by Lola Gabriel
The three dragons sprang toward each other, and for a moment, all Morgan could see was the flashing of scales, the bright yellow flames. She could hear angry roars and pained roars and she had no idea which noises were coming from which dragon. Her heart raced, her palms sweating.
She tried and failed to loosen her wrists. Instead, she began to bend her knees and then straighten them again, moving herself up and down the tree trunk. She ignored the screaming pain in her wrists as her skin was scored away on the bark. She only hoped it was having the same effect on the rope that bound her to the tree.
Morgan screamed when a plume of flames came toward her. As she was about to be scorched to death, the rope holding her to the tree trunk finally gave way and she threw herself to the ground, lying flat as the tree she had been bound to only moments ago burst into flames.
She shuffled forward on her belly, staying low, trying to decide what the hell she could do to help Draven. She really wanted the syringe Marty had carried. If she could inject it into Shem or the other dragon, it would at least make it a fair fight for Draven, but she knew the syringe couldn’t have withstood the fire that had rained down on it. She needed another plan, but she couldn’t think of anything she could do with her wrists and her ankles bound.
She looked up as a crash shook the ground beneath her. The purple dragon, the dragon that had been the man she didn’t recognize, lay on its side, its breathing ragged. Huge claw marks split its belly open and Morgan knew it wouldn’t be coming back from that. That left Draven and Shem. For the first time since this whole nightmare had begun, Morgan allowed herself to feel a spark of hope inside of herself. She allowed herself to believe that Draven might survive this.
Morgan managed to get herself into a sitting position. She saw Draven and Shem circling each other. Shem started to blow out a breath of flames and Draven matched his move. The flames met in the middle and both dragons kept up the stream of fire. The flames began to creep closer to Draven and Morgan knew he was losing the fight.
She wanted to call out to him, encourage him to hold on, tell him she loved him, anything, but she was afraid she would break his concentration and she bit her tongue, keeping her fear inside of herself. The flames reached Draven, wrapping themselves around his chest, and tears stung Morgan’s eyes. Draven roared, a sound filled with pain, but something else too. Determination.
Draven’s plume became bigger and stronger and suddenly, the flames were no longer dancing around him. Instead, they were rebounding back on Shem. The plume of raging hot fire engulfed Shem and he fell to the ground, turning back into his human form, burning and screaming.
Morgan didn’t look away this time, although she kept her eyes firmly on Draven. Draven stood over Shem’s lifeless form for a moment and then he turned back into a man. Morgan saw the burns covering his chest, but as she watched, they began to recede as Draven healed himself.
Once the burns were gone, Draven ran to Morgan’s side. He threw himself onto the ground in front of her.
“Morgan, listen. I know things between us are seriously messed up. But you have to forgive me, because…”
“I forgive you, Draven,” Morgan interrupted him. The tears still flowed down her face, but now, they were happy tears. “Of course I forgive you.”
Draven leaned in and kissed her. His lips brushed hers, gently at first and then more insistent. She kissed him back with a ferocity that confirmed to her once more that their sacred bond was real. It was so real, she felt it despite the fact that her dragon had been suppressed. As she thought that, she realized she could feel her dragon stirring within herself once more. Draven pulled back from the kiss.
“Do you feel it? Your dragon?” he demanded.
“I…yes. Draven, what’s going on?” Morgan asked, his intensity worrying her a little bit.
Draven relaxed visibly in front of Morgan’s eyes.
“The potion Shem gave you wasn’t just to suppress your dragon. If the effects of it weren’t reversed within twenty-four hours, then you would have died. That’s why I needed you to forgive me so badly. I had to kiss you to reverse the effects of the potion,” Draven explained.
“Thank you,” Morgan said, her heart sinking once more.
Draven had saved her life, but he still didn’t love her. The kiss had only been to reverse the effects of the potion.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Draven asked her.
Morgan looked down into her lap and shook her head.
“Nothing’s wrong. Will you untie me, please?” she said.
Draven reached out and touched her chin, gently pushing her face up so she was forced to look at him.
“Tell me what’s wrong, Morgan,” he said softly.
Oh, what can it hurt at this point? Morgan thought to herself. He’s not going to let this go until I tell him anyway. She smiled sadly at Draven.
“I haven’t been entirely honest with you, Draven. This morning, I didn’t get upset because we had sex last night; I got upset because for you it was a mistake. For me, it was anything but a mistake. And just now when you kissed me, I thought for a moment that maybe you felt the same way about me as I do about you, but now I know why you did it,” she said.
“No, Morgan, you don’t understand,” Draven said. “I needed you to forgive me so quickly because the kiss only works to reverse the potion if it’s true love’s kiss.”
“You mean…” Morgan started.
She trailed off, too afraid to let herself hope she had understood what Draven meant. He smiled and nodded his head.
“I mean I love you, Morgan. And I know now you’re my one true mate,” he said.
“I love you too,” Morgan beamed.
Draven leaned in and kissed her again, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her against him. This time, she let herself get lost in his kiss, in their love. When the kiss finally ended, Morgan was left pleasantly dizzy, her whole body warm and tingly.
“I should untie you,” Draven smiled.
He began to work on the knots in the ropes.
“You know, Shem said something to me. I didn’t dare to believe it at the time, but now, I think he was right. He said that the enchantment can’t be fought. He said that you came to me because you thought you had a plan to fool your parents, but that really, it was the enchantment leading you to me,” Morgan said.
Draven finally freed Morgan’s ankles and then he started on her wrists. He smiled up at her.
“I think he was probably right,” he agreed. “I can’t believe it took an enchantment to make me really see what was right there in front of me all along.”
“Better late than never,” Morgan smiled.
Draven freed her wrists and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him full on the mouth again. When they parted, Draven stood up and helped Morgan to her feet. Already the wounds on her wrists had healed and she felt better than she had ever felt before in her life.
“So, what happens now? What do we tell your parents?” she asked.
“The truth, I guess. But not all of it. Just the part where Shem used you to lure me in and we ended the bastard,” Draven said. He pulled Morgan against him. “I’ll never let you out of my sight again, Morgan.”
She laughed and pulled away slightly so she could look up at his face.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she murmured.
“Come on, let’s get back to the cottage,” Draven said, kissing the tip of Morgan’s nose and then releasing her.
She stood back and they turned. They flew into the air, flying off to start their new lives together.
Epilogue
One Month Later
“How are you feeling, son?” Draven’s father asked him as he finished buttoning up his suit jacket.
“Nervous. Excited. Happy. All of the above,” Draven laughed.
“You have nothing to be nervous about, son. You are going to make an excellent mate and an excellent leader. You dealt with Shem, something your mother and I have been trying
to do for years. You saved this pack from certain danger and you did it all for love. I can’t think of a better trait for a leader or a mate,” his father said. He clapped Draven on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you, son.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Draven smiled.
His father smiled back at him and then clapped him on the shoulder again.
“Now, let’s go and get this mating ceremony under way, shall we?” he said.
Draven nodded and he and his father left the room and walked out into Draven’s parents’ garden where the mating ceremony would take place. He stood before the small crowd of friends and family that had gathered with them, aware that cameras were on him and that the ceremony was being streamed out to every member of his parents’ pack. He swallowed away the nerves. He knew he could face anything as long as Morgan was by his side, and he finally understood what his parents had tried to tell him. Finding his one true mate could never make him a worse leader. Being with Morgan made him want to be a better man each and every day and he would do anything in his power to ensure he never let her down.
He turned as music began to play and his breath caught in his throat as Morgan began walking down the path toward him. She had never looked more beautiful than she did now in her lacy white dress, and Draven had never felt luckier or happier to be alive.
Fae Dreams
1
Ellery Flannery sighed loudly as her eyes moved slowly down over the guest list for her party. She knew she should be happier about the thought of her birthday party, more grateful to her parents for throwing her this lavish party, but the guest list brought any chance she had of that crashing down around her.
“What is it?” Fiona asked. “Did I forget someone?”
Ellery couldn’t help but laugh at the horror on her best friend’s face and she shook her head quickly.
“No. Don’t worry, Fi, you’re still the number-one party planner in Bowles.”
“That’s hardly a glowing recommendation, Ell. The village is tiny. I’m the only party planner in Bowles,” Fiona replied.
“Yes, but once word gets out that you were responsible for organizing the thirtieth birthday party of the fae princess, daughter of the fae ruling couple, I reckon you’re going to be in high demand in all of the big cities.”
“Do you really think so?” Fiona asked, looking a bit brighter now.
“Of course,” Ellery said. “The glitterati want the best. And who better than the royal party planner?”
“The glitterati. You’re such a cynic, Ellery,” Fiona giggled.
“Ah, you know what I mean,” Ellery said, dismissing her friend’s comment with a wave of her hand. “The fae who want to prove to the rest of the tribe that they’re the ones to watch. Like half of these on this list.”
“Oh, so that’s what you’re pissed off about,” Fiona said knowingly, glancing back down at the guest list. “You’re worried some of these so-called glitterati will steal your thunder.”
The young women both laughed and Ellery shook her head.
“I don’t want any thunder. Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of the party, but I really wanted it to be for my actual friends, you know? I know my parents gave in and let me choose some friends to invite, but the rest of the guest list is like a who’s who of the tribe. And I know what they’re doing. They’re bringing in an army of well-to-do fae with unattached sons.”
“Are they still trying to get you to find your one true mate?” Fiona asked.
“Yup,” Ellery sighed. “They’ve been like this since I had the enchantment.”
On Ellery’s twenty-ninth birthday, a warlock had come to her parents’ house and given her a potion to drink, known as the enchantment. It worked by making Ellery’s instincts sharper and opened her up to finding her one true mate. It was a ritual reserved only for the heir to the ruling couple of each tribe or pack.
“For the first week or so, they watched me, smiling knowingly every time I so much as spoke to a man. And after that, they became really unbearable. They’re convinced I’m somehow resisting the enchantment on purpose. I’ve told them it’s impossible and they know that, but they still seem to think I’ve not found my one true mate on purpose. I’m sure they think I’m choosing to be alone just to spite them,” Ellery added with a bitter-sounding laugh.
“Surely they realize that it can take a while. I mean, your one true mate is out there, but where? It’s not like you’re going to get old and die before you find him, is it?” Fiona said.
“Exactly,” Ellery said. “I mean, I have literally forever to find my one true mate. But my parents don’t see it that way. I think they want to retire, if you ask me. Go off and travel or something. So they want me mated off quickly so they can start training me and my mate on our duties. And of course Draven didn’t help.”
“Who the hell is Draven?” Fiona asked with a frown.
“The son of Joy and Miller, the ruling dragon couple. He had the enchantment and basically left his parents’ house after having it and literally went straight to the home of his one true mate,” Ellery explained.
Fiona winced.
“Yeah, I can see how that didn’t help. But surely your parents realize that was a fluke. It can’t be that common that everyone who takes the enchantment finds their one true mate practically on their own doorstep.”
“It’s not. And that’s why my parents are dragging in all of these eligible bachelors,” Ellery said. “They’ve introduced me to so many young men over the last year. I swear I can barely keep track of them all. But one thing they all have in common: not one of them has ever excited me.”
“But one day, one of them will and it will all have been worth it,” Fiona said.
“That’s easy for you to say, Fi. You don’t have any of this shit hanging over your head. You get to date who you want and no one seems to have a clock running for when you should settle down.”
“That’s true, but in some ways, I envy you, Ellery. When you find the one, you’ll know for sure he’s the one. It’s so easy to make a mistake and choose Mr. Not-Quite-Right without the enchantment,” Fiona said.
“I guess we’re both lumped with something we never wanted, then,” Ellery said.
“You should have had me take the enchantment for you. The warlock would never have known I wasn’t you,” Fiona laughed.
“Yeah, except the rumor is that the potion you have to take kills you if you don’t have genuine royal blood.”
“Ooh, and I’m just a lowly commoner, Your Majesty,” Fiona giggled.
Ellery laughed and elbowed her gently in the ribs.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” she grinned. “Now, this guest list. Is there any way we can bump a few of these people?”
The laughter faded from Fiona’s face and she looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. Ellery knew her friend well enough to know why and she sighed again.
“I take it that’s a no, then?” she said.
Fiona nodded.
“The only people I’m allowed to cut are people who you chose to invite. None of the visiting dignitaries are to be cut. I’m sorry, Ell, but I’m under strict instructions and I have to make this party a success. I need your parents’ recommendation if I want to really get my business off the ground. You said so yourself.”
“I did,” Ellery agreed. “Oh, what the hell, just leave them on the list. I’m sure I can find a quiet corner to hide in with the people I actually want to spend my birthday with. And anyway, it might not matter so much after tonight.”
“Why? What’s happening tonight?” Fiona asked.
“Oh, I have another boring date in another boring restaurant with another boring—but apparently very eligible—bachelor to look forward to. Maybe he’ll be my one true mate.”
“You really think so?” Fiona asked, looking excited.
“No, Fi, I’m being sarcastic, you idiot,” Ellery laughed. “Honestly, I’m starting to think my parents might be right and there’s no one out
there for me.”
“Rubbish,” Fiona said, taking in Ellery’s soft blonde hair and bright blue eyes, her elfin features and gorgeous body. “Look at you. What man wouldn’t want you?”
“Literally any of the ones I’ve met,” Ellery laughed.
“Fair point,” Fiona conceded. “Okay, I’ll agree that it’s unlikely your parents are going to find your one true mate for you. But that doesn’t mean he’s not out there. You know how the enchantment works. It draws you and your one true mate together. Maybe it’s taking its sweet time because your one true mate is out of the country right now or something.”
“Oh God,” Ellery said as a thought hit her.
“What?” Fiona asked.
“What if he hasn’t been born yet? What if I have to wait decades?”
It wasn’t completely ludicrous. Fae like Ellery stopped aging at twenty-nine and there was every chance that some of them would meet their mates decades after they stopped aging.
“I reckon the chances of that are pretty slim, Ell,” Fiona said. “Seriously, stop worrying about it. It’ll happen when it happens and worrying about it isn’t going to make it happen any faster.”
“True,” Ellery sighed.
“So, go on your date tonight, have a nice meal and enjoy yourself, and just know that you’ll find your one true mate when the time is right. And when you do, all of this will just be a string of funny stories to roll out at parties,” Fiona said.
Ellery nodded her head, but she wasn’t sure it was going to be that easy to stop worrying about this. It wasn’t just her parents that were bothering her. It was bothering her that she didn’t seem to be able to find anyone she felt even the slightest attraction to. Maybe she was destined to be a lone ruler, and for someone like Ellery, someone who believed in true love and romance, that would be a fate worse than death.