, my lady, tell me what is distressing you so," Brendyn's concerned voice demanded from far away.
Ainsley watched her daughter, their daughter, grow up without a father. The father who would have loved and adored her. They would all experience so much pain and suffering because of her foolish insecurities. And they were foolish. Because Dragan loved her. Maybe even more than she had believed possible.
The majordomo's voice soothed as if from a great distance, "Please, my lady, try to calm yourself."
The vision faded away like a mist upon the breeze, and suddenly she was back in the castle. Disoriented and disturbed by what she'd seen, she cast a frantic look around and saw that the mage looked as distressed as she felt. "What just happened?" She demanded, her voice sounding slightly hoarse as if she'd been screaming.
"You're trembling, Lady Ainsley," Brendyn replied solemnly, "I believe you had a vision. Your eyes turned white, and you seemed to be in a trance. I haven't witnessed the likes of that since Dragan's mother was alive."
"A vision," she repeated in awe and was somewhat bemused to realize that thirteen years had not passed. The crumpled letter clenched tightly in her fist attested to that. She was still twenty-one. She didn't have a daughter. And she had never left Dragan.
She couldn't leave him, because if she did, it would destroy them both. She had seen it, felt it and she knew it was real. The prospect was as liberating as it was terrifying. Because there was no reason to leave. Not now that she knew the consequences. She could stay with her beloved dragon shifter and live this beautiful fairy tale existence forever.
"Dragan," she gasped and quickly rose to her feet. "I have to see Dragan."
"My liege cannot be disturbed," the man insisted as he rose as well. "Please, tell me how I can assist you."
'I came up the stairs with my heart in my hand and received the news that you were gone,' she heard Dragan's voice ringing in her head. The dungeon. He was in the dungeon cutting his heart out. For her. She bolted for the stairs as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels and raced down them at breakneck speed.
"Dragan," Ainsley called anxiously as she stopped at the edge of the cavernous room. "Dragan, where are you? I need to see you," she insisted as she peered into the pitch black passageway
s that led in every direction. "Please don't hide from me, Dragan," she pleaded as she walked deeper into the stygian darkness.
With a soft whoosh of air, a small flame was blown toward a torch mounted on the wall. It caught fire and flickering light danced along the stone walls, chasing the darkness away. Ainsley blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light and then she looked up, way up, to the dragon staring anxiously back at her.
Relief flooded through her that he was alive and well.
The wary look in his eyes assured her that her beloved dragon shifter had no idea how she would react to seeing him in this form and she didn't have the heart to make him suffer more than he had already done. A brilliant smile lit her face as she rushed forward and embraced his massive body as best she could.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Before he had even met her, Dragan had known that Ainsley was his fated mate. A sense of euphoria had gripped him before he had felt her presence growing ever closer. Impatient and filled with anticipation of this long-awaited meeting, he had hurried down the mountain to find the woman meant just for him.
She had been even more beautiful that he could have imagined. Waist length pale blonde hair, and a smile that outshone the sun when those lavender eyes met his. Petite yet curvaceous, she was perfect in every detail, and he had known in an instant that he would love and cherish her all the days of his life.
Over the past week, he had devoted every ounce of his attention and energy to courting her, and he was ecstatic that his Ainsley had fallen in love with him. How he wished he'd had more time to allow her feelings for him to grow even deeper, but spring break ended today and she needed to return to school and graduate.
He had instructed his mage to find suitable accommodations for them, and manwhore that he was, the prospect of being surrounded by college girls had prompted Brendyn to pursue the task avidly. He had procured a gated estate near the campus, but none of the rooms were large enough for him to shift into his dragon.