Drakkar ~ Beyond the Lie (A Dark Order of the Dragon Novel Book 3)

by Sandra Bischoff

Drakkar played peek-a-boo with Anna. “It was okay I guess. We got a few things out of the way. I think we’ll be alright. I just have all the things Absinthe hammered into my head. I don’t know which things are truth and which are lies. He’s helping to sort that out.”

  “That’s good. I told Jared he’d be helpful that way.”

  “You told him? I thought this was his idea.” Drakkar sat back, letting Anna hold onto his finger.

  “It’s no secret Xavier and I had a rocky start. The only saving grace is that Zephyr is my father. If it were anyone else, I’m sure the King wouldn’t have accepted me as easily. Your father doesn’t care about what Xavier accepts and doesn’t. He has no say in this house. It’s good, though, for you. He’s your family.” Alex patted him on the knee.

  “We’ll see, I guess. I just wish I wasn’t feeling stir crazy.”

  Alex raised a brow. “Why’s that?” She shifted Anna in her arms, breaking the connection between Drakkar and the baby. Anna made a face, but instead of crying she shoved her fist in her mouth.

  “I need to see Serenity. I want to make sure she’s okay.”

  “Ah, the girlfriend.” Alex smiled. “She checked in while you were asleep and said she would call after school today.”

  “She did?” Drakkar’s mood brightened.

  “Yup.”

  “I should go to school today, too, you know.”

  Alex stifled a laugh. “Oh, really? But what about your shoulder?”

  “’Tis just a flesh wound.” He grinned

  “Well then, Sir Knight, I believe I must allow you to go.”

  Drakkar’s stared at her. “You know Monty Python?”

  Alex’s eyes sparkled. “I watched it every chance I got when I was your age. See, we have something in common already. Now, how would you get to school, then?”

  “I used to have a motorcycle, a Harley, but Absinthe took it away.”

  “Alright. On the hook by the door are the keys to Jared’s Buell. You can take that.”

  Drakkar’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes she is. Consider it yours.” Jared walked over behind Alex, kissing her on the top of the head. “You need a way to get around, and I never have time to ride it anymore. It’s only fair someone who appreciates a good bike get it.”

  “Wow, thank you.”

  “Enough thanking us for everything and get your butt to school.” His father held up his coffee mug.

  “I will. I mean, I am.” Drakkar jumped up from the couch and grabbed the backpack next to his feet. “First, I’m going to swing by and surprise someone.

  Alex and Jared shared a knowing smile as they watched him head for the door. Drake turned back for just a split second, taking in the sight of his new family.

  Drakkar finally felt like he belonged somewhere.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  He pulled up in front of Serenity’s house and cut the engine. She should still be there. Britt’s car was nowhere in sight. He put the kickstand down with his foot and removed his helmet. Swinging off the bike, Drake looped his backpack over the handlebar.

  Walking up to the front door, his heartpounded.

  What if she didn’t want to see him? What if Jake wanted to stake him for getting Serenity into a dangerous situation? Worse than that, what if Serenity’s mother decided he wasn’t worthy of seeing her anymore?

  Oh Gods . . .

  He was just about to turn away and run back to his bike when the door opened wide. Sheridan Avery stared down her nose at him.

  “What are you doing here” she demanded.

  “I -I came to give Serenity a ride to school. Is that okay,” he asked.

  Sheridan’s face softened. “Of course it is. Come in.” She stepped aside to allow him access.

  Drakkar walked in nervously. He’d been in their home many times, and still he felt uneasy about entering. “Thanks.”

  She closed the door behind him and motioned for them to enter the sunken living room. He took a seat on one of the overstuffed chairs. Sheridan sat across from him.

  “I’m glad you came. You and I need to get a few things out in the open here,” she started.

  Drakkar wrung his hands. “Like what?”

  “What exactly are your intentions with Serenity?”

  “Excuse me? I’m sorry, I’m not following.”

  “You and she have been spending a lot of time together. I just want to make sure where your relationship is headed.” She sat back in the chair, completely relaxed.

  “I, uh, we’re friends, I guess. She and I really like each other’s company?”

  “Yes, and?”

  Drakkar squirmed. “I love her, okay. I love Serenity.”

  Sheridan smiled. “I knew that. I just needed to hear you say it, and that’s why I have to tell you something you probably won’t like.”

  Drake frowned. “What’s that?”

  “I was the reason she started hanging around with you. I asked her to get close to you to gather information on Absinthe.”

  “You what?” Drakkar’s heart hammered in his chest. Had Serenity been lying to him the whole time? Did she care at all?

  “I did. It was only a job at first. Then, something changed.” Sheridan tilted her head. Her blonde curls fell over her shoulder. “She said she wouldn’t betray your confidence to me because she wanted to be more than your friend.”

  “She did?”

  “Yes, she did. That was when I called it off. I killed her mission. But she never gave up on you. She believed in you.”

  “And I still do.” Serenity stood in the doorway holding her messenger bag across her body. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She no longer wore the heavy Goth make-up or the plaid skirt. She wore a pair of jeans and a fluffy grey sweater with a pair of Keds on her feet. She painted a completely different picture than the first time they met.

  Drake’s mouth went dry and his gums throbbed as her light strawberry scent engulfed him. “Hey.”

  “Hey, yourself,” she quipped back.

  “I’ll take that as my cue to get lost.” Sheridan rose and walked behind Drakkar. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m really glad you’re okay. Thank you for saving Serenity’s life. I am forever indebted to you.” She left them alone staring at each other.

  Drakkar stood. “I came to give you a ride to school.”

  “Britt said she would be here. I can call her and tell her not to come,” she offered.

  “Oh, I didn’t even think about if you made plans. I’ll go. It’s okay.” Drakkar started past her.

  Serenity grabbed his arm. “No. I mean, I don’t want to go with her. I want to go with you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, silly.” She laughed and his heart melted. “Don’t you know I’d go anywhere with you? Heck, I helped you kidnap your own sister. If that’s not love, what is?”

  “Wait, what did you say?”

  “I said I loved you. You big dumb vampire.”

  Drakkar lifted her in his arms and claimed her mouth with his. Her hands framed his face. He only broke away long enough to gaze into those beautiful toffee colored eyes he couldn’t get enough of.

  “I love you, too,” he declared. “I will spend the rest of my life showing you just how much that means.”

  Tears gathered in Serenity’s eyes. “And you’ll never have to worry about being alone again. I’m here for you. Always.”

  “Oh my God. I can’t do this. There is no way I’m going to be able to pull this dress off. It’s too girly. I refuse to wear something that makes me look like a marshmallow,” Britt complained.

  Serenity rolled her eyes. “You’re the one who picked it out. Why didn’t you just go for something simple and elegant?”

  She stood in front of her floor length mirror smoothing the hunter green satin with her palms. Her mother picked it out when they went shopping. It was floor length, the bodice sprinkled with green and clear crystals, and a sheer silver shawl. Her hair w
as arranged in a loose up do, sprinkled with green crystals that stood out against her strawberry blonde hair.

  She felt like a Princess, and she would be spend the night on the arm of her very own Prince Charming.

  Britt shrieked again. Serenity didn’t know how much more of it she could take. Opening her bedroom door, she called for her mother. Sheridan came in holding a dress bag.

  “Don’t even tell me.” She smirked at Serenity. “I have something right here to solve the problem.”

  Sheridan brought her bundle over to the bed and hung it from the iron canopy. Unzipping the cover, she revealed a sapphire blue, strapless evening gown -one she’d worn to Jared’s crowning ceremony.

  “Wow, Mrs. A. This is beautiful.” Brit ran her hand over the fabric.

  “It’s ours for tonight. There is no one I’d rather see wearing it than you. The color goes perfectly with your eyes.”

  Britt beamed. “Truly?”

  “Yes. Now hurry and change. The car will be here in a few minutes. You don’t want to keep everyone waiting.” Sheridan squeezed her hand before shooing her off to the bathroom.

  When Britt emerged, she transformed into the vision of confidence. It was amazing what the right dress could do to bolster one’s attitude. Her dress resembling layers of fluffy marshmallows was long forgotten. The girls giggled, finishing their makeup and jewelry while Sheridan hung back with tears in her eyes.

  Serenity glanced up at her mother’s reflection in the mirror. “Aw, Mom. Don’t cry!” She ran over to her mother and wrapped her arms around her.

  Britt excused herself and slipped out of the room to head downstairs, giving mother and daughter some privacy.

  “I can’t believe how grown up you are, you both are. All I see is the little girl who skinned her knee riding a bike.”

  Serenity held out her hand and a tissue flew across the room to her. She handed it to Sheridan, who dabbed under her eyes.

  “If your father could see you . . . . You are so beautiful, Nettie. Drakkar is one lucky guy.” Sheridan broke out in a new round of tears.

  “Mom, stop. You’re going to make me start blubbering.” She sniffled.

  A horn honked outside. Serenity ran to her window. Below, a limousine, a black Escalade, a silver Mustang, and a white Mercedes pulled up. She went back to her mirror, not wanting any of them to notice her in the window, and played with her make up again.

  Sheridan came over and closed her hands around Serenity’s. “You’re perfect. You don’t need to fix anything.” Nettie gave her a nervous smile. “Let’s go see your Prince, shall we?” She handed Nettie her clutch purse and grabbed the one Britt left on the bed.

  They stepped out into the hallway. The roar of voices in the living room nearly knocked her over. Serenity glanced at her mother, who nodded encouragingly. She stepped on the top step. Jake moved in next to her and wrapped her hand in the crook of his arm.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t be here to see my girl off to the prom,” he whispered in her ear. “Stephen would be proud of you.” He kissed her cheek.

  Nettie blushed. “Thank you.”

  “Now why don’t we go meet that vampire of yours?” He winked at her. Serenity nodded.

  The descended the stairs and entered the sunken living room. Someone let out a high-pitched whistle. The room went silent. Drakkar emerged from around the corner stopping before Serenity and Jake. He was dressed in his royal dress uniform, black with blood red embroidery and gold buttons polished to perfection. The only thing missing was a sword at his side, but given this was only a high school prom, it didn’t seem appropriate to have a weapon present.

  “Serenity, you take my breath away,” he said.

  Jake leaned close to Drake so only he could hear him. “Don’t do anything that would make me hunt you down and stake you in the morning.”

  Drakkar shook his head and met Nettie’s toffee colored gaze. “Never.”

  Jake nodded and handed Serenity over to him. Drakkar opened the box in his hand to reveal a beautiful white orchid corsage. It was surrounded in dyed green baby’s breath. Serenity held out her hand as he slipped it into place on her wrist. He didn’t hear the cameras and phones going off behind them like the paparazzi. The only thing that he knew was her and the scent of strawberries.

  After what seemed like hours of photos being taken -ones as couples, ones alone, one just girls, ones just the guys, and ones with the families- all of the teens wondered if it was a wedding instead of a prom. All they wanted was to get out of there.

  When Serenity’s mother went off to get more bottles from the wine cellar, she grabbed Drakkar’s hand and made a break for the door. Britt and Nick were right behind them. They ran across the lawn and climbed into the limo waiting by the curb. The four didn’t stop laughing until they were on their way to where the prom was being held.

  In the car, Nick leaned across the long black leather set to the bottle resting in the ice bucket in the bar. “Hey, would ya look at this? Who thought to bring the bubbly?”

  He pulled the bottle out of the ice and unwrapped the towel. His face fell when he saw it was just sparkling cider. Everyone else’s reaction was a mixture of disappointment and amusement.

  Serenity raised her hand. “I believe that would be Jake. He probably wanted to give us the real thing, but my mom convinced him the cider would be better.” She reached in her clutch to retrieve her phone and send a polite thank you for his gift.

  “Bummer.” Nick shrugged. “But who are we to snub our noses at it.” He handed the bottle to Drakkar and snagged four plastic cups from the cabinet. Drake poured while Nick handed the cups out. When each of them had a drink, he put the bottle back in the bucket.

  Drake held out his cup. “A toast.” Everyone followed his lead. “To friends, and shall we all remain that way for a very long time.”

  Nick, Britt, and Serenity voiced their agreement in unison, clunking their plastic cups and taking a sip.

  “Hold up,” Nick interrupted before Drake could add anything else. “You said ‘friends’. What happened to cattle? Does this mean we’ve grown on you? Have you come to the realization that we aren’t here just to feed you?” He gasped.

  Drake snatched a piece of ice from the bucket and threw it at Nick. “I haven’t referred to anyone as cattle in a long time. Keep it up and you’ll get the title back.”

  “Nope, I’m good. I’m kinda liking this new and improved attitude of yours.” Nick grinned, finishing off his drink.

  Drakkar gave each one of his friends a long look. “Yeah, me too.”

  The rest of the ride to the dock where their boat waited was filled with stories, laughter, and plenty of fake bubbly. When the car finally reached the river, most of their classmates were already out of their vehicles taking pictures at the gazebo and on the shore line.

  Instead of joining the crowd, the four of them made a beeline for the ferry and got spots on the upper deck. They wanted to have front row seats to see the castle as they approached. Their prom marked the first time King Xavier opened up his home for something other than a political function. It was rumored he made the over-the-top offer to the school because he was lonely out on the island by himself.

  The real reason had nothing to do with giving a gift to the school. Darkkar wasn’t fooled by that. This selfless act of generosity was all about trying to make amends, win him over, and make Drake accept being an heir to the throne. While he didn’t know if he would ever completely warm up to that destiny, Drake was willing at least enjoy the party.

  The whistle shrieked on the bow of the ferry, alerting the rest of their senior class it was time to head to the island. Once everyone was on board, the boat shoved off and made the slow trek to the far side of the island and the dilapidated castle. It was lit with countless colored spotlights. Everyone had their phones and cameras out to capture the moment they landed.

  Xavier’s servants greeted each couple as if they were royalty, personally escorting them to the hidd
en staircase which led to the underground ballroom.

  Drake pulled Serenity aside, away from the train of people heading inside. As they ducked behind one of the crumbling walls, he placed a finger over her lips, remaining hidden until the last student disappeared through the archway leading below ground.

  They circled back around toward the courtyard. Drake had accompanied his father over the last few weeks. While Jared and Xavier met in private, he was given leave to wander around the castle and grounds. It was during his wandering he came across his family’s greatest treasure.

  He paused, removing a black silk scarf from the pocket inside his uniform jacket; he faced her away from him. Drakkar draped it around her eyes and tied it snug at the back of her head.

  She shivered, pulling her light shawl tighter around he shoulders. “Drakkar, what are you doing?”

  “Shh, just hold my hand. I promise you’re completely safe. I won’t let you fall. Do you trust me,” he asked.

  Serenity nodded. “Always.”

  He led her away from the main entrance toward the back of the crumbling castle wall and courtyard. There were no spot lights on this side of the castle, only a few torches strategically placed to give the area a warm glow. When they stopped, he stepped away from her briefly.

  “Drakkar?”

  “I’m still here. Close your eyes.”

  Drake moved behind her and untied the scarf, letting it fall across her shoulders. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Okay, open them.”

  Nettie blinked. Her jaw dropped open as she stared into the amber eyes of a black dragon. She reached out with a shaking hand and the dragon bowed its head so she could pet it. When her hand still hadn’t made contact, the beast leaned closer and shoved it’s snout into her palm, exhaling a puff of hot air.

  “Oh,” she exclaimed, stumbling backward as the dragon ambled closer.

  Drake was right there to catch her. He placed one hand on her waist for support and the other closed over hers on the dragon.

  She turned her head to look up at him. “I honestly didn’t think they were real.”

  Drakkar smiled. “Absinthe never spoke of them, so neither did I. But, each time I came here with my father, I spent some time with them.” Not to be left out, the green dragon nudged its way in for some attention. Drake lifted his hand off Nettie’s and scratched its head. “They really are gentle giants. Just don’t piss them off.”