by Alexis Davie
The man standing over Eve was suddenly no longer a man anymore. He, too, turned into an angry-looking dragon, shimmering and purple in color. He ran at Nix and again, Eve watched as smoke and fire began to clog the room. She could feel her throat burning and her eyes stinging, and instantly, her mother’s instincts kicked in.
Ignoring the pain in her ribs, she dragged herself to her feet and started toward the bassinet. She didn’t get far as the fighting dragons tumbled across her path. As they went, she caught the eye of the dragon that was Nix. It was a yellow eye, its iris a reptilian slit shape, and Eve’s mouth dropped open again. The eyes. That’s what she had seen on Nix when he was making love to her. It was the same as what she had seen on Ethan. Her baby was a dragon? But how?
In some ways it was so crazy Eve thought her head would explode. But in other ways, it made a certain kind of sense. The silver birthmark wasn’t a dinosaur with wings. It was a dragon. And Nix had to be some sort of dragon royalty. That’s what Kelly meant when she called Ethan’s birthmark the mark of Blain, and when she was talking about royal bloodlines. Eve shook her head, shaking her confusion away. She could work all of this out later, when there weren’t two dragons attacking each other right before her eyes.
Nix attacked the other dragon with more fervor, and Eve realized that even in his animal state, he recognized her, and meeting her eye had spurred him on. She looked at him, and even in his dragon form, she felt that pull inside of herself, as though her body was telling her Nix was the one for her, her soulmate, her one true love.
It didn’t make any sense, but none of this made any sense, and Eve knew if she spent too much time trying to puzzle it out, it would break her mind, and right now, she needed her wits about her.
A high-pitched screech filled with agony pulled Eve’s attention back to the dragons and as the smoke once more began to clear, Eve saw Nix standing victorious, the purple dragon slain at his feet.
Just when Eve thought it was over, a third man entered the room. Nix spun toward him, but instead of fighting Nix, the man ignored both him and Eve. He darted to the bassinet and picked up Ethan. He held him in front of his body, holding him aloft.
“Give it up, Nix. If you attack me, Ethan dies,” the man threatened.
Nix hesitated, but only for a moment. Eve could feel her pulse beating in her throat as Nix turned back to his human form. The man stood between Eve and Nix, his back to her. Nix held his hands up.
“You’ve got what you wanted, Xavier. Here I am, surrendering to you. Let Eve and the baby go,” Nix said.
Xavier threw his head back and laughed.
“You think that’s what this is about? There was a time when you were all I wanted. To kill you off and finish what I started. But now? Well, now that’s all changed. Because this baby here is the product of two of the strongest bloodlines our kind has ever seen. This baby will grow up to be the most powerful king ever to walk the earth. And now, he’s mine.”
Eve felt something stirring inside of herself at Xavier’s words. She had no idea who he was or how he fit into all of this, but she knew one thing. Ethan wasn’t, nor would he ever be, Xavier’s. He was hers and she would do whatever it took to get him back.
She felt her insides knotting tightly, her bones starting to ache. She didn’t know what was happening to herself, but rather than feeling panicked, she felt powerful, like she had been waiting for this moment her whole life.
10
Nix cursed inside. He had no idea why Xavier was so obsessed with Ethan, or why he thought he was going to be anything but human, let alone the strongest dragon king the world had ever seen, but he had to find a way to talk him down. He couldn’t attack Xavier. Even if he thought he could buy Eve enough time to run, he wouldn’t risk Ethan getting hurt, and Xavier still held the baby in front of his body even as he mocked Nix.
Nix tried desperately to think of something, anything, but nothing came to him. He had no plan. He would just have to distract Xavier and try to get him to drop his guard.
“How did you even know I was here?” he asked.
Xavier laughed. “I know everything, Nix. I knew you had eyes on Eve and the baby and I knew you would come. Why do you think I had your own pack members guarding the gates? Why do you think my guards didn’t come to find you in the stairwell? You played right into my hands. It’s a shame about the two soldiers you killed, and I have to hand it to you, I didn’t expect you to be able to beat both of them, but there you go.”
Xavier shrugged and stopped talking and still, Nix had no plan. He heard a noise from behind Xavier and he glanced up, ready to warn Eve not to try anything. It didn’t matter how much Xavier wanted Ethan, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill the baby if he thought it might save his own skin.
Nix’s mouth fell open when he looked over Xavier’s shoulders. Eve was gone, and in her place was the most beautiful dragon Nix had ever seen. The dragon was snow white, the only color on it a slight pink tinge at the very tips of the wings. The dragon had to be Eve. But how hadn’t Nix’s dragon known one of his own kind? And why had she waited so long to fight back?
Eve caught Nix’s eye and gave a long blink. She took in a deep breath and let it out in a roar. As Xavier turned his attention toward the sound, Nix dove forward and snatched Ethan out of his arms. He threw himself onto the ground, turning in midair so he landed on his back and cushioned the baby’s landing.
Ethan began to scream, but Nix knew instinctively he wasn’t hurt, he was just shocked at the grabbing and the falling. Nix held him close and Ethan began to settle. The dragon in him—because he had to have dragon in him if both of his parents did—recognized his father and felt safe enough to close his eyes and stop crying.
Before Xavier had even turned around fully, let alone had a chance to turn into a dragon, Eve’s roar became a full-on fiery blast. Xavier screamed, but his cry was cut off as he fell to the ground, his body charred and smoking. Nix started to stand up as Eve turned back into her human form.
“What the…?” she said, her voice shaky.
Nix could see her legs were a little wobbly and he went to meet her halfway across the room. She held her arms out and he handed Ethan to her. She kissed Ethan, half laughing and half crying, and then she looked up at Nix. Nix felt his heart skip a beat as his dragon once more recognized her as his mate. He leaned closer and brushed his lips across hers, and then he pulled her into a tight hug.
“We have to get out of here,” he said.
“Wait,” Eve said. “What the hell is going on here, Nix? How did you know I was here? And why did you suddenly start caring? And…”
Nix interrupted her to answer her first questions, the ones that had made his heart hurt.
“I knew you were here because I had one of my pack members keeping an eye on you. Eve, I never stopped caring. I didn’t walk away from you because I didn’t care. I walked away from you because Xavier, who you’ve just fried, was after me, and I couldn’t bear to pull you into that. I thought I was keeping you safe by staying away from you, because I had no idea you were a dragon too. I…”
“I didn’t know myself,” Eve interrupted. “I’ve never done that before. I didn’t even know I could. Nix, what’s going on? How is any of this possible?”
Nix had no answers, but he knew they had to get out of here. If Xavier was gone too long, someone would come looking for him, and when they found his body, there would be a war. A war Nix wanted to avoid, especially with Ethan in tow. He took one of Eve’s hands in his, trying and failing to ignore the shiver of desire that went through him when his skin touched hers.
“Eve, I don’t have any of the answers. At least not right now. We have to get out of here, okay? And when we do, we’ll find the answers together,” he promised.
Eve nodded her head and gave his hand a quick squeeze. He kept his grip on her hand and led her to the doorway. He paused and looked up and down the corridor. It was still empty and he pulled her along the corridor in the direction he had ju
st come from.
11
Eve’s mind was spinning as Nix led her down the corridor. How was he a dragon? How was she one? None of it made any sense, yet somehow, with her hand in Nix’s, everything felt like it was going to be okay. They would figure it all out. Somehow. All that mattered in this moment was getting the hell out of this prison and keeping Ethan safe.
Even through all of her confusion, Eve couldn’t stop herself from thinking of Nix’s words. He hadn’t walked away from her because he didn’t care about her. He had walked away from her to keep her safe. And now Xavier, the guy he feared, was dead. Did that mean that there was a chance for them?
Eve was sure it did. She had seen the look in Nix’s eye right before he had kissed her briefly. It was the way she knew she looked at him. The way you looked at your soulmate.
Eve was aware now of a presence inside of herself, of a side to her that had lain dormant for all of these years. It felt strange, but good strange. It made her feel powerful, and while the presence didn’t seem to have a voice as such, it could communicate with her all the same, and right now, it was telling her that everything would be okay. That Nix was meant to be hers. That they were indeed soulmates and that the three of them would be a family.
They were almost at the end of the corridor when Eve heard a voice shouting for help. It was a woman’s voice. Nix glanced back at her and she nodded her head. Of course they had to help the woman. It could have been the woman who was freed and Eve who had been left locked away, and she hoped that if the roles were reversed, the woman would have helped her. She could have a baby in there, just like Eve had, and Eve knew that although this was a risk, she would never forgive herself if they walked away without even trying to help her.
“Stand back,” Nix said to Eve.
She did as he said, instantly missing the touch of his hand against hers. She wrapped her free hand around Ethan’s head to protect his little ears from the noise and she watched as Nix raised his foot and kicked the door down. He disappeared from Eve’s sight as he stepped into the room.
“It’s okay,” Eve heard Nix saying to the woman in the room. “We’re going to get you out of here.”
Eve stepped forward in time to see Nix snatching a key from a hook on the wall. A large, metal cage stood in the center of the room. Nix was blocking the woman inside from her sight, but Eve could only imagine how terrified she must be.
Nix opened the door to the cage and stepped back and Eve’s jaw dropped open once more. This had been a day of surreal surprises for sure, but this one was the most shocking. For a moment, Eve couldn’t find her voice, and when she did, it came out as a tiny croak.
“Mom?” Eve rasped. “I… I thought you were dead!”
“I’m sorry you had to think that, Eve, but I swear it was for your own good,” Eve’s mom said, stepping forward. Eve backed away, not ready to play happy families just yet. Her mom seemed to sense her reluctance and she stopped coming closer. “I can explain everything. But first, we need to get away from this place. Now.”
Eve tried to move, but her feet were rooted to the spot, her body frozen in place. Nix stepped around Eve’s mom and took her hand in his again. He tugged on her hand and her feet started to move, following Nix’s command without her even being conscious of it.
Eve, her mom, Nix, Mitch, and Ethan arrived back at Eve’s apartment. Their escape had been easier than she had thought it would be. The only people they had encountered had been friends of Nix’s and he had spoken to them quickly, telling them that Xavier was dead. He told them that he would be taking over the pack again, and to gather the others and any of Xavier’s pack who wanted to join them and live a peaceful life. He had said that he had some things to do, but that he would be back tomorrow to introduce his mate and his son to the pack. Eve’s heart had swelled with joy at that, and although she still had a million questions, the most important one of all had been answered in that moment.
The door to the apartment stood open, but a quick glance around told Eve nothing had been taken. Nix jumped into action, righting the stroller and Eve’s mom picked up the fallen lamp, placing it back on the end table. Eve looked at Mitch, who remained in the doorway.
“You can come in,” she said.
Nix had already introduced the two of them, and it was clear to Eve that Nix trusted Mitch, which made her feel safe with him.
“Thank you,” Mitch smiled. “But until we have the meeting tomorrow and see how many of Xavier’s pack have joined with ours, it might not be safe here. I’m going to stand guard out here in the hallway.”
Eve looked at Nix, waiting for him to protest, but instead he nodded at Mitch.
“Thank you, Mitch. That means a lot to me,” he said.
Nix came to stand beside Eve and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tightly against him.
“It’s just a precaution,” he said. “But it’s one I would like to take.”
She nodded and smiled at Mitch, who returned her smile and then closed the door, remaining on the other side of it. Eve put Ethan in his stroller and sat down on the couch. Nix sat down beside her and took her hand in his and her mom sat down on the armchair opposite the two of them.
“Okay, Mom, you promised me some answers,” Eve said.
“I did,” her mom replied. “But first, let me say this. I never ever wanted us to be separated. The thought of you growing up without me has haunted me every day. But it seems Julian did a superb job of raising you. You are so beautiful and the fact that you risked your life to save a stranger says a lot.”
Eve nodded, but she couldn’t find any words to say to that. Her mom seemed to sense her discomfort and she went on.
“Before you were born, I was the queen of a dragon pack. We were a peaceful pack and we kept to ourselves. But Xavier wanted control of the whole state. You were four when he came after the pack…”
“So I’ve always been a dragon?” Eve interrupted her. “I don’t get it.”
“You’re not just any old dragon,” her mom smiled. “You, my dear, are Princess Everly of New York.”
“What? No way, that’s impossible,” Nix interrupted. “Princess Everly died when she was barely more than a baby. Xavier’s army killed her.”
“That’s what we wanted you to think,” Eve’s mom smiled. “Or at least, that’s what we wanted Xavier to think. And that meant no one could know the truth. Xavier would never have stopped looking for you if he knew you had survived, Everly.”
“It’s Eve,” Eve snapped, trying to get her head around everything.
“How did you pull this off?” Nix asked.
Eve was glad he was asking all of the right questions, because now that the time had come to get some answers, her mind had gone completely blank.
“I got word that Xavier’s army was coming. I had just enough time to hide Everly... sorry, Eve. I was good friends with Julian, a powerful warlock.”
“I would think you were more than just good friends with my father,” Eve declared.
Her mom shook her head slightly and looked down at the ground.
“He’s not my father, is he?” Eve said.
“No,” her mom replied. “Not biologically, but from what I can see, he did a fantastic job of being your dad.”
Eve nodded and her mom went on.
“Julian and I had a deal. If anything was to happen to me and your father, he was to give you a potion that would suppress the dragon in you and raise you as his own daughter. It would keep you safe from Xavier. You were always going to be told the truth once you turned twenty-five and Julian would have given you the choice of taking an antidote to the potion, or living out your days as a normal human, in safety. I guess he took to calling you Eve to help with the ruse. Xavier’s army killed your father and the rest of the pack, and they took me captive. Their plan was to someday capture Nix and force us to produce a baby together. A baby more powerful than any other dragon. Xavier would have raised him or her as his own and one d
ay, that baby was to take over the world. Obviously, when he learned about your baby, he realized he didn’t have to wait so long, but it seems he underestimated you, Nix.”
“Wait, I still don’t understand. My dad, Julian, he didn’t tell me any of this. I didn’t take any antidote,” Eve said.
“Well, you’re only twenty-three,” her mom pointed out.
Eve waved away her protest.
“I know that. But back at the mansion, I turned into a dragon. How is that possible?”
“Was the baby in danger?” her mom asked.
Eve nodded. Her mom smiled at her, a warm smile that melted away some of Eve’s anger.
“A mother’s love is stronger than any potion, Eve. Your natural protective instincts took over and your dragon came out anyway.”
“Well, shit,” Eve said.
It wasn’t even close to what she wanted to say, but she just didn’t have the words.
“I’m so sorry it came to this, Eve. I have tried and tried to escape Xavier and come back for you, but he was too powerful,” her mom said. “And no one knew I had been taken alive so no one was looking for me. My only hope was that you would take the antidote and sense me and come to rescue me. But I guess you did that your own way.”
“You’ve really been a prisoner for nineteen years?” Eve asked.
Her mom nodded. “Yes. And the only thing that got me through it was knowing you were safe and loved,” she smiled.
Eve let go of the anger all in a rush. How could she stay angry at her mom when she knew that if it meant keeping Ethan safe, she would do exactly the same thing herself in a heartbeat? Eve got to her feet and went to her mom. She wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. Her mom hugged her back and tears streamed down both of their faces. Eve pulled back after a long moment.
“Would you like to hold your grandson?” she asked.