It warmed my heart to see Vivienne standing next to Xavier, holding a smiling baby Victoria. My cousin looked adorable in a pale pink dress and a sunhat. My eyes traveled to Kiev and Mona, who were standing near Erik, Abby, Eli and Shayla. As I caught Kiev’s eye, he looked at me apologetically. I guessed he’d heard the latest of my escapades from my parents.
The dragons were already in their beastly forms and there were about twenty-five of them altogether. It was easy to spot those who were getting married since they carried their maidens on their backs. My grandfather and Kailyn located me in the crowd. They rushed toward me, my grandfather pulling me into a strong hug. It felt like I hadn’t seen him for ages. The last time had been just after Kailyn’s death. He’d looked half dead with distress. But now, with Kailyn by his side again, he looked like the happiest man in the world… almost as happy as me.
All the other wedding attendees would be transported to The Hearthlands by the witches’ magic, but since I spotted more than one dragon with nobody on their back, I suggested to River that we fly there instead. How many couples could say they’d traveled to their wedding location on the back of a dragon?
We climbed aboard Ridan, who apparently hadn’t had as much luck with the ladies as his fellow shifters. Then all of us left The Shade to embark on the journey. The others vanished along with the witches, while the dragons headed to a small deserted island not far away from us, where a portal led to the realm of the ogres. Reaching the other side of the portal, we launched into the sky and soared over a sparkling ocean. Excitement bubbled up in me as we finally caught sight of another land mass.
“The Hearthlands,” Ridan announced cheerily.
Reaching the end of the water, we soared over a world of rolling hills, lush valleys and glittering rivers. It appeared to be summertime here, the trees and flowers in full bloom. We continued to fly, and soon I spotted signs of civilization. A magnificent castle loomed in the distance, a sprawling city built around it. We descended in a cobblestone square right at the foot of the castle. The buildings surrounding us appeared newly erected, their stone walls bright and polished. The square offshot into charming streets lined with an array of boutiques selling everything from garments to instruments. Dragon residents milled around us in their humanoid forms and began to cheer.
“Jeriad!”
“You’re back! And with such fair maidens!”
Our dragons greeted their compatriots warmly.
“So much has happened here since you left!” a particularly chirpy man who possessed only one eye exclaimed. “There have been battles and victories, kings lost and found. King Theon has been crowned, and he has a queen!”
I slid off Ridan’s back with River as they continued talking.
“Have you received other arrivals, Charis?” Jeriad asked.
Charis. The name rang a bell. He had been the first dragon to ever visit The Shade. Caleb had speared him in the eye when he’d threatened to burn our island down.
“Other arrivals?” Charis asked.
“We expected there to be a group of citizens from The Shade arriving here. Witches, vampires, even some werewolves…”
“We have seen nothing of the sort yet.”
I tensed, looking at River. They should’ve arrived here way before us, traveling by the witches’ magic. I wondered if they’d gotten lost.
“If you like I can fly you around and see if we can spot them anywhere,” Ridan offered. “They might have arrived in The Hearthlands but not have known where to find the castle.”
“Thanks,” I said. “That would be good.”
We left with Ridan, while the others entered the castle, apparently going to greet The Hearthlands’ new king and queen.
* * *
We managed to find them after several hours of searching. Truth be told, I didn’t mind in the slightest that it took us so long to locate them. River and I enjoyed the ride immensely; it afforded us a greater opportunity to take in this breathtaking realm.
The spell of shadow the witches had cast over the crowd was what helped us spot them. They were roaming around a hillock, looking quite lost. Clearly none of the witches knew The Hearthlands well. Rose was with them, but I didn’t think she’d ever been taken as far as the castle and city during her brief visit. She’d spoken of hills and valleys and caves, but not of buildings.
We soared down and they looked relieved to see us. From here, we were able to show them the right direction and soon we were all back outside the castle. The square was empty now, as if everybody had rushed inside with the others to hear the full story of what had happened to their comrades.
We entered the castle with Ridan, emerging in a grand entrance room. A carpet in tones of brown, burgundy and gold lined the floor and shields of iron and gold hung from the walls.
“They will likely be in the royal court now,” Ridan announced.
He stopped outside a pair of heavy oaken doors and pushed them open. We emerged in a vast hall whose walls were draped with red-and-orange velvet tapestries. Black stone chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and in the center was a raised platform upon which were two thrones, occupied by a beast of a man who could only be Theon, and a striking pale-skinned girl with coal-black hair, whom I could only assume was his new queen. The court was packed to the max with dragons.
“Welcome,” Theon boomed as he laid eyes on us entering with Ridan. He and his queen left their thrones and descended toward us.
I looked to my sister, who stood next to Caleb holding his hand. She, of all of us, had a special connection with these dragons. Theon had once wished to pursue her as his own.
The king was beaming as he approached, bowing low before my parents and shaking their hands warmly. “Finally,” he said, “we have a chance to accommodate you in our own land. Jeriad tells me that you bring three other couples who wish to be wed in dragon country, your son and his love included among them.”
“Thank you, Theon,” my father replied. “That is correct.”
“Since tomorrow marks the end of the week, we have decided that it will be fortuitous to hold the weddings then, rather than wait a few more days for preparation,” Theon went on. “Is that agreeable to you?”
My parents looked to me and River. “Yes,” River and I responded. Micah, Kira, Matteo and Helina were also in agreement.
“Excellent. Now allow me to introduce you to my wife, Penelope,” Theon said, his eyes glinting with pride as he rested his hand on the small of Penelope’s back.
Penelope smiled graciously and shook my parents’ hands.
“A pleasure to meet you,” she said, her gray eyes darting to each of us. “Feel free to call me Nell.” She had an American accent. That meant Theon had traveled to somewhere in America to find his soulmate… I couldn’t help but wonder how all that had played out. She didn’t look older than twenty.
“Your arrival is of impeccable timing,” Theon went on. “We have just completed rebuilding the city.”
“What happened to your city?” my mother asked.
Theon exchanged glances with Nell before letting out a hearty chuckle. “Let us not speak of the past. At an auspicious time like this, we must look only to the future.” His broad smile was contagious.
“You must be tired after your journey,” Nell said. “We should arrange for your quarters and some refreshments. Please, come with us.”
I was surprised that the king and queen themselves led us out of the court and up a broad set of carpeted stone steps. I looked down at River to see her gazing around the ornate castle in wonderment. I took a moment to remind myself that she was still relatively new to all of this… supernatural craziness. She’d been plucked from the most mundane life possible, had her world turned upside down and been thrust into this whirlwind, whereas I had been acquainted with supernaturals since birth. I couldn’t help but admire how she handled herself.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I said softly, drawing her eyes to me.
“Yeah
,” she said, quite breathless. I squeezed her hand and leaned down to kiss her cool cheek.
We arrived in a residential area of the castle and roamed down a long corridor lined with dozens of doors. Theon explained that the apartments on either end would be reserved for the betrothed couples exclusively, with the men sleeping on one side and the women on the other, while all the guests could occupy whichever apartments they liked in the middle.
“We’ll bring refreshments shortly,” Nell said. “In the meantime, do make yourselves at home.”
With that, everyone began milling about the corridor and choosing their apartments.
Rose left Caleb’s side and moved to River, taking her hand. “Why don’t we share an apartment tonight? Caleb’s a big boy. He can manage for one night without me.” She winked at her husband, who chuckled.
“I’d love that,” River said, grinning.
River and I shared a kiss before the two girls drifted into one of the apartments to my left. That left Caleb and me alone. We exchanged a smirk before moving to the opposite end of the corridor. I chose the door at the very end, which was still unoccupied, while he entered the apartment next door.
When I stepped inside, the suite was extravagant and luxurious, its interior design reminding me of a rustic five-star hotel. The bathroom contained a shower and what looked like a jacuzzi, while the spacious bedroom was dominated by a stately queen-sized bed, draped in deep orange satin and velveteen burgundy cushions. The ceiling above the bed consisted entirely of glass, allowing sun to stream through and affording a view of the breathtakingly blue sky. I could only imagine how stunning this room would be when the stars were out.
Planting down my backpack on an antique wooden table, I sat down on the edge of the bed. A manservant arrived at the door soon afterwards, carrying a silver tray containing a jug of some kind of exotic juice and a basket of peach cupcakes laced with saffron icing.
“A full dinner shall be served later,” the man informed me before bowing out of the room.
The cupcakes were divine, so soft and moist they practically melted on my tongue. I ended up finishing the whole lot. The juice was pleasant too, though a little sweet for my taste.
After eating, I left the bedroom to take a shower when there was another knock at my door. I went to open it and found my asshole cousin, Jeramiah, standing on my doorstep.
He looked at me awkwardly. “I’m sorry to disturb you. Could I have a minute?”
“Uh, yeah.” I pulled the door open, allowing him to step inside.
He coughed his throat clear, then hung his head. “I’ve come to apologize.”
I clenched my jaw. “It’s probably my parents you should be apologizing to.”
“I have already.”
I paused, eyeing him. It was hard to believe that this apparently guilt-ridden man was the same man I’d known in The Oasis, the leader who was feared and respected by everyone in his coven. He’d been quite an enigma to me at the time.
I thought back to the first time we’d met, back in the hunters’ base in Chile. If it hadn’t been for him, my story might have ended back there. I never would’ve escaped. Although he’d had ulterior motives for inviting me to The Oasis, and as horrible and uncertain as that time had been when I’d realized I was trapped there, it’d been a much-needed shelter for me at the time. And it had allowed me to drink blood without needing to kill for it.
His attempt to murder my parents and grandfather was inexcusable in my mind… but I also could not erase his former actions. I was not as forgiving as my mother was—I was still my father’s son, after all—but I did not like holding grudges either. Especially when a person appeared genuinely apologetic.
“Then,” I began, “if you have gained my family’s forgiveness, I suppose you have mine.”
Moving up to him, I extended my hand. He took it and shook it firmly.
“Well,” he said, stepping back. “I won’t take up any more of your time. I’m sure you have ample preparations to be getting on with for tomorrow.”
With that, he turned on his heel and let himself out of my apartment.
As I made my way to the bathroom and got in the shower, I was left to ponder over the power of a simple apology. A taming of one’s ego, an admission of being fallible… the effect that these things could have on a relationship was profound. I couldn’t help but feel that if more people were ready to apologize in the world, it would be a brighter, happier place.
River
The apartment Rose and I stepped into was dreamy. It was just how I imagined a suite in a castle should look like. Beautiful furniture, thick embroidered carpets, dusty tomes lining mahogany shelves, an enormous bed you just wanted to sink into … there was even an old grandfather clock. Rose and I wandered around in a daze, looking through the rooms, and then sat down on the bed. We caught each other’s eye and smiled. I still didn’t know Rose all that well, despite her being Ben’s sister. So much craziness had gone on recently, we’d barely gotten the chance to spend any quality time together. But it was something that I hoped would change in the coming weeks and months.
She reminded me of Ben in some of the things she said, the occasional turn of phrase. Her eye color was also identical to his, as was her dark hair. And she was tall, quite a bit taller than me.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I’m soaring,” I replied honestly.
She chuckled. “That’s exactly how I felt before my wedding.”
There was a knock at the door. I went to open it to find my mother standing in the doorway, along with my two sisters. They had been housed in an apartment just a couple of doors away.
“Can we hang out with you?” Lalia asked.
“Of course,” I said, letting them all in.
My mom’s smile looked like it had been tattooed on her face. She hadn’t stopped grinning since I’d told her I’d accepted Ben’s proposal. She pulled me in for a cuddle and kissed my cheek before we entered the bedroom.
I had to return to the door less than a minute later, however, as a group of dragon maids showed up. They all wore the same pretty blue smocks, their hair tied up in buns.
“It’s time to begin your skin regimen,” they said. “Your bridesmaids can come, too, of course.”
Bridesmaids. I realized I hadn’t even chosen my bridesmaids yet.
“I wanna be a bridesmaid!” Lalia gushed, zooming out of the door.
“I’ll be your bridesmaid,” Dafne said.
“And of course I will, too,” Rose said, coming to my side.
“Mom?” I grinned at my mother.
“I’ll be your matron of honor,” she said proudly.
“What about your outfits?” I wondered.
“Don’t worry about that,” Rose said. “I’ll sort it out with Corrine.”
The dragons led us down to an atrium of steaming, scented baths down in the lower levels of the castle. Here the maids scrubbed and exfoliated and massaged until my skin felt brand new. As I looked at myself in the mirror afterward, I’d never seen my face so luminous.
We dried and dressed in flowing gowns provided by the maids, then returned to our respective apartments. Since we still had some time before dinner, Rose suggested that we explore the castle a bit.
“Sylvia’s in there with Jeriad,” Rose said as we roamed the corridor outside, pointing to the door on our left. “It’s weird to see so many of my classmates getting married—”
“Hello.”
We turned to see Queen Penelope behind us. She had just stepped out of a dragon couple’s room, and she was carrying a bouquet of orange roses.
“Hi,” I said.
“Thank you for all of this,” Rose added. “It’s wonderful here.”
“You’re really very welcome. Theon has spoken to me so highly of all of you.” Then she paused. “Are you lost at all? I know how these corridors can be winding…”
“Oh, no,” I replied. “We were just wanting to explore a little.” br />
“Would you like me to give you a tour?” she offered.
I exchanged glances with Rose, not wanting to suck up the queen’s time. I could only imagine how busy she was. At the same time, a tour sounded amazing.
“We would love that,” Rose said. “If you have time.”
“I can make time,” she said with a grin. She led us away from the corridor and took us on a tour of the entire castle. She showed us the hall of trophies, the vast library, the treasury, even the dungeons. All the while, she recounted to us the story of how she and Theon had met, which Rose had been particularly curious about.
Her story truly was fascinating. And it was quite a revelation discovering how much I had in common with Penelope. She was just a girl like me. A girl who’d been plucked from the mundane world of humans and dumped into the wacky world of supernaturals… in the process losing her heart to one.
Yet when I looked at her, she almost struck me as a dragon herself… at least, she didn’t strike me as a regular teenage girl from DC. She spoke with grace and exuded a regal elegance, as though she were born to be a queen.
After she finished giving a thorough tour, she returned us to our apartment. Kissing each other’s cheeks, we parted ways until dinner time. We all gathered in the corridor, which was now crowded with other females and males intermingling. With a leap of my heart, I spotted Ben, standing in one corner, talking to Griffin. I crept up to him from behind and placed my hands over his eyes.
“Guess who?” I whispered.
“Oh… That is a difficult question,” he muttered, even as his hands reached down and clamped around my thighs. “River. Definitely River.”
I giggled, letting go of his eyes. He turned to face me. “You look… rather sparkly,” he said, running a hand through my freshly washed hair.
“You look quite clean, too,” I remarked.
“Dinner is about to be served!” a voice boomed over to our left. “Please make your way down to the grand court.”