He nodded. “Well, you made up your mind, who are we to say otherwise, Princess.” His words were sarcastic. “Just don’t come to me when Paegeia is going through an epidemic.”
“We have plenty of Swallow Annexes to cure them,” I simply said.
“Will there be anything else?” Blake asked. Nobody answered. “Then I think that is it, meeting adjourned.”
We turned around and walked toward the group.
Sir Robert just looked at me with a soft smile. He bowed his head slightly.
“Don’t start with that crap please.”
I hugged Cassy and stroked Daisy’s arm.
“We’re not going into quarantine?” I heard Annie asking Blake and he shook his head, giving her a hug.
“Nobody is going to even think of putting you into quarantine, Jumble-Bean.”
I smiled as he said that, and looked at where Constance had been sitting. She was missing. So was Master Longwei.
We went back to the room.
They were all going back to David and Connie’s. This nightmare was over.
I blew out a breath as my body trembled and Blake’s laughter was right in front of me. “Finally, you have stepped into your parents’ shoes.”
“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done.”
“They will think twice now before they say anything to you again. I’m proud of you, Elena.”
I smiled. Okay, that was unexpected.
A knock came on the door and everyone looked scared once again.
Especially Annie. It could be her mother. I walked up to her as Blake went to get the door.
“She’s going to be happy, I promise you,” I said.
She nodded and stood next to me as Blake opened the door.
Master Longwei barged into the room, walked past Blake and came to a standstill right in front of Annie and me.
He stared at both of us as tears lingered in his eyes. “Anouk?” he asked.
Annie smiled and nodded, grabbing her grandfather around the neck.
“How did you know?”
“I saw your father the minute I saw you walk through that door.”
She giggled. “I remember you, well not in this form, but your scent. I always felt safe.”
He hugged her again and kissed her on top of her hair. “Thank you Elena,” he mouthed and I nodded.
Where the hell was Constance? I was sure that if Master Longwei had seen Annie, Constance must have seen her too. Why wasn’t she here?
“Come,” Master Longwei said. “We can take carriages back to Dragonia Academy. You all are welcome to stay tonight at the Academy, rest and tomorrow you can go back to David’s place. Nobody will harm you there. You have my word.”
He led Annie out with her arm hooked in his and they immediately started to speak. I knew she was dying to ask about her mother, but Constance not being here….No, she loved Anouk. I know she did.
“Thank you Elena.” She giggled. “Seeing you like that. I’m glad we had you, Plucky on the other hand…”
“Oh, quiet.” He kicked her bum playfully.
I smiled. I felt like their protector. I felt like a princess for the first time ever. “I promise they won’t hurt you.”
We all walked right behind Master Longwei and Annie and as we exited flashing lights overpowered everyone again.
“Really?” I grunted.
“Just let them take their pictures, Elena,” Blake said, walking a few paces in front of me.
Questions were asked about what had happened inside, but we ignored them again.
Just then a low growl appeared right behind the cockroaches. As one, they all turned and their cameras went off, more flashes filled the night sky and I could see the light reflecting off silver scales.
Annie just stared at the dragon, I saw tears form in her eyes as Master Longwei kissed her temple.
“Go, she’s missed you a lot and thought that her dragon form was the only form you knew.”
Annie smiled, didn’t think twice and ran to Constance’s dragon figure.
She grabbed her mother’s paw and Constance’s big silver head covered Annie’s entire body.
A soft wail that I’d never heard a dragon make before, escaped Constance’s core as sobs came from Annie, and then the dragon disappeared leaving a silver-blonde doctor in its place. I’d never seen Constance kiss one person’s face so much. Tears streamed over both women’s cheeks and one ran down my own.
The feeling of what I was watching was overpowering. It was happy and sad all at the same time, but mostly happy, so happy that I couldn’t contain the emotions inside of me.
To think, Annie never knew Constance’s human figure and the only way Constance could reconnect with her daughter, to make her feel safe, was to give her a form that used to do all of that. Her true form.
I feared that Constance was never going to let go of Annie ever again.
Blake took a robe from one of the members of the council and rushed over to his aunt’s side and covered her body.
“Thank you Blake, for bringing her back,” I heard Constance say.
“I’m not the one that has the ability to dodge the Creepers, Constance.”
She laughed. Kissed Annie on her head one more time and saw me.
She smiled as more tears rolled down her face, and opened her free arm.
I went to her. She was one of the few women that were like a mother to me.
“I’m so proud of you. So sorry that I was filled with doubt. It will never happen again Princess.”
She folded her arms around me and her body shook softly.
“The minute I saw her, I knew you’d kept your word. I just didn’t want to hope and when I saw Chong with tears in his eyes, I just knew. Thank you for bringing my baby to me, Elena. I could never—”
“Shhhh, you have done more for me than you will ever know. It was nothing, in fact I was adamant about it when I discovered it was Anouk. She is a lot like you, Constance, well without the British accent.”
We all laughed.
She wiped her eyes and kissed Annie again.
“See, I told you she would remember you,” I said to Annie.
“Still, when she didn’t show up with my grandfather, I thought….”
“I would never, you are mine and I think it’s time I took a couple of weeks off. I’ll ask this David if he has a room for me too. I’m sure you’ll want to stay close to the people that watched over you.” She didn’t even ask about her husband. I think she knew. “I missed so much, look at you. You are practically a grown woman.”
She laughed again and Constance just couldn’t let Annie go.
The cameras were still flashing but nothing could break these two apart.
Isabel was next as I was sure Sir Robert had discovered who she was while we were speaking to the Ancients. Isabel hugged Annie and kissed her too. Thank heavens she hadn’t turned into a dragon.
Annie just kept staring at both of them and they made jokes about it.
It was a good reunion, more than good, the best.
“Let’s get back to Dragonia.” Constance still had her arm around Annie and squeezed once.
“Elena.” Isabel hugged me. “Thank you so much.”
“It was no big deal,” I said. I watched her go to Daisy and Maggie, touch the kid’s faces softly, staying close to them.
Sir Robert just smiled. He seemed tired, sad and happy all at the same time. It made me feel guilty. My father was alive, he was back in Etan and I couldn’t tell his dragon the truth.
But he would know soon. One day he would know that his rider, The Greatest King that Ever Lived, was alive.
I looked at everyone and realized that I wasn’t the best suited for this world. There was still so much to learn, but I would learn from The Greatest King that was Still Alive. I was going to free my father.
Starlight
chapter one
HE CAMERAS STILL flased as we reached the carriages. Everyone was outside now
. King Helmut bowed his head when he saw me and I shook my head slightly with a small smile.
I had to admit that it felt good, standing up to the Ancients. I couldn’t believe that they would do that to all of these people.
But I refused to let them get their wish this time. They hadn’t won and everyone was safe.
I saw Blake putting my bag into one of the carriages and giving his to his father. He wasn’t going to come with us to Dragonia Academy?
I didn’t like that, but a part of me didn’t want him to come because I knew he was Tabitha’s.
I felt so bad about kissing him not just once, but four times.
He still made me so confused and I let out a huge breath just trying to make sense of this sudden change in him.
“Hey.” Blake touched my arm. I hadn’t even seen him walking my way.
“I take it you are not coming with us.”
“All of them are safe, Elena. They have you.”
“Oh, shut up.” I smacked him playfully, hard on the chest and he laughed. Flashes reflected around us.
“Can’t they just go home?”
Blake laughed. “You’d better get used to this as it’s going to be our life from now on.”
I smiled. I liked the “our life” part. Still not knowing in what context he meant it as he was my dragon, that wasn’t going to change, but it could only be that. Nothing more.
“I have to go with my father, he wants some information.” A huge grin spread over his face as he looked down. “I think he is going to start with the Dragon League again.”
“What?”
“Just a small inkling, otherwise I have no idea why he wants this.”
I wielded my shield around us and couldn’t hear anything that was going on in the background.
“You promised you wouldn’t—”
“I’m not stupid. I know what he will do. He can’t know.”
“Okay, then I guess I’ll see you when I see you.”
“I won’t be gone that long, three days at the most as King Helmut wants to know a couple of things too.”
“Okay,” I said. He opened the door to one of the carriages and I got in.
He tapped twice on the carriage and I watched him leave.
This wasn’t good. I was falling for him head over heels and I didn’t know what to do anymore.
I’d promised Tabitha.
I’d broken so many promises already.
I had to give him up. He was never mine, and if it wasn’t for the Dent, a procedure I still didn’t understand, he still wouldn’t have been mine.
When we reached Dragonia Academy, Master Longwei took them to empty staff quarters. It was like a castle and I was sure they would be more than comfortable.
Annie stayed with Constance and our ways parted after I said goodbye and went up to my room.
The meeting had drained me, but I’d never felt so confident in my entire life.
I’d stood up to all of them. Including Caleb, who wasn’t a king in my eyes anymore. He didn’t deserve that title, no matter what King Helmut said.
I found both my friends in our room when I opened the door.
“You’re back!” Sammy yelled, got up and ran over for a hug. I folded my arms around her and I could tell that it surprised her when she froze for a few seconds.
“You are okay!” she said. “Just like he promised.”
I pushed her back. “What are you talking about?”
She shook her head. “It’s nothing. What matters is that you are okay.”
I giggled. “I was alone with your brother for like a month, we talked, Samantha.”
Her eyes raised. “You did?”
I looked at Becky who just raised her one eyebrow with a knowing smile. “I hope you apologized to him.”
I laughed. “Well to be honest he’s the one who can’t stop apologizing.”
“So how many times did he make his Dragon Oath?”
We all laughed.
“Once.”
They gasped.
“I almost killed him. I hate that dragons do that. ”
“So when did you guys have this talk?” Becky wanted to know.
“Well with his dragon form, plenty of times. With the human, the night I discovered I was in Etan all along and when I discovered all the times he’d tried to find me. The Sonic device did come in handy.” I looked at Sammy.
“So you are an item now?” Becky wanted to know as we all three had ended up sitting on her bed.
“I wouldn’t say that, but he definitely wants to be my dragon.”
“Elena, he wants to be more than just your dragon, I can promise you that.”
“It’s complicated Becky.”
“No, it’s not.”
I sighed. She would just get upset if I told her the truth.
“And don’t you dare say it, Elena.” She sounded serious.
“Then explain it to me, please.”
“You didn’t ask him?”
“I did, but he couldn’t tell me.”
“He couldn’t or he wouldn’t?”
“Is there a difference? It’s not him, Becky. He hated my guts, treated me like shit and how can I be the only one remembering that?”
“Don’t, please,” Sammy begged.
“There is a huge difference between wouldn’t and couldn’t. George wouldn’t tell me either, because of what is at stake, not because he doesn’t know.”
I shook my head. “It still doesn’t explain the change in them and that, I can’t trust. Not this time.” I got up and walked to the bathroom.
I was going to feel like this every time I wasn’t near him. The doubts would come and it would drive us apart eventually.
We didn’t speak about the Dent anymore. I knew it was hard for Becky too. She was head over heels for George and loved him with all her heart. Thinking that it could be what I said it was, was too hard for her to admit.
I couldn’t sleep that night either. I kept thinking about so many things.
Okay not about many, about one: Blake. I hated this so much. I didn’t want my life to revolve around him. I was more than that. But I couldn’t get him off my mind.
I drifted away and just like before I started to see the faint light of torches.
My heart started to beat frantically and the entire scene engulfed me.
I was on my back, my hands were held down by Zac and Patrick, and Billy was starting to unbuckle his belt. Seymour had just finished, and was spent. I hated that so much, I felt so worthless again. Huge trees formed a canopy over the entire scene. I always wished right at this spot that Cara was still inside of me, so that I could scorch their asses before any of this happened.
Their laughter and what they were saying had started to die out. Their lips still moved and as they laughed, making jokes…no sound came.
This had never happened before in my dreams, and then the impossible happened.
An invisible hand grabbed Billy and threw him so hard against a tree.
A pink flame engulfed the scene first before he did.
Zac and Patrick were hit with the pink kiss first and I was free. The others actually tried to fight against Blake but in a matter of seconds it was all over and…I bolted up my bed.
My heart raced as if it was in a sprint. But what I felt in my gut wasn’t fear, it was something else. Revenge. Even if that’d never happened, I felt it.
He did it. A small chuckle escaped my lips.
He couldn’t be here, but he’d found a way to change that dream, just like the others.
I gasped as I realized where he was. He was in Tith, I was in Elm.
Had he really seen that from that distance?
I knew he struggled with me close by him, he’d told me so himself. It was too fast, and yet, he’d changed it tonight all the way from Tith. Was he okay?
I wanted to cry again, not because of what had happened in that forest that night, but for being so stupid for even trying to negotiate with Tabitha.
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This wasn’t real. I kept saying over and over to myself. The Blake you truly want is gone, he is under a spell even if he thinks it isn’t.
I fell back into my pillow and sleep finally came after I made peace, sort of with everything.
The next morning I found Tabitha in the cafeteria. She looked up at me, but the look she gave me wasn’t friendly at all. It was as if she knew what had happened. Had he told her the truth? My heart was pounding not knowing what she knew.
I looked back down and walked to the buffet.
Chef smiled as he saw me. “Back from Etan?”
“Finally,” I said.
“What you did for Constance, Elena…”
“Please don’t. It was the best thing I could have done for both of them.”
“Still, the papers this morning were filled with pictures of that reunion.”
I smiled but it disappeared as I remembered flashes going off while Blake and I talked. “Can I see it?” I asked and Chef smiled as he handed one to me.
I closed my eyes as I stared at a picture of Blake rubbing his chest and me just after I hit him. We looked like old friends, both smiling.
I knew Tabitha had seen this.
“Thanks,” I said, smiled and gave it back to Chef.
I dished up oatmeal and moved on as Chef spoke to a person next to me. I moved with the line, picking up some yogurt and honey and found Tabitha at the end of the buffet.
“Elena,” she said.
“Tabitha.”
The noise in the entire cafeteria disappeared immediately and I knew she wanted a private word, sealing us both inside her shield.
“Did you forget the promise you made?”
“No, I didn’t. Nothing happened. We simply saw things that were hard to deal with and it brought me closer to his dragon form,” I lied.
She giggled. “You think I’m an idiot? I saw those pictures.”
“You think you saw something. It’s not there, Tabitha.”
“You know it’s not him, right?”
“Yes, I told you from the beginning I know what the Dent is. I believe the same thing he did and nothing will change my mind, okay.” The lies just kept pouring out of my mouth. Just keep your mouth shut. “Are we done?”