Introductions were made and Beth stepped forward to embrace each of her parents but she felt no emotion in the gestures. It was as if her mother moved on auto-pilot.
“It is an honor to see you again You Highness,” her father bowed his six-feet-four-inch frame before Wesley, his large arms held firmly at his side. His pitch black hair was slicked back with enough hair pomade to cover the Atlantic. Both parents were dressed in casual attire, her mother wearing a rather modest sapphire blue pant suit and her father his normal black suit, white shirt and a matching black tie. Her mother’s dark auburn hair was pulled back in a perfect chignon, with not a hair out of place.
Wesley motioned for Jeremy to rise and extended his hand toward him. The big, boisterous Texan reciprocated with a frown of disapproval. Beth could only imagine the thoughts running through her father’s head.
Turning from the men, Beth took her mother’s hands in hers and offered a warm smile.
“I’ve missed you,” she murmured to the older woman. Instead of responding in kind, Emily merely smiled and gave a curt nod of her regal head.
At a loss on how to proceed, Beth sought out Wesley and tried her best to convey the slip of panic coursing through her.
Snapping to attention, Wesley opened his arms.
“Beth, why don’t you take your parents up to the Library and catch up?” he suggested with a slight nod. Seizing the opportunity, Lance stepped forward and offered Emily his arm.
“I’ll take them up,” Lance offered. “Beth, perhaps you’d like to ask Ginny for some refreshments? I’ll keep Mr. and Mrs. Henderson company while you do.” Without waiting for her response, Lance led her mother through the foyer and up the grand staircase, her father angrily on his heels.
“Take a deep breath,” Wesley whispered into her ear and her nerves calmed in response. They weren’t even properly mated yet and his impact on her left her breathless.
“Lance and I will wait in the Music Room across the hall. If you need me, all you have to do is call out, I’ll be there,” he reassured her and bent to press a light kiss across her forehead. “No matter what, I’ll be there.”
Chapter 7
Beth entered the Library with a tray consisting of a healthy pot of steaming hot tea, cookies and the usual: sugar, cream, spoons, cups, saucers and napkins.
Lance excused himself and she moved across the room to place the tray on the coffee table. Her parents were seated by the fireplace, across from one another with the low-sitting table between them. She poured their tea in silence and then sat beside her mother.
“It’s wonderful to see you,” she began. “I’ve missed you both so much.”
Jeremy sat his saucer down abruptly, tea sloshing out of the cup and onto the polished wood table.
“You’ve made yourself quite comfortable,” he accused with a menacing glare. “You’ve also forgotten your place.”
Beth straightened her spine and decided to merely lay it all out.
“Why did you raise me under the Ancient Ways knowing they’d been outlawed?” she blurted. She saw her mother flinch from the corner of her eye but refused to break eye contact with her father. “What you’ve done is considered treason and were you not my parents, Wesley would have you both imprisoned.”
Jeremy barked in laughter and rose from his seat to face the fireplace. Beth searched her mother’s face for any sign of remorse or guilt but saw nothing but steely determination. It angered her to know that her mother would follow her father so blindly.
“Mother,” she urged. “Surely you knew?” Emily refused to respond.
“Of course we knew,” Jeremy barked and whirled to face her. “And in answer to your question, we’ve remained true to our heritage - as have many, many others. We betrothed you to the Prince because we needed someone to get close to him, we needed someone he’d grow to trust. If we’re to win this war, we have to take the Prince.”
He moved back to his chair and picked up the tea cup, knocking back the amber liquid in one quick motion.
“We needed a mole in the Prince’s bed. He wouldn’t allow anyone else into his inner sanctum but his brother. Face it dear,” he sneered. “You are our mole. And you’re here so we can kill the Prince.”
Beth stared at her father in mortified disbelief as his words sank in.
“You want me to do what?” she asked, proud when her question came out calmer than she felt on the inside. “This is why you betrothed me to Prince Wesley? This is why you never converted? Because you refuse Modernism? You’re part of Coffer’s following?” Her voice rose with each revelation. Emily’s eyes snapped to Jeremy’s and her healthy skin paled. Beth knew her mother feared her husband’s reaction to such vocal disobedience from their daughter.
Beth found a deep satisfaction in knowing she’d grown in the past couple weeks. In learning of the treason her entire life had been, Wesley had offered her much more than freedom. He offered her a new life - one of her own choosing and with each moment that passed, she realized she chose to live that life with him; at his side as his wife, mate and his Princess.
She’d never betray him, not even for the people who raised her. She was merely a pawn in their sick game of politics.
Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp slap to her face. Her eyes teared instantly and she gasped in shock; her mind reeling when she realized her father had struck her. She cupped her stinging cheek gently with her hand and turned back to glare at her father.
“That is the very last time you will ever lay a hand on me,” Beth declared and turned to head for the door. Her only thoughts were getting to Wesley.
A steely grip on her upper arm stopped her cold in her tracks. She turned to glare at her father again and demand that he let her go when her mother rose from her seat and pulled a small silver cell phone from her purse.
“Then you leave me no choice,” Jeremy Henderson declared and hauled her across the room, throwing her down onto the fancy sitting sofa. “You gave us the chance we needed. It wasn’t necessary for you to marry him, we merely needed a way into the main lair.” Glancing up at Emily, Jeremy gave a curt nod and she immediately dialed the phone and handed it to him.
“We’re in,” he barked into the tiny device. “I expect every soldier we have here in ten minutes.” He snapped the phone shut and tossed it back to his wife. “It’s all set,” he announced. “The war has begun.”
Chapter 8
Wesley paced the floor of the Music Room, carefully weaving in and out amongst the various instruments strewn throughout the spacious room.
“What’s taking so long?” he demanded angrily. “I can’t hear anything through these soundproof walls,” he ranted. “I’m worried about her,” he confessed a bit more softly.
Lance looked up from where he sat at the piano and offered his brother a small smile.
“Patience big brother, it isn’t everyday a person has to chose between one life and another. Her entire life has been muted with the darkest blinders. She’s finally had them removed, can you imagine the culture shock she’s going through?” he asked and went back to tinkering with the keys.
Wesley scowled at Lance and his logic. At least he hadn’t commented on Wesley’s admission. He’d been smitten from the moment he’d first laid eyes on her, but the more time they spent together and the more he learned about her, he couldn’t help but fall hard.
She was smart, brave, kind and the strongest woman he’d ever met. She’d endured a hellish childhood and chalked it up to remaining loyal to her core beliefs. He couldn’t think of many who would do such a thing anymore.
He also couldn’t believe the Henderson family was only one among an entire community who’d refused to convert to Modernism. A vast number of his Faction still upheld and practiced the Ancient Ways. He couldn’t believe his father hadn’t known about this.
Lance’s cellphone rang, the trill interrupting Wesley’s inner turmoil. He sighed heavily and moved over to the large windows facing the back yard
of the formal estate. He marveled at the grass and shrubbery covering the little oasis and wondered how his brother had managed to keep the greenery thriving in such a harsh, relentless environment.
“Wesley,” Lance called and he whirled when he noted the panicky tone in his brother’s voice. “You need to take this, it’s begun,” Lance said and shoved the phone into his brother’s hand. “We’ve yet to officially announce your return so everyone still thinks I’m your Proxy,” he explained and jerked his chin at the phone.
Wesley nodded in understanding.
“Yes, this is Prince Wesley Anderson,” he greeted the caller.
“Good to hear your voice again, old friend,” Jaxen Monroe, Prince of the Earth Elementals spoke on the other end. “I’m afraid I’m not calling with good news. As I’ve just explained to your brother, my estate is under attack. I’ve been told it’s the Rebels and the attacks are coordinated across the globe. You may want to get yourself and your Faction to safety.”
Wesley’s blood froze in his veins.
“Then what the hell are you doing making a phone call?” Wesley barked. “Get your ass out of there!”
“My guard has everything under control for the moment,” Jaxen responded and the line crackled with interference. “Since my mate is with child, I’ve already sent her to a safe house. I’ve already notified Axel and Damien so they’re prepared, I gotta go my friend, stay safe.”
Wesley pulled the phone away from his ear and immediately went into soldier mode. Tossing the device back to his brother, he began barking orders.
“Get Lieutenant Samuels on the phone, I need SIN in action yesterday!” he exclaimed and stalked toward the open doorway. “I need to get Beth and her parents to safety,” he called over his shoulder. “Once you do that, get your ass underground.”
Casting a quick glance back at his brother, he scowled when he noticed Lance directly on his heels. Taken aback by his brother’s quick metamorphosis from jovial to stern leader, he raised an eyebrow as Lance relayed a situation report to Lt. Samuels. Without noticing that his brother had paused in the hallway, Lance colliding with him.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Lance protested and shoved the phone back into his pocket. “I’m right beside you no matter what,” he declared and pulled himself to his full height.
Seeing his brother’s steely resolve, Wesley nodded once and approached the Library door. He grabbed the knob and scowled when he found the door locked. Raising his fisted hand, he beat on the solid wood.
“Beth,” he called. “I need you and your parents to come out here, we have a situation.” He kept his voice calm not wanting to panic her or the Hendersons.
The door swung open and Wesley found himself facing the business end of a .40 cal handgun. Jeremy Henderson smirked at him and jacked the slide, putting a round in the chamber.
“One more step and I’ll kill your brother,” Jeremy warned and swiveled to aim the weapon at Lance’s chest.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Wesley growled as fresh lava burst to life inside of him. He felt the raging inferno explode in the pit of his stomach and jet into his bloodstream. His fingernails elongated into viciously curved talons and teeth morphed into lethal fangs.
“I’ve set a centuries old plan into motion,” Jeremy bragged with a sneer. “Elder Coffer’s little kidnapping incident was merely a diversion.”
Wesley glared past Jeremy to see Beth sitting in front of the fireplace with her hands bound and a gag across her mouth. His vision went red with rage. Suddenly it all made sense. The betrothal, the reason they’d never converted, the secret society in Texas. It was all part of a coup and Beth had been the pawn.
“Let her go and I’ll consider letting you leave in one piece,” Wesley offered, his voice already guttural with the oncoming shift. Every fiber of his being wanted to rip the snide asshole to shreds. The only thing that kept him from it was the stark fear in Beth and Emily’s eyes. He couldn’t kill her father in front of her.
“You arrogant pretender,” Jeremy scoffed. “You act as if you actually have a chance.” The older man laughed. Wesley took a step forward only to freeze when an explosion rocked the entire estate.
“Ah, seems my backup has arrived,” Jeremy bragged and motioned Emily to his side. “Bring Beth,” he reminded his wife. She dipped her head and took Beth’s bound hands, hauling her daughter to her feet and moved to her husband.
“She’s not going with you,” Wesley snarled and ripped his shirt over his head. Throwing his head back, he opened his growing maw and roared so loudly the ceiling cracked down the center. Jeremy’s eyes widened in horror as he watched the horrific transformation.
Instead of a calm, peaceful shifting, Wesley’s skin exploded from his body, his bones crunching and snapping as his human body morphed into his Dragon. Red hot scales burst from underneath the sinewy muscle and Wesley embraced the pain. He used it to fuel him.
His eyesight shifted from three-dimension to all-encompassing. He saw heat, energy and particles no human could without special equipment. With one hard whip of his head, he knocked Jeremy aside and advanced on Beth and Emily. The latter shrieked in terror and released Beth in order to scurry toward her unconscious husband.
A loud crash from downstairs prompted Wesley to whirl in the direction of the stairs. He was pleased to see his brother had also shifted and was currently headed toward the railing. In one fluid motion, small bat-like wings burst from Lance’s back and he glided over the balcony down into the foyer.
Gunshots and human wails rang out in tune with Lance’s roar and snarls.
“What do we do now?” Beth’s sweet voice rang out below him. Titling his head down, Wesley lowered his head until they were eye-to-eye. He couldn’t shift back and protect her at the same time and he couldn’t communicate with her in Dragon form. They needed to complete the mating ritual now or he risked losing her. Yet, he didn’t want to force himself on her if she didn’t want him.
Throwing his head back, he roared in pain and anguish. He simply didn’t have the energy to shift to human and back to Dragon.
The air grew heavy and rippled around him and suddenly he found himself being thrown across the hallway, his large scaly body colliding with the piano Lance had been playing only minutes ago. He clambered back to his feet and snarled angrily. However, time itself ceased to exist when he gazed at the bronze Dragon Goddess before him.
Almond curved, emerald green eyes, framed in thick, black lashes stared back at him. If he thought she was beautiful in Human form, there simply wasn’t a word to describe her Dragon. She wasn’t as large as him, but she was bigger than the average female Dragon.
Her golden scales held a ruby incandescence when she turned and the light reflected off them. She advanced on him like a predator on prey and for a brief moment he thought she’d betrayed him too. But instead of attacking him, she wrapped her large tail around his middle and sank her fangs into the one penetrable place on a Dragon’s neck, just below the jawline.
She growled low in her throat and he took that as invitation to complete his part. Using his large arms, he pulled her into an embrace and mimicked her actions. As they drank from one another, a bond as old as time was born. He felt her blood rushing across his tongue, coating his throat and sinking into his own bloodstream. Within moments, he felt as though she, herself, had crawled into his body and claimed him as hers.
“I wasn’t sure you wanted this,” Wesley murmured gently through their mental connection. “I know all this is difficult for you, I love you but I refuse to force you into something you didn’t want.”
“I want you,” Beth responded timidly. “I want us - this connection - forever. I understand the barbarism of the Ancient Ways and want you to teach me everything about Modernism,” she explained. “But right now, we have more pressing things to do.”
Chapter 9
Wesley threw back his head, unhinged his massive jaw and exhaled a fireball large enough to shoot th
rough the estate’s roof. He leapt forward and covered Beth with his body as wood, ash other debris rained from their new exit. If they survived this war, Wes knew he’d have a lot of work to do on the estate house. Especially after Lance finished ripping the first floor apart.
Drawing away from his beloved, Wes leaned forward and nuzzled her neck softly.
“Stay in here and wait for Lance. I’ll send him to take you underground.”
“But I want to go with you, I can help,” Beth protested. Wesley growled low in his throat, a sign that he was Alpha and his word was law. He was a soldier, through and through and fighting was what he did best. He couldn’t protect Beth and hold off the rebel army at the same time.
She lowered her lashes and fresh pain shot through Wesley’s chest. Immediately he understood that he’d hurt her. In all their time together, he’d encouraged her to stand on her own feet, pursue her own interests and make up her own mind. Now that she’d decided to follow her heart as well, he stepped into her path and told her she couldn’t.
Shame engulfed him.
“I just don’t want you hurt,” he murmured softly. “I am your Prince and I always will be, but I won’t treat you like property. You have your freedom my love, just please leave this fight to me, it’s what I do,” he pleaded. Somewhat shocked that he’d taken that route, Beth nodded her head and motioned for him to go.
“I understand,” she said softly. “I can feel you, remember?”
Instead of wondering why she couldn’t feel his intentions to begin with, Wesley shook himself and thrust his wings wide, launching his huge, scaled body through the porthole in the roof.
Folding his wings tightly to his side, he shot through the opening like a bullet at full velocity.
Once airborne, he took a moment to survey the scene and fresh anger rushed through him when he realized the number of rebels marching across his lawn. He stopped counting after reaching seventy-five. Knowing the SIN soldiers would never make it in time; he opened his mouth wide and spit a trail of fire between the soldiers and the front of the house. A gigantic wall of fire sprang from the ground, reaching a height of more than fifty feet.
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