Evander (Stratham Shifters Book 4)

by Sarah J. Stone

  “Precious!” she heard Nicholas' voice and turned around with a smile. He had always loved her, from the moment they first met. Nicholas had been in a rage, and Ariel had simply shrugged and smiled. Her lack of judgment in a world full of it had made him her loyal servant. The middle brother had always been emotional and difficult to control. But Ariel had never found him to be anything but charming. She was kind to him, giving him her undivided attention and complimenting his bad boy ways. In return, he made sure his sister-in-law was never wronged or so much as unhappy. “You're here!”

  “Of course,” she said. “It's Monday morning, isn't it? I'm always here then.” Even saying that made her clench her jaw. Not only was she at Alexander's side, she had a routine with him.

  “Yes,” he wrapped her up in a hug. “But sometimes, you come on Sunday nights. You didn't come last night.”

  She switched to the dragon tongue so that his words wouldn't be so stilted.

  “No, your brother and I had a bit of a party,” she replied, with a smile. “What's new and exciting?”

  “Same old, same old,” he answered with a shrug. As they walked through the palace, people bowed to him and possibly to her. He took no notice, for it had been happening all his life. She smiled, however, enjoying the attention. “Cole and Enya are on Earth until tonight, I think.”

  Cole's human wife, Enya, was his perfect match. Innocent to his mischief, weak to his strong, he had devoted his whole life to loving her, protecting her, and fueling her otherwise dying body with healing magic a few times a week. He couldn't cure her. The magic couldn't change the defects in the cells, but he could heal the damage it did whenever she felt ill. They were happy being married, devoted to each other, and living a double life between here and Earth. She was in school, studying to be a translator, and he happily took her down whenever she had class.

  “So, no little brother to watch over? I have you all to myself?” she teased.

  “You do,” he grinned. “What trouble do you want to get up to?”

  “Hmm. I'll have to think on that,” she replied. “To be honest, I was actually hoping for a relaxing few days off.”

  “Boring,” he answered, and she shrugged.

  “Or we could burn the palace down. I think that's what Alexander was going to investigate”

  “You are queen, my dear,” he said. “You can do whatever you wish, and I, as a loyal prince, will have to follow.”

  “Yes,” she said, surveying the ballroom. It was her favorite place, especially when it was empty. She loved to take over the marble floors, dancing through routines she only dreamed of trying. The fact that it was currently empty was tempting.

  Nicholas picked up on it, laying a hand on her shoulder.

  “I'll be back,” he said, wanting to take care of some business.

  She hardly noticed he was gone, the music already playing in her head. Ariel bent down to take off her shoes, imagining her first few choreographed steps all the way to a grand finale.

  She spun, she leapt, she threw her arms out and pushed her body through the motions. She knew that she shouldn't be dancing without stretching first, but she couldn't help it in such a beautiful room.

  She was so wrapped up in the music in her head that she didn't notice when a man suddenly stepped in front of her. They collided full on, and Ariel went flying backwards.

  She rolled as she had been taught to do, but it wasn't without a few swear words.

  “What the fuck?” she said, as she sat up. “What is wrong with you?”

  She said it in English, but the man standing in front of her looking equally startled was clearly a dragon. He had the same tall build and the same yellow eyes that flashed with emotion.

  “Hello?” she repeated, in dragon lore. “Who are you? You're not supposed to be in here.”

  He raised his chin.

  “Are you authorized to be in the hall of the royals?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she replied, standing up. She didn't like being talked down to. “I don't know what rock you've been living under, but I am Ariel, and I sit on the dragon queen's throne.”

  The man's face changed.

  “Beside who?”

  “Beside Alexander, dragon king? Who do you think?”

  “Alexander is king?” he asked, in shock. “Father is dead?”

  Chills went down her spine as he spoke.

  “Who are you?” she asked, her voice losing emotion. Her stomach knew the answer before he even responded. She could see the resemblance now, although she wanted to deny it.

  “I am Peter,” he replied. “And if Father is dead, then I am king of the dragons.”

  Chapter 3

  “You're dead,” Ariel said, staring right at him. She didn't know what else to say, aside from the fact that it was clearly a lie. He was standing right in front of her, and she could feel her carapace effects sucking the magic out of him. He didn't seem to notice though as he looked around.

  “Where are my brothers?” he asked, and she quirked a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

  “You used to live here. I'm sure you can find them,” she said.

  “Find my brothers,” he repeated.

  “Um, no, you don't give orders to me,” she answered. He glared at her, and she tensed. He may be a dragon lord, but she had control over his magic. Either one of them could do significant damage to the other if they wanted. Ariel didn't let people hurt her; she didn't let people take control of her. It was a wall she had built from a young age, and it wasn't about to fall just because someone had startled her. “Find them yourself.”

  She was still trying to figure out how it was possible that he was standing there. Peter had disappeared into the Other – the black magic that dragon souls were absorbed into when they died. The key word there was died, as in didn't come back into their bodies. Their bodies were wrapped in magic as their souls fluttered onwards. Reforming was not something that she had heard of. Given the way Alexander talked about it, she was sure reforming was not something that he expected either.

  They could have stood there forever, facing off. But she was saved by the fact that Nicholas marched back into the room. He was about to say something casual to her, his mind elsewhere. However, when he saw who she was with, his jaw dropped.

  “Peter?” he asked, verifying that he was the man who he said he was. “What…how…why–”

  “Nicholas,” Peter’s face was only half an ounce softer as he regarded his middle brother. “You are well.”

  “I am stunned,” Nicholas replied, turning to Ariel. “Get Alexander.”

  “No problem,” she said, and Peter scoffed.

  “You take orders from a prince, but not a king?”

  “I take requests from a friend,” she said, “who did not abandon the world because it was too much to handle.”

  And with that, she turned on her heel, moving quickly through the palace.

  She was right to assume that Alexander was in the throne room. Even the night away had caused work to build up. The second she stepped in, she could see the change in his face. He could sense her better than the others, because he was always reaching out, always hoping for the feeling of numbness she could give him.

  In this moment, though, the numbness came with the lingering hangover he had acquired the night before. He winced slightly as she burst in, and everyone turned to her.

  She didn't care what he was in the middle of, though.

  “Alexander, you have to come with me right now,” she said it in English so that the entire throne room wouldn't know she was barking orders at him. She didn't bow to him, something that always annoyed him. For as much as this girl was a wonderful addition to his life, she was also infuriating at times. She had no cares about ceremony, protocol, or respect. Ariel did as she wanted when she wanted it, and he could never get her to do otherwise.

  Today, however, he recognized the urgency, and his brow furrowed.

  “I'm sorry?” he asked.

  “I sai
d now,” there was no uncertainty in her voice, and he rose.

  “What is it?”

  “Just come,” she said, holding out her hand. He took it, leaving everyone whispering in shock.

  “Ariel, the palace better actually be on fire–”

  “What would you prefer?” she asked, as they hustled down the hall. “A fire, or your oldest brother suddenly reappearing in the ballroom?”

  He almost tripped over his own feet.

  “What?” he asked, his eyes widening. “Have you lost your mind?”

  “I would say yes, but Nicholas verified that he was actually there, so,” she shrugged, “he's probably got a better explanation as to what happened.”

  “Oh, God.” Alexander said, and picked up the pace.

  Sure enough, standing in the ballroom, looking just as shocked as everyone else, was Peter.

  Alexander dropped to his knees, grabbing Nicholas's wrist and pulling him down as well.

  “My king,” he said.

  Ariel's jaw fell open.

  “No,” she said. “You are king, Alexander. Peter abandoned you.”

  “Ariel,” Alexander turned and his tone was harsh. “Peter is king. He has always been king, and I have always been holding his place.”

  His eyes were ablaze at her disrespect.

  “Excuse me?” she said. “He abandoned you! He disappeared because the world hurt his feelings. He ran when things got hard. Because I'm totally sure he's the first generation to ever find things hard around here,” she glared at Peter. “You were the one who–”

  “Ariel, you will bow or you will leave this room,” Alexander said.

  The choice to her was easy. She spun on her heel and stalked out, heading to the rooms that were designated as hers.

  Normally, they were a beautiful, happy place where she could relax. Today, she was seething in anger.

  If Peter was king, then she was unseated as queen. Princesses here had no power. That was clear from her sister-in-law's life. Enya had luxury, but no one listened if she had something to say. A princess’ life would not suit her.

  Unseated, unloved, and unhappy in her marriage. Ariel felt like her very world was falling apart before her eyes. And the worst part, there was nothing she could do about it. Alexander had made it clear whose side he was taking.

  She threw herself on the large bed, tucking her knees up under her chin as she tried to think through the situation.

  As far as she understood, it was impossible for dragons to return from the Other. When they went there, it was because they were dead. So either he hadn't been truly dead, or he lied.

  But going to the Other wasn't an option for the half-dead, or wanted-to-be-dead, was it?

  Eventually, she dropped her knees, curiosity getting the better of her. Pouting like a child was not going to answer her questions. And in addition, Alexander relied on her, perhaps more often than he should, in order to be responsible and level headed around the palace. She didn't get caught up in emotion like this often. But then, it often didn't feel like her whole world was falling apart.

  She slunk out of her room, only to run smack into Cole.

  “Oh, my God,” she said. “If I run into one more of you boys, I'm going to lose it.”

  “What are you going on about?” Cole asked, the mischievous grin on his face. “My big brother giving you trouble?”

  “Technically true,” she replied. “Although not the brother you expect. If you haven't heard yet, you better come with me. Where's your wife?”

  “She's lying down,” Cole replied. “If I haven't heard what?”

  “If you've been diagnosed with a heart condition or something, you better let me know now.”

  “What?” he asked, confused. Ariel shook her head, dragging him through the hallways. Cole was the troublemaker of the bunch, and a year ago, he had almost destroyed everything. He was actually half dragon, half witch – a fact his father had kept secret until he was of the age of majority. Cole had lashed out, nearly destroying Earth. It was only Enya's kindness that had saved him. Ariel knew he was dangerous; she knew all of them were, but she saw Cole more as a mischievous child than a dangerous war criminal. And luckily for him, his brothers eventually saw the same thing. “Did you buy me a present?”

  “Well,” she said, as she rounded the corner to the ballroom. They were still there, which didn't surprise her. It was a shock, after all. “That depends on whether you like Peter or not.”

  “My king!”

  “Not you too,” Ariel rolled her eyes as she leaned against the door. Alexander looked less annoyed at her presence and lack of bowing. As she assumed, it was because he needed her to do things.

  “Ariel, this palace needs to be on lock down. No one in or out until we work through this. Can you shut down the throne room and alert the guards?”

  “I guess,” she replied. She wasn't thrilled about it, but she didn't see any other options before abandoning them, which isn't what she was prepared to do. They were still the closest thing she had to family.

  “I will see you tonight,” he said, and she shrugged, trying to pretend it didn't matter.

  There wasn't anyone who questioned her authority as she shut down the various rooms and departments. They respected her word as second only to the king. She didn't reveal to them that the fact had possibly changed.

  When Alexander came into the room they shared that night, he looked pale and drawn. Collapsing on the bed beside her where she was reading, he turned towards her.

  “What a day,” he said.

  “No kidding,” she rolled over to face him. “Are you going to fill me in? Or just leave me in the dark?”

  “I did not mean to,” he sighed. “I did not mean to snap at you, nor did I mean to disrespect you. You have to understand, Ariel, I didn't know what to do.” He grasped her hand and she let him. He looked so disheartened and exhausted, she couldn't help but offer him comfort. “I spent my whole rule...most of my life, if I admit it, hoping for him to return. I convinced myself it was impossible, illogical, and yet I wanted it. I wanted it more than I wanted my own life.”

  “How is it possible?” she asked. “You told me that the Other was a mystical place, where dragons go to die. So, wasn't he dead?”

  “There is…” Alexander took a breath, looking up to the ceiling

  “You can do it in the dragon lore if it's easier,” she said. “I can take it. I'm smart.”

  It may have been easier for him to say the words, but the explanation itself did not come any easier.

  “Dragons have such control of their life force, and the life force of others. It is possible in very rare circumstances to close your eyes and simply slip away. Most of the time, they do die. The subconscious is very powerful. But it appears there is a part of Peter – a small part of Peter – that did want to live. And so, he has returned. Unfortunately, he doesn't know what part of that it is, because he is still as depressed as he ever was. He hates what we are, and he can't see through that black haze. In addition, he's missed a lot of what's happened. Bringing him up to speed will be a task upon itself.”

  “But is that the intention?” she asked. “To bring him up to speed and then have him take over the throne?”

  “I don't know,” Alexander replied. “I don't know. But for the moment, it's business as normal.”

  “It still makes me a princess, not a queen,” she said, and he sighed.

  “Can we put all discussions on hold for a few weeks? Until I sort things out?”

  She sat up, watching him. “No,” she said. “But I won't push so hard for the next few days, at least.”

  He looked up at her, his eyes half lidded. “Are you so unhappy, my dear?”

  “I'm just not being true to myself, she said. “And don't you know what that is like? Lying to yourself? Being something you're not?”

  “Yes,” he said, at last. “Yes, I do know what that is like.”

  Chapter 4

  “Something is wrong.”
Ariel's head shot up sometime around dawn. She was upset, first and foremost, that she was awake for a second day at dawn. But she was more upset by the sudden blast of magic that she absorbed, enough to wake her from a deep sleep. “Alexander!”

  “Mmm?” he grunted, rolling over. Sleeping shirtless, his smooth, muscular frame would be likened to a Greek god if they were in a story book. Ariel had thought he was gorgeous when they first met, and he hadn't aged a day. It wasn't a lack of physical attraction that had her changing her mind. “Darling?”

  “There's magic.” She closed her eyes, trying to focus. “Someone is being super careless, it's dark magic.”

  He sat up right away, shifting back so that she wouldn't be so distracted by his own magic.

  “How dark? What kind?”

  “I don't know?” she asked, turning back to him. “It makes me feel bad though.”

  “Is it Other magic?” he asked her.

  “Maybe?” she had only been around one dragon who had died, and that was his father. When Cole had lost his temper after finding out he was adopted, his killings had been far from the palace. He had spared them the horrors which might have caused her to feel Other magic so close. She tried to remember the feeling that she had when the old king had finally passed. “I think so.”

  Alexander swore, throwing off the covers and grabbed her wrist.

  “Ariel, come with me, now.”

  “What? Why?” she asked. She hadn't been sleeping naked, but it was only because the palace was cold. She wasn't exactly decent as he tried to yank her out of the room. “What are you doing?”

  “You need to stop Peter,” he said, as they headed down the hall. Peter had never moved into the king's chambers, so they didn't lose their room when he arrived. She had only been in the king's chamber twice, both when he was dying. It was grand, more grand than any of the princes' rooms.

  In the center of the large canopy bed, dark magic swirled around Peter. His eyes were closed, his breathing regular, and to Ariel, it didn't even look like he was awake.