by Bonnie Vanak
Alex straightened. “Sir, Madam, may I introduce Emma Kantris of Clan Ciamoth? Emma is the daughter of Chloe Kantris of Clan Ciamoth, a full-blooded dragon, and a half-blood Fae.” His spine went even straighter. “A Dark Fae, nonetheless.”
Gasps sounded among the courtiers. The king looked stunned and the queen troubled.
“Drust, the Coldfire Wizard, has dispensed justice to the ones who wronged her. I am here to request your formal permission and your blessing to marry and mate with Emma.”
The king tapped his fingers on the armrest of the silver throne. “No. I warned you if you marry Emma, you surrender all.”
“Very well.” Alex withdrew from his right pinkie the signet ring that Jaeden had returned. He beckoned to a guard, who scurried over. “Give this to my father.”
“Alex?” The Queen exchanged glances with her husband. “What does this mean?”
“Mother, Father. I am returning my ring, the symbol of my heritage and my power. I am formally abdicating my title as Crown Prince and my right to succession. I am surrendering all.”
Loud gasps rippled through the crowd like rustling autumn leaves. Alex turned to Emma, the only person here who mattered.
His heart.
Tears glittered in her eyes. “Alex, are you certain?”
He picked up her hand and brushed a kiss against her knuckles. Her scarred knuckles that had seen too much suffering over the years. “I’ve never been more certain in my life, Em. If I can’t have you as my mate, my queen, I have no desire to rule as king. I know you are the best choice for me, soulmate or not. You are the only one who has seen inside me and accepted me for who I am, not what I am.”
A few feminine sighs rippled through the room along with the gasps. One of the sentry dragons blew out a breath of fire as he raised his head to the cavernous ceiling.
Alex’s throat tightened. It was the highest form of respect from these warrior dragons, who never showed respect to anyone but the king and queen.
He bowed to his parents again. “Good-bye, Mother, Father.”
But as he went to take Emma’s hand, she did not move. “Em,” he urged.
“No. Not until I say what I must.” She took one step forward and the twin dragons growled. Emma gave them a level look and they quieted.
“Your Majesties, my entire life I’ve hidden my true self, always trying to fit in as a dragon when my dual nature was that of Fae and dragon. Long ago, when your honored ancestor, Drust, ruled the clan, dragons and Fae became friends. They entered into a truce not only for the sake of peace, but because they respected each other’s differences. I read this in your ancient history. And after reading it, I became proud, for the first time in my life, of my heritage. I am the best of both worlds.”
She cast a glance over one shoulder. “Stand back, my love. I need some room.”
Not sure where she was going with this, he stepped back to the side so he could watch her face.
Stunned, he watched her conjure a bright ball of pure energy, the size of a tennis ball. More gasps among the crowd. Emma touched the ball to her dragon’s egg, the egg that lost its magick. “This is my mother’s dragon egg. I released the magick and thought I could no longer claim my dragon half. I was wrong. What prohibited my dragon half was refusing to accept my Fae half. Because with my Fae magick, I can become dragon again.”
The dragon’s egg around her neck began to glow bright white. Emma lifted her arms.
And she shifted into dragon. Not the small, gray dragon he’d hunted with in the woods, but a white dragon whose scales shimmered in the golden light shed by the crystal chandeliers. Emma opened her mouth and blew out flames.
Flames. She had never been able to breathe fire. And the fire spilling from her mouth toward the ceiling was not red, but pure black energy.
She closed her mouth and looked at the king and queen.
“A Dark Fire dragon,” his father said, looking dazzled. “I have heard they were a myth, and now I see they are not.”
Emma shifted back, conjuring a gown of deep crimson. It shimmered in the light. She touched her dragon’s egg, as if for comfort.
“Your son is the leader this kingdom, and the kingdom of my clan, needs. He has the wisdom of your bloodline, and the heart of the people. He has the respect of the people of both clans. He can lead them into the future and affect the changes the dragon clans will need to face the coming days.”
She took a deep breath. “I may not have royal blood, nor a pure bloodline that you can trace back for hundreds of years, but I have a power that could aid him and allow the clans to come together. I love him with all my heart. It’s too bad you’re blind to possibilities because he would have made a fine king. And I would have done everything to help lead both our clans forward, instead of embracing archaic rules and traditions that don’t allow a people to prosper and grow. But no matter what happens, I’ll still have Alex and he’ll still have me.”
With that she made a little curtsy, then turned and took his hand.
Alex grinned as they headed for the door. Darkfire dragon huh? You’ve been holding out on me, sweetheart.
You bet I have. Just wait until we get alone tonight. I’ll show you a few other interesting tricks I can do now with my tongue.
They left the throne room together and walked out into the hallway.
Chapter 13
Three hours later, they left Castle Drakon. Alice, who had been formally adopted by the King and Queen, cried as they hugged her. But Emma knew the little troll girl would be all right. She would receive the education and home she never had.
She and Alex, on the other hand…
They left the castle quietly, though all the servants lined in the hallway to wish them well. Alex had been a kind master, it seemed, for several wept as Alex shook their hands and said good-bye.
When the castle doors banged behind them, Alex took her hand and they walked down the steps.
He had a small suitcase containing his personal belongings.
Hers were back at Clan Ciamoth. She supposed she could send for them when they got settled. Wherever that was.
They walked toward the courtyard that served as a landing pad for all dragons. Alex planned to fly them to his cousin Sebastian’s house. Sebastian had kindly allowed them to use his vacation home for a month. At least they had a place to bunk for a while.
Alex stopped and gazed upward at the castle, his expression sorrowful.
“We’re without a home now, Em. I have no kingdom, no gold, nothing to start our life together.”
She touched his face. “I have you. That’s all I could ever want, Alex. We can make it, as long as we work together.”
He gave a rueful smile and stretched out his hands. “Good thing I like manual labor. I can get a job as a welder. I don’t even need a blowtorch.”
Her heart full, she kissed him. “And I have my Fae magick. I could start a business as a carnival act, and glamour myself as the bearded lady.”
“I love you, Em.” Alex drew her into his arms. “No matter what, we’ll be all right.”
Taking her hand, he walked toward the hedged path leading to the courtyard.
As they reached the landing zone, Alex’s breath hitched. “Damn,” he muttered. “What the hell?”
Emma’s heart raced.
King George, ruler of Clan Drakon, Alex’s father, stood in the center of the courtyard. With him was King Horace, ruler of Clan Ciamoth, her clan.
Alex drew himself up and clutched her hand. “We’re leaving now, so you don’t have to call for the guards or issue an eviction notice.”
Sarcasm filled his voice. Emma lifted her chin and looked at King Horace. “Please tell Sabrina thank you for all she’s done for me. I will miss her.”
“Where are you going?” King George asked, and there was a slight quaver in his deep voice.
“Away.” Alex shrugged. “What does it matter? I’ll be in touch when we’re settled.”
“Don’t go,” h
is father urged. “Not until you hear us out.”
Hope leapt inside Emma. She waited, and Alex did as well. Perhaps he had finally learned patience.
The two kings exchanged glances. “We had a long talk with Drust, the Coldfire Wizard. He agreed to our compromise.”
Alex frowned. “What compromise? Clan Ciamoth is famous for refusing to bend protocol.”
“Times are changing, and we must change with them or go extinct.” King Horace fingered his signet ring. “I love my people more than I love tradition, and I wish for them to prosper. They cannot do that if they are restricted by protocol that refuses to allow them to grow and change.
“Our original ruling was for the queen and I to retire and for you to leave Clan Drakon to rule over Clan Ciamoth with my daughter once you were married. Then after two years, the two clans would be united and you would rule over both.
“My daughter has informed me she does not wish to marry you. She has come up with an alternative for both our clans.” Horace sighed. “I have been quite remiss with her in not allowing her to publicly display her stunning intelligence. That too, will change.”
His father nodded. “Sabrina is a very wise young lady. Her suggestion is to unite both clans, not by marriage, but through an advisory council to provide guidance to both.”
“A formality,” King Horace hastened to add. “We shall still maintain our own castles and kingdoms, with each having a king and queen, but the advisory council comprised of members from each clan, both highborn and half-bloods, will have the power to invoke new laws, which each King will approve. And you, Prince Alexander, will rule over Clan Drakon as Prince Regent, with Emma as your princess. My daughter will become Princess Regent, and I will step aside.”
“King Horace and I will remain monarchs, but this will allow us to step back and give you both guidance as needed. With the advisory council, change can come to both our clans, the change we need to grow,” his father added.
George placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Your mother and I love you, son. And we realized how deeply you love Emma. If she is your soul mate, that is a bond nothing can break and you should not be punished for taking her as your forever mate, simply because of archaic rules and traditions. Traditions we still embrace, and ones that will be difficult to break, even for the right reasons.”
The king looked at Emma and his gaze was filled with kindness. “It took you, Emma, for this stubborn old man to realize to affect change, one starts with the greatest change of all—from within. Thank you.”
“Thank you, sir,” Alex said, and his voice remained steady.
The King hugged Alex, and then turned and hugged her. King Horace shook both their hands.
“I expect there’ll be a wedding soon.” Horace rubbed his bearded chin. “My daughter loves weddings. She’ll hope you’ll invite her, Emma. She is quite fond of you.”
“Of course.” Emma could barely breathe for all the whirlwind of changes that happened in five minutes.
“Our palace would make an excellent reception hall,” Horace told them.
“Clan Drakon has a larger hall,” Alex’s father countered.
“But our gardens have the sweetest roses,” Horace protested.
As the two kings walked off, arguing about roses, she turned to Alex. “I feel like all this is a dream and I’ll wake up.”
Alex drew her into his arms. “Maybe it is a dream.” He bent down to kiss her, his mouth warm and firm against hers.
But as long as we wake up next to each other, it will be all right.
Chapter 14
The wedding was splendid, the reception even more so.
Half of both kingdoms were present in the formal hall in Castle Drakon. Banners of silver, gold and crimson hung from the vast overhead ceiling, accenting the crystal chandeliers and the ancient wall tapestries. At each round table, a silver and gold tablecloth was covered with silver china and gold cutlery, and sprigs of red roses and white freesia in crystal vases adorned the center.
Four silver sentry dragons, the size of her old Toyota, circled overhead doing acrobatic dips and weaves. Guests craned their necks and ooohed and ahhed.
Then the dragons flew downwards and landed on either side of the head table, sitting at full attention. Alex informed her earlier that they would neither dine with the guests nor drink, for their part in the festivities was to stand guard at the bridal table.
So much pomp and circumstance, but the guests seemed to enjoy themselves, dancing to the 10-piece orchestra, eating the prime rib and vegetable dinner or partaking in the flowing champagne gushing from a silver fountain near the bar.
Even the wizards of the Brethon honored them with their presence. All but Xavier.
“He’s…otherwise occupied. But we offer his regards,” Drust had told them upon his arrival.
The wizards sat together near the head table, and the dragons, Fae, and Lupines and other shifters all avoided them. The Silver Wizard, Tristan, clad in black velvet with black leggings and silver boots, sat with his lovely wife Nikita. Nikita wore a silver and lavender gown and elegant lilac pumps. Gideon, the Crimson Wizard, bedecked in all red, talked with them about weddings in the past when the brides arrived on dragons circling the castles. Dressed in a gray tunic with gray leggings and black boots, golden-haired Cadeyrn tapped his fingers on the silver tablecloth in rhythm to the music. Emma and Alex formally thanked all the wizards for attending. For a moment, she thought Cadeyrn would invite her to dance, for he half rose off his chair, and then he resumed his seat.
She saw a flicker of wistfulness in his eyes as he gazed at the other dancers. Alex sat next to Drust and Emma joined him. Clad in a cobalt blue tunic embroidered with silver thread, and cobalt blue trousers, Drust looked more at home with the wizards than the guests.
“Cadeyrn remembers this song well, for he enjoyed it as a mortal,” Drust told them. “I am slowly learning the past of my fellow wizards.”
“If it is a favorite, why doesn’t the Shadow Wizard ask one of the other guests to dance?” she quietly suggested to Drust. “I would do it, but for the fact I keep tripping over this masterpiece of a wedding gown and it’s protocol for the bride to only dance with close relatives or her groom.”
“You look quite lovely,” Drust assured her. “Mortals will not go near him, or any of us. We make Others nervous. It is the price of being immortal, with enough power to turn your wedding guests into dust.”
“Does it bother you?” Alex looked at his own father, who kept staring at Drust as if expecting him to vanish or turn into smoke. Or turn him into smoke.
“No. I’ve been dead for hundreds of years. Being immortal is an adjustment, nothing more.” Drust shrugged as he sipped from his silver wine goblet.
Emma reached over, the fringe from the headdress swinging into her face. With an impatient hand, she held it back and kissed his cheek. “You don’t make me nervous, Drust. Thank you for all you have done.”
He smiled, and it made his face look less grim. Still, with the beard and the black mustache, Drust could have been young as Alex. He looked like a pirate, relaxing between sessions of plundering booty, or ravishing maidens.
She and Alex returned to the head table. It was awkward walking in this gown fashioned from stiff red brocade with an under gown of crimson silk. The overcoat was embroidered with dozens of rubies and diamonds. The headdress was even more cumbersome, an exquisite crown of gold with spikes a foot tall, and diamonds set into each. Sabrina insisted on loaning it to her, for it was the traditional bridal dress of royalty for Clan Ciamoth.
Thanks, pal.
She spied her friend sitting at the head table, conversing with Derek, now her permanent bodyguard, a mutual decision between Alex and Derek and Sabrina.
“How do you get around in this thing?” Emma asked her.
“Better you than me,” Sabrina said and she winked as Derek grinned.
Finally it was all over, the speeches, the dancing and music and feasting.
Led by 10 handmaidens and Sabrina, and the queen herself, Emma went to the enormous apartments in Clan Drakon’s palace. Her new home with Alex featured an entire floor for them to be alone.
It took five of the handmaidens to remove the crown from her head, and then the Queen placed it upon a crimson velvet pillow. She kissed Emma’s cheek.
The double doors of the bedchamber opened and Alex walked inside, his gaze smoldering.
Sabrina and the others scurried out. At the doors, Sabrina thrust two thumbs into the air.
The doors closed behind them. Alex locked them and leaned against them.
“I put out the word that anyone disturbing us for the next three days will be fried in oil.”
She fumbled with the buttons on the front of the gown. “That’s rather inconvenient. We will need to eat.”
“There’s a fully stocked kitchen in the next room and they’ll bring us meals each day. But no one gets into this bedchamber.” His expression turned intent. “Or out.”
“Demanding, aren’t we, husband?”
“Not your husband,” he said softly. “Not until we consummate this marriage.”
He glanced at his gold Rolex. “You have five minutes to get out of that ridiculous gown before I tear it off you.”
“That would be a shame. It is 500 years old and not something Sabrina bought on sale at David’s Bridal shop.”
One month of celibacy. One month to plan this extravagant wedding, with all its pomp and circumstance. Alex was raging to make love, like a bull scenting a female in heat. She burned as well, her desire cranked up to the point of madness. She had nearly forgotten herself while eating dinner at the head table and reached for Alex’s groin beneath the elegant gold and silver tablecloth.
He’d offered a faint smile and whispered to her, “Not now, my love. Protocol first.”
“It is called a head table,” she’d whispered back.
Now her hands shook with excitement as she unfastened the row of pearl buttons. Didn’t they believe in zippers 500 years ago?