Cole took it as the moment he needed. He may not be as strong as Nicholas, but he knew that two dragons were better than one.
Standing beside his brother in dragon form, his wings were extended to exaggerate his size.
Now that he was in dragon form, he could hear Richard's thoughts much more clearly.
Bring me the girl, Nicholas. Or I will take her.
Over my dead body. Nicholas threw his head forward, threatening Richard, daring him to take him on.
Richard lashed his great tail and a pillar fell. Cole winced, thinking how many thousands of years old it was. But Richard seemed to have no regard for history or for the palace that he had grown up in.
That can be arranged, Richard raised an eyebrow on his scaly face. I am your king, boy, and you will respect me.
You were not my king the second you cast out Cole, Nicholas answered.
Cole turned his head to his left, hearing another noise. To his relief, both of his brothers stalked down the hall.
It was as if the universe had made Peter more majestic since he became king. Taller, stronger, and larger than Richard, something about Peter just invoked an invisible crown on his head.
By contrast, Alexander beside him looked aged and tired. Once a majestic king himself, the regent now stood tall beside Peter, knowing that he would die for his king. He seemed to accept death as a welcome relief, and Cole growled at Richard, trying to distract him from Alexander.
However, it wasn't Alexander that Richard's attention went to.
Peter, Peter, you usurper, Richard said.
Peter did not even pause for conversation. He roared forward, his jaws open.
It was a signal from their king to attack, and the other three roared in. Richard was stronger and older, but he was no match for his four sons who were determined to protect the women they loved.
They crashed through the palace with no regard for the things they were destroying. Columns crashed in, walls gained giant holes, and the dragons burned what they could.
It was probably the most destructive fight the palace had ever seen. No one dared step in, even though they came running, for no one was a match for the strength being displayed.
The fact that it was a stalemate was becoming clear within minutes. Richard was so strong, and he appeared enhanced. He kept snapping at Cole, knowing the other three would defend him. His age brought him more magic than any of them, and he would not give up.
Nicholas couldn't focus; he was so terrified for Rosa and their future. Suddenly, he felt himself pulled back to human form. He felt blood drip down his face, and his vision blur. It was shocking and very sudden.
Around him, the others began to shrink as well. The destruction around them became massive, dwarfing them.
Alexander grabbed onto a broken column, panting. “Ariel,” he managed.
Sure enough, his wife stood in the hallway, her body tense. She was absorbing a strong amount of magic, and it hurt, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She faced Richard without so much as blinking.
“You will stop,” she said.
“Your whore wife wants to join you in impending death, Alexander,” Richard said, staring her down. “You send a woman to do your dirty work?”
“I am my own woman,” Ariel replied, “and he makes me do nothing I don't want to do. Guards!” She snapped her fingers, and the guard unit she had gotten rushed Richard.
“After I get the Halloway heir, you will be the first to die,” Richard said, and waived his hand. There was too much magic for Ariel to take care of at once, and he vanished into thin air.
“What the actual…?” She gaped. “How did he do that without a vortex?”
“He's been after other witch blood is how,” Cole said as he recovered “There are certain witches that can make vortexes on their own. The Ryersons. The Venoms. No doubt if we search the records, we will find out that he murdered some of those as well to absorb their power.”
“And what if he comes back?” Nicholas asked. “And we don't happen to have a carapace at our disposal? We can't destroy him on our own, that much is clear. Four of us, and he threw us around like rag dolls. We would never stand a chance if Ariel wasn't here.”
“We would,” Cole said. “With two things.”
“And those are, oh smart brother?”
“Earth,” Cole replied. “And a full-blooded Halloway witch.”
“Cole, have you been asleep for the last week?” Nicholas wanted to scream in his face. “There is no full blood Halloway witch.”
“But there could be,” he answered. “If we go to Earth, the magic is reduced, weakening Father. And then if Rosa can share her power.”
“How does she share her power?” Ariel asked, confused. Cole rolled his eyes.
“Can I speak, please?” he asked. Everyone fell silent. “When there was just Rosa, it was too much. But now that there's three of us, there needs to be one more. If she were to have a child–”
“A child…” Nicholas paused. “An actual child takes 9 months.”
“It does,” Cole said, “but it also has to be a legitimate heir.”
“Which means, in case you missed it,” Ariel pointed out. “You have to marry her. And soon.”
“We have to be married to make the child legitimate, and therefore transform the power,” Nicholas said slowly. “So, call the priest.”
“On Earth,” Cole said. “Witches belong on Earth. Everything about the marriage needs to be right, perfect.”
“This is very old fashioned,” Ariel said as she leaned into Alexander. He put an arm around her waist, kissing her on the cheek.
“I'm just glad that I am alive to here you complain.”
“But we were planning a wedding here,” Nicholas said. “She will be a Princess, she will be–”
“Dead if we don't hurry up,” Cole answered. “We can always come back and do a royal wedding. But we need to go now if we have any hope of making this plan work.”
“Right now?” Nicholas felt like he was still in shock. Cole rolled his eyes.
“Yes, right now,” he wanted to scream at him for a second time in less than a minute. “Wake her up, pack her bags. I promise you, this is the only way it will work. And you two should come, too,” he turned to Ariel and Alexander. “Even if you can't be near her, or too near each other. We just have to avoid Father for a while, until the ball is in motion. That and,” he winced, “put a protection order around Thomas. If he dies, that's one more heir we need.”
“And a protection order around you,” Peter pointed out. “Are you sure about this, Cole?”
“I'm not exactly a fan of shotgun weddings,” Cole reminded him. “I courted Enya for months before we even figured out that we could make it work. I'm old fashioned. I'm romantic So, if I am telling you to get married now, go and do it!”
“I hope Rosa actually wants children,” Ariel said. “Or this is going to be a very awkward conversation.”
“She does,” Nicholas answered. “But I don't know that she wants them right this second. I'll speak to her.”
“We will be awaiting our deaths if you don't move now,” Cole reminded him with fake cheer. Ariel turned to Alexander.
“How are you?”
“Hmm?” he asked, confused at her sudden concern.
“If we choose to run to Earth, you are at risk.”
“And if I don't choose to do that, everyone is at risk from my insane father,” he pointed out. “It will be all right, my love.”
“Mm.” She looked at her shoes, and he smiled.
“Ariel, are you actually worried about losing me? Suddenly?”
“Don't get all sappy on me,” she dug her hip into him. “Who will keep me up all night with adult activities if I lose you?”
“I am quite sure you have a hundred men waiting in the wings,” he answered. “To answer your question, I'll be all right. At least, until they can find a church and get married. Surely, Cole, you can't mean we stay on Earth f
or nine months? If we abandon the palace, Father will surely take it over.”
“I'm still working that part out in my head,” Cole admitted. “For now, we need to pack our bags.”
“Cole,” Peter said. “You come with me until we can find enough guards.”
“But!” Cole looked like a pouty child for a moment, and Ariel had to laugh.
“Even when we are in the depths of chaos, we’re still a normal family,” she said.
“Absolutely normal,” Alexander rolled his eyes. “At least you'll be on earth for your rehearsals.”
“Wait until you hear the finale,” she replied. “It's beat box.”
“I'd rather let Father eat me,” he answered, as they headed to their rooms to pack their bags. She smiled and took his head.
Peter took a final look around the palace before they entered the vortex just minutes later. He closed his eyes, his hand on Yvette's, and prayed for the first time in a long time. He wasn't focused on the darkness that lingered in his mind and that Yvette had mostly rescued him from. He was focused on the safety of his family, and the hope that when they returned, it would be to peaceful for once.
Chapter 12
Rosa looked in the mirror, her flowing, white dress barely fitting. Everything seemed so hastily planned. There was only one thing that she was sure of, and that was she wanted to marry Nicholas. Everything else was in chaos.
She knew that she had to do this. She knew that she wanted to do this. And yet, when it came down to the moment, she was terrified. What if this didn't work? What if this was the last moment of happiness they ever had? She had spent so long dreaming of this moment, imagining so many alternatives. None of them had ever ended up like this.
The church was mostly empty, and she was trying to steel herself for that. She felt like she was doing something wrong, sneaking. And yet, it felt so right.
“Ariel just wants to say good luck,” Enya said as she came into the room with a phone. “On Facetime. No carapace magic can get to us through the magic of Apple.”
“Of course,” Rosa took the phone from her, looking at the beautiful face of her red-headed, soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Hello!”
“Hi,” Ariel said. They weren't too far away, but Alexander had chosen to stand in solidarity with his wife. Their bond grew each day, although it pained Alexander to not attend his brother's wedding. Rosa knew Ariel would never ask her husband that, but he had chosen to watch from the phone rather than attend. “Have fun.”
“That's your advice?” Rosa raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Don't look at me,” Ariel smiled. “My wedding was a drunken whirlwind, and the best part was the hot sex after. But hey, it worked out for me.”
“Ariel!” Alexander called in the background, embarrassed. She grinned.
“So, you'll be fine.”
“Thank you,” Rosa smiled, used to Ariel's comments. “I'm sure I'll see you soon.”
“Hopefully safely,” Ariel said. “Congrats, sister.”
Rosa handed the phone back to Enya as Yvette put the final flowers in her hair. “Well, I think it's honorable to do this. I think it's beautiful,” Enya said.
“I just…I want to be able to know we were locked together for our lives,” Rosa said. “Even if it goes wrong.”
“It won't,” Yvette assured her. “Unless Peter trips as he walks you up the aisle.”
“Excuse me,” Peter swept into the bridal room then. “I have never tripped in my life.”
“You tripped on the way to breakfast yesterday morning!” Yvette cried, and he smiled.
“I suppose there was that,” he said. “Are you ready? Everyone who is going to be here is here.”
“I think so,” Rosa said. “So, by everyone, do you mean five people?”
“The priest, two of my brothers – one of whom is your future husband, I give you – your sisters in law…” he counted on his fingers, “and myself.”
“Oh, six,” she said. “Excellent.”
“Come,” he held out his arm. “What matters now is your wedding day and your happiness.”
She accepted that and took his arm.
She didn't care that it wasn't a grand wedding. She didn't care that there weren’t a thousand people in the church, or that it wasn't in the palace. As soon as she saw Nicholas at the end of the aisle, all she could think about was how much she wanted to be his wife.
Peter's arm was tight around her waist, guiding her as carefully as he could. Her legs had barely recovered, and they had placed a chair at the end of the aisle. It looked plain without any dressings. She had enough time to make an IPod play list, but not much else. She wished she had gotten her dress tailored or had asked a few friends from work. But it was too late for all of that.
As soon as Peter put her hands in Nicholas', she forgot about everything else. He held her steady while Nicholas took off her veil, kissing her and then letting her sit. She focused on his face, his sparkling eyes, and everything melted away.
They were getting married, at long last. That was what mattered.
Nicholas turned to the priest, who nodded and cleared his throat. Everything had been so hastily planned that they hadn't even had time to look over the vows properly. They had read them over just once from an internet printout before handing them over to the priest. Rosa hoped that she remembered what to say.
The priest looked to the few of them gathered at the front pew, standing silently. She could feel their eyes boring into the back of her head, but she didn't turn around.
“Into this union, Rosa and Nicholas now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be lawfully wed, speak now, or else forever hold your peace.”
Of course, no one said anything. She didn't really expect any noise, although, she supposed, there was always the excuse that this was pointless. She knew that his brothers thought they couldn't stop the cycle that had already happened. But they had to try.
“Rosa,” the priest said as he turned to her. She was so glad that he was feeding her the lines, because there was no way that she could remember them.
“Will you have this man to be your husband, to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?”
“I do,” she whispered. Somewhere in the middle of the words, it hit her. This was forever. They were getting married; their dream forever. She just prayed that they had some time for happiness. She didn't want forever; but she wanted a few years to live in this wedded bliss before she slipped away. The way things were looking, though, even a year was a stretch.
“Nicholas , will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?”
“I will,” he said, looking up at the priest with emotion in his eyes. None of those words really compared to what they had already gone through. It seemed like they had been to the ends of the Earth and back without even thinking about it. Sickness and health would be easy compared to what they would be facing.
As for forsaking all others, he had done that the moment he had seen her. There was always Rosa, and no one else ever held a candle to her beauty. He would be faithful to her until the end of her days.
“Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?”
“We do,” the small crowd behind him said.
“Rosa and Nicholas, having witnessed your vows of love to one another, it is my joy to present you to all gathered here as husband and wife. Nicholas, you may kiss the bride.”
He leaned over to kiss her gently, and she relished in his touch.
“We're married!” she said, leaning her forehead against his.
“We are,” he whispered
, “and I promise to take care of you forever.”
Chapter 13
“Nicholas. Nicholas!” Rosa poked him and then poked him again. He grunted, rolling over.
“My love?” he asked, in confusion. It took him a moment to figure out where they were. In the past ten months, they had adopted Rosa's style of living. In league with the witches, they had been on the run. This time was a little bit different because he had the money to fund their exhibition. They never went hungry, and they were never cold. The witches were just glad that the Halloway line was due to return, and at any moment. At forty weeks, he should have guessed exactly why Rosa was calling to him.
“It's time,” she said.
“It's time?” he asked in shock. “Oh, God, it's time.”
He practically fell off the bed. Despite her contractions, she laughed.
“It's okay, we have a little bit more time than that. We don't have to fly me there.”
“Right,” he said. “We should…I forget where we are. What do we have to use? Are there emergency numbers? Are there humans on this planet?”
“We're on Terratuva,” she said softly. “It's like Earth. There's a phone right there. They deal with lots of humanoids, and the emergency number is the red button.”
“Right,” he said. He remembered they specifically chose Terratuva because it mimicked Earth, in many ways. They did deal with humans, and the magical content was even lower than Earth's atmosphere. It wasn't too far from Umora, considered a more remote planet. “Red button.”
He pushed the button, barely able to get out garbled speech about where they were. The dispatcher though, told him to remain calm and breathe. “Aren't you supposed to be telling that to my wife?” he asked.
“Sir, your wife seems calm in the background. It's you who seems to be having a panic attack.”
He blushed.
“Sorry. It's my first child.”
“That much is clear,” said the weary dispatcher. “Help will be along shortly. I'll stay on the line. Just put the phone down and hold her hand.”
“I can do that,” Nicholas responded, leaning over to Rosa. “Are you all right, love?”
Evander (Stratham Shifters Book 4) Page 43